Daily Medieval

Château Gaillard had a long history after its creation by Richard I, and what remains can still be visited today. Richard I built it in Norm...

It was called the Bellum Castrum de Rupe ("the Fair Castle at the Rock"), and has a fascinating history, starting with the illega...

Walter de Coutances was a courtier and then Archbishop of Rouen whose life was tied up in the careers of three kings of England: Henry II, ...

Once Richard I was out of captivity and home in England, he forgave his brother John for John's actions while Richard was away on the T...

I've written many times before about the importance of marriages in noble families, forging alliances with other powerful families throu...

When Henry the Young King attacked his brother Richard in 1183, he had the support of a lord of Hautefort. Hautefort was surrounded by pro...

Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine were married in 1152 and had a son in 1153, but William died in 1156 at the age of two. On 28...

John of Brienne never expected to be a king, or even a lord. He was born about 1170 to Count Erard II of Brienne and Agnes of Montfaucon, a ...

In the early 13th century, Philip II of France fortified Paris with four large guard towers. The Tour de Nesle (the "s" is silent...

You are Frederick I, offspring of two of Germany's most powerful families. As a young man, you went on Crusade and distinguished yoursel...

The Angevin Empire begun by King Henry II of England started to crumble after Henry's son and successor, Richard the Lionheart , died i...

Blanche of Castile was born on 4 March, 1188, in Palencia in north-central Castile (Spain). Her father was King Alfonso VIII; her mother was...

There were many reasons why someone would become a pirate, I suppose. It was probably rare that a monk would do so, however. Eustace Bu...

The defeat of Eustace the Black at the Battle of Sandwich, from Matthew Paris Eustace Busket was born about 1170 near Boulogne on the n...

Plaque on the site of Montfort's death Simon de Montfort has been mentioned before, opposing Henry III , but that was the 6th Earl ...

[ source ] On 28 April in 1192, Conrad of Montferrat was assassinated. Conrad was an interesting character, a well-born European caugh...

St. Felix of Valois Among other accomplishments, the Crusades created a large number of Christians held captive by non-Christians. These...

Let us look at a classic "political marriage." Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II of England and  mother of Richard calle...