Illustrated Medieval scene from the Romance of Lancelot

Medieval

A woman on a medieval ducking stool

Q&AQ&A: Were ducking stools ever used as punishment for crimes other than witchcraft during the Middle Ages?

Ladies-in-waiting

General History

Q&AWhat did a lady-in-waiting actually do?

In 1358, women finally gained full knightly acceptance in England when they began to be admitted to chivalric orders. (Photo by Eugene Antonov/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

Q&ACould a woman become a knight in medieval times?

The leaning tower of Pisa

Q&AWhy does the Tower of Pisa lean to one side?

Aerial view of Dover Castle

ExploreExplore Dover Castle: Britain’s first line of defence. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 1824 cartoon depicting the drinking escapades of Oxford students. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The history of student life: 7 things you didn’t know. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Winchester Cathedral

From King Alfred to Jane Austen: a historical tour of Winchester. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Professor Dame Janet L Nelson

Charlemagne: medieval empire builder. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

For our forebears, the secret to a good night's sleep lay in the contents of your gut. (Photo by Leemage/UIG via Getty Images)

6 sleeping tips and tricks from history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Illustration by Glen McBeth.

Q&AWhen did the leopards on the royal arms of England become the lions depicted today?

Dornier 217 bombers of the Luftwaffe bomb London during the Battle of Britain. "The crucial role of the RAF in denying the Germans control of the air in 1940 and therefore persuading Hitler to abandon his invasion plans is so well known that it might seem almost sacrilegious to question it, " says Sean Lang. "But was it solely responsible for saving Britain from invasion? Not quite." (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

9 of the most overrated battles in history (and one underrated one). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Professor Dame Janet L Nelson has published extensively on early medieval Europe. She is professor emeritus at King's College London, a fellow of the British Academy and a former president of the Royal Historical Society. Her previous books include 'Charles the Bald' (1992) and 'The Frankish World' (1996). (Photograph by Frank Monks)

Books interview with Janet Nelson: "The only way this huge regime could work was by Charlemagne trusting his own instincts". This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

History ExplorerThe Holy Island of Lindisfarne

A medieval European union: why the Hanseatic League still matters. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The ruins of Dunluce Castle, which sit on the coastal cliffs of North Antrim in Northern Ireland. They are thought to have been the inspiration for CS Lewis’s castle Cair Paravel in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ (1950–56). (Photo by Andrea Ricordi/Contributor/Getty Images)

9 of Britain’s best castles. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration of the battle of Agincourt. By attacking over unsuitable ground, Charles d’Albret “doomed his army”, says Rupert Matthews. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The top 10 military blunders in history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

St Fagans Castle and gardens

A visit to St Fagans National Museum of History, Cardiff. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Trading blows: Rana Mitter on the US-China Trade War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Construction of a medieval church

Bravado or blunder? Architectural fails of medieval church builders. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Knights Templar depicted on an antique map of Jerusalem. (Alamy)

The rise and fall of the Knights Templar. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Historian, presenter and author Dan Jones. (David Levenson/Getty Images)

Dan Jones on the Templars and ‘Knightfall’. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Richard III. Was the last Yorkist king a usurper? Historian John Ashdown-Hill explains why this is a myth. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Did fear drive Richard III to the throne?

What did Magna Carta mean to the English in 1215?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

9 eccentric monarchs through history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Richard II sails down the Thames to Greenwich to meet the rebels. (Photo by Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo)

Why did the peasants really revolt?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

John Hardyng: Henry V’s secret agent. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Books interview with AC Grayling: “A great philosophical mind is one that belongs to a childish heart – always curious, always open”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The life of Saladin. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A portrait of Elizabeth Woodville, queen of Edward IV. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

8 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Woodvilles. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A painting depicts a 14th-century sea battle

Medieval inspiration: what the fantasy genre owes to the 14th century. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.