Medieval events coming up

Join the HA’s free Virtual Branch lecture series for a selection of medieval themes over winter and spring 2025 including:

Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife: life for women in the medieval period

Dr Hetta Howes, 18 March 2025, 7.30pm
What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? Few women had the luxury of writing down their thoughts and feelings during medieval times. Hetta Howes explores their stories and what they tell us. Book here

These talks are free and open to all to attend live, recordings available to HA members.

The HA runs regular Virtual Branch talks, member webinars, short courses, local branch events, the flagship HA Annual Conference and more throughout the year. Find out more

Get medieval with HA podcasts

War and peace in medieval Britain (c. 1000-1300)
The idea of medieval diplomacy evokes scenes of great drama: royal stalemates in which armies stared each other down across a river; the pomp and circumstance of taking oaths, and performing homage. To maintain or establish peace, rulers had to make and adapt plans, listen to the advice of councillors, and manage their own expectations and reactions. Emily Winkler and Owain Wyn Jones go back to the chronicles to reveal more.

Medieval Welsh Literature 
There are those who would argue that great literature is often produced at times of social and political crisis. In many ways, medieval Welsh literature supports that point of view. In a period of warfare, conquest and colonisation literary texts were composed that still excite and inspire readers today. Dr Dylan Foster Evans provides an introduction.

Technology and Innovation in the Medieval Near East 
What propelled the development of technology during the medieval period?  Dr Nicholas Morton examines the significance of gunpowder, the navigational compass, and how the changing civilisations of the medieval Near East influenced each other’s art and culture.

Women and Gender in Medieval Islam 
We discuss current research on women and gender in medieval Islam, examine the changing role and status of women in the early years of Islam and look at the lives of some of the key historical figures of this period with Anna Chrysostomides.

HA members can access 450+ podcasts covering all topic and themes, with new podcasts published each month. View medieval podcasts or view all podcasts. 

Get lost in The Historian archive

Read in-depth articles from a mix of historians, researchers and writers with a membership subscription to The Historian, and expand your horizons quarterly with expert insights from leading UK and international academics, plus access to the full archive. Past medieval editions have included:

Medieval signs and marvels – The Historian 109

French chivalry in the twelfth century - The Historian 122 

1066 in 2016 – The Historian 131 

A medieval credit crunch – The Historian 100 

Do you simply love history?

Join a community that shares your passion with HA membership, and feed your curiosity all year round. Join from as little as £45. Find out more