Medieval Archives - Aspects of History

Sir Gruffydd Donne: Knight of Kidwelly

The novelist traces one man's journey from the shadow of his grandfather’s support for Owain Glyndwr to a career fighting for Henry V and Henry VI, and explores a Welsh family whose fortunes hinged on some of the defining conflicts of medieval Britain.

John Pitts

The Donnes of Kidwelly represented generations of Welsh warriors and nobility whose lives ran in parallel with major events in the history of both Wales and England, not from the sidelines, but often playing significant parts. My book tells the story of how the life...

Eadric Streona: Archvillain of English History

One of Anglo-Saxon England’s most notorious figures, his murderous ambition and repeated betrayals triggered Danish conquest and the upheavals that resulted in 1066.

Adam Staten

‘The worst traitor there ever was.’ Writing in the 12th Century, this is how the chronicler Henry of Huntingdon describes Eadric Streona. John of Worcester described him as ‘crafty and treacherous’. William of Malmesbury called him ‘the dregs of mankind and a disgrace...

How England Began: From Roman Britain to the Anglo-Saxons, by Nicholas Higham

How England Began work steers away from one-dimensional approaches, focussing on exploiting multiple sources of information, without necessarily giving one more priority or credence over another. What we are left with is a detailed, yet accessible analysis of the years from the late 4th century to the 6th century.

Paul Bernardi

Back in the (late) 1980s when I was at university, it was the period leading up to and following AD 410 that most filled me with trepidation. Almost nothing in the way of contemporary written sources, combined with archaeological findings that were only really just...

When Robert the Bruce Fought for the English

The First War of Scottish Independence and the struggle to reject English overlordship masked an equally fierce and overlapping war waged between different factions of the Scottish nobility.

James Turner

Robert Bruce is an icon of Scottish nationalism, the man who led the kingdom to victory in the first War of Independence. A detail well known to scholars, which seldom penetrates far into public discourse, is that Robert began the war fighting for the English king....

Introducing the New Aspects of History Substack – We’re Revamping!

Pairing a free midweek editorial newsletter with exclusive subscriber-only magazine features, author interviews and other benefits on a Saturday, we are offering history lovers a richer and more rewarding reading experience while supporting independent historical writing.

Aspects of History

Over the last six years, Aspects of History has brought you the best historical writing from established and new authors alike, whether non-fiction or fiction. So we are now excited to outline a new chapter for the Aspects of History Substack. Our website has grown...

The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt, by Thomas Smith

A compelling reassessment of a neglected campaign reveals how coalition politics, environmental miscalculation and strategic overreach combined to turn early success in Egypt into a cautionary tale.

Trevor James

For those who say that lessons cannot be learned from historical experience, my advice would be to study in some considerable detail Thomas Smith’s The Fifth Crusade. For some of us who studied medieval Europe many decades ago, and are familiar with the activities of...

Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English, by Elisabeth van Houts

A new biography that challenges narratives and restores one of medieval England’s most influential women to centre stage.

Adam Staten

Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English is a new biography by the University of Cambridge historian Elisabeth van Houts. The subject of the book, Empress Matilda, is one of the most fascinating and, arguably, one of the most overlooked characters in...

The Fifth Crusade – Thomas Smith Interviewed

The historian brings new life to a dramatic invasion of Egypt, explaining to Trevor James why the conquest of Damietta and subsequent failure can be counted among the most significant and misunderstood episodes of the Crusades.

Thomas Smith

Welcome back to Aspects of History, Thomas. Your new book, The Fifth Crusade, shines a light on one of the least familiar but most consequential expeditions of the Crusading era. What first drew you to this overlooked campaign and what is it exactly that means it has...

Empress Matilda – A Conversation with Elisabeth van Houts

The author re-examines the political skill and leadership of one of medieval Europe’s most remarkable figures and talks Adam Staten through just how elite women exercised power during the 12th century.

Elisabeth van Houts

Welcome to Aspects of History, Elizabeth, and congratulations on the release of Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English. Matilda was made regent of northern Italy by her husband, the Holy Roman Emperor, at the age of just sixteen. Do you think this...

The Complex Character of Empress Matilda

While her determination was sometimes mistaken for arrogance, Matilda’s resilience and political judgement ended up securing the English crown for her son, Henry II, and laid the foundations for the Plantagenet dynasty.

Elisabeth van Houts

In my new biography of Empress Matilda, I have emphasised Matilda’s capacity for collaboration with the men surrounding her, revealing her concomitant skill of persuasion and negotiation. Nevertheless, it is clear from her life story that there were moments that these...