Gone Medieval

What made for the ideal woman in the Middle Ages? In her new book The Once and Future Sex, Dr. Eleanor Janega looks at what beauty, sexuality, work and social status meant for medieval women. Despite the expectation of their primarily being mothers, they were also industrious farmers, brewers, textile workers, artists and artisans. In this episode of Gone Medieval , for International Wom...

Wales in the Medieval period had a thriving bardic tradition and one poet is particularly fascinating. Gwerful Mechain lived in the second half of the fifteenth century. She left a body of work that is mostly religious, but sometimes very rude and irreverent. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis finds out more from Professor Wynn Thomas, editor of A Map of Love: Twelve Welsh Poems of R...

One year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. While the invasion and subsequent war have largely been driven by modern geopolitics, the history of the two countries has also played a part, especially that of the medieval period. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval Dr. Cat Jarman explains the relationship between the Rus’ people and the Viking Age where this story begins, with contributions from Dr. O...

In the fifth century, Western Europe began remaking itself in the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire. In south-west Britain, old tribal authorities and identities reasserted themselves and a ruling elite led a vibrant and outward-looking kingdom - today’s Cornwall - with trade networks that stretched around the Atlantic coast of Europe and abroad into the Mediterranean.&nb...

Maps. They are an essential part of modern life. But when and how did people in medieval Britain first start mapping their surroundings? The Gough Map was one of their first attempts. Compiled in the fifteenth century, it is the earliest known surviving map of Britain to be drawn on a distinct sheet of parchment. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Nick Millea and Dr Cather...

Women were an integral feature of the crusade movement. They were not only sometimes participants on the battlefields but also played their part recruiting crusaders, and supporting the effort with patronage, propaganda, and prayer.  In this episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis talks to Professor Helen J. Nicholson, author of Women and the Crusades , which explores the roles that women playe...

When archeologists uncovered a jewellery hoard buried beneath the Iron Age ring fort of Sandby Borg in 2010, their excitement was palpable. Yet little did they know that they had only scratched the surface. As they dug deeper they began to find the remains of a community that had been brutally slaughtered - their wounds evidence of a terrible Early Medieval massacre. In today’s episode of Gone Med...

First defined in law in 1352, treason remains one of the most serious crimes a person can commit. And, remarkably, the core of the original Treason Act remains in force and relatively unchanged today. A fascinating exhibition at the National Archives is offering a unique selection of letters, pamphlets, posters, maps and trial papers to reveal the motives, actions and fates of those accused of bei...

For monks and monasteries in Anglo-Saxon England, obliteration by Vikings was a constant threat. Like Lindisfarne - first raided in 793 AD - religious houses were frequently preyed upon by marauding Danes searching for rich and easy pickings. But just how devastating were these raids? And were some monasteries capable of survival? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Dr Gabor T...

Edward III wed Philippa of Hainault when they were both teenagers. It was a marriage of deep affection lasting 41 years. But when Alice Perrers entered court as a young widow, she caught the eye of the ageing king as Philippa’s health declined.  In this episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis talks to Gemma Hollmann, author of The Queen and the Mistress: The Women of Edward III  about how...

The Danelaw was the part of England where large numbers of Scandinavians settled between the 9th and 11th centuries, and where Danish rather than English law was followed. Its set of legal terms and definitions was created in the treaties between Alfred the Great and the Danish warlord, Guthrum. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Jake Stattel, a PhD candidate in Medieval His...

Matt Lewis concludes his four special episodes on medieval mysteries with perhaps the most enduring historical enigma of them all. For more than 500 years, people have speculated about the disappearance of King Edward V - aged 12, and his nine-year-old brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. They were lodged in the Tower of London by their paternal uncle the Duke of Gloucester, supposedly in...

The largest group of tiles in The British Museum was found at the site of Chertsey Abbey in Surrey. These fragmented floor tiles depict the fictional killing of Sultan Saladin during the Crusades by Richard the Lionheart. Groundbreaking technological research has now revealed what the tile fragments originally looked like on the floor of the Chapter House, as well as some surprising reve...

Matt Lewis continues his Mystery Month on Gone Medieval with another tantalising enigma of the Middle Ages - possibly the most mysterious manuscript that exists anywhere in the world. Carbon-dated to the early 15th century, the Voynich manuscript is hand-written in an unknown script, embellished with illustrations and diagrams, showing people, fantastical plants and a...

In 1324, Alice Kyteler became the first woman in Britain and Ireland to be tried for witchcraft. Married to four different husbands - all of whom died in suspicious circumstances - Alice was accused of murder, heresy and having carnal relations with the devil. But was she guilty? Or just another woman who fell victim to the medieval distaste for women in power? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr...

Matt Lewis continues his Mystery Month on Gone Medieval with another tantalising enigma of the Middle Ages - the legendary figure of Prester John. There’s a long history to the myth that “out there” in the east, a pious and noble Christian king ruled over a mighty kingdom — filled with strange beasts, fabulous wealth, and colossal buildings — who was prepared to lead his army to the defence of...

The Picts who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland in the Early Medieval period spoke the Pictish language. But for centuries, the origins of Pictish have been hotly debated. In this episode of Gone Medieval , Dr. Cat Jarman finds out all about the Picts and their language, and what insights are emerging from the latest research, with Dr. Guto Rhys. This episode was edited by Anisha...

January 2023 is Matt Lewis’s Mystery Month on Gone Medieval and for his first foray into the unsolved enigmas of the Middle Ages, Matt looks into the death of King Edward II.  Most historians agree that Edward died at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire on 21 September 1327, but some think he may have died much later. His death though was "suspiciously timely”. Was he murdered with a...

Poland is not normally thought of as an important part of the Viking world. But as a key geographical location on the Baltic Sea, it was in fact a crucial meeting point between east and west. So what kind of presence did the Vikings have in Poland? And what was the connection between the region and the legendary Jomsvikings, and with King Harald Bluetooth? In this episode of Gone Medieval , Dr. Ca...

Vikings are often depicted as fearless warriors, but they were not immune to the harsh realities of northern weather. They not only survived in countries such as Greenland and Iceland but thrived. How did they adapt to the unforgiving ice and snow?  In this episode of Gone Medieval, first released in 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by James McMullen to explore elements of Viking settlement and...

At this time of year, many of us will find ourselves singing about a royal personage who braves the snow on the Feast of Stephen – the Second Day of Christmas – so that he can distribute alms to a poor peasant. But who was the real Good King Wenceslas and was he as pious and saintly as the Christmas song suggests?  In this episode of Gone Medieval , Dr. Cat...

In recent weeks, cinema audiences have been enjoying The Lost King , which tells the story of the efforts of amateur historian Philippa Langley to find the remains of Richard III - lost for more than 500 years - beneath a social services car park in Leicester. In this episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis meets Philippa to hear the story of this amazing discovery. This episode was edited and...

Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about a fragment of Old English poetry that depicts one of the defining conflicts of 10th century England - the Battle of Maldon. Its 325 lines immortalise the bloody defence by Earl Byrhtnoth and the Anglo-Saxons against the Vikings which took place on the banks of the River Blackwater in Essex in the year 991.  Cat talks to Dr. Mark Atherton - author of Th...

The Christmas carols we sing each year share roots in medieval church music. But as Matt Lewis finds out in this episode, carols were not just for Christmas but could be sung in different settings all your round. To find out the origins of carols, Matt talks to Micah Mackay, who is a doctoral candidate researching medieval carols at Balliol College, Oxford. This episode was edited and produced by...

According to tradition, if it rains on Saint Swithun's bridge in Winchester on St. Swithun’s day — 15 July — it will continue for 40 days.  But who was the real Swithun?  And why has his historical importance as an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester been overshadowed by his reputation as a miracle worker?   In this episode of Gone Medieval , Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more abo...