The Final Showdown: How the Battle of Largs Marked the End of the Viking Era in Scotland
The Battle of Largs, which took place on October 2, 1263, was a significant event…
How Severed Heads and Fingernails Became Medieval Sacred Treasures
The veneration of relics was a cornerstone of religious life in medieval Europe, intertwining faith,…
How a Chinese Emperor’s Gambit Brought the Persian Empire to Its Knees
The year 1141 marked a seismic shift in the balance of power across Central Asia….
The Great Famine: Europe’s Forgotten Catastrophe
The early 14th century in Europe is often remembered for the Black Death, but before…
Long After They Thought It Was Over The Vikings Came Back to Britain
On a windswept autumn day in October 1209 the people of Llanfaes, a bustling port…
Slaughter in the Name of God: The Albigensian Crusade’s Shocking Atrocities
The Albigensian Crusade, a dark chapter in medieval European history, was a brutal campaign that…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
The Great Countess, Defender of Popes
Matilda of Tuscany, also known as La Gran Contessa (The Great Countess), was one of…
12th Century King Accidentally Creates Legal System Used by Half the World
Before Henry II’s reign, justice in England was a patchwork affair. In the middle of…
5 Campaigns, 1 Ruthless Emperor – How Barbarossa Kept Coming Back for More
Frederick I, better known as Frederick Barbarossa, was one of the most ambitious and powerful…