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Looking for a scandalous queen misinterpreted by history? You won't find her here. Philippa of Hainault in fact embodied the medieval romantic ideal of a queen consort, alongside her husband, King Edward III of England, who was also idolised. As a result of behaving well, much less is known of Philippa than her more infamous mother-in-law, Isabella of France. This video looks at Philippa's many achievements, her successful marriage, and the way in which her kindness and gentle nature helped heal a country tired or royal turmoil... The Most Well-Behaved Queen of England In History | Philippa of Hainault |...

Dr Janina Ramirez explores the fallout of the longest and bloodiest divorce in history, when little England dared to take on the superpower France.Edward III rips up the medieval rule book and crushes the flower of French knighthood at the Battle of Crecy with his low-born archers. His son, the Black Prince, conducts a campaign of terror, helping to bring France to her knees. 1337-1360: Bloodiest Divorce In History | The 100 Years War Episode 1 | 59:00 Timeline - World History Documentaries | 5.63M subscribers | 33,632 views | May 17, 2025

(Phys.org)—Until recently, the years 774 and 775 were best known for Charlemagne's victory over the Lombards. But earlier this year, a team of scientists in Japan discovered a baffling spike in carbon-14 deposits within the rings of cedar trees that matched those same years. Because cosmic rays are tied to carbon-14 concentrations, scientists around the world have wondered about the cause: a nearby supernova, a gamma ray burst in the Milky Way or an intense superflare emanating from the Sun? Now, Adrian Melott, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas and Brian Thomas, KU alumnus and professor...

Charles Martel Born about 688; died at Quierzy on the Oise, 21 October, 741. He was the natural son of Pepin of Herstal and a woman named Alpaïde or Chalpaïde. Pepin, who died in 714, had outlived his two legitimate sons, Drogon and Grimoald, and to Theodoald, a son of the latter and then only six years old, fell the burdensome inheritance of the French monarchy. Charles, who was then twenty-six, was not excluded from the succession on account of his birth, Theodoald himself being the son of a concubine, but through the influence of Plectrude, Theodoald's grandmother, who wished...

N A SUSTAINED, century-long rampage that would have wowed Rommel, the Prophet Mohammed and his successors beginning in A.D. 629 conquered not only Arabia, Persia, Syria, Egypt, and North Africa, but also branded the crescent of Islam on lands formerly within the fold of a Christian Roman Empire then in ruins. In 709, Arab horsemen and their allies crossed the Strait of Gibraltar. Four short years later, Spain belonged to the Empire of the Prophet. In the summer of 732, the centennial of Mohammed's death, this veteran Islamic juggernaut, at least 80,000 strong with the skilled and popular general Abd...

1,273 years ago today.

“The Quran gained a popular readership among Protestants both in England and in North America largely out of curiosity,” says Denise A. Spellberg, a history professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Thomas Jefferson’s Qu'ran: Islam and the Founders. “But also because people thought of the book as a book of law and a way to understand Muslims with whom they were interacting already pretty consistently, in the Ottoman Empire and in North Africa.” When Jefferson bought his Quran as a law student in 1765, it was probably because of his interest in understanding Ottoman law....

..."The unusually well-preserved mummy in the church crypt of St Thomas am Blasenstein is the corps of a local parish vicar, Franz Xaver Sidler von Rosenegg, who died in 1746," said Dr Andreas Nerlich, a pathologist at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and first author of the Frontiers in Medicine article. "Our investigation uncovered that the excellent preservation status came from an unusual type of embalming, achieved by stuffing the abdomen through the rectal canal with wood chips, twigs and fabric, and the addition of zinc chloride for internal drying."The team conducted extensive analyses, including CT scanning, focal autopsy, and radiocarbon dating. The mummy's...

For centuries, the Fengyang Drum Tower stood tall over the Chinese Anhui province, working like a sort of clock marking the time of day, and announcing the beginning of official ceremonies. But the passage of time and a recent renovation have led to a disaster last Monday that very nearly ended in a catastrophe costing human lives. CNN reported: “Visitors to a centuries-old tourist site in eastern China were sent scrambling after hundreds of roof tiles came loose and cascaded more than two stories to the ground.” MULTIPLE VIDEOS AT LINK............. The Fengyang drum Tower is one of the largest...

A seventh-century slate window ledge inscribed with an intriguing mix of Latin, Greek and Celtic words, names and symbols has been unearthed at Tintagel Castle in north Cornwall. The discovery adds weight to the view that the rugged coastal site, which is most often associated with the legend of King Arthur, was home in the early middle ages to a sophisticated and multicultural port community. Put together with other finds including Iberian goblets and bowls from what is now Turkey, the slate ledge suggests Tintagel may well have been an important royal base with trade links stretching from Europe’s Atlantic...

A small piece of slate was discovered during excavations on Tintagel Island inscribed with the name "Artognov". Is this the first real proof of King Arthur's existence? Was he really born at Tintagel as legend insists? On 6th August 1998, English Heritage revealed that during the last week of digging on the Eastern terraces of Tintagel Island, a broken piece of Cornish slate (8" by 14") was discovered bearing the name "Artognov". It was excavated on July 4th, by Kevin Brady, an archaeologist working with a team from Glasgow University. "As the stone came out, when I saw the letters...

Author Adam Ardrey claims that instead of the romantic English king of legend who lived at Camelot – which is often said to be Tintagel in Cornwall or in Wales – Arthur was actually Arthur Mac Aedan, the sixth-century son of an ancient King of Scotland, whose Camelot was a marsh in Argyll. He also suggests that Arthur pulled the sword Excalibur from a stone at Dunadd near Kilmartin, died near Falkirk and was buried on the Hebridean island of Iona, which he declares to be Avalon. Ardrey, an amateur historian who works as an advocate in Edinburgh and previously...

The chestnut trees of Europe tell a hidden story charting the fortunes of ancient Rome and the legacy it left in the continent's forests. The ancient Romans left an indelible imprint on the world they enveloped into their empire. The straight, long-distance roads they built can still be followed beneath the asphalt of some modern highways. They spread aqueducts, sewers, public baths and the Latin language across much of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. But what's perhaps less well known is the surprising way they transformed Europe's forests. ... Romans had something of a penchant for sweet chestnut...

A manuscript once considered an unofficial copy of the Magna Carta is now believed to be a genuine version and ''one of the world's most valuable documents'', according to UK academics. Harvard Law School paid $27.50 (then about £7) for it in 1946 and for years it has remained tucked away in its library, its true identity unknown. But two medieval history professors have concluded it is an extraordinarily rare and lost original Magna Carta from 1300, in the reign of King Edward I, that could be worth millions. ''This is a fantastic discovery," said Prof David Carpenter from King's...

Metal detectorists in southwest England have discovered an extraordinary Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet raven’s head. It dates to the 7th century and is intricately decorated with an inlaid garnet eye surrounded by a white enamel circle, individual feathers outlined in filigree and inlaid with garnets on a waffle-pattern foil backing, a technique found on many Anglo-Saxon objects. The raven was discovered by Chris Phillips at a rally this January with the group Ninth Region Metal Detecting Group. Another member of the group, Paul Gould, first discovered a flattened gold band inlaid with triangular garnets set in filigree outlines. Then Phillips...

The most recent papal conclave was quick, efficient, and free of political intrigue. Historically, this has not always been the case... Chapters 0:00 Introduction 0:33 Election of 366 1:54 Election of 1292-4 3:48 Election of 1549-50 6:15 Other complicationsHow to NOT elect a pope | 8:00 toldinstone | 574K subscribers | 21,004 views | May 9, 2025

Before the Black Death of 1348 the language of power in England was Anglo-Norman French. The plague changed everything. 00:00 A catastrophic plague 00:57 The eve of destruction 08:16 The end of the world 10:59 The aftermath 16:18 Turning back the clocks 20:53 Revolution in the air 24:11 English is back How the Black Death Saved the English Language | 27:24 LetThemTalkTV | 611K subscribers | 10,809 views | May 8, 2025

Variations on the classic Merlin and King Arthur legends span hundreds, if not thousands, of retellings. Many are documented within handwritten medieval manuscripts dating back over a millenia—but some editions are far rarer than others. For example, less than 40 copies are known to exist of a once-popular sequel series, the Suite Vulgate du Merlin. In 2019, researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered fragments of one more copy in their collections, tucked inside the recycled binding of a wealthy family's property record from the 16th century. But at the time of discovery, the text was impossible to read.Now after...

Recent discoveries from a treasure hoard unearthed in Thetford Forest, East Anglia, reveal compelling evidence that the region remained pagan until the 5th century CE, a significant extension beyond the previously established timeline of the late 4th century (380-390s CE).This finding not only reshapes our understanding of Thetford's religious landscape but also highlights the enduring cultural practices that persisted well into the post-Roman era.Recent research has re-evaluated the timeline of the Thetford hoard, suggesting that this significant treasure was buried in the 5th century CE, specifically during the 420s to 440s, which marks a notable shift from the previously accepted...

A medieval cemetery unearthed near an airport in the UK has continued to raise questions for archaeologists, as the mystery surrounding it has multiplied.The discovery of the site at Cardiff Airport dates to the 6th or 7th Century and was announced last year.Dozens of skeletons were found lying in unusual positions with unexpected artefacts and now researchers have learned nearly all of those buried in the cemetery are women.While their bones have shown signs of wear and tear, there are also surprising signs of wealth and luxury. Mystery of medieval cemetery near UK airport runway deepens | 4:20 BBC News...