Histories and Castles

Alnwick Castle exterior view, Northumberland

Historical Figures and Events

From the Knights Templar and the Crusades to Medieval Kings of England and Princes of Wales

READ HERE

Castles in England and Wales

Castles weren't built to protect people. They were built to control them.

READ ARTICLES
Windsor Castle aerial view with Round Tower

Ancient and Mystical Jewellery, Tarot Cards, Clothing

For the people who don't just read about this world, they want to own something from it.

SHOP HERE
Alnwick Castle exterior view, Northumberland
Windsor Castle aerial view with Round Tower

The hidden history of medieval Britain. Not the version they wanted you to read.

King Edward III in royal attire with a crown in a dimly lit room Owain Glyndŵr on horseback in woodland, wearing armour and carrying a spear in daylight. William the Conqueror in chainmail armor with a stone wall background
King Edward III in royal attire with a crown in a dimly lit room Owain Glyndŵr on horseback in woodland, wearing armour and carrying a spear in daylight. William the Conqueror in chainmail armor with a stone wall background
King Edward III in royal attire with a crown in a dimly lit room Owain Glyndŵr on horseback in woodland, wearing armour and carrying a spear in daylight. William the Conqueror in chainmail armor with a stone wall background
King Henry II in a richly decorated crown and crimson robe inside a candlelit medieval hall. King Richard I depicted in battle armour with a gold crown and red cloak, showing a fierce expression. Illustration of King Henry III wearing a gold crown and green royal mantle against a soft painted background.
King Henry II in a richly decorated crown and crimson robe inside a candlelit medieval hall. King Richard I depicted in battle armour with a gold crown and red cloak, showing a fierce expression. Illustration of King Henry III wearing a gold crown and green royal mantle against a soft painted background.
King Henry II in a richly decorated crown and crimson robe inside a candlelit medieval hall. King Richard I depicted in battle armour with a gold crown and red cloak, showing a fierce expression. Illustration of King Henry III wearing a gold crown and green royal mantle against a soft painted background.

Medieval English Monarchy and Welsh Princes

Medieval Britain, properly explained. Who held power, who it served, and what the official record leaves out.

English Kings and Welsh Princes
King Edward III in royal attire with a crown in a dimly lit room Owain Glyndŵr on horseback in woodland, wearing armour and carrying a spear in daylight. William the Conqueror in chainmail armor with a stone wall background
King Edward III in royal attire with a crown in a dimly lit room Owain Glyndŵr on horseback in woodland, wearing armour and carrying a spear in daylight. William the Conqueror in chainmail armor with a stone wall background
King Edward III in royal attire with a crown in a dimly lit room Owain Glyndŵr on horseback in woodland, wearing armour and carrying a spear in daylight. William the Conqueror in chainmail armor with a stone wall background
King Henry II in a richly decorated crown and crimson robe inside a candlelit medieval hall. King Richard I depicted in battle armour with a gold crown and red cloak, showing a fierce expression. Illustration of King Henry III wearing a gold crown and green royal mantle against a soft painted background.
King Henry II in a richly decorated crown and crimson robe inside a candlelit medieval hall. King Richard I depicted in battle armour with a gold crown and red cloak, showing a fierce expression. Illustration of King Henry III wearing a gold crown and green royal mantle against a soft painted background.
King Henry II in a richly decorated crown and crimson robe inside a candlelit medieval hall. King Richard I depicted in battle armour with a gold crown and red cloak, showing a fierce expression. Illustration of King Henry III wearing a gold crown and green royal mantle against a soft painted background.

Medieval Events

From Holy Wars to High Finance: 8 Surprising Ways the Commercial Revolution Invented Your Modern Life
  • Posted on
From Holy Wars to High Finance: 8 Surprising Ways the Commercial Revolution Invented Your Modern Life
The Commercial Revolution, spanning the 11th to 18th centuries, was the "true crucible of modernity". It transitioned Europe from a self-sufficient manorial system to a profit-based global network. This profound shift, driven by "itinerant merchants" and institutional innovations, laid the financial architecture for our modern world.
Read more
Why Castles Weren’t Built for Defence, But Domination
  • Posted on
Why Castles Weren’t Built for Defence, But Domination
Castles are often romanticised as defensive refuges, but in medieval Wales, they were offensive weapons of the state. Edward I’s "Iron Ring" used architectural scale, economic choke points, and symbolic erasure to break the national spirit. These stone giants weren't built to protect the people, but to dominate them permanently.
Healthcare in the Middle Ages: Practices, Beliefs, and Reality
  • Posted on
Healthcare in the Middle Ages: Practices, Beliefs, and Reality
Medieval healthcare was a fascinating paradox of spiritual devotion and rudimentary science. Practices were heavily dictated by the theory of the four humours and religious doctrine, with treatments ranging from herbal remedies and bloodletting to prayer. While often viewed as primitive, these methods formed the essential groundwork for modern medicine.
Caernarfon castle's Eagle tower set against a blue sky
  • Posted on
The Brutal Reality of Life Under a Welsh Castle
Living under the shadow of an Edwardian castle was an experience of permanent surveillance and economic exclusion. These fortresses weren't just military outposts; they were tools of psychological warfare designed to break the Welsh spirit. This system of "Iron Ring" control became the essential playbook for future British colonial expansion.
What If England Became Muslim? The Medieval Invasion That Nearly Changed Everything
  • Posted on
What If England Became Muslim? The Medieval Invasion That Nearly Changed Everything
Could medieval England have faced a Muslim invasion and emerged fundamentally changed? This thought-provoking exploration examines how power, alliances, and geography shaped the limits of conquest, revealing that while conversion was unlikely, England’s political and cultural identity could have shifted far more dramatically than we might expect.
How Young Were Medieval Queens? The Truth Is More Shocking Than You Think
  • Posted on
How Young Were Medieval Queens? The Truth Is More Shocking Than You Think
Some medieval queens in England were married at six years old. Not as an exception, but as part of royal strategy. Yet beyond the palace walls, most women waited until their twenties. The real story is not that everyone married young, but that royal girls paid the price of power.
King Edward I overseeing a map of Wales with guards and noblemen behind him
  • Posted on
Was Wales the First Colony? How It Shaped the British Empire
Long before overseas expansion, Wales became the testing ground for British imperial strategy. Edward I’s conquest introduced systems of control, law, and settlement that shaped future colonial rule. By examining castles, governance, and identity, this article reveals how medieval Wales helped define the foundations of the British Empire.
Medieval Britain, properly explained
Caernarfon castle with towers by a body of water under a blue sky. Caerphilly castle with a flag on a clear blue sky background Medieval castle with towers and a bridge, surrounded by greenery
Caernarfon castle with towers by a body of water under a blue sky. Caerphilly castle with a flag on a clear blue sky background Medieval castle with towers and a bridge, surrounded by greenery
Caernarfon castle with towers by a body of water under a blue sky. Caerphilly castle with a flag on a clear blue sky background Medieval castle with towers and a bridge, surrounded by greenery
Arundel Castle with moat and flag on a cloudy day Large stone castle with turrets surrounded by greenery under a clear blue sky. Bodiam Castle with moat reflection during sunset
Arundel Castle with moat and flag on a cloudy day Large stone castle with turrets surrounded by greenery under a clear blue sky. Bodiam Castle with moat reflection during sunset
Arundel Castle with moat and flag on a cloudy day Large stone castle with turrets surrounded by greenery under a clear blue sky. Bodiam Castle with moat reflection during sunset

Castles of England and Wales

Explore castles across England and Wales, where each fortress reveals its own story of power, conflict, and history waiting to be discovered.

English and Welsh Castles

Wizardry, Witching and Witchcraft

Roger Nowell's Role and the 1612 Assizes
  • Posted on
Roger Nowell's Role and the 1612 Assizes
Roger Nowell, the ambitious magistrate of Read Hall, was the primary architect of the 1612 Pendle witch trials. By transforming a medical stroke and a stolen sheep into a demonic conspiracy, he used the lives of the poor to secure royal favour from King James I.
Read more
The 1612 Lancashire Assizes: A Forensic Review of Systemic Judicial Failure
  • Posted on
The 1612 Lancashire Assizes: A Forensic Review of Systemic Judicial Failure
The 1612 trials represent a profound collapse of Stuart jurisprudence, where procedural safeguards were subverted by a monarch’s theological insecurity and a magistrate’s careerism. To understand Pendle is to understand how systemic pressures can transform a functional legal system into a tool for state-sanctioned injustice.
Thomas Potts and the 1612 Pendle Trials
  • Posted on
Thomas Potts and the 1612 Pendle Trials
Thomas Potts’ 1613 tract, The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches, is often read as a factual record of the Pendle trials. In reality, it was a sophisticated piece of state propaganda. This blog analyses how Potts used the machinery of the law to transform poverty and medical ignorance into a demonic conspiracy.
Jennet Device: The Child Witness of the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials
  • Posted on
Jennet Device: The Child Witness of the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials
Jennet Device, a nine-year-old girl, became the star witness in the Pendle witch trials. Under King James I's Daemonologie, legal rules were suspended, allowing her to condemn her family to the gallows. This blog explores how the state weaponised a child to secure England’s most notorious witch-hunt conviction
The Pendle Witch Trials: Surprising Truths
  • Posted on
The Pendle Witch Trials: Surprising Truths
Discover the true story of Alizon Device and the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials. This forensic analysis deconstructs England’s most infamous miscarriage of justice, revealing how a medical stroke, systemic poverty, and the weaponisation of a child witness led ten innocent people to the gallows in a storm of royal paranoia.
The Law of Fear: A Judicial Audit of the 1612 Lancashire Witch Trials
  • Posted on
The Law of Fear: A Judicial Audit of the 1612 Lancashire Witch Trials
The 1612 Pendle trials were a state-sanctioned criminalisation of poverty and neurodivergence. Driven by King James I’s political insecurities and Magistrate Roger Nowell’s ambition, the court abandoned evidentiary norms. The result was a systemic failure where clinical medical events and regional folklore were reframed as fatal, treasonous, satanic conspiracies documented.
The History of Crystal Balls and Witches - Uncovering the Truth
  • Posted on
The History of Crystal Balls and Witches - Uncovering the Truth
Crystal balls have a rich history as tools of divination, evolving from ancient Druids to a symbol of witchcraft during the Middle Ages, and later romanticized in the Victorian occult revival. Today, they represent intuition and spiritual insight, embraced in modern witchcraft practices while maintaining their air of mystery and allure.
All Articles

Myths and Legends

King Arthur in chain mail and armour holding excalibur his sword in a misty forest
  • Posted on
The Medieval Popularity of King Arthur: Chivalry, Power, and Cultural Imagination
In the 12th and 13th centuries, King Arthur became the most influential figure in European literature. This "Arthurian Fever" crossed borders and languages, moving from the Celtic fringes to the heart of the royal courts in France, Germany, and Italy. Far from a static legend, the story of Arthur was constantly reinvented to reflect the shifting social values and political ambitions of the medieval world.
Read more
King Arthur and the Round Table: Power, Myth and the Making of Britain
  • Posted on
King Arthur and the Round Table: Power, Myth and the Making of Britain
King Arthur remains Britain’s most enduring legend. From post-Roman war leader to imperial monarch of Camelot, his story reflects power, unity, betrayal, and hope. The Round Table symbolised equality and order, yet its fall revealed human frailty. Arthur’s myth continues to mirror Britain’s political and cultural anxieties.
king arthur in armour with excalibur his sword in hand witha dark woods behind him
  • Posted on
Avalon and the Once and Future King
Avalon is the legendary isle of enchantment, a sanctuary of healing and the final resting place of King Arthur. First introduced in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 12th-century chronicles, this "Isle of Fruit Trees" has evolved from a misty Celtic paradise into a tangible site of pilgrimage, most famously associated with the heights of Glastonbury Tor.
Windsor Castle and King Arthur
  • Posted on
Windsor Castle and King Arthur
Windsor Castle is often linked with the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. But where does history end and myth begin? Explore the origins of this enduring connection, medieval storytelling, and how royal tradition helped shape Arthur’s lasting association with Windsor.
King Arthur and Wales: The Legend Behind the Legend
  • Posted on
King Arthur and Wales: The Legend Behind the Legend
King Arthur’s legend is deeply intertwined with Wales, where ancient chronicles, mythic tales and historical upheaval converge. From the Mabinogion to the Annales Cambriae, Welsh sources place Arthur within a turbulent post-Roman landscape, blending warrior leadership, prophecy and folklore into a cultural legacy that continues to shape British identity.
All Articles

Latest Articles

Power, fear, and the law shaped medieval life far beyond the throne room. The people the standard account ignores left their mark in court records, chronicles, and the stones of castles built to keep them out.

Popular Products This Week

Knights Templar Sword – Medieval Replica Collectible
Knights Templar Sword – Medieval Replica
£100.00
£100.00
16th Century Close Helm | Tudor Knight Armour Replica Collectible 16th Century Close Helm | Tudor Knight Armour Replica Collectible
16th Century Close Helm | Tudor Knight Armour Replica
£120.00
£120.00
Sutton Hoo Helmet Replica | Iconic Anglo-Saxon Royal Armoury Collectible
Sutton Hoo Helmet Replica | Iconic Anglo-Saxon Royal Armoury
£280.00
£280.00
Pigface Bascinet Medieval Helmet | 14th Century ‘Hounskull’ Replica Collectible
Pigface Bascinet Medieval Helmet | 14th Century ‘Hounskull’ Replica
£140.00
£140.00

Working with Britain's Heritage Guardians

We are a proud affiliate of Ordnance Survey and English Heritage, bringing authoritative maps and historic insight to every reader

English Heritage logo with red geometric design on a white background

English Heritage

English Heritage protects and promotes England’s spectacular historic buildings and archaeological sites, ensuring that they are researched, understood and accessible to all. English Heritage have over 400 sites open to the public, including the world-famous Stonehenge, the recently refurbished Kenwood House, Tintagel Castle and Hadrian’s Wall.

Discover the Exclusively Available Collection
Ordnance Survey logo with blue and red circular designs on a white background

Ordnance Survey

As the national mapping agency of Great Britain Ordnance Survey is renowned for its paper maps as well as the award-winning OS Maps app, loved by walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders, climbers and everyone that enjoys discovering the Great British outdoors and getting off of the beaten track. On top of that they offer a wide range of guide books, personalised maps, themed maps and more. 

Ordnance Survey logo with blue and red circular designs on a white background

Stay informed with the latest stories from Histories and Castles

Loading latest news...