There's no such thing as the Dark Ages

There's no such thing as the Dark Ages

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There's no such thing as the Dark Ages
  • The History of Westminster Abbey

    Sir David Cannadine shows Dan around the iconic Westminster Abbey, in the heart of London. With an unrivalled arrange of monuments - ranging from grand royal tombs to the grave of The Unknown Warrior - and spectacular architecture spanning nearly 1,000 years, join the two historians as they explo...

  • 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 ...

  • The Trials of Joan of Arc

    We all know the name, Joan of Arc. But who really was this celebrated voice of the people of France? For some she is a simple peasant girl - one of the people. For others, she is a champion of nation and church. For the English, she was simply the enemy.

    Dr Eleanor Janega is on a mission to deci...

  • The Battle of Shrewsbury

    In 1403, a rebellion broke out in England that would culminate in one of the bloodiest battles to ever take place on English soil. On 21st July 1403, King Henry IV with his son, the future Henry V, went head to head with a Northern traitor - Henry Hotspur. The Battle of Shrewsbury would pit reb...

  • 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 ...

  • Medieval Pleasures, Part 3: Sport

    Eleanor ventures into the Royal Armouries tiltyard, where seasoned jouster Andy Deane, and his opponent Andrew Balmforth, face off in an adrenaline fuelled jousting tournament - and you're invited!

    We discover the harsh realities of this sport that's synonymous with the Middle Ages, and learn ab...

  • Battle of Bosworth - Battlefield Detective

    Matt Lewis travels to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre in Leicestershire to meet Richard Mackinder, an archaeologist who has spent the last two decades scouring the earth around the site where King Richard III and Henry Tudor clashed in one of the most famous battles in English history.
    ...

  • In Search of the Great Viking Army

    In 865 AD, England was invaded by the Great Heathen Army. The Great Viking Army, as it was also known, was made up of a coalition of Scandinavian warriors mainly from Denmark and, legend has it, four of the five sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, including Halfdan Ragnarsson, Ivar the Boneless, Bjorn Irone...

  • 24 Hours in Medieval Armour

    Luke Tomes undertakes a series of challenges around England's capital wearing 14th century full-plate armour.

    In this video, you'll find out what life was like for medieval knights in battle and on crusade, how they trained for combat, how much their armour cost them and most importantly, how th...

  • Edward II: Worst King of England?

    Dr Helen Carr explores the extraordinary and chaotic reign of Edward II, a king with a reputation as a disastrous ruler. But how much of that is true?

    Edward's accession as king of England in 1307 led almost immediately to conflict as he favoured close friends, and maybe lovers, like Piers Gaves...

  • Magna Carta

    1 season

    Magna Carta - one of the most important documents from the medieval period. It’s still held up as a totem of democracy even in today’s turbulent world. But why did Magna Carta get written and sealed in the first place?

    In the first of two episodes, Prof. Michael Livingston heads to France to exp...

  • The Black Death 2: Pandemic

    By early 1349 the plague had engulfed southern England. Dan Snow reveals how the whole country now descended into fear as the disease rampaged on, leaving no one safe.

  • The English Parish Church: An Introduction

    In this introduction to the English Parish Church, Alice Loxton travels across the country to uncover some gems of England’s heritage. From the whitewashing of the Reformation to Wesley’s hymns to William Morris’ efforts to preserve the past, there is lots to discover. And Alice is joined around ...

  • Finding the Lost Battlefield of Brunanburh

    The Battle of Brunanburh was one of the bloodiest and biggest battles of early medieval history. Fought 1100 years ago, Athelstan - the king of the English - opposed a coalition of Irish, Scots, Northumbrians and Vikings and won a decisive victory. The enemy shield wall was penetrated. Their troo...

  • 1066: The Year of Conquest

    1066 - one of the most famous years in English history. In a succession crisis like no other three warlords separated by hundreds of miles and savage seas vied for control of the English throne in a series of bloody battles. From Harald Hardrada's crowning victory at Fulford to the renowned Battl...

  • Whitefriars: The Lost Priory of Gloucester

    In July 2021, the remains of a 13th Century Carmelite friary, also known as Whitefriars, were recently found by archaeologists beneath a demolished multi-storey car park in Gloucester city centre.

    Historians knew roughly where Whitefriars had stood, but its exact location was a mystery. The dig,...

  • Unpacking the Myths of King Arthur with Eleanor Janega

    King Arthur. Merlin. The Knights of the Round Table and the Sword in the Stone. We think we know these stories but they've changed a lot since they were first told...

    In this episode of History Hit's After Dark podcast, Maddy and Anthony are joined by Dr. Eleanor Janega, host of the Gone Mediev...

  • 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...

  • The Vikings Uncovered

    1 season

    Dan Snow uncovers the lost Vikings in America with space archaeologist Dr Sarah Parcak. Sarah uses satellites 383 miles above the earth to spot ruins as small as 30cm buried beneath the surface. As Sarah searches for Viking sites from Britain to America, Dan explores how they voyaged thousands of...

  • Conquest 1066: Told By the Teacher You Wish You'd Had

    If you went to school in the UK, chances are you spent hours of class time learning about 1066. Whether they're fond memories or times you'd rather forget, revisit the Norman Conquest with us now. Enjoy an entertaining lesson, featuring exciting reconstructions, with Martyn Whittock, the teacher ...

  • Peasants' Revolt - Part Two: London's Burning

    In part two we investigate the fiery and frenetic days following 13th June 1381. With huge numbers of peasants having gathered around London... things were about to turn violent.

    We follow their footsteps as they cross London Bridge and enter the city. Destruction starts quickly as they begin t...

  • Medieval Pleasures, Part 2: Booze

    Episode Two: Booze

    Alcohol was an essential part of medieval life. In one of London’s oldest pubs, Ye Old Mitre, Eleanor discovers the origins of the humble pub with beer expert Pete Brown, and dispels the many myths surrounding the drinking habits of the people who drank here centuries ago

    ...

  • Timewatch: The Crusaders' Lost Fort

    In 1178 Christians and Muslims were on the brink of total war. The blood-drenched conquest of Jerusalem by the First Crusaders had enraged Islam, and their Kurdish warlord Saladin. This clash of titans is one of the great untold battle stories of the period, with the Muslim attackers laying siege...

  • Medieval Apocalypse

    For medieval people, the apocalypse was not some distant prophecy—it was an imminent reality shaping their lives.

    In Medieval Apocalypse, historian Dr. Eleanor Janega embarks on a journey through England and France to uncover how our ancestors understood the end of days. From the terrifying vis...