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It was a time of Kings, monumental battles, plagues and religious influence. Trace the history of this tumultuous time in these articles.

Featured Middle Ages Article

How Royalty Works

Royalty calls to mind impossible wealth, power and privilege -- and maybe a breath of scandal. Do kings and queens simply sit on their thrones with ermine robes and scepters? More »


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MIDDLE AGES LIBRARY

How Castles Work

When you think about the Middle Ages, you probably imagine knights, lords and ladies in a castle. Learn about how castles were constructed, how they were used and what became of them.

How King Arthur Worked

King Arthur means knights, swords in stones, ladies in lakes … and Monty Python. Who was the real King Arthur? Did Camelot exist?

How Knights Work

What were knights really like? Did they slay dragons, sleep in their armor and rescue damsels in distress?

How Royalty Works

Royalty calls to mind impossible wealth, power and privilege -- and maybe a breath of scandal. Do kings and queens simply sit on their thrones with ermine robes and scepters?

How the Black Death Worked

Twenty-five million people died in the Black Death. How did this horrific disease spread and how did people react to a killer they could not possibly comprehend?

How the Crusades Worked

The control of Jerusalem and conflicts between Islam and the Western world may read like topics from today's headlines. But they were also at the heart of the Crusades.

Black Death

Black Death, an epidemic of bubonic plague that appeared in Europe in the 1300's.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great (742–814), a king of the Franks and the founder of an empire that included much of western Europe.

Free City

Free City , a town or city that governs itself and is independent, or largely independent, of the country in which it is located.

Golliard Songs

Goliard SongsLatin songs written from the 10th to early 13th centuries. They are among the earliest examples of Western secular music.

Guild

Guild, in medieval Europe, an economic and social association of men in the same business or craft.

Knight

Knight, in the Middle Ages, a warrior horseman. A knight was called Sir, and was usually of a noble or a genteel family.

Middle Ages

Middle Ages, a period of about 1,000 years in European history. It is also called the medieval period (from the Latin for “middle” and “age”).

Miracle Play

Miracle Play, or Mystery Play, in medieval Europe, a dramatization of a story from the Bible or the life of a saint.


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