Middle Ages
Renaissance Sumptuary Laws Told You Exactly What Colors You Could Wear
In Renaissance Italy, the clothes on your back were subject to the same legal scrutiny as a property deed. Sumptuary…
Burned as a Heretic at 19, Joan of Arc Was Made a Saint 500 Years Later
Condemned by the Church as a heretic and burned at the stake in Rouen at nineteen, Joan of Arc was…
Songhai Empire Ruled 1.4 Million Square Miles, Bigger Than Western Europe
At its height, the Songhai Empire covered 1.4 million square miles of West Africa — larger than Western Europe —…
10 Biggest Myths About Byzantine Empire Christianity That Surprise Everyone
Almost everything casual readers think they know about the Byzantine Empire and its religion turns out to be more complicated…
The Reconquista Lasted 781 Years — Longer Than Rome’s Entire Western Empire
In 711 AD, a Berber general crossed into Iberia and overturned a civilization in three years. What followed was the…
How the Habsburgs Ruled Europe for 600 Years — Then Lost It All in Four
For six centuries the Habsburg name was synonymous with European power — until war, revolution, and nationalism tore it apart…
Gudrid Sailed to America 492 Years Before Columbus — and Gave Birth There
Torvi, the shield-maiden at the heart of the History Channel's Vikings, was invented by showrunner Michael Hirst. The Norse woman…
Viking Women Warriors Were Real — and One Was Buried as a Military Commander
The character Astrid on the History Channel's Vikings is invented — but the shield-maidens she echoes were not. A 2017…
Saladin Sent His Dying Enemy Richard I Ice and Fruit Mid-Battle
Richard I of England and Saladin were champions of opposing armies in the Third Crusade — yet they exchanged gifts,…
Crusaders Set Out to Fight Muslims — Then Sacked Christianity’s Greatest City
Launched to recapture Jerusalem, the Fourth Crusade ended with Christian knights looting the greatest Christian city on earth. This is…