FEATURE ARTICLES
Europes Oldest University
The Medieval universities and the cities in which they sit continue to inspire and engage us. Bologna Italy, lays claim to founding Europe’s oldest university in 1088, how far reaching was this seat of learning?
Read MoreKing Richard III of England Found Facts and Fiction
Richard III found in a Car Park with an Arrow in His back, can this be him, who was he and how can we distinguish him fact from fiction and the character assasination given him by William Shakespeare?
(This post will be updated, original posted in 2012.
Dumnonia and Dumnonii the Kingdom and People
The Dumnonii were they a group of celtic tribes, already established when the Romans invaded, and only subjugated finally by Egbert of Wessex in 838…along the path to the unification of England and subsequently Britain…
Read MoreHenry III Plantagenet King 1207-1272
His father King John was not much of a role model, so how would his son inheriting at just 9 years of age cope? He started with guidance of great statesmen but would he be governed by their wise council? What would Henry III contribute to the development of a nation…
Read MoreEleanor of Aquitaine Mother of English Kings
Wealthy educated and powerful and that was just at 15, married to the Kings of France and England, forging the most powerful alliance in Northern Europe with the Angevin Empire created with the marriage to Henry II, through their complex family relationships, two sons would be King of England and many of her grandchildren would form the basis of the bloodlines of the important European Kingdoms for centuries to come, this was a woman on which history pivots…
Read MoreHenry II Plantagenet King of England
Henry II creates the Anjevin Empire but by failing to unite his sons and wife in the line of succession causes more trouble than he resolves, what would happen during his reign kicks-off the English Plantagenet dynasty but also sows the seeds of it’s demise…
Read MoreThomas Becket and Henry II
The relationship between Henry King of England and Thomas, banker turned confidant and Archbishop was probably one of the most intriguing in English history.
Read MoreShakespeares Quartos Digitised with full text search
Shakespeares Quartos in high resolution with searchable online text, precious artefacts at your fingertips so that you can virtually touch these priceless resources and harness them in your own historical research…a beacon of light in the field of digital history and humanities…led by the Bodleian Library quite inspiring
Read MoreKing Cnut Canute 995-1035
Cnut was a strong and brutal ruler who managed to control England , Denmark and Norway having demolished the inheritance of Alfred the Great by removing Ethelred and Edmund but would he fair any better in ensuring a smooth succession down his family lines, another intriguing family?
Read MoreOld Poor Law
The Old Poor Law was the codified series of statutes that predated the draconian Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the timeline of this law casts some light on the origins of welfare and the plight of the poor in England for many years. If you have any reason to want to better understand the basis of society during the 19th century then some reference to these legal orgins will be helpful.
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