The Medieval Podcast

This week, Danièle explores the life of Margery Kempe: a 15th-century mystic said to be the first female autobiographer in English, and one of medieval Europe’s most colourful - and memorable - figures. Check out the other podcasts hosted by Medievalists.net Byzantium & Friends - https://www.medievalists.net/tag/byzantium-friends/ Scotichronicast - https://www.medievalists.net/tag/scotichronicast/...

Can you tell your Benedictines from your Franciscans and Dominicans? This week, Danièle gives a brief overview of the the backstory of some of the major monastic traditions, and how you can tell them apart. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

Looking for a medieval chronicle that is a page-turning read? The 12th century account known as The Murder of Charles the Good is an action-packed tale of assassination, revenge and war. In this episode of The Medieval Podcast, Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to talk about this riveting chronicle.  This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to...

What’s better - a Rose or a Violet? That is the question written about by Jean Froissart in the 14th century. This debate between plants - each with their own lawyer - tells us a lot about medieval culture and how writers from this period created allegorical poems. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval histor...

This week, it’s medieval story time, with a tale that crosses over between fabliau and courtly love: The Ghost Knight. Danièle shares the story of how a knight manages to win his lady with a little supernatural sleight-of-hand. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedieva...

Written in 14th century China, Romance of the Three Kingdoms can best be described as a historical novel. This week, Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to talk about this famous work of warriors, generals and rulers. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

Although people love to read and learn about The Wars of the Roses, there’s one historical figure who is rarely found in the limelight: Henry VI. This week, Danièle speaks with Lauren Johnson about the somewhat forgotten “shadow king” Henry, his life, his illness, and his quiet but important legacy. The sponsor for this week’s episode is Skillshare – you sign up for a two-month free trial by going...

This week, Danièle speaks with the host of the Byzantium and Friends podcast, Dr. Anthony Kaldellis, about Byzantium, its place in history and in academic departments, and why it’s an area of study that is definitely worth our time. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/theme...

This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Valerie Hansen to get a global perspective on the Middle Ages at the turn of the millennium, including how cultures were connecting in the year 1000, what goods people were trading, and just how far the trade routes went. Dr. Hanson's new book is The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World and Globalization Began. The sponsor for this week’s episode is Skil...

This week’s episode is about one of the places where art and memory, serious messages and playful doodles intersect: graffiti. Danièle interviews Matthew Champion to find out about what sort of images you can find on the walls of a medieval church, just who was tagging, and a little bit about pandemic graffiti. You can learn more about Matthew's work by visiting his website http://www.mjc-associat...

We know for a fact that the medieval world was diverse, we know for a fact that civilizations outside of the major European nations were interesting, but at the moment, Medieval Studies is still a very white field. So why does this matter, especially in the current moment? Because black history matters. Black scholarship matters. And black lives matter. This podcast is made possible by the generou...

This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Emma Levitt about tournaments and the joust in the Middle Ages. Dr. Levitt tells us all about how to score a joust, how the tournament changed over time, and how jousting was used to mend fences during the Wars of the Roses. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, ple...

This week, Danièle tells the story of one of her favourite queens, Isabella of France, who went from being a child bride to storming England and toppling an anointed king. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

This week, Danièle takes on five common myths about medieval peasants. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

This week Danièle talks about castles: what they were like, what they were for, and where we get some of the everyday words we use to describe them. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

This week Danièle shares three funny tales by Franco Sacchetti, written to entertain Italians during the tough times they experienced in the fourteenth century. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

This week Peter Konieczny joins Danièle to talk about some dates and events that historians have used to define the beginning and the end of the Middle Ages, and the mysterious few centuries that some people actually believe didn’t exist. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com...

This week Peter Konieczny joins Danièle to talk about medieval movies, bringing you some classic favourites to help you escape to the medieval world. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

This week, it’s game on with Dr. Alicia McKenzie. Danièle and Alicia talk about the world’s love affair with medieval-themed video games, what some of the ups and downs are, and which games Alicia recommends for medieval fans staying at home. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon...

This week, with headlines turning once again to stories of the plague, Danièle catches up with Winston Black to talk about The Black Death and COVID-19, what’s different about them, and what we can learn today from looking back on the biggest pandemic in human history. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval hi...

This week, Danièle talks about anchorites, men and women who enclosed themselves for life to contemplate their religious beliefs. She also explores some of the work of Julian of Norwich, perhaps the most famous anchorite of the Middle Ages. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.c...

This week, Danièle gets dramatic with a look at medieval drama, how it changed and evolved, and how it influenced later forms of theatre. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

Often, people think of the women of medieval Europe as either wives or nuns: women whose lives and property were under the control of someone else. But what tends to be forgotten is that for some women there was a third option: to become a beguine. This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Tanya Stabler Miller about who the beguines were, and what medieval society thought of them. This podcast is made po...

This week, Danièle gets down and dirty on medieval laundry. Who washed the clothes in the Middle Ages? How did they do it? And why was it so dangerous? This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

This week is all about King Arthur and his Knights - Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to discuss their favourite tales from Arthurian literature and how the story has changed over time. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast