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Medieval Knights: 12 of the Best
The knights of medieval Europe were meant to be the finest fighting men of their age, even more important, they were expected to be pure in thought and deed, as exemplified in the chivalrous code which they (usually) followed. Here are the...
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The Impact of the Norman Conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England, led by William the Conqueror (r. 1066-1087 CE) was achieved over a five-year period from 1066 CE to 1071 CE. Hard-fought battles, castle building, land redistribution, and scorched earth tactics ensured that...
Article
Chaucer's The Book of the Duchess Full Text & Summary
The Book of the Duchess is the first major work of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (l. c. 1343-1400 CE), best known for his masterpiece The Canterbury Tales, composed in the last twelve years of his life and left unfinished at his death...
Article
Battle of Edington
The Battle of Edington, fought in May 878 in southwest England, saw Alfred the Great, King of Wessex (r. 871-899), win a decisive victory over the Viking leader Guthrum (d. 890). Two weeks later, under the terms of the Treaty of Wedmore...
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The Grand Embassy of Peter the Great
The Grand Embassy was the name given to the long Western European tour that Tsar Peter I of Russia (aka Peter the Great, r. 1682-1725) undertook during 1697-1698. Peter was joined by hundreds of people, including noblemen, his friends, volunteers...
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William the Conqueror's Harrying of the North
By the end of 1066 CE William the Conqueror had won a decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings, subdued the south-east of England and been crowned King William I in Westminster Abbey but there remained rebellion in the air throughout 1067...
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Thomas Becket, Durham
A stained glass window depicting Thomas Becket (also known as St. Thomas of Canterbury; c. 1119 - 1170 CE). Thomas Becket was the archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 - 1170 CE, and is well known for his conflict with Henry II of England (r...
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Portrait of Geoffrey Chaucer
A late 16th Century portrait of the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1343 - 1400 CE) by an unknown artist. This portrait is thought to be based on a contemporary portrait of Chaucer in the manuscript of Hoccleve's De Regimine Principum...
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Illuminated Pages from the Romaunt of the Rose
Pages from an illuminated manuscript of the Romaunt of the Rose, c. 1440 - 1450 CE. This poem is thought to have been translated by Geoffrey Chaucer (1343 - 1400 CE) from an earlier 13th Century CE French composition. This manuscript...
Definition
The Saxons
The Saxons were a Germanic people of the region north of the Elbe River stretching from Holstein (in modern-day Germany) to the North Sea. The Saxons who migrated to Britain in the 5th and 6th centuries CE along with the Angles, Frisians...