1100-1400
Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval
Britain
Everything the intrepid traveller needs to know to explore the age of chivalry.
The
Search for the Northwest Passage
From the 15th century, European mariners sought to find a
seaway through the ice-bound Arctic to the Orient. This website examines
attempts including the fatal Franklin expedition and Amundsen’s
success.
- Monarchy
Dynamic timeline charts how England evolved from a land of warlords to one where dynasties could be built. - The monarchs we never had
The death of the heir to the throne has had important consequences throughout British history – sometimes immediately, sometimes obvious only in retrospect. - Medieval Realms: Stories in Stone
The roof carvings of Norwich Cathedral, a high point of medieval art, portray stories from the Old and New Testaments and the beliefs and narratives of the Middle Ages (Channel 4 Learning). - Castle
Take a virtual tour of medieval Britain's top 10 castles, watch video clips, study timelines and learn more about the period. - The Castle Lover's
Guide
How to visit, stay, work and get married in a castle. - Thomas Becket: Playing a role
The murder of Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 is one of the most famous incidents of British history, but the rest of the life of this complicated man is far less known. - Saladin, Richard
the Lionheart and the Legacy of the Crusades
How Saladin and Richard I are being invoked by those involved in today's conflict in the Middle East. - The
Worst Jobs in History: Medieval jobs
While the nobility flounce around in sumptuous clothes and are entertained at court and tournament, an army of unlucky souls toil away in some spectacularly hideous employment. - In the Footsteps of
Robin Hood
The clues contained in medieval ballads and how they relate to historical records and places, in an attempt to discover where the real Robin Hood lived and died. - Tit for tat
Acts of vengeance and their consequences – including such ‘triggers’ as the murder of Genghis Khan’s envoys in 1218, the murder of the Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972 and the storming of the Golden Temple of Amritsar in 1984, as well as other examples of retribution from Japan, Czechoslovakia and Korea. - Bodies of Evidence
Investigation of forensic archaeology and the scientific methods of unravelling the mysteries of the past. Plus more than two dozen case studies, including mummies, left-handedness and Lenin's body. - The Scots Detective
This website challenges historical accounts of the Scottish wars of independence, the Reformation, the Act of Union, Scottish exile and the Irish in Scotland (Channel 4 Learning). - Medieval
Realms: The Luttrell Psalter
A close look at a magnificent illuminated manuscript dating from 1325. - The Black Death
A brief history of the 14th-century pandemic that swept not only Europe, but also through Asia and north Africa to northern Russia. - Seven Ages of Britain
In this extract from his book, Justin Pollard recounts the changes that women experienced following the Black Death. - Weapons
that Made Britain
Details of three weapons – the sword, longbow and lance – and two types of protection: the shield and armour. Plus information on the development of each, the results of scientific tests on them and accounts of some of the major battles in which they featured. - Leonardo
da Vinci
Brief biography of the Italian genius, concentrating on his skills as architect and engineer. - The Search for the Northwest
Passage
From the 15th century, European mariners sought to find a seaway through the ice-bound Arctic to the Orient. This website examines attempts including the fatal Franklin expedition and Amundsen’s success.
