- 22 October 2026
- 18 Min Read
The Norman Conquest of Southern Italy, Sicily and Malta transformed the Mediterranean, turning ambitious mercenaries into rulers of a powerful medieval kingdom.
- Home
- Articles
- Late Antiquity
- 383 AD: The Start of the End for Roman Britain
- Ælle: First Bretwalda of the Anglo-Saxons
- Alaric – The King of the Visigoths
- Battle of Badon: A Hill That Stopped an Invasion
- Celtic Britons: Britain’s First Peoples and Their Legacy
- Disastrous Roman Defeat at Adrianople
- End of the Western Roman Empire
- Hengist and Horsa: Two Jutes Who Changed Britain’s Destiny
- Life in Britain after the Romans: 5th–7th Century Changes
- Pope Leo I: The Great Defender of Faith and Rome
- The Rise of the Barbarian Kingdoms
- The Sacking of Rome in 410 CE
- The World Before Wessex: Fragments, Frontiers, and Forgotten Powers
- Early Medieval Ages
- 6th Century AD
- Clovis I (466–511) – First King of the Franks and Founder of Merovingian France
- Justinian’s Reign: From Stability to Strain
- Justinian the Great – Byzantine Emperor
- Life and legacy of Benedict of Nursia
- The Lombards: A Powerful Medieval Kingdom
- The Worst Year in History to Be Alive
- Theodoric the Great – King of the Ostrogoths
- Wessex and the Art of Survival in Early England
- 7th Century AD
- 8th Century AD
- Before Lindisfarne: Was England’s First Viking Raid in 789?
- Charlemagne: The First Emperor of Europe
- From Charlemagne to Otto I: Two Beginnings, One Empire
- Charles Martel: Defender of the Faith
- Devastating Viking Raid on Lindisfarne
- Did Vikings Practise Human Sacrifice? What the Evidence Shows
- Fealty: Love, Loyalty, and Choice in Feudalism
- Feudalism: The Fief and the Rise of the Vassal
- Feudalism: Origins and Life under Lords
- Ivar’s Invasion: The Legacy of a Viking
- King Offa: A Dynamic Rule In Anglo-Saxon England
- Legacy of the Viking Age: How Vikings Shaped Europe
- Offa, Æthelberht and an Anglo-Saxon Murder
- Religion in the Viking Age: Gods, Graves and Magic
- Representation and Written Constitutions: The Origins of Freedom?
- Saint Bede’s Life and Legacy
- Serfdom: Life Under the Lord of the Manor
- Siege of Constantinople: The Ultimate Clash
- The Battle Of Tours Shaped Europe’s Destiny
- The Umayyad Caliphate Invasion of Spain
- The Viking Slave Trade: Dublin to the Volga
- The Women of Oseberg: Ritual, Wealth and Mystery
- Viking Sea Steeds: Exploration and How the Norse Conquered Distance
- Viking Trading Towns: Markets of the Norse World
- Women in the Middle Ages: Power Beyond the Stereotypes
- 9th Century AD
- Alfred the Great: The Forging of England
- Alfred the Great Triumphs at Edington
- Daily Life in the Viking Great Army Camps
- Emperors, Popes, and Power in the Investiture Crisis
- Lyminge: The Untold Story of Survival
- Pope Formosus’ Trial in the Cadaver Synod
- Ragnar Lodbrok: The Viking Legend and His Epic Saga
- Robert the Strong and the Robertian Dynasty
- Rollo: Father of the Norman Dynasty
- The Battle of Ellandun: A Tale of Bravery and Victory
- The Great Heathen Army: A Viking Invasion of England
- The Siege of Paris: City Under Fire
- 10th Century AD
- Æthelstan’s Triumphs: Transforming England’s Destiny
- Brunanburh: Unveiling the Forgotten Battlefield
- Cluny: Pioneering a Profound Spiritual Revival
- Pope John XII: Exploring His Scandalous Life and Era
- Tomislav: The First Croatian King
- Varangian Guard: Protectors of the Byzantine Empire
- Yaroslav the Wise: Kyiv at the Heart of Europe
- 6th Century AD
- High Middle Ages
- 11th Century AD
- Antioch’s Fate in the First Crusade
- Battle of Hastings: Epic Clash That Altered History
- Cnut the Great: Viking Conqueror
- Faith and Warfare: Insights from Clermont
- Harold : The Secrets of a Forgotten King
- King Henry II, first Plantagenet King of England
- Legacy of Nicaea’s Epic Stand
- Peter the Hermit’s Epic Mission
- Siege of Jerusalem in 1099: New Christian Rule
- The Crusades Unveiled: Holy War or Economic Power Play?
- The Epic Norman Siege of Bari
- The Tale of Benedict IX: A Papacy for Sale
- William I’s Triumph Over England
- 12th Century AD
- Frederick Barbarossa at the Empire’s High Noon
- Genghis Khan: Founder of the Mongol Empire
- Guelphs and Ghibellines: Medieval Feud
- Jin Dynasty: The Fall of Northern China to the Mongols
- Richard the Lionheart Faces Saladin at Arsuf
- Snorri Sturluson and the Gods of the North
- The Birth of the University in the 12th Century Renaissance
- The Lady of the English: Matilda’s Battle for Her Right
- The Mongol Tempest: The Fall of Central Asia’s Cities
- The Three Castles: from the Medieval Kingdom of Aragon to Renaissance England?
- The White Ship Tragedy: Nobility Lost at Sea
- 11th Century AD
- Late Medieval Ages
- 13th Century AD
- Crossroads of Wisdom: The Interfaith Dialogues that Shaped Medieval Iberian Thought
- Eleanor of Castile: The Queen of Crusade
- Harald Hardrada: The Ideal King of Thirteenth Century Iceland
- Othon de Grandson: A Friend to the Templars
- Pope Boniface VIII: Europe and Power in His Time
- King John’s Rebellion: The First Barons’ War
- The Great Interregnum of the Holy Roman Empire
- Women of the Roses: Power, War, and Survival
- 14th Century AD
- Castruccio Castracani: The Art Of War In The 14th Century
- Did France Lose Hope During the Hundred Years’ War?
- France at the Brink of the Hundred Years’ War
- France’s Early Failures in the Hundred Years’ War
- Harem Secrets of the Ottoman Court Revealed
- Hexham Gaol: A Prison Built for an Archbishop
- Legal Rights of the Mentally Ill in Medieval England
- Merchants, Ports and Power in the Hanseatic League
- Orhan Ghazi and the First Ottoman Step into Europe
- Osman’s Rise: The Dawn of the Ottoman Empire
- Pope Urban VI and the Birth of the Western Schism
- The Battle of Kosovo: Legacy of Faith and Fire
- The Great Famine: Europe’s Dark Years
- Why the Middle Ages Ended in the 14th Century
- 15th Century AD
- Barbary Corsairs: Terror of the Mediterranean
- Battle of Barnet: Mist, Treason, and Victory
- Battle of Blore Heath: Salisbury’s First Great Victory
- Battle of Hexham: Yorkists Prevail in the North
- Battle of Mortimer’s Cross: Edward’s First Victory
- Battle of Stoke Field: End of the Roses War
- Battle of Tewkesbury Turns Tide of Wars of the Roses
- Battle of Towton: Yorkist Triumph in Blood and Snow
- Battles of the Wars of the Roses
- Battle of Wakefield: The Trap That Killed the Duke of York
- Formidable Medieval Women Who Made Daring Escapes
- John Hunyadi: Hungary’s Shield on the Danube
- Mary Queen of Scots: Descended from John the Fearless
- Mehmed II and the Death of the Roman World
- Mehmed II: From Boy Sultan to Conqueror of Constantinople
- Northampton: Decisive Blow in Wars of the Roses
- Second Battle of St Albans: Battle of the Roses
- Sexual Violence in Medieval Iberia: Crime and Justice
- St Albans: A Surprise Yorkist Victory Unfolds
- The Janissaries: Guardians of the Ottoman Empire
- Wessex and the Art of Survival in Early England
- Worms 1495 and the Compromise That Changed Power
- 13th Century AD
- Early Modern Age
- Collections
- Crusader’s Age
- Business Strategy and Medieval Strategy: New Tools to Analyse Old News
- Challenging Anti-Jewish Racism Claims in the Crusades
- Crusading Criminality and the Architecture of Fear
- Crusader Criminals and Monastic Miscreants
- Crusading Criminals – The Other Sport of Kings
- Crusaders at War: With Each Other
- Crusader Strategy: Possibilities and Limitations
- Crusading Crime and Chivalry
- Crusading Warfare: Friction and the Fog of War
- Decision Making in the Medieval Military
- Fatimid Criminals, Mercenaries and Slave Soldiers
- Fighting a Losing Battle: Strategy Without Victory
- Gambling and Monks
- Knights Templar: Faith, Finance, and the Crusading World
- Medieval Jerusalem: Feudal Liberties
- Military Orders: Monks, War, and the Crusading World
- Racism in the Crusades: Fact or Fiction?
- Rebuilding the Crusader States, 1192-1244
- Religious Motivators: Faith, Relics, and the Crusader States
- Revisiting the Crusades: Defense, Faith, and Survival
- Sexual Abuse and the Crusades
- Sins of the Crusaders – For the Love of Money?
- Social Class and Gender in Medieval Pilgrimages
- Strategy and a Medieval State in Crisis: An Unwinnable War
- Strategic Culture and Adaptability: The Crusader Case Study
- Strategic Leadership in a Medieval State: Dreamers and Pragmatists
- The Hospitallers: Defenders of Christianity’s Edge
- The Hospitallers; Jerusalem: Faith, Care, and War
- The Hospitallers on Rhodes: Masters of the Sea
- The Teutonic Order: Crusaders of the Baltic
- Vocabulary and the Definition of a Medieval ‘Strategy’
- Women and Crusading Crime
- England in the Middle Ages
- Italy in the Middle Ages
- Kings, Leaders, Nobles, Rulers & Warriors
- Medieval Warfare
- Religion in the Middle Ages
- Archbishop of Canterbury: The Right to Elect, Past & Present
- Biblical Influence in Monastic Life and Public Thought
- Decoding Medieval Pilgrimage: Motivations Behind The Journey
- Donations in Medieval Pilgrimage: A Hidden Tradition
- “Hell hath no limits”: The Devil’s Pact in Medieval Magic
- How Religion Shaped Everyday Medieval Life and Death
- Inquisition Beginnings: A Medieval Perspective
- Inquisition: The Heretic’s Unexpected Protector
- Inquisition: The Struggle to Preserve Christian Unity
- Medieval Matriarchs: Women Who Shaped Medieval Religious Thought
- Medieval Pilgrimage: Routes Beyond the Horizon
- Tracing Freemasonry’s Roots in the Medieval Kingdom of Aragon
- Social & Daily Life
- Age, Sex, and Pregnancy in the Medieval World
- Bathing and Hygiene in the Middle Ages
- Daily Life in Medieval Europe: A World Up Close
- Family Life and Childhood in Medieval Europe, c. 1200–1400
- Housing in Medieval England: Rich and Poor Homes
- Leisure in the 14th Century: Jousts, Jests & Journeys
- Medieval Humour: Laughter in the Middle Ages
- Medieval Marriage: Love Was Never the Point
- Nightwalking and the Watch: Medieval Town Security
- Toil and Trade: Occupations in the Medieval World
- Towns and Rural Life in Medieval England Compared
- Wardrobes of the 1200s: Inside Medieval English Fashion
- What Did Medieval People Eat Every Day?
- Women’s Medical Autonomy in the Medieval World
- The Byzantine Empire
- The Ottoman Empire
- The Viking Age
- Crusader’s Age
- Medieval Science
- A Galaxy Hidden in a Medieval Star Book
- Black Death: The Devastating Plague
- Cataract Solutions in the Middle Ages
- Diet and Power in Early Medieval England: New Insights
- Explore the World of Medieval Medicine
- Exploring Persian Medical Practices of the Medieval Era
- Eyeglasses: The Lost Inventor of Medieval Italy
- Gunpowder: Revolutionizing Warfare In The Middle Ages
- Herbal Medicine in the Middle Ages – Healing Practices & Remedies
- How the Medieval Islamic World Reshaped Science
- Ibn Sina: Transforming Medicine in the Arabic World
- Ismail al-Jazari’s Marvelous Machines of the 12th Century
- Medical Recipes: Healing Arts of the Middle Ages
- Medieval Torture: A Look into the Gruesome Past
- Mental Illness in the Middle Ages: A New Perspective
- The English Sweating Sickness: A Mysterious Plague
- The Longbow: Unveiling the Secrets of English Archers
- The New Science of Time and the Medieval Town Square
- The Power of the Planets and the Magic of the Stars: From Natural Philosophy to Necromancy
- Tracing the Origins of the Astrolabe
- Watermills: A Key Technology of Medieval Europe
- Why Folio 78v Changes Everything about the Voynich Manuscript
- Legends & Myths
- Bevis of Hampton: A Classic Epic
- Blood Libel: Little Saint Hugh’s Tale
- Engraved Gems as Seals: Power, Faith, Magic
- Fantastic Beasts of the Medieval Mind
- Ghosts and the Walking Dead in Medieval England
- King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
- Legend of Robin Hood in English Folklore
- Medieval Fairy: The Perilous World of Enchanted Beings
- Myth and Power: The Role of Legend in Medieval Society
- Pope Joan – The Legendary Female Pope: Myth vs. Reality
- Robin Hood: Secrets of the People’s Medieval Outlaw
- St George and the Slaying of the Dragon
- Tarot Cards Through Time: A Symbolic Journey
- The Dancing Plague: A Bizarre Epidemic
- The Legend of the Holy Grail: Relics, Reliquaries, and the Cultivation of a Medieval Tradition
- The Legend of Madoc the Voyager
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin
- The Wedding of Gawain: A Gruesome Love
- Primae Noctis Myth – Unraveling the ‘Right of the First Night’ in History and Culture
- Voynich Manuscript: Medieval Mystery Explained
- Witch Trials In Europe: A Historical Unveiling
- Medieval Towns
- Erice: The Little Sicilian Switzerland
- Lucca: A Medieval City of Faith and Freedom
- Medieval Durham: The Epicenter of Power and Faith
- Mdina: Hill-City of Knights, Nobles and Faith
- Medieval Warwick – A Fascinating Story
- Volterra’s Medieval Heart: Stone, Faith, and Feuds
- York’s Glorious Medieval Past Its Secrets
- Medieval Occupations
- Barbers-Surgeons: Bridging Medicine and Barbering in the Middle Ages
- Court Astrologers: Whisperers of Fate and Fortune
- Jesters’ Outfits: Bright, Bold, and Full of Wit
- Medieval Communication: The Evolution of the Messenger
- The Executioner: Life on the Edge of Medieval Law
- The Minstrel: Musician of the Middle Ages
- History of Art
- Late Antiquity
- Timelines
- By Century
- Timeline of the Fall of Rome: Western Roman Empire (235–476 AD)
- The 6th Century Timeline – Start of the Medieval Age
- Islam’s Emergence in the 7th Century AD
- 8th Century: A Time of Transformation
- A Look at the 9th Century AD
- The 10th Century: A Time of Innovation
- The 11th Century: High Middle Ages and Power Shifts
- The 12th Century: The Dawn of the Renaissance
- 13th Century: Conquests that Shaped the World
- 14th Century: A World on the Edge
- By Country
- By Important Historic Events
- By Century
- Book Reviews
- General Medieval History
- A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
- Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature
- Eating with the Tudors: Food and Recipes
- Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- In Search of the Dark Ages
- Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter
- Medieval Humour: Expressions, Receptions and Functions
- Normal Women: Nine Hundred Years of Making History
- Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages
- Terry Jones’ Barbarians: An Alternative Roman History
- The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe
- The Formidable Women Who Shaped Medieval Europe
- The Great Famine
- The History of the Medieval World
- The Magic Books: A History of Enchantment in 20 Medieval Manuscripts
- The Making of the Middle Ages: An Atlas of Europe
- The Manuscripts Club: The People Behind a Thousand Years of Medieval Manuscripts
- The Mongol Storm
- The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry
- Women and the Reformations: A Global History
- Women of the Middle Ages
- Medieval Daily Life
- A World Lit Only by Fire
- Everyday Life in Medieval London
- Life in a Medieval Castle (Medieval Life)
- Life in the Medieval Town
- Mental Health in Late Mediaeval England
- Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages
- Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives
- The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England
- The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England
- Medieval Europe
- Medieval England
- A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain
- Battles of the Wars of the Roses
- Charles II’s Portuguese Queen: The Legacy of Catherine of Braganza
- Crécy: Battle of Five Kings
- Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors
- Gytha Godwinson: Finding History’s Hidden Heroines
- Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England’s Greatest Warrior King
- How England Began
- Little Kingdoms: An A-Z of Early Medieval Britain
- Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty
- Never Greater Slaughter: Brunanburh and the Birth of England
- Richard Duke of York, Father of Kings
- Searching for the Last Anglo-Saxon King: Harold Godwinson, England’s Golden Warrior
- The Anglo-Saxons: A History of the Beginnings of England
- The Black Cross: A History of the Baltic Crusades
- The Bone Chests: Unlocking the Secrets of the Anglo-Saxons
- The Early Anglo-Saxon Kings
- The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones
- The House of Godwin: The Rise and Fall of an Anglo-Saxon Dynasty
- The King in the North: The Life and Times of Oswald of Northumbria
- The Norman Conquest
- The Perfect Sword: Forging the Dark Ages
- The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
- The Princes in the Tower: Solving History’s Greatest Cold Case
- The Scottish Rebellion against Robert the Bruce
- The Wars of The Roses
- The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream
- Two Houses, Two Kingdoms: A History of France and England, 1100–1300
- Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England’s Kings and Queens
- Medieval England
- Medieval-Based Fiction
- Medieval Religion and Church
- Medieval Science and Philosophy
- Ancestors: A prehistory of Britain in seven burials
- Medieval Medicine: Its Mysteries and Science
- The Clock and the Camshaft
- The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time
- The Medieval Moon: A History of Haunting and Blessing
- The Voynich Manuscript: The Cipher and The Compendium
- The Crusades
- Assassins and Templars: A Battle in Myth and Blood
- Crusader Criminals: The Knights Who Went Rogue In The Holy Land
- Downfall of the Templars: Guilty of Diabolic Magic?
- Othon de Grandson: Edward I’s Loyal Knight of Renown
- Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages
- Templars: The Knights Who Made Britain
- The Crusader Strategy: Defending the Holy Land
- The Fifth Crusade
- Viking History and Culture
- General Medieval History
- Discoveries
- Rome’s Lost Anglo-Saxon Quarter Unearthed
- A Medieval Ship Was Found in a Cellar Ceiling
- Medieval Books Reveal the Hidden History of Sheeppox
- Did a Trebuchet Kill This Man at Stirling Castle?
- Sacred Site of Saint Sunniva Yields a New Discovery
- Shipwreck of Gold in the Medieval Adriatic
- Paris Excavates Its Origins Under Notre-Dame
- A 13th-Century King Arthur Manuscript Up for Sale For £2m
- Viking Silver Found in a Norwegian Farm Field
- An Elder Sister’s Care, Preserved for 1,400 Years
- The Bible Manuscript Hidden in Bookbindings for 800 Years
- Plague’s Last Swiss Victims Found Under a Concert Hall
- Medieval City Forgotten for Centuries Found
- Mysterious Medieval Tunnel Found in a Neolithic Tomb
- Viking-Age Woman Buried with Dog on Senja Island
- Otto the Great: What Was Found in His Magdeburg Tomb
- Medieval Cog: The Ship That Made Ports Boom
- Skipsea Castle: A Lost Lordship in East Yorkshire
- Migration into Medieval England: New Evidence Shakes Old Narratives
- Knight’s Tomb: A Rare Effigy from Medieval Poland
- Medieval Settlement Found on the Sizewell–Friston Line
- Mamluk-Era Tunnels Drove Sugar Mills of the Levant
- Scottish Castle: Finlaggan’s Lost Keep Resurfaces
- Silver Hoard of 20,000 Medieval Coins Found
- The Book of Kells: Rewriting Its Scottish Origins
- Medieval Sword Found in Vistula River After 700 Years
- Buckland Abbey: Lost chants heard after 500 years
- The Bromeswell Bucket’s Base Found After 40 Years
- A Vikings DNA Study that Challenges Old Beliefs
- Rendlesham: Early-Medieval Site Reveals New Discoveries
- Secrets of Bosham: Earl Harold’s Manor Revealed in New Study
- Sutton Hoo Reveals Ties to the Byzantine Empire
- St. Philibert Church Yields Forgotten Burial Secrets
- Lombard Kings’ Burial Secrets Discovered in Ancient Italy
- Notre Dame’s Secrets Unearthed During Restoration Efforts
- Danish Farming’s Evolution from Bronze to Viking Age
- Viking-Era Shack Discovered on Norway’s Hardanger Plateau
- St. Moluag’s Lost Abbey Found
- Saxon Lundenwic Expands West: New Dig
- Venice’s Lost Church Found Beneath St. Mark’s
- John of Tintern: A Killer Monk in Malmesbury
- Pictish Mystery Unravelled: New DNA Insights
- Lost Princes Found? New Evidence Challenges Tudor History
- Chaucer’s Timeless Words in a Digital Age
- Thyra’s Remarkable Legacy in Viking-Age Denmark
- 7th Century Treasure Found In UK
- Pop Medieval
- Medieval Movies
- Medieval TV Series
- King & Conqueror: Drama vs History in the 1066 Saga
- Knightfall: Myth vs. History of the Knights Templar
- The Last Kingdom: A Medieval Epic Examined
- The Name of the Rose: A Medieval World Recreated
- Rise Of The Raven: Hunyadi’s Legend On Screen
- Vikings Series: What’s True in the Norse Saga?
- Vikings Valhalla: Fact vs Fiction in the Netflix Series
- Medieval Digital Games
- Timebound Bookshop
- Online Bookshop
- Author Interviews
- Thomas Smith on the Fifth Crusade’s War for Egypt
- James Turner on the World Behind Medieval Power
- Jessica Scott (Dunn) on a New Voynich Interpretation
- Myths and Legends of the Medieval World with Paul Watts
- Rory Naismith on the World of King Offa
- Royal Childbirth in the Middle Ages: An Interview with Historian Michèle Schindler
- The Magic Books: An Interview with Historian Anne Lawrence-Mathers
- Women of the Middle Ages: An Interview with Historian Luke Daly
- Editor’s Picks
- Best Medieval History Books – October 2026
- Best Medieval History Books – September 2026
- Best Medieval History Books – August 2026
- Best Medieval History Books – July 2026
- Best Medieval History Books – June 2026
- Best Medieval History Books – May 2026
- Best Medieval History Books – April 2026
- Editor’s Book Picks – March 2026
- Editor’s Book Picks – February 2026
- Editor’s Book Picks – January 2026
- Editor’s Book Picks – December 2025
- Book of the Week
- The Medieval Moon – Book of the Week
- A Travel Guide to the Middle Age – Book of the Week
- Sceptred Isle – Book of the Week
- The Inheritance of Rome – Book of the Week
- The Wolf Age – Book of the Week
- A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century – Book of the Week
- The Crusader Strategy: Defending the Holy Land – Book of the Week
- The Manuscripts Club – Book of the Week
