King John
The lionising of Richard I over the centuries
The Plantagenet king whose life was packed with glamour, blood and brutality would have relished the heroic legends that steadily accrued after his death
Eleanor of Aquitaine is still as elusive as quicksilver
Eleanor of Aquitaine is the most famous woman of the Middle Ages: queen of France and England, crusader, mother of…
The inglorious Twelfth
Most people know more about the 12th century than they think they do. This is, as Richard Huscroft reminds us…
Curiosities for Christmas
There is not, sadly, a dedicated Trivia Books section in your local Waterstones, although at this time of year there…
Hard reign
King John arrives at the Globe bent double under the weight of garlands from the London critics. Their jaunt up…
Silent knight
In February 1861 a 21-year-old French medievalist called Paul Meyer walked into Sotheby’s auction house near Covent Garden. He had…
