Medieval

The monastery was the focus of the local community in many medieval towns. Emma Mason describes the way of life of the monks and the young people in their care in the 11th and 12th centuries.

Steve Gunn samples two books on English government and politics in the Middle Ages.

Casting Islam and Muslims as the enemy was crucial in the Crusades, and the context of conflict has colored Christian-Islamic relations since.

Richard Cavendish describes the brief rule of Cola di Rienzi following his coup d'etat on May 20th, 1347.

Alex Barker discusses St Augustine's Abbey Museum.

Nigel Saul sets the scene for our major new series on the crusades of the eleventh century.

Penny Young details the archaeological work being carried out to save an early Christian church on the Black Sea coast.

Christopher Dyer argues for an upgrading of the town’s importance in the Middle Ages.

Fools' gold, Dr Faustus - traditional images of a Renaissance black art. But was there more to it than that? Zbigniew Szydlo and Richard Brzezinski offer an intriguing rehabilitation.

The Eternal City was captured after a year-long siege on December 17th, 546.