The romance! The glory! And yes, the jewels! But in medieval England, rings were pressed into royal service for far more than to make the wearer look good.

May 24, 2011 – Sheri Hathaway

Hojo Masako,"Nun-Shogun," was a power to be reckoned with alongside Minamoto Yoritomo or behind her two sons as rulers of the Kamakura Bakufu.

May 23, 2011 – Carmen Sterba

Man has painted since ancient times. Pigments were developed throughout history. IT packages now allow authentic colours to be blended, mimicking nature.

May 22, 2011 – Alan Dale

A brief explanation of an institution that flourished while Europe was moving from medieval superstition to scientific enlightenment.

May 20, 2011 – Mary Phelan

Abbess Kakusan founded Tokeiji as a convent used as a sanctuary for women in distress. Tenshu escaped death at Osaka Castle to the safety of this sanctuary.

May 15, 2011 – Carmen Sterba

An exploration of the intimate intertwining of art and commerce in medieval Florence.

May 12, 2011 – Mary Phelan

Murat reis, originally a Dutch privateer, became one of the most notorious as well as successful of all the Barbary pirates.

May 10, 2011 – Brenda Ralph Lewis

Mediaeval monks developed a sophisticated gardening system that played a vital role in healing Europe's ravaged land from the fifth century onwards.

May 8, 2011 – Francis Beswick

Historical ninja were mostly samurai who doubled as spies from the 15th to 17th centuries. Ninja as fantasy characters now appeal to all generations.

May 7, 2011 – Carmen Sterba

During the early 16th century, the most prominent pirates on the Barbary Coast were four brothers, the sons of a Muslim father and a Christian mother.

May 4, 2011 – Brenda Ralph Lewis

During the Middle Ages, the Mediterranean shoreline of North Africa became pirate country and the battleground for centuries of Muslim/Christian warfare.

May 2, 2011 – Brenda Ralph Lewis

A look at heresy in the eighth century through the lens of the Letters of Saint Boniface in regards to the heretics Aldebert and Clement.

Apr 27, 2011 – Conrad Clough

This charts the life, times and death of Girolamo Savonarola, a medieval monk, mystic and ultimately, miscreant.

Apr 23, 2011 – Mary Phelan

AEthelred the Unready's attempt to throw off Viking rule resulted in war and chaos for years after his reign.

Apr 22, 2011 – Frances Simmons

Mayday, also known as Beltane or Calan Mai, is an ancient spring fertility festival whose pagan origins still leave their traces in modern customs.

Apr 20, 2011 – Francis Beswick

The Byzantine Empire kept Greco-Roman civilization alive for many years before it was eventually destroyed by Ottoman Turkish Muslim warriors.

Apr 20, 2011 – Eliot Elwar

It is 1066 and England has been invaded by the fearsome Viking Harald Hadrada. Harold Godwinson must make a decision - stay in the south or march north.

Mar 29, 2011 – William Abbey

Music from the Middle Ages is the predecessor to all Western music known today, and is the culmination of nearly 1000 years of European musical development.

Mar 28, 2011 – Mellissa Bushby

John of Beverley was the founder of the town of Beverley, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, who was canonised in 1037.

Mar 26, 2011 – Rachel Bellerby

It is impossible to sum up Galileo Galilei in a few words. He was a mathematician, writer, inventor and physicist before the profession had been defined.

Mar 26, 2011 – Mary Phelan