No. 05Medieval & Early Modern
70,000 Enemies Killed Without Ever Closing Distance
A Mongol horse archer could fire ten accurate shots in the time it took a European knight to ride into bow range. By 1241, the Mongols had destroyed the armies of Poland and Hungary without one cavalry charge ever reaching close combat, and the technique that made this possible was a recurved composite bow that has not been surpassed.
Read next
- The Mongols and the West, 1221-1410Thomas T. Allsen
- Genghis Khan: His Life and LegacyIgor Mikhailovich Diakonov
No. 06Medieval & Early Modern
200 Knights Arrested on a Single Friday the 13th
On Friday 13 October 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the simultaneous arrest of every member of the Knights Templar, then the richest military order in Christendom. By 1312 the Order was suppressed by Pope Clement V, and by 1314 the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burned at the stake in Paris.
Read next
- The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the TempleMalcolm Barber
- The TemplarsDan Jones
No. 07Medieval & Early Modern
Five Books That Made Miyamoto Musashi Undefeated
Miyamoto Musashi wrote the five books of strategy known as the Hyōhō Nijū Shichō in a cave in 1612, weeks before his death, and the manual is a case study of the sixty-one duels he had already won.
Read next
- The Book of Five RingsMiyamoto Musashi
- The Lone Samurai's LifeDavid Graf
No. 08Medieval & Early Modern
Why Musashi Beat a Legendary Swordsman With a Piece of Wood
Miyamoto Musashi beat Sasaki Kojiro at Ganryu-jima in 1612 with a long wooden blade he carved from an oar, because Kojiro's technique needed far more room than a small island could give him.
Read next
- The Book of Five RingsMiyamoto Musashi
- The Samurai: A New History of the Warrior in JapanThomas F. Madden
No. 09Medieval & Early Modern
Why Joan of Arc Won a Siege and Lost a Trial
Joan of Arc secured French victories at Orléans and Patay through her military leadership and testified visions. She was convicted of heresy by Bishop Pierre Cauchon and executed in 1431.
Read next
- Joan of Arc: The Maid of OrleansGeorges Pernoud
- Joan of Arc: The Battle for OrleansOdile Kammerer
No. 10Medieval & Early Modern
Why Constantinople Fell to Cannons No Wall Could Stop
Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire on 29 May 1453 after a 53-day siege that began on 6 April. The Theodosian walls had protected the city for 800 years and were among the most advanced defensive systems in the world at the time.
Read next
- The Siege of Constantinople 1453Steven Runciman
- 1453: The Holy War for ConstantinopleRoger Crowley
No. 11Medieval & Early Modern
Why Salem Became the Deadliest Witch Hunt in Colonial North America
Between February 1692 and May 1693, witchcraft accusations that began in Salem Village spread to numerous towns across colonial Massachusetts. Thirty people were found guilty, and nineteen of them were hanged in Salem Town.
Read next
- The Salem Witch Trials: A HistoryLarry K. Kirk
- Salem: A History of the Witch TrialsSimon Schama
No. 12Medieval & Early Modern
Why Spain Burned Six People in Its First Auto de Fe
The video argues that the Spanish Inquisition was established primarily to persecute Jewish conversos suspected of practicing Crypto-Judaism, following years of anti-Jewish violence and forced conversions. It demonstrates that the institution was authorized by the Pope but operated under the direct control of the Spanish monarchs, resulting in thousands of executions by burning.
Read next
- The Spanish InquisitionHenry Kamen
- The Spanish Inquisition: A HistoryJoseph Perez
No. 13Medieval & Early Modern
Why the Voynich Manuscript Is Still Unread After 600 Years
The Voynich Manuscript has never been demonstrably deciphered because none of the proposed hypotheses have been independently verified. Scholars lack the translation and context needed to determine its origins, authorship, or purpose.
Read next
- The Voynich ManuscriptElaine L. Seymour
- The Book of MRichard Spielman
