Daily Medieval

John of Arderne (1307 - 1392) was an innovative English surgeon who devised a number of cures and procedures and is considered the first Eng...

From October to November 1386, the Wonderful Parliament took place in Westminster Abbey . Its initial purpose was to discuss King Richard II...

After John of Gaunt died, in 1399, his third wife, Katherine Swynford , lost a lot of status. His health had been declining (he was approac...

The love affair between John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford could hardly be a secret, especially when she started bearing his children wh...

Katherine Swynford (c.1350? - 10 May 1403) was the daughter of a knight from Hainaut. Her father, Paon de Roet (his and Katherine's arms...

John of Gaunt (6 March 1340 - 3 February 1399) was a highly influential man in adulthood. He was the third son of Edward III and Queen Phili...

Was Lollardy popular? Besides for Sir John Oldcastle and John Wycliffe , I mean. Because Lollards believed that baptism and confession wer...

Henry of Monmouth was so-called because he was born in a tower at Monmouth Castle in Wales, but the date of his birth was not recorded becau...

Ferdinand I, son of Pedro the Cruel Inheritance is never more complicated than when a throne is involved. The stakes are too high for a...

The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was mentioned last year over a five-day span , but the events in London weren't the only expression of ...

King John I of Portugal weds Philippa of Lancaster, 1386 ( Chronique de France et d'Angleterre,  Jean Wavrin, 15th c .) When Edward ...

(I apologize if the title—or the topic—is too crude for some.) The poor fellow to the right (the one half showing) is suffering from an an...

John Wycliffe (c.1324-1384), first discussed yesterday , started his career as a respectable Oxford scholar and theologian. His religion and...

A church reformer gets his start. We don't know a lot about the early years of John Wycliffe (c.1324-1384). There were likely a few ...

June 12th Wat Tyler and thousands of middle- and lower-class followers reached Blackheath by June 12th, and heard John Ball's famous s...

The Peasants' Revolt--Other Causes The lower classes were not just worked up by a sermon about social equality, or the statutes that t...