Medieval battles

From the Norman Conquest and the battle of Hastings to the Crusades; the Hundred Years’ War; the Wars of the Roses and the battle of Bosworth, the Middle Ages were plagued by bloody battles and violent sieges. Here we explore the biggest, bloodiest and most significant medieval battles, as well as overlooked clashes such as the battle of Tours, Hattin and Sandwich…

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)

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9 of the most overrated battles in history (and one underrated one). 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)

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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)

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

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

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

An illustration of Edward II. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

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The big debate: was Edward II really murdered?

The tomb of King Richard III, who was reinterred at Leicester cathedral of Saint Martin following the discovery of his body in 2012. (Photo by Getty Images)

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A ‘car park king’ timeline: the discovery of Richard III

A wooden cross marks the spot, just over 20 miles west of Newcastle, where Oswald apparently raised his own cross before ambushing Cadwallon. If the Anglo-Saxon warlord's attack had failed, writes Edoardo Albert, England might now be a lot smaller. (Photo by Getty Images)

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Hell in Heavenfield: the Anglo-Saxon battle "as important as Hastings". This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A detail from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the death of Harold Godwinson at the battle of Hastings, 1066. Victory at Hastings did not make Duke William of Normandy king of England – at least, not immediately. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

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Q&AWhat happened after the Battle of Hastings?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A vintage colour lithograph depicting King Richard III at the battle of Bosworth. The battle of Bosworth (or Bosworth Field) was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the Houses of Lancaster and York. (Photo by Getty Images)

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The battle for Bosworth field: Historians react to decision to build on battlefield where Richard III died. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Robert the Bruce, famous for beating the English army of Edward II despite having far fewer troops, is commemorated at the 1314 battleground in Bannockburn. (Dreamstime)

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Robert the Bruce: champion of Scotland or murderous usurper?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Agincourt was one of the major battles of the Hundred Years' War.

Medieval

Agincourt: medieval England's finest hour?

Portrait of Richard III, dated 15th century. (Photo by Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

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Treachery at Bosworth: what really brought down Richard III. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The blue-robed Henry VII pictured performing a variety of tasks at the Tower of London following his accession to the throne, in a contemporary illustration. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

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Bosworth: the dawn of the Tudors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

c1400, English troops use siege towers to capture a French town during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. Original Artwork: An illumination from Froissart's Chronicles. (Photo by Rischgitz/Getty Images)

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7 facts about the Hundred Years’ War

Detail from the Bayeux tapestry, which depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066. (DeAgostini/Getty Images) 

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10 medieval dates you need to know

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman conquest of England in 1066. (Photo by DEA/M. SEEMULLER via Getty Images)

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The Bayeux Tapestry now and in the future. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Harold Godwinson’s two eldest sons fled to Ireland after the Battle of Hastings, where they lived as guests of the King of Leinster. (Photo by Duncan1890 via Getty Images)

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Q&AWhat happened to Harold Godwinson’s children after the Battle of Hastings?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Thomas Becket

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The LibraryEngland’s forgotten civil war. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Norman cavalry charge the enemy in this detail from the Bayeux Tapestry. Debate rages over the pros and cons of the tapestry leaving France for the first time in more than 900 years. (Photo by Photo 12/Getty Images)

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Will the Bayeux Tapestry actually come to Britain?

The distinctive polygon towers of Caernarfon Castle. (Photo by Gail Johnson/Getty Images)

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History explorerThe conquest of Wales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The ‘Princes in the Tower’

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The 5 greatest mysteries behind the Wars of the Roses. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

Thomas Asbridge

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Books interview with Thomas Asbridge: “Richard was a member of medieval Europe’s most dysfunctional family”. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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

A scene depicted on the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry.

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Bayeux Tapestry to be loaned to the UK: historians react. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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How English is the Bayeux Tapestry?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An 1864 illustration depicts King Henry VI and the Dukes of York and Somerset, after York's return from Ireland in 1450. Artist James William Edmund Doyle. (Photo by The Print Collector/Getty Images)

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The Wars of the Roses: York v Beaufort?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The burning of Templars, from ‘De casibus virorum illustrium’ by Giovanni Boccaccio. Found in the collection of the British Library. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

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The Templars: a brief history. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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The 1267 Treaty of Montgomery: a prince’s hope for the future of Wales. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Temple Church, London, a late 12th-century church built for and by the Knights Templar. (Photo by LatitudeStock - David Williams/Getty Images)

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History explorer: The Knights Templar. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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