Life in a Christian Monastery, ca. 585

"When he was dead his body was not placed with the bodies of the brethren, but a grave was dug in the dung pit, and his body was flung down into it. . . " Crime and punishment in a medieval monastery: the monastery's Abbott provides insight into the monastic life.

The Vikings Discover America, ca. 1000

"There was no want of salmon either in the river or in the lake." Five hundred years before Columbus, the Vikings discover a New World.

Invasion of England, 1066

The Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon England described through the images of the 900 year-old Bayeux Tapestry.

Anarchy in 12th Century England

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle paints a sobering picture of life in 12th century England that contrasts strikingly with Hollywood's image of the Middle Ages.

The Murder Of Thomas Becket, 1170

The killing of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Was King Henry II behind it?

The Crusaders Capture Jerusalem, 1099

The assault and capture of the Christian "Navel of the World"

Richard The Lionheart Massacres The Saracens, 1191

Atrocity during the 3rd Crusade.

Battling the Saracens, 1250

“I gave him a thrust with my lance just under the arm-pits and struck him dead.” A knight describes combat in the Seventh Crusade.

Kublai Khan In Battle, 1287

Marco Polo describes the battle between the great Khan and a rival.

A Medieval Murder, 1300

“The said Reymund struck her with his foot under the navel so that she fell.” The Sheriff of London investigates a murder.

The Black Death, 1348

"No doctor's advice, no medicine could overcome or alleviate this disease." The deadly Plague invades Florence, Italy.

The Flagellants Attempt to Repel the Black Death, 1349

"Each had in his right hand a scourge with three tails." Religious zealots of the Middle Ages resort to extreme measures in an attempt to thwart the onslaught of the Plague.