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.

In the 15th century, England suffered a brutal struggle for the throne, as two rival houses plunged the kingdom into decades of war.

What ensued was a cycle of betrayals, shifting allegiances, and blood soaked battlefields.

This is the Wars of the Roses, a thread. 🧵 The Wars of the Roses refer to the dynastic civil wars between the houses of York and Lancaster. From the years 1455 to 1485 this conflict would ravage England, and precede the Tudor government.

Saladin’s mighty Saracen host, marched in triumph but soon met an unexpected foe

King Baldwin IV, with his flesh rotting from leprosy, led his outnumbered knights in a charge.

Saladin's army is annihilated in what would be remembered as the Battle of Montgisard 🧵
In 1177, King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Philip of Alsace, who had recently arrived on pilgrimage, planned to form an alliance with the Eastern Roman Empire for a naval assault on Egypt. But these plans never ended up happening.

He was born of noble blood but raised in purity. He surpassed all knights in virtue and skill.

He is Sir Galahad, the Grail Knight, the Sainted Champion of the Round Table.

Known forever as the perfect knight, untarnished and unwavering.

This is his story 🧵 Sir Galahad's story begins with the origins of his mythos.

Galahad's role in the Arthurian legend, particularly his quest for the Holy Grail, is a later addition to the mythos.

The banners of Christendom flew, a mighty coalition of French knights, Hungarian warriors, Burgundian lords and more marched against the expanding Ottomans.

In the ensuing Battle of Nicopolis, the forces of Sigismund would be almost annihilated.

This is the story 🧵 During the late 14th century, numerous small crusades were waged by individual kings and knights.

One of the most recent had been the failed 1390 crusade against Tunisia.

In Northern Europe, warfare along the Baltic coast continued, while in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire had steadily expanded.

Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I was a man of great wealth, a man obsessed with chivalry, armor, weapons and everything about knighthood.

Today in museums we have plenty of relics of his noble passion.

Here are some of my favorite relics of The Last Knight of Europe 🧵 Gothic plate armor forged by Lorenz Helmschmid that is housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.

Date: 1492

He narrowly escaped death at fifteen. He became a feared mercenary and later a famed Varangian Guard for the Emperor.

He is Harald Sigurdsson, King of Norway, Burner of Bulgars and the last Viking king.

Known forever as Harald Hardrada or "Hard Ruler"

This is his story. 🧵 Harald Hardrada was born in Ringerike, Norway, in 1015 or 1016 to Åsta Gudbrandsdatter and her second husband, Sigurd Syr.

Sigurd was a wealthy and powerful petty king in the Uplands.

Picture this:

You are a student at the University of Oxford in the 14th century.

You go to the local tavern for a drink to relax.

Next thing you know, riots break out because someone's wine tasted bad! People are slain!

This is the St Scholastica Day Riot of 1355🧵 Academic teaching at Oxford dates back to 1096, and by 1167, the university began to expand rapidly. It received a royal charter in 1248, which formalized its positions and functions.

By 1334, Oxford was the ninth wealthiest town in England, boasting 5,000 residents.