Medieval

Brothers in arms Louis IX on his way to the Seventh Crusade, 1248. The French king kept his three brothers onside – preventing any potential family infighting – by providing them with huge lordships. (Photo by Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images)

How to run a medieval dynasty: survival secrets of ruling royal families

Edward I. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Reassessing Edward I: battle-hungry aggressor or dutiful conqueror?

Coronation of King Edward III. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

7 medieval kings of England you should know about

Margaret of Anjou married Henry VI of England in 1445

Margaret of Anjou: a brief guide to the ‘She-Wolf of France’

Elizabeth Woodville with her husband, Edward IV. According to one medieval document, their marriage only came about “by Sorcerie and Wichecrafte, committed by the said Elizabeth, and her Moder Jaquett Duchess of Bedford”. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Medieval royal witches: from Elizabeth Woodville to Queen Joan of Navarre

Premium

From Roman emperors and medieval saints to enslaved people, Olivette Otele charts the long history of Africans in Europe

African Europeans . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Boat diplomacy: Froissart's 'Chronicles' show Richard II acceding to many of the rebels' demands at Mile End, 14 June 1381. The speed with which the rebels flooded London wrong-footed the king's advisors. (Photo by Alamy)

Revealed: the true identity of the rebels of the Peasants’ Revolt

The battle of Stoke Field – German mercenary Martin Schwarz made a famous last stand in the thick of the fighting even as other elements of the rebel army turned and fled

The battle of Stoke Field, 1487 – the real last battle of the Wars of the Roses

A c1850 satirical illustration of King John signing Magna Charta. (Photo by the Print Collector/Getty Images)

Is 15 June 1215 the true date of Magna Carta? Two historians debate

Actor Errol Flynn as Robin Hood in the film 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', 1938. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

What’s the most accurate Robin Hood film?

Defining moments: Agincourt may have been the springboard for Henry V's conquest of Normandy but it was the treaty of Troyes that secured his position as next in line to the crown of France. (Photo by Getty Images)

Henry V’s greatest victory (and it wasn’t at the battle of Agincourt)

Premium

From the eruption of Vesuvius to Chernobyl and Covid-19, Niall Ferguson charts how disasters have changed the course of history

What can we learn from past catastrophes? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

English sailors engage the French invasion fleet at the battle of Sandwich in 1217.

The battle of Sandwich: England’s medieval Trafalgar

Premium

From gallant knights to dragon-slaying damsels, Lydia Zeldenrust reveals why medieval readers couldn’t get enough of romance tales. (Image by Getty Images)

Knights, dragons and beasts: the strange world of medieval romances . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A scene from Perceval, one of the Arthurian romances attributed to Chretien De Troyes

Who was Chrétien de Troyes, and why are his Arthurian romances important?