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Normans

The oldest piece of tartan ever found in Scotland was created in the 16th century. Source: Alan Richardson / V&A Dundee

How to Build the Perfect Castle (Video)

Castles are iconic symbols of the Middle Ages, with their imposing walls, soaring towers, and intricate defenses. But how were these impressive structures built? And what does it take to construct...
Top image: Archaeologists excavating a human skeleton (representational image). Source: Microgen / Adobe Stock.

Unearthing History: 7 Medieval Skeletons Discovered on Holy Island, England

Construction worker at Lindisfarne car park in Northumberland , England, have uncovered a surprising discovery - a group of seven graves dating back to medieval times. According to Chronicle Live ,...
The little-known medieval hero known as Hereward the Wake. Source: Kathy / Adobe Stock

Hereward the Wake – Original Robin Hood or Fictional Medieval Hero?

Famous legendary figures like King Arthur and Robin Hood have one foot planted in fact and one firmly planted in fiction. This is also true for Hereward the Wake, an Anglo-Saxon nobleman who helped...
Halley’s Comet was seen as a harbinger of doom for the English subjects of Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. This watercolor is entitled The Comet of 1532. Source: Science Museum / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Halley’s Comet Prophesized the Battle of Hastings in 1066

When it came to the sighting of comets and meteors, experienced as eerie apparitions in the sky, ancient cultures understood them as omens sent by the gods. Without the benefits of modern-day science...
Aethelred II or Aethelred the Unready sitting on his throne unaware that history would judge him to be unready for what lay ahead as the Anglo-Saxons battled the Danish Vikings. From the illuminated manuscript, The Chronicle of Abindon, circa 1220 AD. Source: The British Library / Public domain

Aethelred II: Aethelred the Unready, or Was He Just Unlucky?

Immortalized forever as an incompetent, ill-advised monarch by his epitaph, King Aethelred II has been viewed unfavorably by history. Over the last decade, historians have made moves to reinterpret...
Medieval battlefield. Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

Aeons of Battle: The 5 Longest Wars in History

In the annals of humanity there is one phenomenon that has consistently weaved and threaded itself through the fabric of time. It is, of course, war, which from the very earliest times until the...
Holy Sovereignty:  How the English Church Resisted a Norman Takeover

Holy Sovereignty: How the English Church Resisted a Norman Takeover

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought enormous social and political upheaval to English society. Structures and institutions that had been in place for centuries were replaced by Norman ones...
Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan friars order, as depicted in the Madonna del Sasso Sanctuary in Locarno, Switzerland.

Ireland’s Franciscan Friars: Men in the Middle of a Divided Society

The origins of Christianity in Ireland trace back as far as the 5th century, when the Bishop Palladius was sent from Rome on a mission to convert the Irish people in 431 AD. Palladius was followed a...
Odo of Bayeux: Sharing the Spoils Under William the Conqueror

Odo of Bayeux: Sharing the Spoils Under William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror was without a doubt one of history’s most important leaders. His conquest of Anglo-Saxon England set in motion events that would change the future of the world for many. However...
Strongbow’s Gamble: Richard de Clare and the Norman Invasion of Ireland

Strongbow’s Gamble: Richard de Clare and the Norman Invasion of Ireland

In early medieval history – especially English history – landed gentry and aristocracy played a significant role in the political and social development. Following the Norman invasion of England by...
Portrait of Empress Mathilda, from "History of England" by St. Albans monks (15th century); the beginning of The Anarchy. (Overlay, modern Anarchy sign)                Source: Public Domain (Overlay; Public domain)

The Anarchy: A Whirlwind of Chaos and Warfare in Medieval England

Anarchy. The word itself is enough to paint a stark picture of lawlessness and disorder, a picture of a world in which no rules exist – for anyone. Such a world is bound to collapse under its own...
Cavalry attack on the Bayeux tapestry. This tapestry depicts the Normans preparing for and invading England.

The Norman Invasion: An Epic 11th Century Battle for the English Throne

When Edward the Confessor died childless, the stage was set for the Norman invasion of England in the 11th century. Although the king was succeeded by his brother-in-law, Harold Godwinson, the...
Bayeux Tapestry - The death of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings.

Did Harold Godwinson Really Die on the Battlefield at Hastings as the Records Suggest?

The reign of Harold Godwinson, the last Saxon King of England, is mostly remembered for its ignoble end, a victim of war at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 when William of Normandy came to conquer...
Anglo Saxon Helmet, Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. A reproduction of the helmet rebuilt from the fragments found in mound 1 in 1949.

The Anglo-Saxon Conquerors: Creators of Medieval England

The people of England got their name from the Angles, who, along with the Saxons, invaded in the early- to mid-5th century AD, after the Roman Empire began to groan under the weight of barbarian...