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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 »
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.
King Arthur means knights, swords in stones, ladies in lakes … and Monty Python. Who was the real King Arthur? Did Camelot exist?
What were knights really like? Did they slay dragons, sleep in their armor and rescue damsels in distress?
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?
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?
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, an epidemic of bubonic plague that appeared in Europe in the 1300's.
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 , a town or city that governs itself and is independent, or largely independent, of the country in which it is located.
Goliard SongsLatin songs written from the 10th to early 13th centuries. They are among the earliest examples of Western secular music.
Guild, in medieval Europe, an economic and social association of men in the same business or craft.
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, 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, or Mystery Play, in medieval Europe, a dramatization of a story from the Bible or the life of a saint.
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