Gone Medieval

How did the apple become the dominant symbol of temptation and sin, when it isn’t even mentioned in the Bible story of Adam and Eve?  In this episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis meets Professor Azzan Yadin-Israel who has pursued this mystery across art and religious history, uncovering where, when, and why the forbidden fruit became an apple. He reveals that Eden’s fruit, once thought to be...

For the first time in 18 years, the Declaration of Arbroath - an iconic document in the story of the struggle for Scottish independence in the 14th century - will go on public display. Dated 6 April 1320, and written by the barons and freeholders on behalf of the Kingdom of Scotland, the Declaration asks Pope John XXII to recognise Scotland's independence and to persuade Edward II of England...

The writings of Julian of Norwich are the earliest surviving English language works by a woman and the only surviving English language works by an anchoress. But her life - particularly prior to taking on her role at Saint Julian's Church in Norwich - is shrouded in mystery and it has been widely debated. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to author Claire Gilbert. Her new book I,J...

What does archaeology tell us about how regions in the Mediterranean built their wealth between the 10th and 12th centuries? How did economies grow in Egypt, Tunisia, Sicily, the Byzantine empire, Islamic Spain and Portugal, and north-central Italy? And what were their trading relationships with each other?  In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Professor Chris Wickham, a...

Deception and trickery have always been a universal feature of warfare and the wars of the Middle Ages were no exception - from the Battle of Hastings to the “fake corpse ruse”. But how did Medieval mores justify deception during wars? Was cunning considered an admirable quality in a warrior? Was the culturally and religious "other" more deceitful than Western Europeans?  In this ep...

After speaking to Gone Medieval in April 2022 about the first volume of his magisterial biography of Henry III, David Carpenter promised Matt Lewis that he would pay the podcast a return visit when the second volume came out. Henry III 1258-1272: Reform, Rebellion, Civil War, Settlement picks up the story when Henry is 51 years old. He's been monarch for 42 years and might have been looking forwar...

The de la Pole dynasty played a central role in the Wars of the Roses. Theirs is a fascinating story of the rises and falls that plagued families - and the disputes within them - as they tried to chart the stormy waters of a civil war.  In this edition of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis meets Michèle Schindler, whose new book De La Pole Father and Son: The Duke, The Earl and the Struggle for Power...

Approximately 1.35 billion people use it, either as a first or second language, so English and the way that we speak it has a daily impact on huge numbers of people. But how did the English language develop?  In this episode of Gone Medieval, first released in July 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman speaks to Eleanor Rye, an Associate Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the University of York....

One of the most consequential eras in North American history was the Medieval Warm Period of 800-1300 CE, when the continent was shaped by climate change or – as its peoples then believed – controlled by gods of wind and water. A great religious movement swept Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the Mississippi valley, sometimes because of worsening living conditions and sometimes by improved agr...

From ghost town to ceremonial, ecclesiastical and economic hub - how did London develop in the Saxon era, and how is that crucial to what London has become?  Dr. Rory Naismith is the author of Citadel of the Saxons: The Rise of Early London and a lecturer at Corpus Christi College at the University of Cambridge. He takes Dr. Cat Jarman through the story of London from its decline after the Ro...

This is a special episode from a series we made in collaboration with Ubisoft, the makers of Assassin's Creed. In Assassins vs Templars , we're immersing ourselves in the real history that inspired the first game. As well as exploring rise and fall of The Knights Templar and the Assassins, we chat to leading experts and historians to analyse the historical backdrop of the first three crusades, rev...

All this month, Gone Medieval has been your perfect companion to the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III.  In this final special episode, Matt Lewis takes a look at the use and meaning of coronation regalia and what happens after the ceremonial aspects - the coronation banquet. He is joined by Lucinda Gosling of the Mary Evans Picture Library and the author of more than 12 books includ...

All this month, Gone Medieval is your perfect companion to the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III.  In this third special episode, Matt Lewis finds out more about the major ceremonial elements of the coronation with Dr. George Gross. Two components which still remain and are particularly significant are the 'recognition' - where the incoming monarch has to be ‘approved’ by the congreg...

Centuries ago, an Anglo-Saxon noble was buried within a 90-foot ship in a mound at Sutton Hoo. It serves as the richest burial ever found in northern Europe to date. Discovered in 1939, not much survived of the original ship. However, an imprint of the ship remains on the earth.  In this episode, first released in November 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined on the ground by Martin Carver, directo...

This is a special episode from a series we made in collaboration with Ubisoft, the makers of Assassin's Creed. In Assassins vs Templars , we're immersing ourselves in the real history that inspired the first game. As well as exploring the rise and fall of The Knights Templar and the Assassins, we chat to leading experts and historians to analyse the historical backdrop of the first three crusades,...

Throughout April, Gone Medieval is your perfect companion for the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III. In this episode, Dr. Cat Jarman asks what did kingship really mean in the first half of the medieval period? How and when did we start to have kings in what later was to become England? And what was the actual significance of a coronation? All these questions and more are explore...

The Second Baron’s War was a time of great unrest and upheaval in 13th century England. Fought just decades after the signing of Magna Carta, it marked the unwelcome return of tumult between the nobility and the crown and pitted the hitherto peaceful King Henry III against his old friend Simon de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester. In this episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis is joined by Ian Ross w...

Though today it is just a muddy field, the small hamlet of Yeavering was once a bustling centre of Anglo-Saxon power in the North of England. At its heart was a 7th century palace - known in Latin as Ad Gefrin - which was built by King Edwin in 616 AD, the first king of a united Northumbria. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman speaks to Dr Chris Ferguson, the Director of Visitor Exp...

A coronation is a moment of history packed with symbolism and meaning, and throughout April 2023 Gone Medieval will be your perfect historical companion to the coronation of King Charles III. In the first of four special episodes, Matt Lewis traces certain elements of the coronation ceremony back to their medieval origins, looking back to the earliest English coronation records.  This episode...

When we think of Vikings, we tend to picture them in the colder climates of Northern Europe, and not so much in the warmer regions of Spain and the Mediterranean beyond. However, joining Dr. Cat Jarman today is Dr. Irene García Losquiño, a researcher whose work is uncovering Viking activity on the Iberian peninsula, shedding new light on the lives they lived there beyond the raiding we know about....

Dick Whittington - who died 600 years ago this month - is a familiar name to generations of pantomime goers. But Richard Whittington’s real life was far more compelling than the theatrical story suggests. He was a civic reformer, an enemy of corruption, the author of an extraordinary social legacy, who contributed to Henry V’s victory at Agincourt, building works at Westminster Abbey, and to Londo...

Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the legends of Thor, Odin and Asgard are familiar to millions today. Yet the histories of these myths are far richer than modern popular culture often implies. From Yggdrasil to Ragnarok, the seemingly unending tales of heroism, betrayal and intrigue found within the Norse Sagas have captivated audiences for centuries. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, D...

In our modern and digital age, contemporary music has many influences: heartbreak, war, even climate change. But what about the Middle Ages? Has the artistry and literature of the medieval period had an influence on music today? In this episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis speaks to singer and songwriter Elanor Moss - who studied seventh to tenth century literature at university - to discuss how...

Everyone lies from time to time but some lies have had a particular influence on world events and have even been a major factor in shaping history. In the Middle Ages, for example, how did an outlandish book called The Travels of Sir John Mandeville create misconceptions about foreigners? And how did falsehoods promoted after the death of a young boy in northern Italy lead to widespread anti-...

What do skeletal remains from the fifteenth century tell us about one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Wars of the Roses? The Battle of Towton — fought on 29 March 1461 in North Yorkshire — was a decisive victory for the Yorkists over the Lancastrians, resulting in Edward IV taking the throne from Henry VI. Skeletons found in a mass grave at Towton Hall in 1996 shed new l...