On the fifth installment of Battle Castle we travel to Prussia and visit Malbork Castle, home of the Teutonic Knights. Sprawling over 51 acres (21 hectares) Malbork is truly an impressive castle. Host Dan Snow walks us through the castles design and demonstrates how to create mud bricks in Guedelon. Then Dan teams up with…
Battle Castle, the outstanding castle documentary series, explores the medieval history of six castles. Today we have an interview with Sean F. White, the Director of Photography for Battle Castle. I talk with Sean about filming the castles and the siege engines in action. We also cover how the re-enactments were filmed. In this episode…
This week we travel with host Dan Snow to visit the impressive Dover Castle. Perched high atop the white chalky cliffs, Dover Castle has been a military installation for over 800 years. Dover’s last major military role was during WWII. In this episode of Battle Castle we see the construction set forth by Henry II…
Battle Castle, the outstanding castle documentary series, explores the medieval history of six castles. Today we have an interview with Nicole Tomlinson, writer for Battle Castle. I talk to Nicole about writing for the series and how she approached the research process. We also cover how the castles were picked, castles that were left out,…
Last week we reviewed Crac des Chevaliers, the premiere episode of Battle Castle. Although the series isn’t airing in the U.S. yet the kind folks at Battle Castle sent over an advanced copy of episode 2: Chateau Gaillard. Does it hold up to the quality of the Crac des Chevaliers episode? Let’s find out… The…
This Thursday Battle Castle Episode 2: Chateau Gaillard premieres. Take a look at the trailer and the incredible web comic they released. Then tune into the History Channel Canada at 2100 ET to watch the episode.
Battle Castle a new series by Parallax Film Productions (Blowdown, Ancient Megastructures) is set to debut tomorrow night on History Television (Canada). There are numerous posts on this site highlighting the media released leading up to the premiere. Like the medieval recipes they released (I recommend the Cherry Soup!) and the 3D pictures of the…
The story of how the Louvre purchased a painting by medieval master Jean Malouel for €7.8 million ($10 million) begins, improbably enough, in 1985 in the small town of Vic-le-Comte in south-central France (population: 4,700). The parish priest, trying to raise money to install a heating system in the church, decided to sell various bric-a-brac…
Using a technique for extracting ancient DNA, researchers have found that the form of Yersinia pestis that caused the Black Death in medieval Europe may be extinct, according to a new study publishing today (August 29) in PNAS. The new approach could help researchers understand why that pandemic was so deadly. “It’s a really interesting…
I have had several questions about the names and locations of the castles in the Castles of Europe Windows 7 theme. Below are the 21 castles included in the theme as well as there names and locations. The original post: Castle of Europe Windows 7 Theme post. Download the Castles of Europe Windows 7 Theme…
Update: The updated post for the Castles of Europe Theme can be found here –> Castles of Europe Windows 7 Theme, now with pictures. It includes pictures of all 21 castles as well as their names and locations. ~The Archivist This theme contains 21 pictures of castles form across Europe. I have it installed on…
Actually the game has been available in the UK since last fall. But it is now available in the US market. I did a review of the game that you can view here -> Great Battles Medieval Review The review includes numerous screenshots and some videos. I would recommend this game to anyone. It is…
Fatal Colours: Towton 1461: England’s Most Brutal Battle is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson at £20.00 – in anticipation of the 550th calendar anniversary on 29 March 2011 and the 550th traditional Palm Sunday anniversary on 17 April 2011. Participate A gripping account of the Wars of the Roses Battle of Towton – arguably the…
At a busy creperie amid the cobbled medieval streets of Quimper in Brittany, northern France, a lunchtime crowd is enjoying hearty galettes packed with combinations of meats, cheeses and eggs. The crepe has become a staple of French cuisine, but another aspect of Brittany’s culture — the region’s unique language — is in danger of…
No fewer than 38 kings and queens have been crowned there in an unbroken run since it was built by Edward the Confessor on the site of a former monastery in the 11th century. He was buried at the Abbey in 1066 and on Christmas Day that year, William the Conqueror became the first monarch…
