I am never on time for anything but...

It turns out the Middle Ages are So Hot Right Now.

I am late to most things… to Substack I am very late. It is not so much out of choice but the all consuming job of writing a book. I feared I would be too late to make medieval history “happen”, but it turns out (for once) I am right on time.

For those who don’t know me, hello! I am Helen Carr, a medieval historian and Sunday Times best-selling author who has spent the last three years consumed in the fourteenth-century (peak medieval history).

In December 2024 I sent off the final manuscript for my new book, Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century, published by Cornerstone (Penguin Random House) in May 2025. I quite literally collapsed into Christmas to emerge into 2025 bleary eyed but slapped awake with a piece in the New York Times stating that medieval history is having a modern day renaissance. For someone who has never hit the zeitgeist I was shocked to read the New York Times’s, ‘12 Predictions for 2025’ that suggests the Medieval period will become the new Roman Empire: ‘Instead of being “demure,” people in 2025 will start readying themselves for battle, or at least try casting away their phones to party like it’s 999’.

A little research shows they are not wrong. Kinsley Tao recently styled Emma Corrin in a suit of armour akin to that worn by the Black Prince at the Battle of Crécy and Chappell Roan performed at the VMAs to accept ‘best new artist’ in a chainmail dress from Julien Dossena’s spring 2024 collection for Rabanne. Her outfit was described by W Magazine as ‘full-on Joan of Arc—a woman… known for being a symbol of strength and independence’. And of course, who could forget Zendaya’s plate armour at the Dune Part II premier in April 2024.

The Middle Ages IS hot right now and it seems like influential young women are leading the charge. I do not count myself among them, I am just the nerd behind the scenes, but it does allow me to tout my forthcoming book — full tilt.

But what is it about the Middle Ages for me? Above plate armour and Zendaya in the present, (which tbf is v cool), I am interested in people of the past. Human beings who lived during the fourteenth century (1300-1400) and what they imbibed from their environment. Sceptred Isle is about people. Kings and queens but also common folk who saw portent signs and symbols in the sky, who believed in fate and fortune as dictated by Fortune’s Wheel spun at random by the goddess, Fortuna. These were people who endured famine, plague, war and regicide. As the Sunday Times put it when adding Sceptred Isle to their 40 books to look out for in 2025, “what a time to be alive”.

This story of the fourteenth century is told through the lives and experiences of the last Plantagenets, that is Edward I- III (or as I like to call them, ‘The Edwards’) and Richard II. I cover popular myths like ‘the poker’ (IYKYK), the Black Death — a la Monty Python’s “bring out your dead”.

and Heath Ledger’s character from A Knight’s Tale, Ulrich Von Lichtenstein, also makes a sparky little appearance.

Above all, though, this is a book about the humanity in history and how power intersected with (and so often overcame) humanity. It’s not a blokey book about blokey history (though there is a fair share of battle, swords and amour), I also reveal marginalised characters, recovering lesser known people from the record. I talk about hedonism and jubilance, loss and grief. As I say, again, this book is about what it meant to be alive at a time of horrible fate and immense fortune. If I have piqued your interest Sceptred Isle is available to pre-order now from all good retailers, inc. Waterstones.

Fresh from the shackles of actually writing The Book what can you expect going forward? Through my Substack, In History with Helen Carr, I plan to host live chats, giveaways and seminar groups/bookclub for subscribers, as well as tutorials on writing narrative history. Maybe even a writers hour to get you shirkers to your desk.

I will update you all regularly with my musings on medieval history and why it matters, and there will be posts on IRL events as well as interviews with authors and historians I admire.

Above all, this will be the platform on which I share the most about my work, myself and my process. I look forward to you joining me.

Hx