Medieval History

950 years ago today King Harold II, Harold Godwinson, of England was defeated by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. Harold, the last Anglo Saxon King of England died in the battle. On Christmas Day 1066 William was crowned the first Norman King of England at Westminster Abbey and the face and fate of the country changed forever. See more events that occurred in history on this day here:  This Day in History

This week we visited a local battle site relating to Henry II's campaign in Wales in the 12th century.  The spot marks the location of The Battle of Crogen. I recorded as much as I could in photos to tell the tale as per the interpretation boards which had such great information however the main purpose of our visit was to see the oak tree that marks the location that the Welsh buried the English dead after a crushing defeat.  The oak would certainly have been present at the time, forming part of what was the Ceriog Forest, and is a truly amazing specimen. (Click on individual images to enlarge.)

Course: History of the World to 1500CE Columbia University YouTube Lectures - Richard Bulliet (RB) Lecture 1 - Further reading 1.2 Introduction to World History - Youtube upload 2010 Below are my notes on points for further reading from lecture 1 prior to studying lecture 2. Sources:  Hyper Physics ,  C14 dating ,  Radiocarbon FR 1.2 - Carbon dating and corrected carbon dating. Additional sources:  BBC Bitesize Well this is going to test the old grey matter! Ok so Carbon dating is a form of radioactive dating. It can only be applied to matter that was once living and presumed to be in equilibrium with our atmosphere; matter that assimilates carbon dioxide such as plants and animals.  The nitrogen in our atmo sphere is bombarded with neutrons that produce a radioactive isotope called carbon - 14. This in turn combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide which is assimilated by plants and animals through photosynthesis and I assume by animals through merely breathing. W

Course: History of the World to 1500CE Columbia University YouTube Lectures - Richard Bulliet (RB) Lecture 1 - Further reading 1.1 Introduction to World History - Youtube upload 2010 Below are my notes on points for further reading from lecture 1 prior to studying lecture 2. Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica , History World FR 1.1 - The lecture has a small section on the domestication of animals and discussed the mesolithic period. This section requires further reading. I am starting with the Mesolithic period (MP) expecting it to encompass domestication of animals. The timeframe for MP varies across the globe as it relates to material culture, actual  evidence  of that culture in the form of tools or other items that civilisation has made however broadly speaking it seems to cover 11,000 - 4,000BC. It is also referred to as the Middle Stone Age situated between  Palaeolithic and Neolithic, or Old and New Stone Age. The MP saw advancement in material culture, fo

Yesterday the BBC ran a story that English Heritage had submitted a petition to have Jousting declared an Olympic sport. I am so excited at the prospect! My first thought was could I compete. It seems there is a long way to go but what an amazing prospect. There have been far more unusual Olympic sports previously including duelling pistols, tug-of-war (always one of my favourite events at village fetes) Kite flying, architecture, literature, music, painting, sculpture, tandem bike racing...I could go on, suddenly jousting doesn't sound so far fetched does it? If you want to support the petition you can sign here.

Last night we went to Holt Castle to listen to a talk given by Steve Grenter, Wrexham Heritage Service Manager, on the history and archaeology of Holt Castle. The castle is situated on the banks of the River Dee, on the Welsh side of the border. The castle was built between 1282 and 1311 by John de Warren, an Earl of Surrey, and the castle appears almost unique in Britain for its unusual pentagonal design.  Online records relating to John de Warren's life and death are conflicting and at this time I am unsure whether he was the 6th, 7th or 8th Earl of Surrey (various online resources differ on this particular point) and as such will refer to my books in due course. What is clear is that a John de Warren was very significant in the life of Edward I and was awarded lands in North Wales along with other Marcher Lords. Holt Castle was constructed as a headquarters for the Earl in Wales. The remains of the castle are limited to the remnant central courtyard area whic

After writing up my notes I fancied a spot of medieval revision and have been going over some old photos of the home of one of my historical heroes Roger Mortimer 1st Earl of March. The tree that stands alone is now sadly dead. It is an elm that has succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease, its death occurred in just a year between visits. 

I started my study last night and have decided to start a little earlier than the Middle Ages as I came across a set of online lectures given on world history by Richard Bulliet, former lecturer at Columbia University. I thought this lecture series would give me a good grounding for history prior to my particular area of interest and help me get my hand in at studying again. So far I have not been disappointed. Below are my notes from lecture 1. I have some further reading to do for a few sections of the lecture that I didn't grasp fully, and a few terms to explore. I have recorded the letters FR (further reading) next to these sections in my notes and will post my follow up studies as I go. The overriding message of this lecture for me was that this study was not going to be a narrative, but an exploration of theory or as the lecturer states a philosophical outlook, and my interest has been fired by this approach. There are 25 lectures in all and I hope to study one a wee

I have had an avid interest in medieval history and in particular european medieval history, or the Middle Ages spanning from the 5th to the 15th century, for some years now.  My readings to date relating to this period, and the people who lived in it, have covered: a general overview of Saxon Kings, a more detailed study of the Kings of England between The Norman Conquest and the conclusion of The Wars of the Roses with particular interest in Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, Roger Mortimer 1st Earl of March, Henry IV, Henry V, Joan of Arc, the Vikings and Norse Mythology. Through studying this portion of the Middle Ages I have become aware of many other significant figures and events throughout Europe and I am now undertaking a more official study regime making the most of the wealth of free online resources and courses. I have created this blog to document and share my progress, and as a study aid for me. I have learned and again forgotten so many facts through casua