Helen Carr

Helen Carr is an historian, writer, TV and podcast producer, specialising in medieval history and public history. Her books include the best-selling biography <em>The Red Prince: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster</em> (Oneworld Publications, 2021) and is the co-author and editor of <em>What is History, Now?</em> (W&N, 2021, alongside Suzannah Lipscomb). She is currently working on the forthcoming <em>This England</em> (Hutchinson Heinemann, 2024) Helen’s background is in documentary history for television and radio, and she has produced history documentaries for a variety of broadcast and digital networks. She holds an undergraduate degree in history of art from the University of York, a masters in medieval history from the University of Reading and is working on a doctorate in medieval emotions at Queen Mary University London.

Robert the Bruce addresses his troops ahead of Bannockburn in a 20th-century engraving.

Medieval

Why is the battle of Bannockburn remembered as Scotland’s greatest victory?

A gear wheel in the Antikythera mechanism, an analogue computer created by ancient Greeks that forms the basis for the Archimedes Dial in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

General History

The real Archimedes Dial? The Antikythera mechanism explained

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An environmental history of big business. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Global stories of museum artefacts. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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15 minutes of fameRediscovering forgotten figures. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

General HistoryaudioAn environmental history of big business

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Bioarchaeology: uncovering the secrets of ancient and prehistoric bodies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Lost languages & travelling communities: unexpected medieval histories. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Architecture & hidden Jewish history in Eastern Europe. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval

What is the history behind May Day and why do we celebrate it?

Outbreak of dance mania

Medieval

The medieval dancing plague: what caused people to dance themselves to death?

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History’s greatest mysteriesWhat caused the medieval ‘dancing plague’?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Jodie Comer plays Marguerite de Carrouges in the upcoming film 'The Last Duel',

Medieval

“A spotlight on historic societal misogyny and disbelief of women”: what The Last Duel gets right and wrong

Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain in The Green Knight an adaptation of the Arthurian romance Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

Medieval

“An intoxicating triumph true to the grandeur of the poem”: a historian’s review of The Green Knight

John of Gaunt shown in a c16th-century portrait

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John of Gaunt: The man who would be king. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Green Knight shows his severed – and still talking – head to King Arthur in this illustration of the beginning of the 14th century legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

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“A eulogy to the cult of chivalry”: what can Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tell us about Edward III and the Hundred Years’ War?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The death of Wat Tyler', 1859. Tyler was a leader of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt in England, which saw a group of rebels march on London to oppose the institution of a poll tax and demand economic and social reforms. He was killed by officers loyal to King Richard II during negotiations at Smithfield, London. (Photo by Print Collector/Getty Images)

Medieval

Your guide to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381

Portrait of John of Gaunt

Medieval

John of Gaunt: father of England’s medieval monarchy and self-styled Spanish king