In the County of Laois in Ireland, there stands the ancient ruins of the castle of Dunamase overlooking and dominating the surrounding landscape. Built over a pre-existing fortification, the castle was occupied over the years by people such as Strongbow, Meiler FitzHenry, and William Marshal. The Marshal family occupied the… Read More »Medieval Castles: Dunamase
The following maps pinpoint the locations of medieval castles, cathedrals, and abbeys in England. You can zoom in for a satellite view of the structure, or click to read more about each building and its construction timeline. Castles Cathedrals Abbeys
On May 14, 1264, Earl Simon de Montfort the Younger and the baronial party marched on Lewes in Sussex, England, defeating King Henry III and taking him prisoner. This battle was part of the Second Baron’s War, which lasted for approximately three years (1263/4 – 1266/7). Edward I, Henry’s son,… Read More »Timeline: Today in Medieval History – The Battle of Lewes
Florian Stone Wells is the author of The Sword and the Shield of the Realm, the first book of the series “Merchants of Time,” a seven-part novel historical perspective and grand adventure in the malestrom of the 15th Century, at the height of the epic struggle between the Islamic Empire… Read More »Interview with Author Florian Stone Wells
Henry I (1068 – 1135) was the fourth son of William the Conqueror, and might never have become king if not for the rebellious nature of his eldest brother (Robert Curthose) and the untimely deaths of his other two brothers (Richard and William Rufus). It is even speculated that Henry… Read More »King Henry I of England
Special thanks to my friend Trudy for sending the Heroic Age website link to me. The Heroic Age (A Journal of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe) is a fully peer-reviewed academic journal intended for professionals, students and independent scholars that focuses on North-western Europe during the early medieval period (from the… Read More »The Heroic Age: Journal of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe
Robert Curthose (Robert II), Duke of Normandy (b. 1054 – d. 1134) The eldest son of William the Conqueror and Maltida of Flanders, Robert Curthose was the likely successor to his father’s estates in Normandy. His unstable temperament and rebellious nature, however, led to his expulsion and exile to Italy,… Read More »Robert Curthose (Robert II), Duke of Normandy
The Traitor’s Wife by Susan Higginbotham Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (April 2009) Paperback: 483 pages ISBN: 1402217870 Sandwiched between two of the more successful monarchs in medieval English history, King Edward II of England is often overshadowed by the reputation of his father Edward I (Longshanks) and displaced by the success… Read More »Review of The Traitor’s Wife by Susan Higginbotham
According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Cerdic arrived off the coast of Britain with his son, Cynric, and a fleet of five ships in the year 495 and landed near Southhampton (Hampshire), or what the chronicle calls “Cerdic’s-ore.” That day, they fought against an army of Welsh troops. In the year… Read More »Famous People in Medieval History: Cerdic, First King of Wessex