Dates From 1066, when the successful Norman invasion of William the Conqueror ends the rule of the Anglo-Saxons, to 1485, when Henry Tudor beats Richard III at the battle of Bosworth, ushering in the Tudor dynasty.

Territory Although the geographical and political name Britain was not used in the medieval period, this guide covers the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the English kings' complicated relationship with their French possessions.

Population
England: 1-3 million in 1086, rising to 4 million by 1300, then dropping to 2 million by 1485 as a result of the Black Death. 90% of the population lives in the countryside. Scotland and Wales: in 1300, about 750,000 in Scotland, and about 300,000 in Wales. Both populations also decimated by the Black Death.

Government Absolute monarchy with occasional consultative parliaments.

Dynasties
Norman: William I, William II, Henry I, Stephen.
Plantagenet: Henry II, Richard I, John, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, Richard II. Lancastrian: Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI. Yorkist: Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III.

Kings of Scotland Malcolm III, Donald III, Duncan II, Edgar, Alexander I, David I, Malcolm IV, William the Lion, Alexander II, Alexander III, Margaret, John, Robert I, David II, Edward, Robert II, Robert III, James I, James II, James III.

Rulers of Gwynedd, the dominant Welsh kingdom Gruffudd II, Owain, Cynan II, Dafydd I, Rhodri II, Gruffudd III, Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (aka the Great), Dafydd ap Llywelyn, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Dafydd ap Gruffudd.

Language English, French and Latin; also Welsh in Wales and Gaelic in Scotland.

Religion Roman Catholic.

Currency Pounds (£), shillings (s) and pence (d). There are 12d in a shilling and 20s in a pound.

Coins At first, the only coin is the silver penny. In 1279, the groat (4d) and the farthing (1/4d) are added. In 1344, the gold florin (6s) is introduced but is soon replaced by the noble (6s 8d). In 1465, the rose noble or ryal (10s) is introduced and the angel (6s 8d) replaces the noble.

What money buys

• According to the Domesday Book, a survey of property in England in 1086, 40 acres of land in Wallington is worth 50s.
• In the mid-1300s, farm workers and thatchers are paid 1d a day.
• Henry V's minstrels are paid 12d a day, the same as surgeons and archers.
• The poll tax of 1377, which led to the Peasants' Revolt, was levied at an average rate of 4d per person aged over 14.
• The cost of the pageant on the anniversary of the death of John of Gaunt's wife Blanche in 1374 is £45, including an elaborate Mass and dinner at the Savoy, his London home.
• In the 1200s, tournament champion William Marshal is offered £500 a year by the duke of Burgundy for his services as a knight.
• During a tournament at Dunstable in 1343, Edward III's expenditure is £317 a day.
• The cost of building Harlech Castle in Gwynedd between 1285 and 1290 is £8,000.
• The first phase of Westminster Abbey, built during Henry III's reign, costs £46,000.
• The amount of coin in circulation in the 1290s is about £1,000,000.

Top