Teach Medieval

The four Crusader States established in the wake of the First Crusade survived remarkably well until their near total collapse following Saladin’s victory at the battle of Hattin in 1187. In this episode, Dr Steve Tibble discusses how the crusaders secured their states’ initial survival by capturing the precious ports along the coastline with the help of the Italian city states.   This episod...

The four Crusader States established in the wake of the First Crusade survived remarkably well until their near total collapse following Saladin’s victory at the battle of Hattin in 1187. In this new mini-series, Dr Steve Tibble explores the strategies that he believes the crusaders consciously formulated and deployed, with varying degrees of success, in order to secure that survival for nearly ni...

The Templars had a huge presence right across Western Europe and Britain was no exception. In this special episode, Dr Steve Tibble discusses the ways in which the Templars in Britain supported the continued survival of Outremer from three thousand miles away on their British estates and explores the thrilling exploits in the Holy Land of a number of identifiable British Templars!   This epis...

Whilst the Military Orders certainly provided a much need injection of discipline, expertise and professionalism into Outremer’s forces, it would be remiss to discount the Franks’ own contribution to their defence. In this episode, Dr Steve Tibble explores some of the tactics and strategies they developed and deployed on the battlefields of the Near East. Was the Franks’ own military skill Outreme...

The Templars and the Hospitallers played a huge role in the defence of the Crusader States and thus their survival for two precarious centuries. In this episode, Dr Steve Tibble explores the ways in which the Military Orders supported the Franks of Outremer’s efforts through both their martial exploits in the Near East and their economic endeavours in the West. Were the Orders Outremer’s main mean...

On 27th November 1095, at a great council he had summoned at Clermont in France, Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade. His motives for doing so have been much debated ever since. In this episode, Associate Professor Nicholas Morton (Nottingham Trent University) explores the role played by Urban’s own religious conviction. Was it the main reason Urban called his crusade?   This episode is...

On 27th November 1095, at a great council he had summoned at Clermont in France, Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade. His motives for doing so have been much debated ever since. In this episode, Associate Professor Nicholas Morton (Nottingham Trent University) explores the role played by Urban’s own political ambition for greater authority and influence both in the Latin West and further afie...

On 27th November 1095, at a great council he had summoned at Clermont in France, Pope Urban II preached the First Crusade. His motives for doing so have been much debated ever since. In this episode, Associate Professor Nicholas Morton (Nottingham Trent University) explores the role played by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos’s appeal for aid. Was it the main reason Urban called his crusade...

Cade's Rebellion of 1450 was a popular uprising against the government of Henry VI that foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses yet to come. In this fascinating mini-series, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores its causes, events and significance.   The complete mini-series includes:   Ep.1: Why was there unrest in Kent? Ep.2: What role did the death of William de la Pole, Duke o...

Cade's Rebellion of 1450 was a popular uprising against the government of Henry VI that foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses yet to come. In this fascinating mini-series, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores its causes, events and significance.   The complete mini-series includes:   Ep.1: Why was there unrest in Kent? Ep.2: What role did the death of William de la Pole, Duke o...

Cade's Rebellion of 1450 was a popular uprising against the government of Henry VI that foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses yet to come. In this fascinating mini-series, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores its causes, events and significance.   The complete mini-series includes:   Ep.1: Why was there unrest in Kent? Ep.2: What role did the death of William de la Pole, Duke o...

Cade's Rebellion of 1450 was a popular uprising against the government of Henry VI that foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses yet to come. In this fascinating mini-series, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores its causes, events and significance.   The complete mini-series includes:   Ep.1: Why was there unrest in Kent? Ep.2: What role did the death of William de la Pole, Duke o...

Cade's Rebellion of 1450 was a popular uprising against the government of Henry VI that foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses yet to come. In this fascinating mini-series, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores its causes, events and significance.   The complete mini-series includes:   Ep.1: Why was there unrest in Kent? Ep.2: What role did the death of William de la Pole, Duke o...

Cade's Rebellion of 1450 was a popular uprising against the government of Henry VI that foreshadowed the Wars of the Roses yet to come. In this fascinating mini-series, Dr James Ross (University of Winchester) explores its causes, events and significance.   The complete mini-series includes:   Ep.1: Why was there unrest in Kent? Ep.2: What role did the death of William de la Pole, Duke o...

The accession of Alexios I Komnenos in 1081 heralded the dawn of what has widely come to be seen as one of the high points of Byzantine history. In this episode, Professor Jonathan Harris (Royal Holloway University of London) discusses the actions Alexios took to deal with the empire’s myriad threats and assesses the degree to which he succeeded in dealing with them.    This episode is t...

The collapse of the Byzantine Empire’s authority in Anatolia in the wake of its defeat at Manzikert led to the ascent of a number of Turkish warlords in the region. In this episode, Professor Jonathan Harris (Royal Holloway University of London) explores the threat presented to the empire by men such as Suleyman, Caka, Danishmend Ghazi and Kilij Arslan.    This episode is the fourth in a...

The myriad threats to the Byzantine Empire’s stability and security in the late eleventh century didn’t only come from the east. In this episode, Professor Jonathan Harris (Royal Holloway University of London) explores the crises thrown up by the Normans’ conquest of southern Italy and the Pechenegs’ activities in the Balkans.   This episode is the third in a mini-series of five. The complete...

The Byzantine defeat at the Battle of Manzikert led to ten years of civil war as the Byzantine elites fought amongst themselves whilst the victorious Seljuks seized more and more of Anatolia for themselves. In this episode, Professor Jonathan Harris (Royal Holloway University of London) explores the economic and political fallout from the battle and considers the degree to which the Byzantines the...

The Battle of Manzikert, which took place on 26th August 1071, has been identified by historians as the catalyst for a decade of decline in the Byzantine Empire's fortunes in the east. In this episode, Professor Jonathan Harris (Royal Holloway University of London) explores the background to the battle and what happened on that fateful day.   This episode is the first in a mini-series of five...