Empress Zoë: The Perfumed Sovereign of Byzantium
For over two decades, Zoë Porphyrogenita wielded power through strategic marriages, court intrigue, and an…
The English Pope Who Sparked 800 Years of Irish Pain
Nicholas Breakspear, known to history as Pope Adrian IV, holds the unique distinction of being…
Sitriuc Silkbeard: The Norse King Who Made Dublin A Great City
Origins and Dynasty Sitriuc Silkbeard, also known as Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson, was born around…
Rorik of Dorestad: Viking King, Diplomat, and Shadow Ruler of Frisia
The story of Rorik of Dorestad – a Danish Viking who became a king in…
Rome Burned, Emperors Died. But the Senate Kept Meeting
By the late fourth century AD, the Roman Senate – once the ruling heart of…
The Strategic Genius of Emma of Normandy – England’s Overlooked Matriarch
Emma of Normandy (c. 985–1052), played an influential role in shaping the complex worlds of…
The Clever Political Manoeuvre That Won The Pope A Kingdom
The year 754 CE marked a crucial moment in Dark Ages European history, as it…
A Crown for Sale? This Empire Went to the Highest Bidder!
For nearly a millennium, the Holy Roman Empire’s imperial elections combined ritual, bribery, and dynastic…
Archbishop Thomas Becket: the Most Infamous Murder in Medieval England
The assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on December 29, 1170, was a…
From Slave to Queen
Galla Placidia’s life reads like an epic: born into the highest echelons of Roman power,…
The Dark, Dirty, and Dangerous Reality of Early Medieval Europe
Life in early medieval Europe was, for most people, a daily struggle against hunger, disease,…
The Bayeux Tapestry’s 93 Hidden Secrets: What Were They Thinking?
Few works of medieval art have captured the public imagination quite like the Bayeux Tapestry….
The Knights Hospitallers: From Jerusalem To Acre, Cyprus, Rhodes Then Finally Malta
The year 1113 marked a pivotal moment in medieval history when Pope Paschal II officially…
Why Did Vikings Return Year After Year to Raid This Tiny Island Monastery?
In 799, on a small, windswept island off the coast of Aquitaine, the monks of…
The Death and Rebirth of the Language of the Roman Empire
By the end of the 5th century AD, Latin – the language used for the…