Karen Maitland is known for her meticulous research, gothic sensibilities and page-turning storytelling. Her new book, The Plague Charmer, is a typically dark, vivid account of the return of the Black Death to a small Devon village in the year 1361. Historia caught up with her to find out all about it. How did the initial […]
After Hastings
This year marks the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, one of the most famous events in British history. On 14 October 1066, English and Norman armies each numbering in the thousands clashed at the site now occupied by Battle Abbey in East Sussex, in a fierce struggle for the English crown that ended […]
England’s Forgotten King
Exactly 800 years ago, a Frenchman set sail from the north-west of his country with an army of conquest. His plan was to cross the Channel, claim England as his own and have himself crowned king. Oaths had been sworn to him and he considered the throne to be his by right. Yes: 800 years […]
Broomsticks and Orgies
‘When did witches start to fly?’ a reader asked me after the Harrogate History Festival. Good question! Until the 16th century, witchcraft was not a crime unless it caused injury or death. The community needed witches who could calm storms or banish pests from crops. Early writers on witchcraft didn’t mention the infamous witches’ sabbat. […]