Medieval Madness

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...

Having Viking DNA doesn’t mean that you should automatically construct a longhouse and start planning your ship burial – although you’re absolutely free to do that if that’s what your seafaring heart desires. And actually, having Viking DNA doesn’t make you all that special – about 6% of Britons are likely to have Scandinavian DNA according to a study published in 2020, and about 10% of Swedes can...

For thousands of years, people have placed curses on their enemies and wished them misfortune. Many of these hexes have involved pleas to the forces of the occult with prayers and rituals. Sometimes it might be an actual object or a place that is cursed, like a tomb. Many Medieval tales involve warnings about destruction and deaths that appear to be linked to curses. Let us travel back in time now...

Menstruation is a milestone in the life of any girl or woman. A biological phenomenon that changes her body and her social standing. But what about women who lived during the Middle Ages? Knowing what we do about Medieval hygiene it’s hard not to feel sympathy for them, without the convenience of modern pads and tampons. Did they understand what was happening to their bodies during their period? W...

Honestly, Vikings were pretty much the same as any other medieval people – they were farmers and handymen most of the time. Most Vikings lived on a farmstead and they would have had to have been able to grow crops, tend livestock, and create all the tools they’d need to maintain their homes and animals. But that’s not all. Vikings were versatile and able to turn their hands to anything they wanted...

What would the Medievals want with a burnt owl, a chopped-up cat, or dove faeces? How do you help a bald man with gout? Or a woman with ‘blocked menses?’If they weren’t too complicated, most medicines in the Middle Ages were homemade. Many were quite practical, and most of the ingredients make sense to us because they are still recognisable today. Others are just downright freaky… Learn more about...

It was a spectacular win for the young English King Henry V on St. Crispin’s Day 1415. And everybody loves to see a win for the underdog, a victory for the common soldier over the well-armed knight. It felt like every moment of the Hundred Years War had been leading up to this point. A pivotal battle that would change the course of European warfare forever and saw the French army lose to an Englis...

Being a criminal in the modern age really doesn’t have quite the same thrill anymore – you get caught by the police, tried, and then sent to prison for a certain amount of time. The Vikings on the other hand... Well, they knew what to do with a criminal. Viking society didn’t have political or criminal institutions in the same way as we do now – but they did have a complex web of honour and justic...

Alberico was many things, a friend and patron to troubadours, an Occitan poet, a mercenary, and a Podesta. But being politically allied to his notoriously cruel brother Ecelino didn’t help Alberico when he was eventually captured by Papal troops. What was Alberico so guilty of that had caused him to be hated in the Italian city of Treviso? The Middle Ages were violent, pitiless, and revenge-driven...

During the Middle Ages, ale was the most popular drink in England, and Medieval taverns, inns, and alehouses held a very important role in society, providing drink, food, and lodging to weary travellers, pilgrims, and even occasionally royalty. When we think of the Medieval tavern we imagine dark and smelly places with huge wooden tables and benches, places of gambling, violence, and shady busines...

Vikings loved their kids, relying on their offspring to support them in their old age and carry on the family name. In Njal’s Saga we see how Njall chooses to die rather than live without his sons, showing how deeply important children were to Viking families. Although what was it like to be a child in the Viking era? Was it a carefree time of exploration and learning to fight and pillage, or did...

Many people look at the Middle Ages through romantic eyes. They think about “armoured knights on lumbering steeds”, beautiful damsels in pointy hats, dragons, chivalry, and courtly love. Nothing could be further from the truth.  For most people, the Middle Ages were dirty, difficult, and really dangerous. Let’s find out now why it was unlikely that you could stay alive and prosper and why you were...

At what age was someone considered to be ‘old’ in the Middle Ages? Did greying hair automatically guarantee respect from the younger generation? Were Medievals afraid of becoming old, with all its infirmities, or were they happy to live to such a great age when death was everywhere? Now, let’s travel back in time and discuss cougars, flying monks, fat children, and their urine. Welcome to Medieval...

Viking religious beliefs are still somewhat of a mystery. The pantheon of Norse gods that we know today come from a variety of different stories and people could choose to worship them in many different ways. Viking beliefs are often called “paganism”, but this was the name given to their religion by the later Christians. They believed that everything had a soul, even inanimate objects. They belie...