In the historical landscape of the Holy Land during the Crusades , the Templars, a formidable and influential order, established their presence across strategic locations. One such place was the city...
Medieval armor , often depicted as a symbol of invincibility, had its share of drawbacks that made it more perilous than going unprotected. These metal suits , while impressive, posed several...
In the era between 1096 and 1271, the Crusades unfolded as a dynamic clash of cultures, reshaping two continents. Yet, life for a medieval Crusader was far from uniform. Noble knights and commoners...
In a time long ago, in a land far away, there lived a legendary hero whose name echoed throughout the ages. He was a mighty warrior, a skilled knight , and a fierce dragon slayer. This hero's name...
Warfare has unfortunately been a recurring part of human history, with conflicts arising from territorial disputes, cultural differences, and the drive for power. While the 20th century saw several...
Few stories in English folklore have had the staying power of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. While many people are familiar with the legend, few people realize how many different...
There is perhaps no more famous character in British legend than that of King Arthur. For centuries, people have been reading tales of King Arthur and his knight’s exploits. Of all the characters...
These days, it seems that if an author wants to go straight to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, all they need to do is release a tell-all memoir or biography aimed at a famous...
The Medieval Crusades were a series of important historical events largely told through the perspective of men. Almost all the contemporary commentators, crusader knights, and Christian generals and...
During the First Crusade, the city state of Pisa, like many other European powers, was moved by the pleas of Pope Urban II, who in 1095 ordered the Christian kingdoms of Europe to launch a holy...
Archaeologists have for a long time unearthed clay pots in medieval Jerusalem. But now, a new study shows that some of them were likely ‘ancient hand grenades’. Residues sampled from inside a...
History fails to record the names of any of the mediciners who accompanied the chivalric orders on their Crusade , but when each of the noblemen of western Europe pledged their oath to take up the...
A diver in Israel has discovered a rare 900-year-old Crusader sword among a collection of ancient artifacts. This massive weapon, that was once welded by a legendary Crusader knight , was found not...
To visit Venice is a dream of every passionate traveler. The city, crisscrossed with channels and marvelous relics of art and culture, is one of Italy’s most sought-after tourist destinations. But...
The Doge of Venice was the highest office in the Republic of Venice. This office existed for about a millennium, from the 8th century AD till the 18th century. The title of this office traces its...
The island of Rhodes which now forms part of Greece, has a long and dramatic history dating back 12,000 years to the Neolithic era. In the medieval period it was the headquarters of The Order of...
Cruel. Courageous. Scheming. Chivalrous. These are just some of the contradictory words that have been used to describe King Richard I, a ruler with a ‘Lion heart.’ But lions are not always majestic...
Not all of history’s tales have a happy ending. In fact, most of them are rife with sad fates and great turmoil, with the ruthless passage of time erasing entire nations. One of these tales it that...
Prester John (known also as Presbyter John or John the Elder) was a legendary figure in Europe during the Medieval and Early Modern periods. Europeans living at that time believed that Prester John...
An Israeli archaeologist has identified the long-lost battlefield of Arsuf. This was a battle that took place during the Crusades between the legendary figures of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin...
Our journey begins with the Freemasons . This late sixteenth century group occupies a strange, almost mythical place in modern popular culture and, while evoking many conspiracies, the self-...
The ‘Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon,’ more commonly known as the Knights Templar, or the Templars, was one of the most renowned military orders during the Middle Ages. The...
By Aleks Pluskowski, Alex Brown & Rowena Banerjea / The Conversation The Forest of Białowieża, which straddles the border of Poland and Belarus, is unique in Europe: it is incredibly ancient...
The Crusades were a series of holy wars between the Christians of Western Europe and the Muslims of the Middle East. Traditionally, there were nine major Crusades, which took place between the 11th...