Gone Medieval

What's the best cure for a hangover? What's the most effective way to curse your enemies? How do you keep demonic powers at bay? The medieval Celtic world was filled with magic which became absorbed and restructured within a Christian worldview, as saints, prayers, and sacred objects replaced earlier supernatural beings, incantations, charms and talismans.  Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr....

What makes an Archbishop one of the most hated figures in British history? And does Thomas Arundel truly deserve to be branded the greatest villain of 15th-century Britain? Matt Lewis and Professor Chris Given-Wilson explore the life, power, and legacy of a man whose influence reached deep into the politics, religion, and royal struggles of late medieval England, and ask whether he was truly a vil...

"Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?!" These words supposedly uttered by a King over 800 years ago set in motion a chain of gruesome events, and sparked cult-like devotion across the world. Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis consider Becket's meteoric rise in status to becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury, his increasingly fractious relationship with King Henry II, the vicious murder itsel...

Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega dive into the chaos of the late Middle Ages; from the Great Famine and the Little Ice Age to plague, peasant revolts, papal schism and deposed kings, they explore how the 14th and 15th centuries rocked Europe’s political, social and religious foundations. Along the way, they ask what really separates the “high” from the “late” Middle Ages, how far disasters underm...

What if the most powerful warlords in medieval Europe were women? From wine country to empire, Burgundy’s Duchesses brokered marriages, bullied rivals, made kings and emperors, and ruled vast lands in their own right. Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Susan Abernethy to uncover the formidable women behind one of Europe’s wealthiest, most sophisticated courts. MORE The Two Hundred Years War Listen on...

What happens when a kidnapped teenager returns to the land of his captors to change it forever? Dr Eleanor Janega and James Hawes romp through medieval Ireland, as St Patrick’s mission unfolds against an Ireland of raiding Vikings, clashing warlords and coastal towns under siege, culminating in the thunderous showdown at the Battle of Clontarf. Dive into an age of monasteries, longships and Gaelic...

What if one of the most famous stories in English history never happened? What if King Harold did not march his exhausted troops 200 miles before the Battle of Hastings? Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Tom Licence whose explosive research argues that King Harold’s legendary march never happened, revealing a far more sophisticated Anglo-Saxon military strategy than always thought. So how did...

What happens when Vikings stop raiding and start laying siege to a mighty rock fortress on the Clyde? Matt Lewis is joined by Todd Ferguson to uncover the four-month Viking siege of Dumbarton in 870, exploring why this Brittonic stronghold mattered so much, how its fall reshaped Strathclyde, and how these events fed into the long, messy road towards a more unified Scotland MORE The Viking Great Ar...

What if everything you think you know about medieval Croatia is wrong? Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Florin Curta to uncover how Dalmatia’s coastal cities defied “Dark Age” collapse, why Slavic identity may have been a political invention, and how frontiers became homelands in a zone contested by Franks, Byzantines, Venetians and Hungarians. Discover the extraordinary archives, churches...

In the mid‑13th century, the Mongols seemed unstoppable until a former slave‑soldier stood in their way. Mamluk Sultan Qutuz of Egypt defied an empire that had crushed Baghdad and Syria, and began the beginning of the end of the Crusader States. Matt Lewis and Nicholas Morton uncover how Mongol conquests shattered the Crusader world, set Louis IX’s doomed crusade in motion, and paved the way for t...

Crusading in the 13th century was brutal, chaotic and transformative. Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by historian Dr. Tom Smith to uncover failed campaigns, papal ambition, the sack of Constantinople, and Frederick II’s extraordinary treaty for Jerusalem. Expect extraordinary battles, medieval flamethrowers, nunchucks and too much French wine – revealing a crusading movement tearing itself apart. MO...

How did Islam first take root on Iranian soil? What did medieval Iran - or Persia - look like before and afterwards? How do those early encounters still echo through Iranian society today?  The roots of the present-day tensions in Iran are much deeper than just the last 47 years following the Islamic Revolution. To understand more, Matt Lewis is joined by Dr. Khodadad Rezakhani. MOR...

Today we dive into the Second and Third Crusades with major players Eleanor of Aquitaine, Saladin and the bold entrance of Richard the Lionheart. Matt Lewis is joined by Dr Natasha Hodgson to trace the twelfth century struggle for the Holy Land. They explore the wildly successful campaigns and disastrous battles such as the Field of Blood, royal marital struggles and pilgrims dragged into fighting...

In 1095, Pope Urban II’s fiery sermon lit the fuse for a so‑called holy war in the Holy Land. In the first episode of a new series, Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis unpack the First Crusades, when this Christian armies fought against Muslim lords for possession of the arid deserts of the Holy Land.  What spurred thousands upon thousands of medieval Christians, noble and poor alike, to abando...

Scotland’s history is filled with war, betrayal, political intrigue. At the heart of it were powerful Queens; from saintly rulers to strategic alliances, the women behind the throne were anything but passive. Matt Lewis is joined by historian Sharon Bennett Connolly to explore the remarkable life of Saint Margaret of Scotland, the political challenges faced by Queen Margaret of England, and the re...

Were papal indulgences really just a medieval “get out of hell free” card? How were they expanded after the Crusades? And how were they used to fund projects, including the rebuilding of St Peter’s in Rome? Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Felicity Hill to unpack this complicated system of confession, absolution, penance and purgatory. MORE Conclave: Picking Popes Listen on Apple Listen on Spot...

Matt Lewis journeys into the world behind the latest story from the Game of Thrones universe, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms , to discover how it illustrates that medieval history is far more colourful and spectacular than you might think. After nerding out about the world created by George R.R. Martin with Dr. Eleanor Janega, Matt is joined by Dr Hugh Doherty, the show’s historical advisor, who w...

** Contains strong language** What would Britain look like today if Richard III had won at Bosworth? What did medieval people sing when they were drunk and hanging out? What is the most historically accurate part of Monty Python and the Holy Grail ? For this special 500th episode of Gone Medieval , Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega get stuck into the questions at the forefront of the minds of our...

Who is the Sultan that beat back Richard the Lionheart, and earned his respect as a worthy foe? Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Jonathan Phillips to delve into the life and legacy of Saladin, the formidable Muslim leader who reclaimed Jerusalem for Islam and triggered the Third Crusade. They discuss Saladin’s Kurdish origins, his strategic rise to power in Egypt, and the crucial battles that cul...

What would you do if a royal feast turned into a death sentence before dessert was served? Step into Edinburgh Castle as the boy-king James II looks on in horror, and the Douglas brothers are dragged from candlelit feast to shadowed courtyard. Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Michael Brown to dissect the Black Dinner of 1440 - often cited as the inspiration behind the "red wedding" in Gam...

How integral were horses to warfare, agriculture and travel in the Middle Ages? What did your horse say about your status? How can knowing more about horses unlock a deeper understanding of medieval society itself? Matt Lewis is joined by equestrian historian Dr. Anastasija Ropa to understand the way horses powered the Middle Ages. MORE Fantastic Beasts of the Middle Ages Listen on Apple Listen on...

Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega are launched into a medieval battle, how do they survive? They explore the intricacies of medieval warfare; from the strategic brilliance of leaders like Saladin to the unexpected outcomes of famous battles like Agincourt and Bannockburn, delving into what it takes to win against overwhelming odds. MORE What Are The High Middle Ages? Listen on Apple Listen on Spot...

How could England be ruled when the king was just a baby? When Henry VI came to the throne at nine months old, the hunger for power among his Plantagenet uncles spilled into violence. 600 years ago, in February 1426, parliament even moved to Leicester to avoid mob violence in London. Even so, MPs armed themselves with wooden bats and clubs. What happened next? Matt Lewis and Dr. Hannes Kleineke ex...

A wind whips across the North Sea as dragon-headed ships cut through the waves towards Anglo-Saxon England. Their arrival marks the start of the Viking Age. In this episode of Gone Medieval , Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Terri Barnes and C.J. Adrien of the Vikingology podcast to explore why Vikings left their Scandinavian homelands. From climate change and political upheaval to innovations in sh...

Matt Lewis explores the evolution of the Knights Hospitaller, from charitable brotherhood to a formidable fighting force at the heart of the Crusades. How did they reconcile their piety with the brutality of medieval warfare? How did their growing military and financial power reshape the fragile politics of the Holy Land? And how did they endure as one of the most resilient institutions in medieva...