Medieval
The transepts and choir at Rievaulx Abbey, looking east

Medieval England

The four centuries between William of Normandy’s victory over King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and Richard III’s defeat at Bosworth in 1485 witnessed great changes in England – including culture, religion, language and architecture. 

Nearly half of all English Heritage site date from this era, many of them reflecting two constants – the importance of castles and the dominance of the Church. Use the links below to explore some of the stories of this period and see some of the medieval places you can visit around the country, from great Norman castles to deserted medieval villages. 

introduction to medieval England

1066, the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest

Explore the story of the most famous battle in English history and of William the Conqueror’s victory over King Harold – the start of a new era of Norman rule in England. 

More on 1066 and the Norman Conquest

  • What happened at the Battle of Hastings?

    At dawn on Saturday 14 October 1066, two great armies prepared to fight for the throne of England. Read what happened at the most famous battle in English history.

  • Where did the Battle of Hastings Happen?

    Was Battle Abbey built ‘on the very spot’ where King Harold fell, or was the Battle of Hastings actually fought elsewhere? Discover the latest thinking about the battlefield’s location.

  • Visit the 1066 Battlefield

    Explore the site of the most famous battle in English history – one of the least altered of all medieval battlefields – and visit the abbey founded there by King William I.

Stories of Medieval England

  • Thomas Becket, Henry II and Dover Castle

    Discover why Henry II spent a fortune on Dover Castle – not to protect his kingdom, but to save face after the murder of Thomas Becket by Henry’s own knights ten years earlier.

  • The Massacre of the Jews at Clifford's Tower

    One of the worst anti-Semitic massacres of the Middle Ages took place in York in 1190, when the city’s Jewish community was trapped by an angry mob inside York Castle.

  • The Eleanor Crosses: A Journey Set in Stone

    Discover the remarkable story of the series of stone crosses erected by Edward I as memorials to his beloved first wife, Eleanor of Castile.

  • The Holy Blood of Hailes

    The fortunes of Hailes Abbey were transformed by the arrival of a holy relic. Learn how the Holy Blood of Hailes contributed to both the rise and fall of the monastery.

  • The Sieges of Dover Castle

    Read about two sieges at Dover Castle in 1216 and 1217, when King John was in conflict with a large group of English barons supported by the French prince Louis of France. 

  • Piers Gaveston, Hugh Despenser and the Downfall of Edward II

    Find out how Edward II’s reliance on his ‘favourites’ and possible lovers, Piers Gaveston and Hugh Despenser, led to his abdication and death.

  • The Rise and Fall of Andrew Harclay

    Learn how the Earl of Carlisle’s career, in which Carlisle Castle featured prominently, reflects both the rewards and the risks of engagement with Anglo-Scottish border politics.

  • The siege of Kenilworth Castle

    Discover how Henry III’s assault on Kenilworth Castle, which began on 25 June 1266, turned into one of the longest sieges in English medieval history.

     

Medieval People

  • Lord Hastings, Richard III and an Unfinished Castle

    How William Lord Hastings’s ultra-fashionable castle at Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, was left incomplete following his shocking execution by the future King Richard III.

  • Eleanor of Aquitaine

    Eleanor of Aquitaine was queen in turn of two great medieval European powers, France and England. Read more about her life and the role she played in the politics of her day.

  • Aelred of Rievaulx

    Read about the life of the 12th-century abbot of Rievaulx Abbey whose writings have become a source of inspiration for LGBTQ Christians.

  • Isabella De Fortibus

    Countess Isabella de Fortibus was one of the greatest heiresses in 13th-century England. Her life story illustrates how powerful women of noble birth could become in the Middle Ages.

  • Richard of Cornwall and Tintagel Castle

    Discover why the legend of King Arthur led one of the richest men in 13th-century England to build a castle at Tintagel.

  • Joan of Navarre

    Read about Joan of Navarre, who was imprisoned at Pevensey Castle in 1420 accused of witchcraft and plotting to kill the king.

  • Laurence of Ludlow and Medieval Wool Wealth

    Find out how the extraordinary growth of the wool trade not only paid for the building of Stokesay Castle but also bought its owner power and status.

  • A Cross-Dressing Medieval Spy at Kenilworth Castle

    Discover the story of Margoth, Henry III’s cross-dressing female spy, and what light it sheds on both cross-dressing and espionage in medieval England.

Medieval Life and Culture

  • Life in a medieval household

    Goodrich Castle was a thriving medieval household, where sometimes hundreds of people were living at any one time. Find out about some of the household members and their life at the castle.

  • The Misbehaving Monks of Hailes Abbey

    From visiting taverns to singing at the wrong pitch, the monks of Hailes Abbey couldn’t always meet the high standards expected of them.

  • Medieval Siege Warfare

    Explore some of the artillery and devices and the complex strategies for attack and defence used in medieval siege warfare before gunpowder weapons were invented. 

  • How Silent Were Medieval Monasteries?

    To many of us, a visiting the ruin of a monastery or abbey is a peaceful, contemplative experience. But are we right to associate monastic sites with the absence of noise?

  • Carthusian Daily Life

    Unlike other medieval monks, Carthusians lived as near-hermits, spending most of their time alone in their cells. Find out more about their daily lives.

  • The Launceston Castle Whale

    Find out what the discovery of a large whale vertebra during excavations at Launceston tells us about the lives of the castle’s royal owners and their guests.

  • Nuns in medieval England

    Four of the monastic sites English Heritage cares for were once home to nuns. Their histories illuminate the important role of nuns and nunneries in medieval English monasticism.

  • Women in male monasteries: an illicit presence?

    Strict rules were in place to ensure that monks had minimal contact with women in medieval monasteries. But could monasteries have functioned without women?

Medieval places to visit

Castles

Abbeys, Priories and Churches

Rural life

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