Charles J. Lockett

The Kingdom of Spain charts its origin in the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1469. Their union, and their rule, triggered a war that forged the modern world.

The history of Medieval Spain is one of a realm at the borders between two worlds — and the long process of military Reconquista disguises a complex cultural interplay between them.

The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 saw the world turned upside-down. Rural peasants joined forces with urban workers to address the injustices of their day — but were heartlessly betrayed.

The Song of Roland is a Medieval chivalric epic, an 11th-century action-thriller — but delve beneath the surface, and it becomes a complex tale of pseudo-history, Islamophobia, and Crusader ideology.

The 15th and 16th centuries saw the fashion for wildly decorated Late Medieval armor — and the armorers who made it became the rockstars of their age.

The Renaissance era saw the rise of the first guns in Western Europe, and they changed the face of warfare forever. This is their story of fire and steel.

Hailing from Russia, Scandinavia, and Anglo-Saxon England, the feared Varangian Guard struck terror into the hearts of the Byzantine Emperor’s enemies. This is their world-spanning history.

The Viking sagas are deeply compelling mythologies, but epics like the Volsunga saga also preserve some elements of historical fact.