The ancestors of William the Conqueror and England's line of Norman kings had Norwegian Viking roots. The founder of the line, Rollo or Rolf the Ganger, was a Viking raider chief, who was born in 850, ...

The future William II, third son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders, was born in Normandy in around 1056 and was educated by the saintly Lanfranc. Little is known of William's childhood, ...

Iona Abbey, one of Scotland's most sacred sites and the symbolic centre of Scottish Christianity was the mausoleum of many of the early Scottish Kings. Situated on the Isle of Iona on the West Coast ...

All Norman lords and barons whom King William had granted land in England were ordered to collect information on their domains, which was to be sent to William's advisors. Officials were then ...

John the Black Comyn, was the son John I Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Alice de Ros of Helmsley in Yorkshire. The Comyn family were of Norman origin. The surname is a place-name derived from Comines, ...

Edinburgh Castle perches dramatically on the craggy volcanic Castle Rock and dominates the Edinburgh skyline. The earliest recorded mention of Castle Rock is recorded in the 2nd century, when the ...

King Alexander III produced three children who all predeceased their father. He, therefore, obtained a promise from the nobles in 1284 to recognise his granddaughter Margaret, "Maid of Norway", the ...

James III, King of Scots, the eldest son of James II and Mary of Guelders, the daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, and Catherine of Cleves. was born around 1451-2 and created Duke of Rothesay at ...

Emma of Normandy was born circa 985, the daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, by his second wife Gunnora. Her mother had originally been Richard the Fearless' mistress. When they later ...

Thomas Becket was born around 1118, in Cheapside, London, on 21 December, the medieval feast day of St Thomas the Apostle. He was the son of Gilbert Becket, a prosperous London merchant and his wife ...