‘Old John of Gaunt, time-honour’d Lancaster’ John of Gaunt (1340–1399) was the son of one king and the father of another. He claimed a Spanish kingdom via his wife, daughter of …
The Norman Conquest in the eleventh century is one of the best-known events in English history, but the French attempts to invade England three hundred years later are largely …
In the competition for remarkable queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine tends to win. In fact her story sometimes seems so extreme it ought to be made up. The headlines: orphaned as a …
King of a lost realm. Wearer of a pawned crown. Heir to an empire beyond reach. From the ashes of Magna Carta, a new England was to be forged. Henry III became King of England …
Harold Godwinson, King of England, was unable to defend his realm from William the Conqueror’s invading Norman army in 1066. The Normans wreaked havoc across the country and …
What unacknowledged theme can be found across 250 years of English history? What thread runs throughout the Plantagenet Royal House, including as it does the ‘cadet’ houses of …
The Grey family was one of mediaeval England’s most important dynasties, serving the kings of England as sheriffs, barons and military leaders from the reign of William the …
When the mighty Henry I died in December 1135, leaving no legitimate son, who was to replace him on the throne of England? Would it be Stephen, nephew to the king and showered with …
‘Deus Vult’ – or ‘God wills it’ – were the words allegedly uttered by the crowd of people present when Pope Urban II’s rousing speech caused the start of the First Crusade. Prior …
