Medieval life

In 1926, a time of social and political strife, the country unified in celebrating the birth of Princess Elizabeth. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

6 royal births that rocked a nation

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Tironensian communities such as that of Kelso Abbey were particularly popular in Scotland. (Heartland-Arts/Getty Images)

Where history happened: the monastic revolution . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A noisy history of the world

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Illustration by Jonty Clark.

Ye olde travel guide: Florence 1380 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The call for the First Crusade was initially made by Pope Urban (pictured) in 1095. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)

Britain and Islam: a matter of faith

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Why Magna Carta matters

Our Lady of Sorrows, by unknown artist (20th century), photographic reproduction, 103x65 cm, inv 1602. Copyright Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosian. (Getty Images)

The day a Mexican farmer had a vision of the Virgin Mary

‘Portrait of a Lady’ by Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden, c1460. From the collection of the National Gallery, London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images)

Medieval underwear: bras, pants and lingerie in the Middle Ages

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Illustration by Jonty Clark.

Ye Olde Travel Guide: Bruges 1386 . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting medieval pilgrims. (Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

The Library Medieval tourism: pilgrimages and tourist destinations

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Durham Cathedral on a sunny day. Taken near to the water of the River Wear. (Dreamstime)

Where history happened: pilgrimage . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Is there evidence of prejudice against left-handers in the medieval period?

A hand-coloured lithograph showing St Patrick, national apostle of Ireland. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)

Britain’s medieval identity crisis

A portrait of Geoffrey Chaucer from an early 15th-century manuscript of the poem ‘De Regimine Principum’ by Thomas Hoccleve. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

The Library Chaucer and the idea of Englishness

The Tower of London. More than 30 inmates successfully broke out of the royal fortress between the 12th and 18th centuries. (Photo by Tetra Images/Getty Images)

How to escape from the Tower of London