5 reasons why medieval wars were the worst for everyone involved
War is not junior varsity basketball. There are no participation trophies and no one fights a battle thinking it’s okay to lose as long as you have fun. In the…
Vikings showed Imperial Europeans how to win a losing fight in this medieval battle
In the court of the Byzantine Emperor, allies and enemies alike showed respect – or they at least presented no threats – to the man on the imperial throne. The…
Trial by cheese? Here are 6 of the craziest medieval ordeals
Life in ancient Germany was rough, to put it lightly. You knew who your second cousins were, because you never knew when someone and his cousins were planning to kill…
Crazy kings: Why was Henry VIII so weird?
According to Disney, princes are the most charming, handsome men in all the land. Historically, that’s far from the truth. Royal families were typically pretty obsessed with power. No matter how much they had, they wanted more, and they wanted to k…
This medieval warrior was the first to use a now-famous insult
Götz von Berlichingen was known for a lot of things. The most obvious was that he lost an arm to cannon fire in the heat of battle. Unfortunately for him, it was his right arm, the one that swung swords and dealt death. Unfortunately for all of his…
Why medieval knights trained and worked out in full suits of armor
There’s a lot of wisdom in old sayings. As one old saying goes, “Train like you fight.” It’s a saying that has been true for thousands of years. The men…
The medieval weapon so frightening Scots surrendered at first sight
There’s not a lot about the 1995 movie Braveheart we can call “historically accurate.” William Wallace never knocked up Isabella, he wasn’t all that successful as a military leader, and the movie leaves out a lot of boring (but…
Why this iconic torture device isn’t as ‘fictional’ as people think
When it comes to medieval torture devices, there’s always one particularly nasty tool that instantly comes to mind: the iron maiden. It’s brutal. It’s essentially a metal coffin with spikes on the inside. Once the door closes, the person…
A special diet might be the reason these medieval knights lived long lives
Food matters, and no one knows that more than military personnel. No matter where they are or what flag is flying over their formations, the well-worn saying that “an army…
Top 10 cool looking coat of arms from medieval Europe
The surcoat, a textile garment placed over the armor to hide it from the sun’s rays, is where the word coat of arms comes from. In the Middle Ages, knights…