New: Article on the Medieval minsters of Beverley, Rippon and York, submitted by Stuart Sharp.
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We've added lots more images. Check out the new photos on our Roman history site, such as Hadrian's Wall. Great new photos of Stonehenge and Avebury are on megalithic sites
Our castles pictures and notes have been updated with Farleigh Hungerford Castle. A full list of the historical galleries we have on line is also available now.
Etrusia seeks to become the main repository for articles about various times during the history of the British Isles. If there is a subject you would like to see here, or have a history article you would like to submit, then please get in touch.
While medieval monastic orders have received much attention from historians, monasteries were not the only ecclesiastical institutions in Britain in the period by any means. As a number of historians from K. Edwards onwards have reminded us, many cathedrals and churches were staffed by bodies of secular canons. These canons were priests supported by incomes (usually from lands or churches) called prebends. The majority of research on such canons has been in the context of cathedrals, but secular canons were also present at minster churches such as those of Beverley, Ripon and Southwell. ... Read More on "Medieval Minsters" ...
Beowulf was the first major poem in Old English. Beowulf is a legendary hero, exhibiting the ideal Anglo-Saxon warrior aristocratic values. The poem tells of his battles against the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother and a dragon. To some extent, it can also be seen as a teaching tool, with many passages setting out the moral obligations of an Anglo-Saxon aristocrat. This article provides an introduction into the legendary poem and looks at some of the issues surrounding it. ... Read More on "Saxon Poems - An introduction into Beowulf" ...
Discusses the Nordic mythological origin of the English names for weekdays. ... Read More on "Saxon Influence - Days of the Week" ...
A central directory of the historical image galleries currently online at Etrusia. ... Read More on "Castle Indexes" ...
Brief background and pictures of Farliegh Hungerford Castle - a late Medieval Castle in Somerset. ... Read More on "Farleigh Hungerford Castle" ...
A map showing the locations of medieval castles in Britain which Etrusia has articles on. This is regularly updated. ... Read More on "British Medieval Castle Maps" ...
Guides and background to some of Britains excellent medieval castles. Includes links to photo galleries of the site. ... Read More on "British Medieval Castles" ...
Celtic cultures come in many forms. Two of the most studied are named after the sites in Central Europe where the largest finds were discovered. These two sites, La Tene and Hallstatt, are looked at here - with an introduction to what they can tell us about Celtic culture in the early Iron Age.... ... Read More on "Celts - Celtic Cultures - La Tene and Hallstatt" ...
Hadrian's Wall marked the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire. It stretched for over a hundred miles from the west to east coasts of Northern England. Built in 6 years from AD 122 it is an amazing engineering achievement, sections of which remain standing to this day.... ... Read More on "Romans - Hadrians Wall" ...
Pompeii is a world treasure - Etrusia introduces its history and background, with links to web resources for students. Buried when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the city of Pompeii is one of the world's greatest treasures. The city was found accidentally a couple of centuries ago and has been extensively excavated since then. The site retains the original streets and parts of many buildings.... ... Read More on "Romans - Pompeii - The Buried City" ...
The Black Death had a devastating effect on the population of Britain in the fifteenth century. The impact of the fall in population is seen by some historians as a crucial factor in the decline of feudal system, through its effect on the balance of relations between feudal classes. ... Read More on "Medieval - The Black Death..." ...
Despite the famous claim that he had come, seen and conquered Britain ("Veni, Vidi, Vici"), in 55BC, Julius Caesar's attempted invasion of Britain was more of an armed visit. He led raids on the southeast coast in 55 and 54 BC and managed to gain some tribute in exchange for hostages. ... Read More on "Romans - Why Claudius Invaded Britain" ...
This is an introductory article into the structure of the Roman army, both before and after the reforms introduced by the General Marius in around 100 B.C. ... Read More on "The Roman Army Before and After Marius' Reforms" ...
A look at the domestic politics that surrounded Rome in the last years of the Republic. This article concentrates on Julius Ceasar and covers up to his dissolution of the republic. ... Read More on "Roman Domestic Politics in the Late Republic - 100-44 B.C." ...
A discussion about the Romano-British amphora trade up to 43AD. Rome had many trade links with the non-Roman world and, through this, we can gain an insite into Roman culture and behaviour. ... Read More on "The Romano-British Amphora Trade" ...
One of the main institutions of Roman life was that of a patronus with his cliens (patron-client). A Roman politician would provide protection and assistance to lower class citizens in return for the loyalty of the citizen - who was now his client. This short article looks at this relationship. ... Read More on "Roman patrons, Clients, Slaves and Freedmen" ...
King Alfred was the first king to unify disparate Saxon kingdoms to mount an effective challenge to the Viking raids of the 9th century. After successfully fending off the Danes through a guerilla campaign, he acted as a popular and wise ruler of the territory in the west of England. ... Read More on "Saxons - Alfred the Great" ...
Maiden Castle, home of the Durotriges tribe until the Romans invaded, is the biggest Iron Age hill fort in Britain. Here you can read a short background to the site and see some breathtaking photographs. There are images showing the main entry points to the castle and these lead to larger versions. Please note: This page may take some time to load. ... Read More on "Celtic Castles - Maiden Castle" ...
A look at the impact of the Anglo-Saxon invasions on the British Isles ... Read More on "Saxon impact on Britain" ...
Saxon artefacts show their advanced skills with metalwork and decorative crafts. The Sutton Hoo treasure is the best known. ... Read More on "Treasures of Saxon Archeaology" ...
An introduction and outline looking at the peoples that we have since come to call the "Saxons." The Saxon invaders were a combination of Angles, Jutes, Danes, Saxons and more. ... Read More on "Who were the Saxons?" ...
A submitted article looking at the how Anne Boleyn's life affected the reformation in 16th century England. ... Read More on "An Examination of the significance for the Reformation in England of Anne Boleyn" ...
Guide to British megalithic sites including Stonehenge, Avebury Rings, Uffington White Horse, Wayland's Smithy ... Read More on "Major Megalithic Sites" ...
People often assume the Normans were French - this is not strictly true. The people who we call today are from the Frankish Empire, the Normans were scandinavians who settled in Normandy - called Normans as a contraction of "Norsemen." ... Read More on "Who were the Normans?" ...
Notes about how, during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, there was substantial opposition to the Act of Settlement and how this affected the development of the Church of England. ... Read More on "Society and Religion - Opposition to the Act of Settlement in Queen Elizabeth's reign" ...
An outline and summary of the changes that took place within the English church as it transformed from a dissident Catholic nation to a fully protestant one. ... Read More on "Society and Religion - Changes in the English Church duing Edward VI" ...
Discussion about how technology interacts with society and nature to shape the layout of cities, referring to aspects of ancient Egyptian and Greek city development. ... Read More on "Technology and Society - Ancient Greece and Egypt - Cities" ...
A list of the Kings (and Emperess) of England who were direct descendants from the Norman throne. William The Congueror to Richard II. ... Read More on "Norman Kings (and Queens) Of England" ...
This article looks at the impact of technological innovation on the spatial layouts of Roman and medieval (European & Arabic) cities, in terms of some general themes - military technology, building materials, transport, building techniques. ... Read More on "Technological Impact on Medieval Cities" ...
Motte and Bailey castles are a good example of how practical the British people have been when it comes to making use of ites reinforced by their predecessors. You can find these tributes to practicality all over the country, and most of the more "modern" castles you find will be built on the site of a motte and bailey. ... Read More on "Motte and Bailey Castles" ...
The Celts were an Indo-European group, that is, related linguistically to the Greeks, the Germanic peoples, certain Italic groups and peoples of the Indian sub-continent. ... Read More on "Who Were the Celts" ...
Etrusia is in the process of compiling a list of national events. If you are organising, supporting, publicising or simply know of an event related to any part of the UK history then let us know and we will add it to our list.