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El Raval was one of the most notorious and densely populated urban areas in Europe. Poor children disappear without a trace …
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Pope John XII, ascending at eighteen, ruled amidst the corrupt Saeculum Obscurum era. Accused of immorality and mismanagement, he prioritized power over ecclesiastical duties, leading to his controversial legacy as one of history’s worst popes.
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The good old “tis but a scratch” joke from the film Holy Grail with the Monty Python troupe has been found in a medieval manuscript. Manuscript researchers at the British Library found a drawing in a 15th-century manuscript that shows almost the same scene as the famous 1975 scene with the black knight in the…
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The Kingdom of Aksum, a significant power from 100 to 940 AD in Northeast Africa, declined due to geopolitical shifts, military conflicts, and climate change, ultimately losing prominence after centuries of trade and cultural achievements.
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Pope Sergius III, reigning from 904 to 911, is infamous for allegedly ordering the murders of rival popes and having a scandalous affair with Marozia, possibly fathering Pope John XI. His papacy was marked by political turmoil and corruption.
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Pope Stephen VI is infamous for the Cadaver Synod, where he had Pope Formosus’ exhumed corpse tried for misconduct. This farcical event led to Stephen’s unpopularity and eventual imprisonment.
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In 17th century Italy, marriages were often arranged, minimalizing choice, especially for women. Giulia Tofana, a skilled poisoner, manufactured Aqua Tofana, helping women escape abusive unions, leading to her eventual execution and enduring legacy.
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It is common to come across the statement that people in the “old days” did not live as long as we do. A person who reached the age of 30 was considered old. This misconception applies to more periods than the Middle Ages, although this series deals with misconceptions in that period.
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Lambert Simnel, born around 1475, was manipulated into claiming the English crown as the Earl of Warwick during a Yorkist rebellion against Henry VII. Captured, he became a palace worker and faded from history.
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Once there was a prince in Wallachia named Vlad Drăculea. He is one of Wallachia’s most remarkable rulers and a national hero in Romania. But if it weren’t for the fact that Bram Stoker borrowed his name for his novel Dracula, he would just be a Romanian prince that none of us would think of.
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