Medieval

Medieval

The Middle Ages was a defining period of history in Europe and across the globe. This was a time of castles and peasants, guilds and monasteries, cathedrals and crusades. From the Viking and Norman invasions of Britain to the devastating plagues of the 14th century or the rise of Mansa Musa and the Kingdom of Mali, enjoy our impressive and growing library of documentaries, interviews and podcasts on key events and locations of the Medieval Period. Featuring leading historians such as Dan Jones, Eleanor Janega and Cat Jarman.

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Medieval
  • History Ranked: Medieval Weapons

    Historian Matt Lewis ranks weapons from the medieval period.

  • The Battle of Towton: Was It Really the Bloodiest in English History?

    1 season

    The Battle of Towton in 1461 has long held the distinction of being the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil. A decisive moment in the Wars of the Roses, it saw the Yorkist Edward IV defeat his Lancastrian rival Henry VI and claim the English throne. But are claims that the number of deat...

  • Real Fake History: The Alternate Battle of Bosworth

    In this episode of Real Fake History, Dan Snow is joined by historians Matt Lewis, Nathen Amin, and Tracy Borman to discuss the hypothetical scenario: what if Richard III had won the Battle of Bosworth?

    On the 22nd of August 1485, the future of England was decided on the fields of Bosworth. Rich...

  • The Longest Alliance: England and Portugal 650 Years

    On 16th June 1373, England’s King Edward III signed a treaty of alliance with Portugal’s King Ferdinand. It still stands, making it the longest continuing alliance in history. This year, in June 2023, it celebrates its 650th anniversary. In this film, Mike Loades, a Brit living in Portugal, trave...

  • England's Royal Churches

    This film celebrates the glory of England's forgotten royal churches and their links to the most opulent country residences.

    The church has always been at the heart of the English monarchy. From operating as a place of contemplation and refuge to symbolising national celebration, art historian...

  • Working (more than) 9 to 5 - The Labouring Lives of Medieval Women

    Dr Eleanor Janega investigates one of the least recorded aspects of medieval life - working women. But dig deep and you can find the evidence - proving the medieval period is a fascinating window into the true history of women…and work!

    Eleanor takes on the jobs and businesses of real medieval ...

  • King Arthur's Round Table Revealed

    The mystery and legend of King Arthur has fascinated mankind for centuries. Was there really a fifth-century warrior king at war with the Angles and Saxons? Did he have a round table of knights? Where was Camelot? Now, twenty-first century forensic archaeology allows us to suggest new answers to ...

  • Treason

    Treason is a word we all know, but how did treason law develop in England? Over the centuries, those linked with some of the most audacious attacks on the establishment have been branded traitors. If treason failed, it usually led to the most gruesome of death penalties. Some of those convicted w...

  • Life and Death in Medieval London

    Medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega takes us on a whistle-stop tour across London, visiting some key historical sites and shining a light on the various communities of medieval London.

  • The 7 Deadly Sins with Eleanor Janega

    January, time to purge ourselves of the excesses of the holidays! Medievalist Eleanor Janega takes a deep historical dive into the 7 Deadly Sins. When did they begin, what's the worst sin, and should we be so anxious about our vices? And who decided what was evil anyway? Joined by Dr Rachel Sto...

  • Rebellion in the North

    1 season

    Since the Roman occupation, England has mostly been dominated by a power-base ruling from the South of the country, principally centred on the great City of London. Yet the northern regions of England, remote and culturally disinct from the South, were, for much of recorded history, staunchly ind...

  • Exploring the Medieval Afterlife with Eleanor Janega

    Ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night! Dr Eleanor Janega delves into the medieval phantasmic to find out what their restless dead can tell us about the worries of the living. Because if we want to understand what makes another society tick, it helps to take a look at what makes them...

  • Essex Dogs: In the Footsteps of the Crécy Campaign

    1 season

    Dan Jones's historical novel 'Essex Dogs' has just been published in North America. To tell the story behind the events of the novel, Dan Jones has gone on a special journey across Northern France for History Hit, following in the footsteps of Edward III and his English army on their Crécy Campai...

  • Gwrych Castle: Catastrophe to Celebrity

    Over November and December 2020, Gwrych Castle in North Wales is to become the most famous castle in the UK. It is in this castle that I'm a Celebrity is being filmed. But there is so much more to Gwrych than simply hosting the 20th series of I'm a Celebrity. The Castle's history is fascinating, ...

  • Digging up the 'Dark Ages'

    Join Dan Snow as he explores this stunning set of discoveries in our brand new documentary ‘Digging Up the Dark Ages’ on History Hit TV.

    While working on the HS2 high speed railway project in the UK, archaeologists made discoveries of national significance, uncovering a large Anglo-Saxon burial...

  • Going Medieval

    1 season

    Life in the Medieval period looked like lots of different things to lots of different people. Your place in society could dictate everything. From what food you ate, where you could go, how educated you were and even how long you were likely to live for. Across this series, discover what life was...

  • Britain's Wild West: Discovering Hay Castle

    The peaceful South Wales town of Hay-on-Wye offers few clues today of its brutal past on a violent frontier. A monument to this history can be found in Hay Castle. Once right on the border between England and Wales, it sits in a region densely packed with castles that saw border skirmishes and bi...

  • King Arthur: Legend and Legacy

    The familiar medieval Arthurian myths of a noble King ruling over his kingdom from camelot, supported by his Round Table of loyal and brave knights who seek for the Holy Grail and slay dragons, is a legend that has been engaged with by English kings ever since the 13th Century. By the 14th Centur...

  • Medieval Pleasures

    1 season

  • Uncovering The Bayeux Tapestry

    One of the world's most famous and well-preserved pieces of medieval embroidery, the 70-metre-wide Bayeux Tapestry depicts the events leading up to the Norman conquest of England concerning William, Duke of Normandy, and Harold, Earl of Wessex, later King of England, culminating in the Battle of ...

  • The Causes of the Wars of the Roses

    The Wars of the Roses were one of the bloodiest periods in English history. After 30 years of conflict between the royal houses of Lancaster and York, the nobility was shattered, and the Plantagenet dynasty was ended. But what caused this long period of internecine violence? It's a story of such ...

  • After Braveheart

    1 season

    This is a story of two Celtic nations, a shared heritage and a forgotten war that could have changed the course of history. Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, decided to invade Ireland to unite the Celtic nations against the English. Now for the first time, these dramatic events are explored onscreen.

  • The Knights Templar: With Dan Jones

    They might be more famous today for their cameos in The Da Vinci Code and Assassin’s Creed, but in real life they were an army of valiant, daring Crusaders famous for their self-discipline, who fought in the Middle Ages' most bloody battles. They were allowed no sex, no personal possessions, and ...

  • Science in the Middle Ages

    Seb Falk, a historian of medieval science at Cambridge University and the author of The Light Ages, tackles the big questions about science in the Middle Ages.