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The expulsion of Jews in 1290 was a turning point in medieval English history, with profound economic and social repercussions.
Historical Events
The Anarchy
Empress Matilda and the Anarchy: A Comprehensive Briefing
Empress Matilda’s defiance during "The Anarchy" redefined medieval power. As the first woman to claim the English thr...
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Castles of Conflict: Fortresses of the Anarchy Era in England
Civil war placed huge pressure on existing castle defences and fuelled intense innovation in military architecture.
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The Anarchy Civil War in Medieval England
The Anarchy was a destructive civil war in 12th century England sparked by a disputed royal succession that plunged t...
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The Church and the Crown: The Role of Religion in the Anarchy
The article will offer a detailed exploration of the role of religion in the Anarchy, with a specific focus on the Ch...
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Empress Matilda and the Civil War in England
Empress Matilda's 17-year fight for the English crown in The Anarchy set new precedents through the tenacity and skil...
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The Black Death
Black Death Survivors: Who Lived, Why They Lived, and What They Built
Who survived the Black Death, and why? From the ERAP2 genetic variant that gave some people resistance to Yersinia pe...
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Black Death Timeline: From Central Asia to England and Beyond
A full chronological account of the Black Death from its Central Asian origins in 1338 through its devastating sweep ...
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Black Death and the Church: How the Plague Shattered Medieval Faith
The Black Death killed up to half of Europe’s clergy, drove a crisis of clerical succession that saw three Archbishop...
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Black Death in Wales: The Plague's Forgotten Regional Story
The Black Death reached Wales in 1349 through coastal ports, devastating towns like Cardigan where 97 of 104 tenants ...
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Black Death Causes and Transmission: The Rat, the Flea, and the Debate Science Has Not Settled
The Black Death was caused by Yersinia pestis, confirmed by ancient DNA. But how it spread so fast across Europe is s...
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Black Death Death Toll: How Many People Actually Died?
The Black Death killed between 30 and 60 per cent of Europe's population. The most exhaustive study puts the figure a...
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Black Death Symptoms: What the Plague Actually Did to the Human Body
The Black Death killed through three distinct forms of the same bacterium. Understanding their different symptoms mat...
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The Statute of Labourers 1351: England's Failed Attempt to Freeze the Medieval World
The Statute of Labourers of 1351 tried to freeze English wages at pre-plague levels and force Black Death survivors b...
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The Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt: The 30 Years That Made 1381 Inevitable
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was not simply a reaction to a poll tax. It was the culmination of thirty years of accum...
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The Rat Did Not Do It: 7 Truths About the Black Death That Science Now Confirms
The Black Death killed half of Europe. For a century, we blamed the rats. There is just one problem: modern science c...
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Black Death vs Bubonic Plague: 7 Key Differences Explained
While often used interchangeably, the Black Death and the bubonic plague are distinct entities. One was a 14th-centur...
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Plague Doctor Mask: 7 Facts That Rewrite the History
The iconic plague doctor is often misunderstood as a medieval relic. In reality, the bird-masked figure emerged in th...
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5 Surprising Truths About the Black Death That Rewrite History
New evidence from Kyrgyzstan and Lincolnshire is dismantling centuries of historical consensus. The Black Death was n...
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The Black Death in Medieval England
The arrival of the Black Death in 1348 was the single most transformative event of the English Middle Ages. Sweeping ...
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Origins of the Black Death: How the Plague Changed Medieval England
The Black Death, originating in Central Asia around the 1330s, spread to Europe via trade routes, notably the Silk Ro...
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The Black Death: A Catalyst of Social and Economic Change in Medieval Europe
The Black Death was more than a tragedy; it was a catalyst. By decimating Europe’s population, it shattered the rigid...
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The Vikings
The Lost Art of Viking Granulation and Filigree Metalwork Explained
The granulated silver beads of the Terslev hoard and the gold filigree crosses of the Hiddensee treasure represent Vi...
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How Were Viking Tortoiseshell Brooches Cast by Medieval Metalsmiths?
The oval brooch was the defining item of Viking Age female dress. Worn in pairs at both shoulders, produced by the th...
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The Terslev Hoard: The Peak of Viking Age Silver Filigree Pendants
A hoard found in a Danish field in 1911 contains some of the most technically extraordinary silver jewellery ever rec...
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Gungnir: Odin's Spear, the Valknut, and What the Weapon Actually Meant
Gungnir was not simply Odin's weapon. It was the instrument by which the lord of the slain consecrated war and claime...
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Why Did Vikings Use the Lost-Wax Casting Method for Complex Pendants?
Lost-wax casting was the Viking Age solution to a specific technical problem: how to produce three-dimensional metal ...
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Yggdrasil: The Norse World Tree, Its Symbols and What They Really Meant
Yggdrasil meant "Odin's Horse" long before it meant "Tree of Life." Its three roots, nine worlds and gnawing serpent ...
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The Viking Axe and the Valknut: What the Warrior's Weapon Actually Meant
The Viking axe was not the elite weapon. It was carried by everyone. The Valknut placed at the centre of this blade i...
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Understanding the Sejlflod Ring: The Mystery of Viking Spiral Finger Jewellery
Finger rings are the overlooked category of Viking Age jewellery. Found in burial assemblages from Birka to the Danel...
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Why Vikings Wore Mjolnir: The Hammer of Thor
More than a thousand Mjolnir amulets have been recovered across the Viking world, from Iceland to Ukraine. Vikings wo...
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The Hiddensee Treasure: The Gold Cross Pendants That Blended Pagan and Christian Art
In 1872 a German farmer turned up sixteen pieces of Viking Age gold on a Baltic island. The Hiddensee treasure is the...
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The Gnezdovo Mjolnir: Intricate Knotwork of a Famous Viking Rus Amulet
On the upper Dnieper river in 10th-century Russia, Norse Varangian traders built one of the largest settlements in ea...
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The Bredsatra Pendant: The History Behind the Famous Swedish Odin Amulet
A small gold pendant from a Swedish island has divided Viking Age scholars for decades. The Bredsatra amulet depicts ...
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The Silver Torsades of Gotland: The Elite Multi-Wire Viking Neck Rings
More than 700 Viking Age silver hoards have been found on a single Swedish island. Gotland's extraordinary accumulati...
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Permian Silver Rings: The Wearable Currency of the Eastern Viking Trade Routes
The Viking Age had an eastern dimension that almost no popular account reaches. Norse traders called Varangians carri...
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What Is a Viking Ring Money Hoard and How Was It Traded?
The Viking Age economy did not run on coins. It ran on silver weighed in the hand, cut with a knife, and tested with ...
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The Cuerdale Hoard: Unlocking the Secrets of Ribbon-Style Viking Arm Rings
In 1840, workmen in Lancashire pulled 40 kilograms of Viking silver from the ground. The Cuerdale Hoard was not a rai...
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The Magic of Viking Amulets: Protection, Power, and Mythology
In 2014 a Thor's Hammer pendant was found in Denmark bearing a runic inscription confirming exactly what it was. That...
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Viking Art and Jewellery: Symbols of Power and Belief
Viking jewellery was never simply decorative. It was a complete material language communicating wealth, spiritual all...
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Viking Jewellery in Burial and Ritual: What the Grave Goods Tell Us
Every object placed in a Viking Age grave was chosen deliberately. The jewellery found in Norse burials was not simpl...
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Wizardry and Witching
Roger Nowell's Role and the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials
Roger Nowell, the ambitious magistrate of Read Hall, was the primary architect of the 1612 Pendle witch trials. By tr...
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The 1612 Lancashire Pendle Witch Trials: A Systemic Judicial Failure
The 1612 trials represent a profound collapse of Stuart jurisprudence, where procedural safeguards were subverted by ...
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Thomas Potts and the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials
Thomas Potts’ 1613 tract, The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches, is often read as a factual record of the Pendle trial...
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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 Daemono...
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The Pendle Witch Trials: Surprising Truths
Discover the true story of Alizon Device and the 1612 Pendle Witch Trials. This forensic analysis deconstructs Englan...
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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...
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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 duri...
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Witchcraft in the Middle Ages: Myths, Fears and Trials
The medieval perception of witches combined fear and fascination, influencing law, religion, and folklore. Initially ...
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Pendle Witches: The Real Story Behind England's Most Notorious Witch Trials
In 1612, fear and suspicion gripped Lancashire as twelve villagers faced trial for witchcraft at Lancaster Assizes. F...
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Trial by Water: The Dark History of Witch Ducking and Other Ordeals
Beneath Britain’s tranquil village ponds lurks a grim past. From ducking stools to chilling swimming tests, suspected...
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The Witch’s Familiar: From Demonic Imps to Beloved Pets
In medieval Europe, people lived side by side with animals, from working dogs and cats that kept vermin at bay to bar...
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Witch Marks and Secret Symbols: Discover Medieval Witchcraft Protection in England’s Castles and Churches
Witch marks, or ritual protection marks, are symbols carved into medieval buildings to ward off evil. Created by ordi...
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The Green Witch: Nature’s Spellcaster Through History and Modern Life
The Green Witch has evolved from medieval herbalist traditions into a modern symbol of eco-consciousness and spiritua...
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