Greetings {{first name | Producer}},
Welcome to the Weekly Herald for the week of 15 March 2026.
Each week, we return to the chronicles of the Middle Ages, marking anniversaries, revisiting battles, and tracing the enduring consequences of medieval history.
The Middle Ages were an era of towering faith and brutal consequences. This week’s stories trace the rise and fall of power; from the execution of the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar to royal ambition, dynastic collapse, and acts of violence that still demand remembrance.
Jacques de Molay, last Grand Master of the Knights Templar
This week in 1314, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, met a brutal end, burned at the stake after years of accusations and pressure from Europe’s most powerful rulers.
The Templars had once been the celebrity knights of the Crusading era: elite fighters, major landholders, and savvy administrators who moved money and people across borders with an efficiency that looked almost modern. But success made them vulnerable.
As monarchs and church leaders reshaped authority in late medieval Europe, the Templars became a convenient target: politically, financially, and symbolically.
De Molay’s execution didn’t just close the story of one man; it marked the collapse of an institution that helped define medieval warfare, pilgrimage, and power. It also left a lasting afterlife: rumors, legends, and conspiracy theories that still swirl today.
THIS WEEK IN THE MIDDLE AGES
16 March 1190 - Massacre of Jews at Clifford’s Tower, York
One of the darkest episodes of medieval English history. During a wave of anti‑Jewish violence linked to crusading fervor and local debt tensions, York’s Jewish community was attacked, culminating in tragedy at Clifford’s Tower. The event starkly illustrates how religious violence, economic pressure, and political instability could converge with devastating consequences for minority communities.
21 March 1413 - Henry V becomes King of England
Henry V ascends the English throne, ushering in one of the most famous reigns of the late Middle Ages. His kingship would soon be defined by renewed war in France and the cultivation of a powerful warrior‑king image that still shapes popular memory of medieval monarchy.
19 March 1279 - Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China
A decisive Mongol victory at sea brings the Song Dynasty to an end, marking a major turning point in Chinese history.
THE ILLUMINATION
Bayeux Tapestry, Scene 24 (Public Domain)
HIC HAROLD DUX REVERSUS EST AD ANGLICAM TERRAM
(Here Duke Harold returned to English land)
THE HERALD'S LEXICON
Word of the Week: BUTTERY
A storage and serving room for drink (especially ale, beer, or wine).
FROM THE FORGE
This week on the site, our Medieval Papacy series examines Pope Urban II and the Call for Crusade, a moment and a pope that helped redefine medieval warfare, faith, and power.
Meanwhile, the Medieval Battles series grows with the Battle of Sempach, a clash remembered for its legends and for an underdog victory that reshaped Swiss history.
PODCAST OF THE WEEK
Settle the Record
Question of the Week
Which famous English king was killed by a crossbow bolt to the shoulder/neck area while besieging a minor French castle?
- Answer
“Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomini tuo da gloriam” (Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Thy name give the glory)
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