Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator

High & Late Middle Ages

110 Episodes 29 Series 132 Figures 66 Events 323 Books 219 Authors

Covering roughly the 11th–15th centuries, the High & Late Middle Ages era treats political consolidation, religious conflict, urban and commercial growth, and the expansion of empires. Series include "1066" (political turmoil and the Norman Conquest), "Amsterdam" (the city's development from a 13th‑century fishing village to a major financial centre), "Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade" (heresy and crusade in Languedoc), "Genghis Khan" (Temüjin’s rise and the Mongol Empire), and "Henry IV" (usurpation and contested kingship). Episodes cover Harun al‑Rashid and Baghdad, the Princes in the Tower, Macbeth’s historical basis, Anglo‑French truces and Exeter 1067. Discussed figures and works include Innocent III, Henry IV, Vlad the Impaler, Ibn al‑Haytham, The War on Heresy and Worlds of Arthur.

Timeline Subway

Episodes Series Figures Events Books Authors

Episodes by year

Showing 12 of 110

2026

12 episodes

King Arthur: Lancelot and the Round Table (Part 2)

King Arthur · Part 2

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore how Chrétien de Troyes made Lancelot and his adulterous devotion to Guinevere…

King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend (Part 4)

King Arthur · Part 4

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the sparse and disputed evidence for a historical King Arthur. They scrutiniz…

King Arthur: The Once & Future King (Part 1)

King Arthur · Part 1

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the legend of King Arthur’s final battle, death and possible return, using Si…

King Arthur: The Mysteries of Merlin (Part 3)

King Arthur · Part 3

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Geoffrey of Monmouth’s influential creation of Merlin and the Arthurian story…

Isabella of France: The First Femme Fatale

She-wolves Mini Series · Part 3

In the third episode of the "She-Wolves of England" mini‑series, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by histor…

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lioness of England

She-wolves Mini Series · Part 2

In the second episode of the "She-Wolves of Medieval England" miniseries, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, joined by …

Empress Matilda: Civil War and the Fight for the Throne

She-wolves Mini Series · Part 1

In this Rest Is History Club mini‑series episode, Tom Holland welcomes historian Helen Castor to discuss the "She‑Wolve…

Dawn of the Samurai: Japan’s Greatest Warrior (Part 3)

Dawn of the Samurai · Part 3

In this episode of The Rest Is History, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the legendary 12th‑century clash betw…

Dawn of the Samurai: Bloodbath at the Bridge (Part 2)

Dawn of the Samurai · Part 2

In this episode of The Rest Is History, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their multi‑part series on the rise …

Dawn of the Samurai: The Shadow of the Sword (Part 1)

Dawn of the Samurai · Part 1

In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook launch a new series on the origins and evolution of the samurai. They…

Dawn of the Samurai: The Shōgun Triumphant (Part 4)

Dawn of the Samurai · Part 4

In this episode of The Rest Is History Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their deep‑dive into the Genpei War, …

Greatest Paintings: Dawn of the Dutch Golden Age - The Arnolfini Portrait - FULL EPISODE

Greatest Paintings with Laura Cumming · Part 1

Join Tom and art critic Laura Cumming as they delve into Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, a masterpiece shrouded in m…

Page 1 of 10 (page size 12)

Next → Show all

Series in this era

29 series

1066

5 episodes Aired: 2025-04-06 – 2025-04-22

Joan of Arc

5 episodes Aired: 2026-01-05 – 2026-01-14

The Hundred Years' War (S2)

5 episodes Aired: 2024-08-25 – 2024-09-10

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas

4 episodes Aired: 2021-12-25

Dawn of the Samurai

4 episodes Aired: 2026-04-05

King Arthur

4 episodes Aired: 2026-10-11

The Hundred Years' War (S1)

4 episodes Aired: 2023-04-03

The Road to 1066

4 episodes Aired: 2025-03-17

Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade

3 episodes Aired: 2023-02-06

Great World Cup Saga

3 episodes Aired: 2022-11-28 – 2022-12-13

Historical figures

132 tagged

Edward III of England

29 episodes

William I of England (William the Conqueror / William, Duke of Normandy)

25 episodes

Richard II of England

22 episodes

Henry V of England

21 episodes

Harold Godwinson (Harold II of England)

18 episodes

Edward the Confessor

16 episodes

Henry IV of England (Henry Bolingbroke)

16 episodes

Edward I of England

15 episodes

Harald Sigurdsson (Harald Hardrada, Harald III of Norway)

15 episodes

Cnut the Great (Canute)

14 episodes

Historical events

66 tagged

Hundred Years' War (1337–1453, Western Europe)

29 episodes

Battle of Hastings (1066)

18 episodes

Battle of Agincourt (25 October 1415)

15 episodes

Norman Conquest

15 episodes

Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066)

12 episodes

Black Death (c.1347–1351)

12 episodes

Battle of Crécy (26 August 1346)

11 episodes

Peasants' Revolt (1381, England)

11 episodes

Battle of Poitiers (19 September 1356)

10 episodes

Wars of the Roses (1455–1487)

9 episodes

Books

323 tagged

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

Author: Traditional Attribution or Various

8 episodes

Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom

Author: Tom Holland

8 episodes

Holy Blood and the Holy Grail

Author: Michael Baigent; Richard Leigh; Henry Lincoln

6 episodes

The Da Vinci Code

Author: Dan Brown

6 episodes

History of the Kings of Britain

Author: Geoffrey of Monmouth

5 episodes

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic

Author: Tom Holland

5 episodes

The Canterbury Tales

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

5 episodes

Henry V

Author: William Shakespeare

4 episodes

Le Morte d'Arthur

Author: Thomas Malory

4 episodes

The Last English King

Author: Julian Rathbone

4 episodes

Authors

219 tagged

Traditional Attribution or Various

24 episodes

Tom Holland

16 episodes

William Shakespeare

9 episodes

Dominic Sandbrook

7 episodes

Dan Brown

6 episodes

Geoffrey Chaucer

6 episodes

Michael Baigent; Richard Leigh; Henry Lincoln

6 episodes

Charles Dickens

5 episodes

Geoffrey of Monmouth

5 episodes

Helen Castor

4 episodes