Medieval Madness

For hundreds of years, for whatever reason, whether innocent or guilty, men, women, and children have found themselves in prison. Imagine travelling back to the Middle Ages and spending time inside one of those “unregulated, frequently packed ... verminous ... ill ventilated and badly sewered” places. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The word alchemy conjures up images of the occult, of dark laboratories and secretive wizard-like figures hunched over bubbling cauldrons. As well as trying to discover the philosopher’s stone, said to be the elixir of life and immortality, the idea of turning base metals into gold or silver has also fascinated people for thousands of years. The Medievals finally believed that they could ‘transmut...

The history of Malmesbury Abbey is a long one and there are many tales to tell of the celebrated monastery. Founded by the Benedictines in 676, part of the abbey still survives today, over thirteen hundred years later. But it is the abbey’s connection to John of Tintern, a cleric described by one historian as probably the “most corrupt and disreputable monk of the entire Middle Ages”, that stands...

In the Middle Ages, men ruled the world, except when they didn’t. Many history lovers are aware of women like Margaret of Anjou and Eleanor of Aquitaine but other lesser-known Medieval female bosses were just as formidable. Let’s travel back in time now and meet some of these women who held power instead. Some in their own right, others as regents, and others by having great influence over the men...

The Middle Ages, with its crippling poverty and lack of law and order, was the perfect time for unscrupulous men to turn to a life of crime and roam around the countryside causing untold trouble. But not all gangsters were poor, some came from noble families, and they certainly weren’t all Robin Hoods – stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Most were brutal, ruthless, and out for themselv...

Many once-great cities of the Middle Ages have been lost over time. It could have been through natural disaster, war, or just because they were victims of their own success. Let’s travel back in time now to rediscover some of these cities, that were once vibrant hubs for trade, culture, and knowledge and find out about their enigmatic disappearance from history. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn...

Earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions, whenever and wherever they hit are devastating events that can wipe out entire cities and leave thousands of people dead. Let’s travel back in time now and take a look at some of the worst natural disasters that took place across the world in the Middle Ages. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often associate slavery with non-Christians and the Romans, but unfree people continued to be owned and exploited throughout Europe for hundreds of years after the fall of the Empire. In fact, slavery was alive and thriving very well in the Medieval world. Let’s travel back in time and hear some stories about people who were enslaved, bought, sold, and exploited during the Middle Ages. Welcome...

Many forms of torture were utilised during the Middle Ages. But the rack was perhaps the most popular and most feared. Although it was common for joints to be dislocated during the process, the torture could tear a victim’s limbs apart and rip them from their sockets. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was established in 1188, under the reign of King Henry II. What was constructed out of a group of cells housed in London’s city walls above the ‘New Gate’ gatehouse soon became known as a place of darkness and despair. Nicknamed ‘Hell on Earth’ the prison became so synonymous with terror and misery that even the hangman’s noose became a welcome escape. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middl...

It all began in Switzerland, with an area of lush agricultural land, and became a dynasty that dominated Southeast Europe for centuries. The Habsburg's rise to power in the High Middle Ages and its descent into extinction is one of the most fascinating stories in European history. They survived bloody religious wars, alcoholism, and madness but it’s possible that the family's obsession with ‘blood...

From the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance, the Middle Ages was an era of history that encompassed massive social change. A time of international warfare, national rebellion, devastating disease, and at times brutal cruelty. Here are a few of the highlights or lowlights (depending on your point of view) that occurred over the one-thousand-year period. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn m...

When most people think about medieval marriages they are either practical, cold, and loveless, or the idealised “courtly love” of chivalric knights and damsels in distress. But what was married life and love really like in the Middle Ages? Let’s travel back in time and take a look. Welcome to Medieval Madness.0:00 Introduction0:30 To Honour & Obey2:15 Broken Promises3:53 For Richer…4:49 For Poorer...

For most, incest is seen as sexual intimacy between anyone who is related by blood, like a parent and child, siblings, or cousins. We could even extend this to anyone who has a position of responsibility within a family such as step-parents, step-siblings, or aunts and uncles who have married in. However, it was during the Middle Ages that the Roman Catholic Church became obsessed with the subject...

It was from a cell in the Tower of London, “in a very high up and confined place … out of sight and hearing of the world”, that Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March made his daring escape. A feudal lord, experienced military commander, and twice governor of Ireland, Mortimer had found himself in the Tower for being involved in a rebellion against King Edward II. This audacious escape on 1st August 13...

It’s easy to look at the Medieval world and see it as completely alien to the one we live in today. Many things that were thought acceptable and even pleasing then would horrify civilised people in the 21st century. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and look at some behaviour that is just not seen as appropriate anymore. Welcome to Medieval Madness.0:00 Introduction0:33 A Mean Strea...

When most people think about Transylvania it conjures the image of Dracula and the world dreamed up in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel - a world of gothic castles, shapeshifting bats, and vampires. Some people even think of Transylvania as a mythical place like that of Middle-Earth or Narnia, only much creepier. But Transylvania is a real place in what is now modern Romania, in Western Europe, and Dracul...

It’s hard being a teenager. Coping with raging hormones, insecurities, and acne while trying to figure out just who you are and where you fit in society is no joke. It’s not really the best time to try and make important choices about your future. So, just imagine what being a teenager was like without the comfortable, modern amenities that we have today. Let’s face it, in Medieval Europe, you wer...

Once again we delve into the reasons why you probably wouldn’t live very long in the Middle Ages. For one reason or another death seemed to be waiting around every corner. Having dealt with war, poison, and squalor in our last video we now move on to religion. Really, things just don’t get any better. And with one year in particular being described as the worst year EVER to be alive, we can’t see...

Vikings, eh? Bloodthirsty, vicious barbarians, well-known for their willingness to loot monasteries and murder their enemies in a variety of gruesome ways. Including perhaps the grisliest end you could imagine – the blóðǫrn, or more commonly known as the ‘blood eagle’. Reserved only for the worst of the worst in Viking eyes – people who had lost their honour through acts of cowardice or who had ki...

14th-century London was tiny when compared to today's modern cities, but much larger than any other English town at that time. In 1300, the population stood at approximately 80,000, all crammed into one square mile. It was noisy, pretty stinky, packed with people, and not the safest place to be when you consider that getting mauled by a pig was a thing. Let’s travel back in time now to the London...

It’s that time of year again when we want to hear tales about ghosts, demons and mythical monsters. And what better era was there for stories of these supernatural and fabulous occurrences than the Middle Ages? A period in European history that was thick with superstition and when religion commanded everything. A time when the Christian Church decided to place All Souls Day right in the middle of...

What did Vikings eat? Let's find out! A smoky longhouse, the sound of a fire crackling and fat sizzling off a haunch of venison, mugs of mead being quaffed and sagas being recounted. Every day was a feast day in the world of the average Viking, right? Well, maybe not so much. The typical diet of a Viking was seasonal, varied, and apparently really quite indulgent at times. Welcome to the Viking Va...

Most of us have heard the fairy story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. What many of us don’t know is that the legend is based in truth. There is very little evidence as to what actually happened in the German town of Hamelin during the 13th century. In 1384 a short and sinister entry appeared in one of the town’s chronicles. It stated – “It is 100 years since our children left”, but what does this me...

Just suppose you could travel back in time and experience life as a Medieval. Maybe go back to the Middle Ages and live there, in England as an adult, (now why the hell would I want to do that, I hear you shouting, but just bear with me, it’s quite interesting). How would you survive? What would you eat, or wear? Where would you work? How would you avoid getting into trouble with the Church and th...