The Rules Of Chivalry Were So Important In Medieval Society, But Breaking The Rules Was Almost As Important
In the Middle Ages, chivalry was more than just a name for polite behavior. It was a set of rules meant to limit the actions…
Steel, Gunpowder, And Careful Planning – The Conquistadors’ Defeat Of The Incas
Francisco Pizarro’s conquest of the Incan empire is one of the most extraordinary achievements in military history. In the space of a single day in…
Jan Žižka: The Blind and Undefeated General of the Hussite Wars
Few generals throughout history can say that they were undefeated over their career, fewer still can be credited with doing so with a mob of…
The last battle of the Vikings On The West Coast Of Scotland
It was the age of the Great Mongol Khans. It was the age of Byzantium, of the Holy Roman Empire. The wars of the Reconquista…
The Beginning Of The End For The Teutonic Knights, Grunwald 1410
For more than two hundred years the might of the Order of Teutonic Knights had been steadily growing. It was forged in 1190, in the…
An Age Of Brutal Conflicts – The Vikings and The Franks
Two great military forces dominated Europe in the 9th century. On the mainland was the Frankish Empire, a kingdom covering modern France and much of…
Battles That Defined the Crusades – Brutal Times
The Crusades, Christian Europe’s attempt to drive back other nations and religions, were among the most ambitious and badly thought out campaigns in military history.…
Criminal Careers Born From a Single Battle – Is One the Real Robin Hood
On 16 March 1322 a rebellion against King Edward II of England was crushed at the Battle Boroughbridge. Many rebel leaders, including the Earl of…
7 Ways English Lords Fought Against Welsh Raiders
Throughout the 13th century, there was conflict in the border region between England and Wales. This area, known as the Welsh March, contained both English…
Hastings and Beyond: The Norman Conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England was more than just the Battle of Hastings. To secure his new country, William the Conqueror had to gain control…
The Albigensian Crusades: Christians vs Christians
Some crusades were fought against fellow Christians. The Cathars, one of the inspirations behind Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, were the targets of one…
Civil Wars That Shaped Medieval England
Medieval England was a warlike place – so much so that the cliché of an Englishmen abroad was that of a violent thug. Though their…