by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2026 | Fascinating People, Medieval (1066–1485)
Few English kings enjoy a more romantic reputation than Richard I: Richard the Lionheart. Crusader. Warrior. Hero. The image is deeply embedded in popular culture. Richard appears in stories of Robin Hood, stands alongside Saladin in accounts of the Third Crusade, and...
by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2026 | Fascinating People, Medieval (1066–1485)
Few rulers have attracted a worse reputation than King John. Medieval chroniclers described him as cruel, suspicious, and untrustworthy. Later generations turned him into the villain of Robin Hood stories. Even today, “King John” is rarely spoken with...
by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2026 | Fascinating People, Medieval (1066–1485)
Few figures stride through medieval history with greater confidence than Eleanor of Aquitaine. Duchess, queen, crusader, prisoner, diplomat, mother of kings, and political strategist, she spent much of the twelfth century at the centre of European affairs. The...
by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2026 | Fascinating People, Medieval (1066–1485)
Most medieval chroniclers loved a good story. William of Newburgh preferred evidence. Born in Yorkshire around 1136, William spent much of his life as an Augustinian canon at Newburgh Priory. He never ruled a kingdom, commanded an army, or built a cathedral. Yet his...
by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2026 | Fascinating People, Medieval (1066–1485)
Known to posterity as Longshanks and remembered in Scotland as the Hammer of the Scots, Edward I is often portrayed primarily as a warrior king. Yet his most important achievements were institutional rather than military. By the time Edward inherited the throne in...
by Helen Kain | Jun 14, 2026 | Fascinating People, Medieval (1066–1485)
History tends to remember conquerors. It is less enthusiastic about administrators. That may explain why Henry I is often overshadowed by both his father, William the Conqueror, and his son-in-law’s rival, Stephen. Yet Henry may have been one of the most...
