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The Rise of the Kingdom of England
How England went from rival Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to a centralized realm, and how medieval kings built courts, taxes, law and a lasting Parliament.
Empires and Wars
Rise of the Kingdoms
How England, France, Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire took shape.
The Rise and Fall of the Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire from Otto I's coronation in 962 to its late medieval weakening, with disputed dates hedged and the empire's post-medieval end noted.
The Rise of the Burgundian State: A New Power in Medieval Europe
How the Valois dukes of Burgundy joined the duchy, Flanders and other lands into a wealthy, court-centered state between about 1363 and 1477.
The Rise of the Kingdom of England in the 12th Century
England in the twelfth century: Henry I's government, the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, and the legal reforms of Henry II that shaped royal justice.
The Rise of the Kingdom of France
How the Capetian kings grew from rulers of a small domain around Paris into the heads of a larger, better-governed French kingdom by the late Middle Ages.
The Rise of the Kingdom of France in the 13th Century
France in the 1200s: Philip II's conquests, royal officials, the Albigensian Crusade and the south, and the rising prestige of Louis IX and the crown.
The Rise of the Kingdom of Scotland
How Pictish and Gaelic realms merged into a single Scottish kingdom, from the Alpin kings through Malcolm III and David I, with what historians still debate.
The Rise of the Kingdom of Scotland in the 13th Century
Scotland under Alexander II and Alexander III, the sudden crisis after 1286, the Great Cause and how the wars with England began.
The Rise of the Nation-State: A New Form of Government in Medieval Europe
Was the medieval kingdom a nation-state? A look at taxation, bureaucracy and shared identity as signs, the limits of each, and where historians disagree.
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Rome and the Carolingians How the Roman west gave way to new kingdoms and how Charlemagne empire later broke apart. The Byzantine Empire The eastern Roman state, its power, its legacy and its end at Constantinople. The Crusades Causes, campaigns and consequences of the crusading movement. The Crusader States The Latin lordships founded in the East and the fall of Jerusalem. Templars and Hospitallers The great military and charitable orders of the crusading world. The Hundred Years War The long English and French conflict and the Black Prince. Realms and Empires The Holy Roman Empire, the Ottomans and the dynastic wars of England. Era Overviews Broad looks at the medieval period and its themes of change. Ottomans and Iberia The early Ottomans, the fall of Constantinople and the Reconquista. Norman Conquests The Norman takeover of England and the later push into Ireland. City-States Self-governing medieval cities, from Italian republics to royal Paris. The Vikings Norse raiders, traders and settlers and their impact on Europe and England. Famous Battles and Sieges Individual clashes beyond Hastings and Agincourt and what each changed.