Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

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Why is the blockbuster Bayeux exhibition so important?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A large-scale nighttime light projection on the White Cliffs of Dover, showing Bayeux Tapestry-style ships alongside the words "Merci! The British Museum, presented by Igor Tulchinsky."

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Ale, terror and a martyr's death: what not to miss on the Bayeux Tapestry. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman invasion of 1066

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The making of the Bayeux Tapestry: who made it, how long did it take, and how has it survived?

Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron are pictured in front of an enlarged image of the Bayeux Tapestry. Burnham looks towards the smiling French president, while a scene from the medieval embroidery fills the background.

Medieval

Politically embarrassing to politically powerful: how the Bayeux Tapestry became a tool of diplomacy

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Episode 8Joan of Arc: The truth behind the legend. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval illustration showing a noblewoman dining in a great hall, surrounded by attendants, musicians, servants and other members of the household.

Medieval

Would you sleep in a medieval home? (There'd be no privacy and it might smell of bacon)

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Episode 7Genghis Khan: The brutal warlord’s lessons for today. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval manuscript illumination depicting King John on horseback hunting a stag with hounds.

Medieval

King John was a monster – but did he really murder his own nephew?

A medieval illumination in eight panels showing seasonal rural work — falconry, mowing, harvesting, threshing, sowing, grape‑pressing, pig‑tending, and indoor crop processing — all rendered in bright, patterned medieval style.

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How grim was life as a medieval farmer? Here are 6 things you need to know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Three Tudor-era children sit at a table within an ornate architectural frame, dressed in elaborate period clothing, with small round objects laid out before them.

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Royal rivalries10 of the most famous sibling relationships. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 6A-Z of medieval life: V-Z. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 5A-Z of Medieval Life: Q-U. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 4A-Z of Medieval Life: M-P. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 4Does Magna Carta matter today?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The Fifth Crusade: triumph, disaster and the battle for Egypt. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Promotional banner for the History Extra Academy course "A to Z of Medieval Life with Ian Mortimer." The bright orange background is decorated with medieval-style illustrations including coins, a monk, figures bathing, a cauldron, and a Latin manuscript. Bold white text displays the course title prominently. A man in a white shirt and patterned waistcoat holds an open book on the right side of the image. The History Extra Academy logo appears in the upper left corner.

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AcademyIan Mortimer’s A–Z of Medieval Life

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Why does the Bayeux Tapestry still command our attention?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 3Magna Carta's aftermath: Why didn't 'Bad King John' keep his word?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Historian Ian Mortimer

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Episode 3A-Z of Medieval Life: I–L. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 2Magna Carta's biggest myths. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How to survive a day in the 14th century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval

HistoryExtra AcademyA-Z of Medieval Life, with Dr Ian Mortimer

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Episode 2A-Z of Medieval Life: E–H. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 1A-Z of Medieval Life: A–D. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Episode 1Was 'Bad King John' really that bad?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Was Elizabeth Báthory really a serial killer?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Composite image of Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland wearing a Viking helmet and the Norway national team shirt, standing with his hands on his hips against an illustrated background of Viking longships filled with oarsmen. The image links Haaland and Norway’s modern 'Viking row' football celebration with historical depictions of Viking seafarers.

Viking

Norway’s ‘Viking row’: the real history behind the World Cup football chant

A nighttime projection of the Bayeux Tapestry illuminates the White Cliffs of Dover, depicting Norman ships crossing the Channel alongside the word “Merci!” and the British Museum logo, celebrating the tapestry’s loan to the UK in summer 2026.

Medieval

I correctly predicted that the Bayeux Tapestry would come home. But is football coming home too?

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The astonishing laws of medieval Wales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval manuscript illumination showing a bride and groom joined together by a clergyman during a marriage ceremony, surrounded by richly dressed figures and decorative borders.

Tudor

Why were the Tudors obsessed with kissing each other, and what made them stop?

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