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All about medieval history

This blog is all about medieval history, a place where I’ll be sharing articles about fascinating stories from the Middle Ages.  About the key people, places and events that have shaped our past.

But what is ‘our period’ I hear you ask.  Ask two historians to define the Middle Ages and you’d probably get two different answers.  So, for the sake of drawing some lines in the sand, I’ll be focusing on the period from 476 (the fall of the Roman Empire) up until 1487 (the end of the war of the roses).

In addition to writing one-off features on specific topics of interest, I’ll also be writing several serialisations.  These will allow us to explore particular topics in more depth. Look out for the first two of these:

  • The Robin Hood story: an exploration of the legend of Robin Hood and an attempt to answer the question ‘Was there a real Robin Hood?’.
  • The Wars of the Roses:  This is really a history of the fall of the Plantagenets; the royal dynasty that dominated England in the Middle Ages.  We’ll be taking a detailed look at the events leading up to the war, the causes of the war, and the history of the war itself.  This was a war that had a profound effect on the course of English history.  It ended with the disappearance of the Plantagenets, the birth of Tudor England and the dawn of the early modern age.

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I publish two articles each month on this site.  I have also been commissioned to write a book for Pen & Sword Publishing about medieval mythology, legends, and folklore (currently my main work in progress).  I anticipate it will be published sometime in late 2024 / early 2025.  I will be posting updates here in the run up to publication.

I really hope you enjoy the stories on this site.  My aim is to entertain, to share, to inform and, I hope, inspire others to share my passion for medieval history.

Photo of PaulW, author of the blog

About the author

Paul Watts

It might be stating the obvious, but I have a particular interest in Medieval History and folklore.

I have an avid interest in general history and would call myself a ‘keen amateur historian’. I studied history academically with the Open University and for most of my life I have studied mainly for fun.  If you contribute to the History forum called ‘Historum’ you may have come across me posting as SilasMarner.

I live down in the west country in England with my wife Alice and two cats.

I am writing this blog because I believe history is important.  History lies at the heart of everything we are.  Our culture and our heritage are the product of history.  It shapes our identity and connects us with our past and the world in which we live.  

But history also grants us access to a vast catalogue of human stories – some of the most poignant and meaningful stories ever told.  History is the story of what it means to be human.