⚔️ Welcome to The Black Banner ⚔️
Step into the shadows of England’s past. Here you’ll find cinematic history videos exploring medieval England, forgotten battles, lost kings, myths, castles, cathedrals, executions, rebellions, and the lives of ordinary people who walked these ancient lands.
From the Wars of the Roses to the reign of the Tudors, from medieval Churches and ruins to the dark tales of outlaws, knights, and monarchs, The Black Banner brings you history that is raw, vivid, and unforgettable. All content created by Andy Lunn.
🔎 Expect:
Stories of medieval crime, punishment, and execution
Deep dives into English castles, abbeys, and battlefields
Dark legends and forgotten folklore
The rise and fall of kings, queens, and rebels
If you love English medieval history, castles, warfare, legends, and lost places, subscribe and join the Black Banner as we uncover the truth behind England’s past.
🕰️ History. Darkness. England.
The Black Banner
“Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,
Nor the furious winter’s rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages.
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.”
A beautiful reminder that kings and labourers all end the same way.
William Shakespeare.
2 days ago | [YT] | 5
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When Cromwell’s forces reached Ripon Cathedral, they smashed what they believed were idols.
Stained glass.
Monuments.
Sacred images.
The damage is still visible today.
My next film will show the evidence inside the cathedral itself.
Would you like to see more stories from the English Civil War?
3 days ago | [YT] | 8
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I’m well into the edit of my next film.
This one explores the destruction that took place at Ripon Cathedral during the English Civil War, when soldiers of Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army entered churches across England and destroyed what they believed to be idolatry — stained glass, sacred images, monuments, and tombs.
The evidence is still visible today.
The damage to the Markenfield tombs inside the cathedral remains a silent witness to that moment in history.
For this project there is no AI involved. Every visual element comes from real historical images, paintings, and manuscripts, with all motion graphics built by hand in After Effects.
I may also create a future film about Cromwell himself. The story of his death — and what happened to his body afterwards — is extraordinary. A copy of his death mask can still be seen at York Castle Museum.
With luck, the film should be ready by the end of the week.
Interestingly, my recent videos have performed very differently:
• 15,000 views on the John Clifford film
• 600 views on the Walter Calverley story
YouTube can be a strange place sometimes.
Loyaulté me lie.
— Andy
The Black Banner
4 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 10
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While this channel is still young and finding its place in a very busy world, recent difficulties — losing much of my work and branding — have unexpectedly given me an opportunity to open the medieval manuscript a little wider.
I’m considering exploring more of England’s past across these centuries:
Norman and Angevin England
Plantagenet England
The Wars of the Roses
Tudor England
The Reformation and the destruction of monasteries
The early Stuart period
The English Civil War
The heart of the channel will not change.
My world — and the stories I’m drawn to — remain the same:
Abbeys
Knights
Tombs
Monasteries
Feudal power
Civil war
Sacred places
I enjoyed researching the story of Walter Calverley in the last film, even though it performed very differently to the John Clifford video.
I’d genuinely appreciate hearing your thoughts. Would this wider historical scope still appeal to you?
Thank you to everyone who has subscribed and supported the channel so far.
Andy
The Black Banner UK
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Would you enjoy the channel exploring more of England's medieval and early modern centuries?
1 week ago | [YT] | 3
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Never rains but it pours. My pc gave in at weekend and my ssd drive was corrupt.
Iv lost all branding all my files, my new video iv spent a. Month working on including motion graphics. All gone.
That's life, these things are sent to test us.
My video was about the greatest English knight Sir William Marshall.
I can't face starting again so next video will be something different. I have a couple of days off this week... Something different..
Sorry all it's bad a turd last 6 weeks.
I will be back soon.
Andy.
1 week ago | [YT] | 7
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2 of my favourite things. #richardiii #blacksheep
1 week ago | [YT] | 4
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William Marshal was a Crusader hero. Possible new video.
Born 1146 - Died Oxfordshire 14th May 1219 Aged 72.
The greatest English Knight to ever live. Feel proud.
“William possessed innate qualities and acquired skills that set him apart. Marshal’s raw physicality allowed him to absorb battering blows that might fell others, while his strength lent jarring force to the attacks he delivered with either lance or sword. Few could match the assured agility of his horsemanship and a canny, guileful strategic awareness meant that he was able to outthink opponents.”
In medieval memory, to say a man was a crusader is to imagine banners, battles, and holy war. William Marshal’s journey east does not fit that image.
Marshal travelled to the Holy Land sometime between 1183 and 1186, after the death of Henry the Young King. This was not a triumphant expedition, but a penitential pilgrimage, common among high-status knights nearing middle age.
Crucially, there is no contemporary record of William Marshal taking part in any major crusade battle.
He is not named at Montgisard.
Not listed among the commanders of Hattin.
Not mentioned in the siege narratives of Acre or Jerusalem.
This silence matters.
The only detailed account of his journey comes from L’Histoire de Guillaume le Maréchal, which describes travel, devotion, and endurance, not heroics.
The emphasis is on:
Reaching Jerusalem
Serving a term with the Templars
Returning alive
In the 12th century, that alone was exceptional.
3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 10
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Hello all. It's been a while since I uploaded any content, I am having financial issues currently, and these video cost me money, travel and time, software I use and music etc is a lot. Next video has been written, but wont be starting filming for a while.
Thanks all for sticking around.
Edition of La Danse macabre by Guy Marchant 1486
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 5
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Time to leave Instagram. The app used to inspire me with Art, Design, & Photography.
Now it feels overwhelmed by politics, Islam, anti-Christian, anti Israel rhetoric and constant conflict. Videos of murder, beheadings and women being killed by islamists should not be on any Instagram feed but remain posted 3 days later.
The horrific things I have seen this week have gone too far. I'm stepping away from Instagram it's becoming a place for hatred and terrorism support.
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 10
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Lady with an Ermine - Leonardo da Vincicirca. 1489
Considered to be a portrait alluding to the beloved mistress of King Francis I of France, referred to as the ‘Belle Ferronière’. We now know that the subject of the portrait is Cecilia Gallerani (ca. 1473-1536), a reputed mistress of Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, also known as ‘il Moro’ (the Moor).
The ermine in the portrait commissioned by him is an allusion to Duke Sforza himself, who was also referred to as the White Ermine (Ermellino Bianco). The portrait embodies the Renaissance idea of an image as an illusion of natural vitality.
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 7
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