A-Z of medieval life: A-D

Join historian Dr Ian Mortimer on an A–Z journey through medieval England, exploring the everyday realities of the 14th century, revealing a world that was stranger, funnier and far more familiar than many of us imagine. In episode 1, it's A to D…

Published: July 21, 2026 at 8:28 AM

Save

Did you know medieval cows were a fraction of the size of today's? That men's fashion became so revealing that people complained they could see each other's buttocks?

Ad

In this six-part series, Dr Ian Mortimer explores the everyday realities of the 14th century – from medieval fashion and farming to mechanical clocks, relics and the cult of the dead, discover the surprising details that bring life in medieval England vividly into focus. Find episode one below.

Enjoyed episode one? Find more in episode two. Discover more episodes in our HistoryExtra Academy

Ad

Dr Ian Mortimer is the author of the four Time Traveller's Guides - to Medieval England, Elizabethan England, Restoration Britain and Regency Britain, and Medieval Horizons: Why the Middle Ages Matter, Mortimer's A-Zs of English History, and the forthcoming Through the Windows of an Ordinary House: A History of England (Bodley Head, September 2026)

Authors

Dr Ian MortimerHistorian and author

The Time Traveller’s Guide to Regency Britain

Ad

Ad

Loading...

Ad

Loading...