Monks and Heretics (Episode 2)

As centres of missionary activity and science, monasteries made an important contribution to progress. Here, not only theology was taught and studied, but medicine, mathematics, astronomy, law and philosophy as well. With the translation of the ancient scripts into Latin, this knowledge was introduced to the western world. However, the monasteries were not only places of devout worship and chastity – intrigues, power struggles and love affairs were not unknown to them either.

Picturesque castles, noble knights, minnesingers and troubadours – these romantic images fire our imagination in the generally accepted conception of the Middle Ages. On the darker side of this world…

As centres of missionary activity and science, monasteries made an important contribution to progress. Here, not only theology was taught and studied, but medicine, mathematics, astronomy, law and…

Most of the population in the Middle Ages lived on the land – a silent, suffering majority, who as serfs had to do soccage service and pay taxes to the ruling noblemen and were repeatedly exposed to…

Historians for a long time considered the picturesque maze of alleyways in mediaeval towns to be construction planning gone haywire. New research reveals the surprising fact that many mediaeval towns…