Tag Archives: monarchy
How did Æthelstan become the first Anglo-Saxon ‘king of all Britain’?
July 12th 927 is the closest we have to a foundation date for England, when all the kings of Britain met at Eamont Bridge, near Penrith in Cumbria, to swear an oath of peace under the overlordship of Æthelstan.
Why did Æthelred the Unready order the St Brice’s Day Massacre in 1002?
On the 13th November 1002, the St Brice’s Day Massacre took place when king Æthelred the Unready “ordered slain all the Danish men who were in England”.
Harald Hardrada and the Battle of Fulford: the start of the end of Anglo-Saxon England?
On the 20th September 1066, Harald Hardrada – the Viking king – defeated his northern English enemies at the Battle of Fulford.
The murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
On the 29th December 1170, Thomas Becket – the Archbishop of Canterbury – was murdered in front of the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.
Overview of the accession and coronation of King John
On the 27th May 1199 King John was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
An overview of the Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn began on the 23rd June 1314, leading to one of the most important Scottish victories of the First War of Scottish Independence that was fought intermittently from 1296 until 1328.
Battle of the Herrings fought between France and England in the Hundred Years’ War
On the 12th February 1429, the curiously-named Battle of the Herrings was fought between French and English forces near the village of Rouvray in France.
The Battle of St Albans and the start of the Wars of the Roses
The 22nd May 1455 marked the start of the Wars of the Roses, when the First Battle of St Albans was fought between Richard, Duke of York, and King Henry VI.
The Battle of Bosworth: one of the last major battles of the Wars of the Roses
On the 22nd August 1485, King Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth and the forces of Henry Tudor brought the Plantagenet dynasty to an end.
Perkin Warbeck and his claim to be King Richard IV
On the 7th September the Second Cornish Uprising of 1497 began when Perkin Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay near Land’s End.
