Medieval

English sailors engage the French invasion fleet at the battle of Sandwich in 1217.

The battle of Sandwich: England’s medieval Trafalgar

From gallant knights to dragon-slaying damsels, Lydia Zeldenrust reveals why medieval readers couldn’t get enough of romance tales. (Image by Getty Images)

Knights, dragons and beasts: the strange world of medieval romances

A scene from Perceval, one of the Arthurian romances attributed to Chretien De Troyes

Who was Chrétien de Troyes, and why are his Arthurian romances important?

Prisoners exercise and play sport in the courtyard of the Fleet Prison, circa 1872

Timeline: a history of prisons in Britain

John of Gaunt shown in a c16th-century portrait

John of Gaunt: The man who would be king

Illustration of Brunhilda of Austrasia

The real Brunhild? The Visigothic princess behind the Norse saga

A page of the Codex Borbonicus, an Aztec folding book painted around the time of the Spanish invasion

What can the Aztecs tell us about themselves? The secrets of their ‘indigenous annals’

Bodiam Castle. (Getty Images)

How to build a medieval castle: 9 top tips

Melisende of Jerusalem

Melisende of Jerusalem: the queen of a crusader kingdom

Everything you wanted to know about the Anarchy | HistoryExtra Podcast

The Anarchy: everything you wanted to know

Henry I proclaims Matilda as his heir

Your guide to… The Anarchy

Entrance to Lincoln Castle. (Dreamstime)

Lincoln: the battle that gave birth to medieval England

Professor Michael Wert responds to listener questions and online search queries about the samurai of feudal Japan. (Image by Getty Images)

Samurai: everything you wanted to know

L to R: Marie Antoinette of France, Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba, Hurrem (also known as Roxelana)

Queens know best: survival lessons from powerful historical women

Portrait of Sarah Gristwood for BBC History Magazine

History explorer: Tewkesbury Abbey and four more places linked to the Wars of the Roses