Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

This illustration from the Codex Manesse (c.1300) shows Konrad von Altstetten, a Swiss ministerial, reclining with his beloved after a hunt. The lavish manuscript, compiled in Heidelberg, preserves the courtly poetry and romantic ideals of the German medieval nobility. (Photo by Getty Images)

Wandering womanisers? These charismatic bards took the medieval world (and its women) by storm

This scene depicts Clovis I, founder of the Merovingian dynasty, executing a soldier who defied him over the famed Vase of Soissons around AD 480. The story, preserved by Gregory of Tours, became a legendary example of royal authority and vengeance in early medieval France.

This dynasty of medieval kings had a secret weapon – and you probably have it too

This illustration from the Arnamagnæan Collection in Denmark depicts Eric the Red, the Norse explorer who founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland around AD 985.

A thousand years ago, the Vikings had a shock encounter with Native Americans that ended in disaster

This 19th-century chromolithograph depicts flagellants in Tournai in 1349, publicly scourging themselves in response to the Black Death. Known as the Brothers of the Cross, such groups believed self-punishment could help cleanse society of divine wrath.

It felt like the end of the world, but this medieval ‘apocalypse’ left a legacy no one saw coming

Slavery on the medieval Silk Road. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Normans sailing across the channel

The Bayeux Tapestry: a political football for 900 years

Exploring the medieval world with Marco Polo. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A visitor looks at the Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is finally coming home to Britain – and you can see it next year

Secrets of medieval manuscripts. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Owain Glyndŵr: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Thomas Aquinas: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A women with a shocked face next to a calendar with the date of Friday the 13th

Q&AWhy is Friday 13th unlucky?

When was the worst time to be alive? You'll be surprised at what our expert has to say. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Plague, famine and chivalry: a human history of the 14th century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What was life like in a medieval town? A historical A-Z. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of King John layered in front of the text of Magna Carta.

Priceless medieval artefact auctioned for just $27 is centuries-old original, experts reveal

Michael Wood on amazing insights into medieval daily life. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A timeless love story? Abélard and Héloïse’s passionate affair. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration of soldiers in medieval armour killing peasant women

Why it was more dangerous to steal a loaf of bread than commit murder in medieval England

Troubadours: everything you wanted to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of James III of Scotland

This medieval king was hunted down and brutally murdered — and we still don’t know who killed him

A man stands on a ladder. Two women lean out. The man is kissing one of the women

When women tied up men for Jesus: why Henry VIII tried to ban the medieval festival of Hocktide

The 93 penises of the Bayeux Tapestry. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A penis depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

“I counted the penises in the Bayeux Tapestry and I have no regrets”: what one Oxford professor found when he studied the rudest bits of the embroidery

Joanna Plantagenet: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Biddenden cakes

What are the Easter treats known as Biddenden cakes, and who were the Biddenden Maids?

An illustration of the coronation of King Henry III in the 13th century.

Was Henry III the worst king in medieval history? Our expert uncovers one of England's most disastrous reigns

A medieval mystery: the green-coloured children found in an English village. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Thomas Becket: life of week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A medieval knight in a suit of armour fighting with a monk.

Why reporting a murder in medieval England could destroy your life