By Maisy Morris Anna Komnene is remembered in history as the only secular woman historian of the European Middle Ages. Her work, The Alexiad, is a history of her father Alexios I Komneno’s reign as emperor of the Byzantine Empire from 1081-1118, and it is regarded a a highly important source, not only for its …
by Robert Curtis Picture the scene: the year is 1308, and Edward II wears the crown of England. Except today, he has left the crown at home – it’s a tiresome old thing, after all, and he’s worn it for several months without much chance for a break. Here he comes now, strolling through his …
By Hannah McCann It is said that the death of King William II was foretold. His untimely death occurred in 1100 CE when he was struck by an arrow in the New Forest. That year strange events were afoot in England, events which bore bad tidings. One such event was the birth of conjoined twin …
By Hannah McCann (Repost from Volume 15) Every year on 21st December the tallest stone at Stonehenge lines up with the rising sun. The midwinter solstice would have been a very important day for Neolithic people. Archaeological evidence from around Stonehenge shows us that they had immense feasts – from pork and beef to mead …
by Robert Curtis Picture the scene: the year is 1308, and Edward II wears the crown of England. Except today, he has left the crown at home – it’s a tiresome old thing, after all, and he’s worn it for several months without much chance for a break. Here he comes now, strolling through his …
By Hannah McCann Every year on 21st December the tallest stone at Stonehenge lines up with the rising sun. The midwinter solstice would have been a very important day for Neolithic people. Archaeological evidence from around Stonehenge shows us that they had immense feasts – from pork and beef to mead made from honey. They …
By Sam Skinner Which Anglo-Saxon kings feature in the popular imagination? Many know of Alfred the Great’s wars against the Vikings; of the infamy of Aethelred ‘the Unready’; of Harold’s defeat at Hastings. The chances are that King Athelstan does not resonate. Yet it was Athelstan’s achievement to ruthlessly bend an island to his will …
There is a strong misconception that people living in medieval times would primarily drink alcohol as it was believed that water was unsafe to drink.
Lady Godiva – we have all heard of this legendary noblewoman in one way or another purely through cultural osmosis.
Although it may seem like a quiet, ordinary suburb on the fringes of a city, Crookes has a surprisingly rich history that makes it anything but ordinary.
