Murder and Mayhem in Late Medieval England covers a subject particularly close to my heart. I regularly give talks to local history groups on medieval crime, violence and punishment, so I approached Kathryn Warner’s book keen to see what new stories and evidence it might uncover. I wasn’t disappointed. Warner draws extensively on coroners’ rolls, […]

John C. Carr’s The Knights Hospitaller is a lively and wide-ranging history of one of the medieval world’s most remarkable organisations. Founded to care for sick and vulnerable pilgrims in Jerusalem, the Knights of St John gradually became an elite military order, fighting in some of the most important campaigns of the Crusades and later […]

Gabriele Esposito’s Armies of Arthurian Britain is a colourful, accessible and highly detailed guide to the warriors who fought for control of Britain after the end of Roman rule. Covering the period from the decline of the Western Roman Empire to the establishment of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the book brings together military history, weapons, organisation […]

Stephen Wade’s A History of Criminal Tudor England is a fascinating exploration of the darker side of Tudor society, revealing a world where crime, justice, religion and politics were inseparable. Rather than focusing solely on the famous monarchs or notorious executions, Wade examines how ordinary people encountered the law, creating a vivid portrait of everyday […]