Natalie Lomako

The tomb of the Venerable Bede at Durham Cathedral

Harald Hardrada is one of the most recognisable names in medieval European history. He was a giant of a man both figuratively and literally. He is best remembered now for his invasion of England in 1066 where he would be defeated and killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge. . He was the son of a minor king named Sigurd who ruled some territories surrounding Oslo. His mother was named Asta who was also the mother of Olaf II who was born during her first marriage. After her first husband was murdered, she went on to marry Sigurd. Harald seems to have been loyal to his half brother Olaf II and fought alongside him at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. Olaf sought to fully Christianise Norway which was still partly pagan. However, his actions were not universally popular and he met with stiff resistance. This resistance led to a rebellion which saw Olaf being driven out of Norway. He returned but was defeated and killed at Stiklestad. Harald would have been around 15 at the time of Stiklestad, with his birth date believed to have been around 1015. Given his young age, it can be no surprise that Harald was left deeply upset at the outcome of the battle and the death of his half-brother, so much so that he had to be ushered away from the field by some of Olaf's followers. Olaf was later made a saint, in recognition of his efforts at Christianising the Pagans that remained in Norway. For Harald, the aftermath of the battle saw he and others from Olaf's defeated army take refuge in Sweden. From there, Harald's incredibly extensive journeys across Europe would begin.

The Children of Edward III Of all Edward's children, The Black Prince is unquestionably the most famous and revered. But this is not to say his other children did not leave their imprint on history. John of Gaunt for instance also made a significant impact. His reputation hit a dramatic low during the time of the Peasants Revolt but, over time, would redeem himself. Here i'll be having a quick look at all of Edward III's children, not just the famous ones. Life was hard in the 14th century and there was no guarantee a child would even make it out of infancy. And this was true even for royalty. Four of Edward's children with his queen Phillipa died either shortly after birth or before they were even one. The poor babies were three boys, two Williams, a Thomas and a girl called Blanche. Blanche and William of Windsor are buried at Westminster Abbey, the other William is buried in York and Thomas in Hertfordshire. The fate of these tragic infants is a sad reality of childbirth and life in the 14th century. The eldest of the children was Edward The Black Prince, born in 1330. His brilliant performance at Crecy aged 16 in 1346 showed he was going to become one of the mightiest warriors of his age. A decade after Crecy, at Poitiers, The Black Prince captured the King of France, John II. The Prince also went on to campaign in Castile, fighting on behalf of King Peter I of Castile at the Battle of Najera in 1367, and Aquitaine. In 1370, The Black Prince sacked Limoges in devastating fashion after it had surrendered to the French. By this point, The Black Prince was not in good health, exacerbated by his exertions across Europe, and he would die a year before his father and so missed the opportunity to become king. That instead would go to his son Richard II. The eldest daughter of Edward III was a girl named Isabella who married the Earl of Bedford, producing two children. The next born to the king was a girl called Joan born at the Tower of London in 1333. She was betrothed to Peter, or Pedro, of Castile but died on her journey to marry him. Joan was a victim of the plague that was now gripping Europe. She was just 14. The second son to be born, that survived infancy, was Lionel of Antwerp. Lionel, as his name indicates, was born in modern day Belgium and his main duties were to oversee matters in Ireland. In Lionel's household was a man by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer. The second most famous of Edward III's children was John of Gaunt, born in 1340. Like Lionel, he too was born in modern day Belgium. Like The Black Prince, he too would be the father of a king. The future Henry IV was born to John and his first of three wives, Blanche of Lancaster. John became an extraordinarily rich man which put him at the centre of the ire of the Peasants Revolt in 1381. His palace was destroyed but both he and Henry escaped with their lives. He also had a tetchy relationship with his nephew Richard II. After his return from Castile, where he had tried to win the crown through his second marriage to Constance of Castile, he restored calm in England as Richard II's reign began it's decline. This gave a much needed boost to his reputation. He died in 1399 and was buried at St Paul's cathedral but his tomb was destroyed by the great fire of London. The next child to be born was Edmund of Langley in 1341. Edmund joined in campaigns in France during the less successful 1370s and also assisted in his brother John's attempts to become king of Castile. In 1399, he was one of the men won over by Henry Bolingbroke to usurp the throne of Richard II. Edmund died not long after and is buried at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire where he was also born. In 1342, Edward III and Phillipa lost their baby Blanche before a couple of years later, another girl was born to them Mary of Waltham. Sadly, Mary's life was another short one, aged just 16 when she died. She did marry John IV, Duke of Brittany, who she seems to have made an impression on and he mourned her passing. The final daughter born to Edward and Phillipa was Margaret and another tragically short life. Margaret was even younger than Mary when she died, only 15. Then around the time of the plague, two infant sons died, Thomas and William of Windsor. Going through the children of Edward III is a stark reminder of the fragility of life in 14th century England. The final son, and child, was Thomas of Woodstock, born in 1355. Thomas would be present, alongside his father, at the death of his beloved mother Phillipa. Thomas was at the forefront of the discontent at the reign of his nephew Richard II and was a leader of the Lords Appellant who sought to remove corrupt members of Richard's government. However, Richard got his revenge nearly a decade later and had his own uncle murdered.