King and Castle: Lincoln Castle
A century’s worth of development transformed the site from the earth-and-timber castle that was founded by William the Conqueror into the substantial stone fortress seen here.
Henry II
Interpreting Dover Castle’s great tower: Angevin innovation, or a medieval white elephant?
Dover’s massive castle, rising in tiers above the harbour to the crest of the hill above the town, looks like the very model of a medieval fortification – but, as a new book reveals, it has some very odd features indeed. Current Archaeology's Chris Catling reports on the efforts of English Heritage and Historic England, as well as castle specialists and medieval historians, to explain this extraordinary monument.
Thomas Becket: troublesome or over-promoted?
In a way, I began to feel slightly more sympathetic to Henry VIII; the church was extremely powerful and if you are to oppose it, I suppose you must be ruthless.
Thomas Becket: Canterbury Tales
In 1170, Archbishop Thomas Becket was killed in his cathedral by knights linked to his former friend King Henry II. But how did Becket become a revered saint and protector of the king?