From the spires of Lübeck to the distant shores of Novgorod, the Hanseatic League possessed influence in commerce and power.

Pirates perished, and the world’s riches flowed through their grasp.

This is the story of the Hanseatic League MEGA THREAD 🧵 The Baltic Sea was a hub of trading ventures, raids, and piracy. Gotlandic sailors traveled as far as Novgorod to trade goods.

Before the Hanseatic League, Scandinavians dominated Baltic trade, establishing hubs such as Birka, Haithabu, and Schleswig by the 9th century.

Many later Hanseatic ports, including those between Mecklenburg and Königsberg, were originally part of this Scandinavian led trade network.

In around the year 1060, in modern day Belgium in the county of Flanders, one of the greatest knights in history was born.

He would grow up to be a hero of the first crusade, a hero of Christendom, a warrior unlike any other.

This is the story of Godfrey of Bouillon. 🧵 Godfrey of Bouillon, born around 1060, was the second son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida, daughter of the Lotharingian duke Godfrey the Bearded.

His birthplace is likely Boulogne-sur-Mer, though some sources suggest Baisy, in modern day Belgium.

He inherited a fragile crown and forged it into a mighty kingdom. He broke an empire, humbled kings, and doubled France in size.

King of France, Builder of Paris and Victor of Bouvines.

Known forever as Philip II or “Augustus.”

This is his story. 🧵 Philip II of France was born in Gonesse on August 21st 1165, the son of Louis VII and Adela of Champagne.

He was nicknamed Dieudonné (“God-given”) as he was a long-awaited heir, born late in his father’s life.

In the shadow of Notre Dame, King Philip IV of France, orchestrated the downfall of the Knights Templar.

With a relentless hand, he seized their wealth and shattered their power, casting the order into chains on a fateful day in 1307. Many meeting a fiery end.

A Thread 🧵 The Knights Templar were founded in the year 1119 at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The Templars upon creation were a small order with only a handful of knights but as time went on it would grow drastically and become a force across Europe.

The Battle of Bosworth 🧵

On this day, August 22, 1485, England's fate hanged by a thread as two rival kings prepared to clash on the fields of Bosworth.

Richard III, the final Plantagenet king, rode to defend his crown against the upstart Henry Tudor. In the 15th century, England was fighting a civil war known as the Wars of the Roses, where the Houses of York and Lancaster fought for the English throne.

In 1471, the Yorkists secured a big victory by defeating the Lancastrians at the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury, leading to the deaths of King Henry VI and his son, Edward of Westminster.

Pierre Terrail, known as Chevalier de Bayard, a man who's resolve was unyielding.

Praised by his contemporaries for his gaiety and kindness he was "The Good Knight."

Fearless and unwavering in battle, he'd be remembered as the knight without fear and beyond reproach 🧵 Bayard, a descendant of a noble French family with a strong military tradition, was born at Château Bayard in Dauphiné, near Pontcharra in southern France.

His family had a history of sacrifice in battle, with three generations of his Terrail ancestors falling in combat from 1356 to 1465.

The greatest knight who ever lived.

William Marshal was an Anglo-Norman knight, a man of honor and integrity. A man who served five kings, fought in the crusades, became a Templar and was an undefeated tournament champion.

This is his story, a thread. 🧵 William Marshal was born in either 1146 or 1147 to his father John Marshal and mother Sybilla of Salisbury. He was a member of the noble Marshal family.

Amidst howling winds, sleet and snow on March 29th 1461 near Towton in Yorkshire, England, Yorkist and Lancastrian forces clashed in a bloody battle, the bloodiest in the history of English soil.

This is the story of the Battle of Towton 🧵 By 1461, it had been 6 years since the beginning of the bloody Wars of the Roses, civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster.

A fun fact is this event is what helped give inspiration to George R.R. Martin for his power struggle in Game of Thrones.

Gilles de Rais was a French baron and a valiant knight who fought by the side of Joan of Arc. However he also was a cruel and sadistic serial killer.

Here is the story of this war hero turned vicious monster who could be argued as history's first recorded serial killer. 🧵 Gilles de Rais was born in 1405 in Anjou. Gilles was raised by his grandfather Jean de Craon. Gilles was admitted to the French court at a young age after earning the favor of the Duke of Brittany.

The Northern Crusades.

A collection of military campaigns in the Baltic region of Europe to convert the pagan people there to Christianity by Catholic military orders, primarily the Teutonic Order.

Here is the story of these campaigns and the bloodshed and zeal behind them 🧵 The Northern Crusades began officially in 1195 with the call by Pope Celestine III.

Christian monarchs throughout Europe sought the Christianization of land that included modern day Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, (Old Prussia which became part of Poland) and Russia.

The Knights Hospitaller, born amid the chaos of the Crusades, were protectors of both faith and medicine.

Originating as a small brotherhood tending to sick pilgrims in Jerusalem, they would become one of the most iconic knightly orders ever... 🧵 In 603, Pope Gregory I commissioned Abbot Probus to establish a hospital in Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims. Charlemagne expanded it in 800, but it was destroyed in 1009 by the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.

St. Thomas Aquinas was a 13th-century Dominican friar and theologian.

He is renowned for synthesizing Christian doctrine, hailed as the most influential thinker of the Middle Ages and one of the greatest Medieval theologians ever.

This is his story 🧵 Thomas Aquinas was born around 1225 in Roccasecca, near Aquino, which was part of the Kingdom of Sicily at the time.

His father, Landulf of Aquino, was a knight serving Emperor Frederick II, and his family held considerable influence.

Thomas's uncle, Sinibald, was the abbot of the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino, and his family intended for him to follow a similar ecclesiastical path.

The Knights of Saint Lazarus

These warriors suffered from leprosy. Their order was founded on humble origins during the crusades and they would be known for treating those sick with the disease.

But they would later form a military side. An army of the living dead. 🧵 The Order of Saint Lazarus was founded in 1119 in Jerusalem at a leper hospital. The order would be named after the patron saint of lepers, Saint Lazarus.

Set against the backdrop of 14th century France.

Knights Jacques le Gris and Jean de Carrouges engaged in a brutal trial by combat.

A tale of brotherhood, accusation and betrayal.

Here is the story of The Last Duel 🧵 Jean de Carrouges was born in the 1330s in Carrouges, France. He was a knight who had governance of estates in Normandy and was a vassal to Count Pierre d'Alencon.

Alfred the Great, perhaps the greatest king England has ever had.

From promoting learning and literacy, to seeking to unite all of England, to defending against invading Danes.

He is one of mankind's greatest rulers. Here is his story. Alfred was born in 849, in Wantage in the kingdom of Wessex. His father was Æthelwulf, King of Wessex and his wife Osburh. He was the youngest of six children, having 4 brothers and 1 sister.

There was no better knight nor more valiant man than Sir Geoffroi de Charny.

One of the most famed knights of France, Geoffroi would fight honorably for his kingdom, go on a successful crusade and even come into possession of the legendary Shroud of Turin

This is his story: 🧵 Geoffroi de Charny was born in 1306 and was the third son of Jean de Charny, the lord of Charny.

As a third son, he did not inherit his family’s lordship. Instead, the estate of Charny passed to the husband of his niece Guillemette, Philip de Jonvelle.

From the heart of a war torn kingdom this band of mercenaries were one of the most sought after.

Created by King Matthias Corvinus, the Black Army of Hungary were brutally efficient, disciplined and powerful.

Their cavalry especially would be renowned for crushing their foes. In the early years of King Matthias Corvinus' reign, Hungary’s military recruitment system was largely based on traditions from the time of Sigismund.

The primary forces came from noble banners and the militia portalis which was a system where nobles were required to provide soldiers based on the number of serf lots (called portae) they held.

The year is 1209, the forces of Christendom march south, driven by zeal and the promise of salvation with their goal to purge the heretical Cathars from the land.

The Albigensian Crusade ensued, a violent extermination that made the hills of Languedoc tremble.

A thread ⚔️ The Cathar people were a Christian sect, the name Cathar comes from the Greek word katharos which means clean or pure.

They believed in God representing good and the demiurge representing evil. A dualistic theology.

They believed the physical world was created by the evil demiurge and was inherently corrupt. In contrast, they viewed God as a pure, disembodied spirit of love, order, and peace.

Jesus, in their view, was an angelic being with only a phantom body, and his New Testament accounts were considered allegorical.

They came from Scandinavia.

Their longships filled with fierce warriors who struck fear into the people who saw them coming.

Seafarers, settlers, raiders, warriors and more.

These are the Vikings.

A thread. The Viking Age spanned from 793 to 1066, began with the first recorded Norse raids and ended with the Norman conquest of England.

Vikings utilized sea routes through the Norwegian and Baltic Seas to expand and raid, leading to widespread influence across northern Europe.

I’m frequently asked for book recommendations!

From great knights and kings to the dynasties that shaped entire kingdoms and the crusades.

Here are some of my favorite books. 🧵📚

(Bookmark this for later)
Henry V by Dan Jones.

It is no secret that King Henry V of England is my favorite monarch of the Middle Ages and Dan Jones writes an amazing comprehensive biography on England’s greatest warrior king.

He was diagnosed with leprosy as a child. It was a certified death sentence.

Yet despite the odds, he went on to become one of Jerusalem's most remarkable rulers.

As legendary in death as he was in life, this is the story of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem.

The Leper King. Note that unfortunately, despite looking very very cool. No, Baldwin IV did not wear a silver mask as depicted in the movie "Kingdom of Heaven."

There are no contemporary sources that support the idea of Baldwin wearing a facial covering, especially one depicted in the movie.