This beautiful medallion has traditionally been said to commemorate the marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Henry and Elizabeth were married on the …
WHO IS GETTING MARRIED?
medieval
WHAT’S IN A NAME: THE MOST FAMOUS ELEANOR OF THEM ALL
Eleanor of Aquitaine, ca.1122-1204, is not only the most famous woman to have ever borne that name, but she is also very possibly the first …
BOOK REVIEW: ‘KING JOHN’S RIGHT HAND LADY: THE STORY OF NICHOLAA DE LA HAYE’ BY SHARON BENNETT CONNOLLY
In Sharon Bennett Connolly’s new book, ‘King John’s Right Hand Lady: the Story of Nicholaa de la Haye,’ a remarkable 12-13th century woman is brought …
FLEUR DE LYS AT THE CORONATION CEREMONY
England and France are renowned for their historic rivalry; a French author put it best when he described England as ‘our most dear enemies.’ One …
HENRY II, THOMAS BECKET, AND A CLOAK
The relationship between Henry II and Thomas Becket is legendary; from closest of friends to the worst of enemies. Given that it ended in the …
RICHARD OC-E-NO
The first King Richard of England is most commonly known by his epithet ‘Cœur de Lion’ or ‘the Lionheart,’ which was derived from contemporary descriptions …
A GENEALOGY FROM ADAM AND EVE TO KING EDWARD VI OF ENGLAND
Just like today, people in the medieval and early modern periods were fascinated by their genealogies, especially kings and noblemen. Henry VIII possessed a particularly …
GERVASE AND THE MOON
Writing a decade later, Gervase of Canterbury recounted an extraordinary astronomical event that had been witnessed by a group of his fellow monks on the …
A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY
For a site that attracts so much international attention and tourism in the 21st century, in the medieval and Tudor periods there are surprisingly few …
A MEDIEVAL GRAFFITI PUZZLE
Some things never change, and graffiti is one of them. Examples of graffiti can be found going back thousands of years. During the Middle Ages, …
