American Medieval

In this episode there are dead mules, dead asses, and penguins. These are all sort of related to one another in the conversation Prof. Gabriele has with Ellen Arnold, but mostly we talk about how the Middle Ages had much more science than the 0% they supposedly did. People really cared about the natural world! They investigated it! It’s neat!  Guest Ellen Arnold is a senior lecturer at Ohio S...

Everybody loves Wheatus, right? Wait, you don’t know who Wheatus is? Nevermind, we’ll get there in this episode. Megan and Prof. Gabriele talk about book history, how medieval people could indeed read - and engage with books in all sorts of interesting ways. Plus, we talk about dirtbag medievalism, a grungy vibes-based way of thinking about the Middle Ages. Guest Megan L. Cook is the Arthur Jeremi...

Prof. Gabriele and Rutger Kramer talk about jolly old St. Nicholas - who, in part, became a saint because he was a rich guy who was also nice. Then he became Santa Claus. Guest Rutger Kramer is assistant professor of Medieval History at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). He works mostly on Carolingian history, monasticism, and hagiographies – topics which are tied together by his interest in th...

Prof. Gabriele and David Perry talk about their recent book, Oathbreakers , about an early medieval civil war that remade Europe. Plus we talk about how we can understand what happened in the past when the sources want to stay silent. Guest David M. Perry is a journalist and historian, who currently works as the associate director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Minnesota. He’s the c...

In this episode, Prof. Gabriele and Brett talk about Jesus through the years. Defying our assumptions, that Christian figure hasn’t stayed the same and his image was very different through the Middle Ages. Plus we talk a bit about Led Zeppelin. Guest Brett Whalen is the Zachary Smith Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He generally researches C...

In this episode, Roland and Matt talk about Disney and the Byzantine Empire (not in that order). Plus we talk about how the process of studying the past can lead you down interesting rabbit holes and connect, for example, the Byzantine Empire and Disney. Guest Roland Betancourt is currently the Andrew W Mellon Professor in the Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts at the National Galler...

Summary In this episode, we spend our time thinking about the Roman Empire. Cliche, but fun. Anyway, Sarah and Prof. Gabriele discuss how we can hear from the 98.5% of Rome that wasn’t an emperor (or a dude), and then try to unpack why Americans are so freaking obsessed with comparing themselves to Romans and why it always seems like the “Fall of Rome” (which isn’t really a thing) is just around t...

Eels. Prof. Gabriele and John Wyatt talk about eels. And maps. We also talk about maps, but mainly medieval  eels.  Guest John Wyatt Greenlee is a cartographic historian, as well as a historian of roads and pathways and pilgrimage. He’s best known on social media though as the Surprised Eel Historian, and he’s been profiled in TIME , The Guardian , Atlas Obscura , Hakai Magazine , and Th...

In this very first episode of American Medieval, Prof. Gabriele and Dr Janega talk about what got us interested in the Middle Ages, what it’s like to do public-facing history, why Czech history is super cool, and why Dan Brown drives medievalists nuts. Guest Dr Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian, whose work aims to highlight the ways that our society has been influenced by the past, and more p...

American Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, your host Prof. Matthew Gabriele is joined by expert guests to explore not just the Middle Ages themselves, but how and why they have such a hold on our collective imagination. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval. New episodes released every Wednesd...