In early 13th-century France, the county of Toulouse found itself the focus of Pope Innocent III's ire. It was an area that housed heretics who followed the Cathar religion – an amalgamation of various religions, including Christianity, that challenged the religious orthodoxy of the Catholic Church with conflicting accounts of spirituality. Between 1209 and 1229, the crusade waged against this group of people within the confines of Europe was the first of its kind to guarante

On the 15th of July, 1099, over ten thousand Christian soldiers forced their way into the Holy City of Jerusalem. What was to follow was one of the most infamous massacres of the medieval period. Thirsty, hungry, and exhausted from 5 weeks of siege warfare, the Crusaders were utterly brutal in their treatment of the city’s Muslim population. The chronicler Raymond d'Aguilliers describes the sack which followed the Latin victory with nauseating piety and reverence: "Indeed, it

On 15 June 1381, Wat Tyler, the elected leader of the Peasants’ Revolt, was killed during attempted negotiations in an audience with King Richard II, signalling the downfall of a revolt that had been building since the mid-fourteenth century. From this perspective, the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was an immediate failure in achieving its goals of equality and representation, but the long-term consequences tell a more complex story. Fourteenth century England was characterised by

Since the dawn of time, humanity always sought new ways to kill one another in war. The Medieval Era was no exception, having its fair share of military revolutions. The Hussite Wars of the early fifteenth century were one such instance of innovation. After attempts to swiftly deal with the growing Hussite heresy in Bohemia were metaphorically and physically thrown out the window in 1419, war was the only option left. Across Catholic Europe, many lords, knights and soldiers o

There is a bronze statue in a Suffolk town that most people will never visit. It stands among the ruins of what was once the largest Romanesque church ever built – a building whose footprint would have dwarfed Salisbury Cathedral, its west front reckoned amongst the most extraordinary architectural facades in all of Europe. The man in bronze is young, crowned, and his eyes are closed. He is St Edmund: ninth-century king of East Anglia, martyr, and – long before St George acqu

On the evening of Wednesday 6 September 1090, five years before the First Crusade was called, the Shi’a missionary Hasan-i Sabbah slipped unnoticed into the seemingly impregnable mountain fortress of Alamut. After peacefully converting the inhabitants of the Persian stronghold, and removing its Sunni master, he began to build a movement that would become shrouded in myth. The group that would come to be known as the ‘Assassins’ would play a significant role in the politics of

The Battle of Bosworth in 1485 is often remembered as a defining moment in English history, representing a climactic clash between good and evil. It is the moment the deformed tyrant Richard III was slain while the noble saviour, Henry Tudor, was crowned king — ending the Wars of the Roses and marking the start of the Tudor dynasty. However, popular beliefs surrounding the battle are rooted less in historical reality and more in myth: dramatised storytelling carefully constru

Nestled within the open fields at the heart of Kenilworth lie the remains of a medieval priory. Just a ten-minute stroll from Kenilworth Castle – the other striking medieval landmark in the area – St Mary’s Abbey stands as a potent reminder of the complex religious history of the British Isles. The most significant impression upon visiting is the toll religious upheaval has taken on this monastic house. What was once a thriving spiritual centre is now a shattered ruin, with o

Cover Image: Odinus ( Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odlnus?igsh=MTN3ZXA4dDBxc2NuMQ== Artstation : https://www.artstation.com/artw...

It is 686 AD at the gates of the Northumbrian monastery of Monkwearmouth-Jarrow Abbey. Pushing one of the great oak doors ajar, we are...

Throughout its impressive longevity, the Byzantine Empire has had its fair share of terrible emperors who plunged Byzantium into chaos...

If you visit Warwick Castle, you will find countless placards and performances chronicling its history – chief among them, its...

Noah Parsons By the time of the High Medieval Period, Western Europe remained firmly within the grasp of the omnipotent Catholic Church....