Eleanor of Castile is most remembered for the ‘Eleanor Crosses’ – the beautiful statues that her grieving husband, Edward I, had erected to mark the …
ELEANOR OF CASTILE AS A LANDOWNER
Medieval
MEDIEVAL MELANCHOLIA
In the Middle Ages, there was a very limited understanding of mental illness. One ailment, which we would categorise today as a mental illness, was …
MARITAL STRIFE: ISABELLA OF ANGOULÊME AND THE LUSIGNANS
Whilst Henry VIII is renowned for his complex marital life, his 13th century ancestress, Isabella of Angoulême, could give him a run for his money. …
STONEHENGE: MEDIEVAL AND TUDOR ACCOUNTS
Stonehenge is one of England’s most iconic attractions. The prehistoric monument is believed to have been constructed from 3000 to 2000 BCE. There are many …
NEW YEAR’S FESTIVITIES IN SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT
Celebrating the new year is a tradition which has a long history. One of the most evocative medieval accounts is in ‘Sir Gawain and the …
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR’S PARENTS AND THE NORMAN CASTLE
ABOVE: William the Conqueror and Odo, bishop of Bayeux, from the ‘Bayeux Tapestry’ Benoît de Sainte-Maure was a 12th-century French poet, who, amongst other things, …
HARNESS PENDANT OF PHILIPPA OF HAINAULT
This beautiful, if damaged, piece was a harness pendant with Philippa of Hainault’s coat of arms, found in 1998 in Yorkshire. Made of a copper …
JOHN FOXE’S CONCEPT OF HISTORY AND TIME
In 2019, I wrote a university thesis about concepts of history, change, and time in the 15th and 16th centuries. Part of this thesis included …
KING LOUIS I OF ENGLAND
ABOVE: Arrival of Louis in England, from the ‘Chronica Majora’ of Matthew Paris, c.1236–59 When it comes to regnal lists and the royal family tree, …
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY THROUGH THE MIDDLE AGES
The Bayeux Tapestry, though actually a piece of embroidery and not a tapestry at all, is today considered to be one of the most significant artefacts of medieval history. Documenting the lead up to the events of the Norman Conquest of England…In fact, throughout all the Middle Ages, we only have a single definite reference to it
