Images

The Great Seal of Alexander II of Scotland (r. 1214-1249 CE).

The arms of Alexander II of Scotland (r. 1214-1249 CE). From folio 146v of Royal MS 14 C VII Historia Anglorum. (British Library, London)

Cover of the Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr.

Swallows - Bronze Age fresco from Thera, Santorini.

A 17th century CE portrait of William I of Scotland, also known as 'William the Lion' after his heraldic emblem, who reigned from 1165 to 1214 CE. Artist: Jacob Jacobsz de Wet II. (Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh)

Like most Gothic cathedrals, the west façade of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris is tri-portaled, meaning it has three entranceways. Above each door is an elaborately carved tympanum depicting a story through sculpture, an accessible...

Completed in 1248 CE, Sainte-Chapelle is a Gothic cathedral located on the Île de la Cité in Paris. Part of the medieval Palais de la Cité, King Louis IX (r. 1226-1270 CE) commissioned Sainte-Chapelle to be built to house his Christian relics...

Like most Gothic cathedrals, Rouen Cathedral in Normandy, France was constructed using rib vaults, visible here above the nave of the church. This diagonal framework, a change from the rounded barrel vaults common to Romanesque architecture...

The ruins of Arbroath Abbey in Scotland. The abbey was founded in 1178 CE by William I of Scotland (r. 1165 to 1214 CE).

The Basilica of Saint-Denis is located in a northern suburb of Paris, France. Extensively renovated by Abbot Suger (1081-1151 CE), a powerful figure in 12th-century CE France, Saint-Denis is considered to be the first-ever Gothic cathedral...