The power vacuum left after the deaths of King Henry I and his only legitimate son, William, resulted in a power struggle between Henry’s nephew, Stephen of Blois, and Henry’s daughter, Matilda. Before Henry’s death, the barons had agreed to support Matilda as the next ruler of England, but instead… Read More »Stephen of Blois
“The popularity of Internet sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace might make social networking seem relatively modern. But a team of French researchers has challenged this idea by trawling through medieval documents to create the oldest detailed social network ever constructed. Working from records of land transactions dating back… Read More »The Medieval Social Network
If someone new to the fantasy genre asked you for your top five must-read fantasy novels, which novels would you suggest?
It’s been a few weeks, but I’ve updated my currently reading section. At the moment, I’m reading a couple of non-fiction medieval history books: The Warrior of God – Jan Zizka and the Hussite Revolution by Victor Verney, and The Crucible of the Middle Ages by Geoffrey Barraclough (book 2… Read More »Updated Currently Reading
Google’s 3D Warehouse allows you to search through 3D models of various kinds of collections and models that people have sketched. You can find all kinds of medieval related items: castles, buildings, cathedrals, weapons, etc. You can search in broad terms (e.g. – medieval castles), or more specifically, such as… Read More »Medieval History in 3D
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