Early medieval

An illustration of King Arthur's coronation, from the 13th-century Flores Historiarum

Was King Arthur real? Discover the legend of the ‘once and future king’

King Arthur and his knights return to Camelot (Photo by: Christophel Fine Art/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Q&A Where was Camelot?

Premium

Pod Michael Wood WL

Astonishing Æthelstan: Michael Wood on the 10th-century king . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Premium

Pod Thomas Williams WL

Dark Age bullies & forgotten kingdoms: busting early medieval myths . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Sæberht of Essex, who oversaw the building of London’s original church of St Paul’s (Photo by The Picture Art Collection / Alamy Stock Photo)

How to survive the Dark Ages in Britain: 6 crucial tips

Premium

This statue of Alfred the Great stands in Winchester, the former 'capital' of his kingdom (Photo by TonyBaggett via Getty Images)

What if... Alfred the Great lost to the Vikings at the battle of Edington? . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A page from The Encomium, a flattering account of the reign of Cnut written in the early 1040s and commissioned by his mother Emma of Normandy to show her powerful position

Emma of Normandy: not just a two-time queen consort of England

St Columba. This Irish patron saint's influence on the Christian church was, and still is, felt much further afield

Medieval miracle worker: how St Columba transformed Christianity in Britain

Premium

Dr Rory Naismith answers listener questions on Britain in the early Middle Ages. (Image from Getty Images)

Early Medieval Britain: everything you wanted to know . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A 12th-century Celtic round tower at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly

“The power of the Irish over the Britons is great”: Fergal Keane on Britain’s Irish roots

King John hunting on horseback, 14th century. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Was King John murdered?

Premium

Newark Castle flanked by the river Trent. To say that King John's death here in 1216 was little-lamented is something of an understatement.

King John and the French invasion . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Premium

Pod Judith Herrin WL

The Byzantine empire: everything you wanted to know . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Premium

Edward Brooke-Hitching discusses some of history’s strangest literary curiosities. (Image by Getty Images)

Bizarre books and macabre manuscripts . This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

An illustration depicting the deposition of the body of Edward the Confessor in the tomb at Westminster in 1066. (

Was the early medieval period a “golden age” for the elderly?