Helen Carr

Historian and author

Helen Carr is an historian, writer, TV and podcast producer, specialising in medieval history and public history. Her books include the best-selling biography The Red Prince: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (Oneworld Publications, 2021) and is the co-author and editor of What is History, Now? (W&N, 2021, alongside Suzannah Lipscomb). She is currently working on the forthcoming This England (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.

Helen Carr

Recent articles by Helen Carr

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

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

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

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

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

John of Gaunt: The man who would be king

“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?

Your guide to the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381

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