12th Century 1100-1199

The Treaty of Winchester

Treaty of Winchester

The Treaty of Winchester is a very important historical document that brought England’s first civil war known as the Anarchy to an end. The treaty also changed the course of history

Read More

Medieval Leprosy

Medieval leprosy

Medieval leprosy was a complicated part of Medieval society. The idea of the leper as being a carrier of disease is too simplistic. The leper was a person who carried the outward mark of sin, whose purgatory on Earth would be rewarded in heaven.

Read More

English Medieval Pilgrimage

English Medieval Pilgrimage

The English Medieval pilgrimage holds up a mirror to what life was really like in Britain during these fraught and terrifying times. Who undertook these journeys and why?

Read More

Cult of the Virgin Mary

Cult of the Virgin Mary

The Cult of the Virgin Mary is seen by many as having its origins in the Medieval period but the mythologizing of Mary began with Pope Gregory I. It grew as the Crusaders returned to the west and shrines and icons to the Virgin Mary appeared in churches, on the wayside and in people’s homes.

Read More

Medieval Music in Britain

great resource on Medieval Music and its history
This entry is part 1 of 2 in the series Intriguing Resources

Directly access this expert published work online for an authoritative view of the history of Medieval Music.This is by Frank Harrison a 19th cetury Senior Lecturer in Music at Oxford University. If you have discovered or would like to explore the wonders of British Medieval Music, Sacred Music or Polyphony then this is a great starting point. Click to access directly from here…an intriguing resource free to access and use online or to download.

Read More

Medieval Woman Eleanor of Aquitaine Part 1

Mother of Kings Henry III Richard I and John

Eleanor of Aquitaine was the most powerful and rich women in northern Europe in the early Medieval period but what were her motivations that turned her from king to king and that made her reject one son in favour of another?

Read More

Hampshire ‘Feet of Fines’

‘Feet of Fines’ documents for Hampshire date back to 1199 and give surnames and placenames of people living in Hampshire in the Medieval period. These are important resources for Hampshire History and help to build a picture of community and settlement…

Read More