Medieval Madness

Death by pressing or crushing has been around for centuries, although the method used has varied greatly from place to place. In general, it meant that some form of heavy weight would be placed on top of a person with the intention of causing their death. Ow.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"…as a thief therefore you shall be hanged; as a traitor…you shall be drawn and quartered, and your quarters dispersed throughout the kingdom; and as you were outlawed, by our Lord the King and by general consent, and have come back to the court…you shall be beheaded; and because at all times you have been disloyal and a formenter of strife between our Lord the King and our most noble Lady the Que...

The Middle Ages were turbulent times. Constant warfare and disease meant that millions of people died all across the world. Some of the ways that death came upon them can still be recognised today, some are a little more imaginative. These eight ways to die give us an insight into the daily lives of the Medievals, their attitudes and the conditions in which they lived and subsequently died. Learn...

The first few months of 793 was a worrying time for the north of England. Great portents of impending disaster were seen across the heavens. On Lindisfarne the monks had to suspend their evening prayers when an astonishing sight was observed in the night sky. Fiery dragons were seen flying through the air, followed by sheets of lightning that rippled out in huge arcs before piercing the ground wit...

When we think about the Medieval period, we often imagine people not just living in filth, but being happy to do so.  However, the Medievals did wash, bathe and clean their teeth more than we would expect, even if they were unable to achieve the levels of hygiene that we do now. There were medical guides about health and cleanliness and people did their best to keep themselves and their clothes di...

At its heart this tale is a medieval mystery, which sadly involved the death of two children. Innocent boys who found themselves at the mercy of the politics, plotting and greed of two competing royal houses. Henry II of England ascended the throne in 1154 and is considered to be the first Plantagenet king. Essentially two houses descended from the Plantagenets – the House of York and the House of...

Being a queen in the 14th century was a dangerous occupation and no woman knew that better than Joanna I of Naples. She had a talent for ruling; an ability which inevitably threatened the powerful men around her.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mediaeval phantoms were commonly referred to as revenants. There are reports of spectres floating through walls, like a transparent sheet or sail floating through the air. Some of the apparitions were described as being much more unhappy and paler than they had been in life and were dressed in ragged clothing. But many seem to be far more palpable than how we imagine a spirit to be today. There ar...

It began in Essex as a response to the harsh economic demands of parliament and was one of the most significant uprisings in Europe during the medieval period. A national movement of people that spread as far as York and Scarborough in the northeast and over to Somerset in the southwest of England. Previous uprisings had always been led by noblemen, ambitious to overthrow the out of touch governme...

What exactly happened in Strasbourg during the mysterious dancing plague of 1518? Lets travel back in time and have a look at the Mysterious Dancing Plague of 1518. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is no surprise that the vocation of Medieval executioners is up there as one of the most undesirable jobs in the Middle Ages, along with leech collector and gong farmer. Lawlessness and crime were so widespread across the world. Rape, murder, theft, heresy – every type of sin and debauchery ran unchecked throughout medieval society. Most countries were trying to move away from the idea of crimi...

When we think of crime and punishment in the medieval period, we often think of a chaotic system of judgement, and brutal punishments, that seem out of proportion with the seriousness of the crime. In medieval Europe law and order was harsh. It was assumed that people would only behave well if they feared the penalty of breaking the law. There was a gibbet on the outskirts of most towns in England...

During the early medieval era imprisonment was not really a thing. It was more common to either fine, mutilate or execute criminals. But in turbulent times of war, it was often necessary to hold political prisoners who could be used for negotiation and inducement. Even so, only the most high-level captives would actually be held hostage for long periods of time. Incarcerating common criminals was...

We often think that jobs during the Middle Ages were quite different than those that exist today, but actually many of them are connected. Some even have the same titles now as then. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The attitude towards love, sex and marriage went through some interesting changes during the medieval period. Probably due to the prevalence of religion, especially Christianity becoming such an important part of life. One impression that we often associate with medieval sexuality is that of complete repression. A world where a group of people, namely priests and other clerics, who don’t have sex,...

The Medievals had three types of hospitals. The first, known as the leprosaria, for those afflicted with leprosy. The second were those erected for the general use of pilgrims and sick travellers and the third were intended to give shelter to the elderly. A lot were a mixture of the three types, and all were used to look after the needs of the poor, where the inmates would receive care and possibl...

The disease known as the plague has been stalking humanity for over 5,000 years, and there have been many outbreaks. In fact, there have been three pandemics caused by the bacillus bacterium Yersinia Pestis. The first was in the 6th century. It devastated the Byzantine Empire and was known as The Plague of Justinian. The third began in China in the mid-19th century and quickly spread throughout th...

In the Middle Ages how much leisure time a person had would depend heavily upon their social status. Because they had such a favoured position in life, and many servants to fulfill their every need, medieval royalty had lots of free time that they could just fritter away. They could also afford to pay for the best activities for themselves, and for any guests who they needed to entertain. Learn mo...

Even in the 21st century, many people are still afraid to visit the dentist, as it can be an unpleasant experience. Try to imagine it in the Middle Ages without anesthetic and with no sophisticated dental tools. Any affliction of the teeth meant a trip to the barber surgeon, who was the go-to medical practitioner at the time, or even the blacksmith if no barber was available. It is a common miscon...

Let’s be honest, daily life for a medieval serf in England, and many other European countries wasn’t much fun. The feudal system meant that peasants were bound by law to work for the nobility, who owned the land they lived on. The outside working day started at dawn, which meant that during the summer months it could be as early as 3am. And it didn’t end until dusk. Work in the fields was back bre...

Throughout history, there have always been people who belong to the LGBTQ community. In Antiquity same-sex relations were common, and it was acceptable for men to have both male and female lovers outside of marriage. Regarded as a way of controlling the population, Plato compared the acceptance of homosexuality to democracy and its repression to tyranny. Both the terms heterosexuality and homosexu...

Just as they do now many people in the Middle Ages journeyed for business, pleasure, and religious reasons. But unlike today people had just two options when travelling in the medieval world. They could either go by land or sea. In today's episode, we look at 4 Modes of Transport in the Middle Ages. Welcome to Medieval Madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The elite women of ancient Greece and Rome regularly used cosmetics, a custom that was adopted from the ancient Egyptians. During the Middle Ages the tradition continued only among the nobility, as most of the peasant classes didn’t have the money for such luxuries. Of course, in medieval times the church kept a watchful eye over everything, and this included the makeup habits of its female parish...

It seems that students of the modern world and their reputation for drunken debauchery aren't too dissimilar to students of the medieval world. Lets travel back in time and learn about learning in the middle ages. Welcome to Medieval Madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot has been written about the medieval period and a lot of it generally portrays the people as being unsophisticated, cruel, and ignorant. Superstition was a dominating force that filled peoples lives. Violence, death, and disease skulked around every corner, waiting to pounce. But there are also many misconceptions about the Middle Ages making it one of the most fascinating periods in history....