Gone Medieval

Latest Episodes:

5 Medieval Christmas Traditions Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

In this episode of Gone Medieval, our co-hosts Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis get together to revive some of the Christmas traditions that were commonplace in the Middle Ages - from the literal origins of the Yule log to having a procession to celebrate finding a duck in a drain!

So grab a festive drink and a mince pie because Matt and Eleanor are ready to get serious about the silly season.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code MEDIEVAL - sign up here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vikings in Medieval Baghdad Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

In the ninth century, the Vikings earned a fearsome reputation by wreaking chaos on the coasts of western Europe. But what is perhaps less well known is that they also travelled eastwards. By sailing along the great rivers of north-eastern Europe, they reached Constantinople, the Caspian Sea and even Baghdad, the bustling heart of the mighty Islamic Abbasid Empire.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis welcomes Dr. Cat Jarman back to the podcast to explore why Viking raiders traded the frozen hinterlands of Northern Europe for the heat and hubbub of the Near East.

Senior Producer: Elena Guthrie

Assistant Producer: Peta Stamper

Scriptwriter: Peta Stamper

Editor: Joseph Knight

This was a special collaboration between Ubisoft and History Hit. The content and story was inspired by Assassin's Creed Mirage. To learn more about 9th century Baghdad and the historical characters in the game, listen to Echoes of History here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medieval Origins of Santa Claus: St. Nicholas Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

In many parts of Europe, before Christmas comes, you have first to celebrate one of the medieval period's favourite saints - Saint Nicholas of Myra. It's his legend and celebration that eventually transformed into our own Santa Claus. St Nicolas’s commemoration was a great excuse for medieval people to let down their hair and celebrate while still in the much more sombre and reflective period of Advent.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by experiential archaeologist Caroline Nickolay. They discuss how St. Nicholas’ life has been embellished and commemorated from the late antique period until today and how a relatively unremarkable bishop managed to give birth to the party event of the festive season.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Fall of Constantinople Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

May 1453 saw Constantinople under siege - the culmination of an age long struggle between Christianity and Islam for control of the Eastern Mediterranean. The Ottoman leader Mehmed II had dreamed of possessing the city since he was a boy, and now the shining light of Christian civilization, that had lasted 1100 years, fell into the hands of Ottomans.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis is joined by Prof. Marc David Baer to delve into this epochal moment in medieval history.

This episode was edited and produced by Joseph Knight and Rob Weinberg. Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rise of Constantinople with Bettany Hughes Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

The city of Constantinople, founded by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 324 AD, was a glittering jewel in the eastern Mediterranean for more than a thousand years. Its dazzling cathedrals, ambitious emperors and mixing pot culture were the stuff of legend throughout Christendom. But how did it come to tower over medieval Europe as one of the continent’s foremost cities? And why did it earn such a lofty reputation?

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Bettany Hughes, author of Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities to discover how Constantinople came to rise, came to rule and came to ruin.

This episode was produced and edited by Joseph Knight. Senior Producer was Elena Guthrie.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life on the Medieval Coast Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

The popular BBC television series Villages by the Sea explores coastal life through the centuries. Its presenter Ben Robinson is an archaeologist with the fantastic job of exploring lost villages and uncovering their secrets, including those that give an insight into medieval life on the coasts of Britain.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis is joined by Ben to talk about some of the series’ - and Britain’s - medieval highlights.

This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leprosy in the Middle Ages Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

Leprosy in the Middle Ages

Medieval people were very concerned about how to deal with those in their midst who had leprosy, now called Hansen's disease. It's assumed today that sufferers were shunned from society, forced onto the margins, and generally hated.

But in this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor Janega finds out from Professor Carole Rawcliffe about what was it really like to live with leprosy, both as a sufferer or as a member of the communities that needed to care for them.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Princes in the Tower: New Evidence Revealed Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

For more than 500 years, history has judged that the Princes in the Tower were murdered on the orders of their uncle Richard III. Until now there has been very little proof - it is quite simply history’s greatest cold case. But this episode of Gone Medieval reveals new and compelling evidence about what happened to King Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York in 1483.

Philippa Langley - best known for her role in finding and exhuming the remains of Richard III in 2012 - talks to Gone Medieval's Matt Lewis about her painstaking investigative research and the astonishing new archival discoveries that may forever change what we know about the fate of the Princes in the Tower.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Burma: Medieval Superpower Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Burma – now Myanmar – was once a superpower playing a pivotal role at the crossroads of Asia. Located in one of the richest areas on the planet, it produced luxury goods, mediated trade and cultivated fantastic religious and urban landscapes, unlike anywhere else in the world.

In today’s episode, Dr. Eleanor Janega visits a new exhibition at the British Museum with curator Dr. Alexandra Green to explore how Burma in the Middle Ages became a fertile ground for diverse cultures to flourish.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Medieval Boleyns Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

From the fields of Norfolk to the royal court - via city commerce, local government, liberal education and numerous wedding bells - the Boleyns were just one of many newly prosperous and ambitious families seeking to make the best of a world that was being changed through famine, plague, revolt and civil war – but also opportunity. But while the Boleyns’ new-found wealth delivered power and status, they still lived in a violent world and life could be precarious.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Claire Martin, whose new book Heirs of Ambition: The Making of the Boleyns uncovers the story of the family behind England's most obsessed-over queen, Anne Boleyn.

This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected