The Myths of the Stone That Foretells London's Fall
Legend says London will fall if this stone is destroyed. A rebel struck it with his sword to claim the city. The prophecy? A Victorian clergyman made it up.
Medieval: 500–1500
From 500 to 1500, the long centuries between Rome and the early modern world.
The Stolen Bucket Modena Has Kept for 700 Years
In 1325 Modena routed Bologna at Zappolino and carried off a wooden bucket from a city well as a trophy. Seven centuries on, Modena still has it.
The Crusade That Began With a Massacre at Home
In 1096, before they ever saw Jerusalem, crusaders turned on the Jews of the Rhineland. In Speyer, Worms and Mainz, whole communities were wiped out in weeks.
The Butcher: The One-Eyed Constable of France
Olivier de Clisson saw France behead his father, fought against it, then became its Constable. His cruelty earned him the name 'the Butcher'.
The Lioness of Brittany: A Widow's Revenge at Sea
When France beheaded her husband and spiked his head over Nantes, Jeanne de Clisson took up arms, massacred a garrison and went to sea to kill French merchants.
The Viking Earl Killed by a Dead Man's Tooth
Sigurd the Mighty, Norse earl of Orkney, tied his beheaded rival's head to his saddle. Its buck tooth grazed his leg, and the infection killed him.
The Experiments of Emperor Frederick II
A Franciscan chronicler said Emperor Frederick II starved babies of speech, sealed a man in a cask to watch him die and had two men disembowelled after dinner.