Heraldry: Did you mean...?

Thanks to their favoured position in life and the labour of the peasants on their estates, nobles in an English medieval castle had plenty of leisure hours which could be frittered away by eating, drinking, dancing, playing games like chess...

As in just about any other period of history, clothing in the Middle Ages was worn for necessity, comfort, and display. Bright colours and rich decorations made for a striking medieval wardrobe, at least among the wealthy, although there...

English medieval knights wore metal armour of iron or steel to protect themselves from archers and the long swords of opponents. From the 9th century CE, chain mail suits gave protection and freedom of movement until solid plate armour became...

The unicorn, a mythical creature popularized in European folklore, has captivated the human imagination for over 2,000 years. For most of that time, well into the Middle Ages, people also believed them to be real. The roots of the unicorn...

The Coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of the French took place on Sunday 2 December 1804, in the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. A sacred ceremony held to legitimize Napoleon's reign, the coronation signaled the birth of the First French...

Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (c. 477-524/525) was a scholar in Late Antiquity who was imprisoned and executed by Theodoric (r. 493-526 CE) but was later idolised by medieval intellectuals. His most famous work was De consolatione philosophiae...

The oldest known English roll of arms, dating to c. 1244 CE. It is a single sheet painted on both sides by Mathew Paris and showing 75 coats of arms starting with the king’s. (British Library, London)

The coat of arms of Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377 CE). In 1340 CE Edward quartered the Plantagenet three lions (or leopards originally) with the golden fleur-de-lis of France to signify his claim to the French throne. The arms remained...

The coat of arms of Joan of Arc (c. 1412 - 1431 CE). Eglise de la Trinite, Vendome, France.

An 18th century CE painting by Benjamin West depicting Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377 CE) crossing the Somme river in 1346 CE in his campaign during the Hundred Years' War (1332-1453 CE) against France. (Windsor Castle Collection)