The Medieval Podcast

Looking for a book to read about the medieval world? Danièle offers her picks for which books about the Middle Ages you should read. It includes ones by Dan Jones, Helen Castor, Peter Frankopan and Ruth Mazo Karras, plus Danièle's choices for primary sources and medieval fiction.  This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of...

This week, Danièle asked her listeners which myths about the Middle Ages really drive them crazy. From the Flat Earth to daily hygiene, here is our attempt to shed light on some of the most common (but wrong!) ideas we have about 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 pat...

The medieval period is routinely slammed as a time in which people had little to no medical knowledge, but the people of the Middle Ages had a much better understanding of how to heal themselves than modern popular culture would suggest. In this episode, Danièle speaks with Dr. Ilana Krug about the use of honey in medieval military medicine and the time Henry V got an arrow in the face. This podca...

One of the buzzwords in education is gamification - using games to get people more engaged with what they are learning. Those studying history might be using the immersive games from Reacting to the Past, which gets students to work with primary sources and with each other. Danièle is joined by Kyle Lincoln to discuss his work with Reacting to the Past, how he is developing a game based on the Fou...

Love it or hate it, Game of Thrones has had a major impact on people’s perceptions of the Middle Ages. In this episode, Danièle talks with Peter Konieczny about the finale, the future, and saying farewell to this fan favourite. 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...

During the medieval period, there was a lot of interest in writing down what was going on in the world for the sake of future generations, but there’s one massive problem with medieval chronicles: people didn’t approach history in the Middle Ages the way we do today. This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Lane Sobehrad about how medieval people wrote history, and how historians today can do their part...

Sexuality was a huge part of medieval culture, from the rules about how and when to have sex, to the dirty jokes that found their way into religious art. This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Eleanor Janega about getting medieval in the bedroom. 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...

From the submissive to the scandalous, medieval queens held a huge amount of influence over the politics of the day. In this episode, Danièle speaks with Dr. Helen Castor about queenship, the challenges of studying even the most prominent medieval women, and how their stories still resonate today. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help...

What was torture really like in the Middle Ages? Everyone knows, or thinks they know, that torture was an integral part of medieval life, but many of our beliefs are really myths. Larissa ‘Kat’ Tracy joins Danièle to talk about iron maidens, dungeons, executions and more. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval...

A special episode of The Medieval Podcast to discuss the tragic fire that has left much of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris destroyed. Danièle talks with Peter Konieczny, Editor of Medievalists.net, to recount what we know about the fire, and our own reactions to this sad disaster.  This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of...

Although it seems to be a fundamental contradiction, some medieval conflicts saw bishops braving the battlefield. To find out more about these military men of the cloth, Danièle speaks with Craig Nakashian, author of Warrior Churchmen of Medieval England, 1000-1250: Theory and Reality. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the j...

These days, there are many different ways to be a historian outside of academia. In this episode, Danièle speaks with Christine Morgan, creator of Untitled History Project, about her latest work on the famous fairy Mélusine, Mary Boleyn, and making it as a historian off the tenure track. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the...

The recent (re)confirmation that the prestigious medieval warrior buried in Birka, Sweden was female has gotten people talking once again about the role of women in the Viking world. This week, Danièle interviews archaeologist Leszek Gardeła to learn more about women, warriors, and when a weapon is more than just a weapon. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you...

This month, an exciting connection was made between Islamic and Irish medicine through the discovery of a medieval fragment of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine bound in a sixteenth-century printed book. In this episode, Danièle speaks with Pádraig O’Macháin about his discovery of the very first physical evidence that Avicenna was translated and shared in Gaelic. This podcast is made possible by the ge...

Everyone loves a medieval mystery novel, but just how does an author go about creating one that’s true to the period? To find out, Danièle speaks with Candace Robb, author of the Owen Archer and Kate Clifford mystery series to learn about how to create compelling and intriguing historical fiction. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help...

What was it like to be a bastard in medieval Europe? Were you excluded from one of the most important institutions of the time: the priesthood? Danièle is joined by Sara McDougall to talk about bastards, priests, and if you could be both at that same 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, pleas...

How did medieval people deal with physical and mental challenges? Danièle speaks with Kisha Tracy of Fitchburg State University on why its important to talk about disabilities in the Middle Ages and what evidence we have for how people cared for each other when there was physical or mental disabilities. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to...

It was one of the most famous battles of the Middle Ages, and one that has been studied by many historians. Yet, we do not know exactly where the battle was fought. Danièle speaks with Michael Livingston about his latest research on where the battlefield might be. 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...

What was marriage in the Middle Ages really like? Danièle is joined by Ruth Mazo Karras, Lecky Professor Of History at Trinity College Dublin, a leading expert on medieval relationships, especially marriage. They discuss love, weddings and partnerships in medieval society.  This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of mediev...

The medieval tale Le Jongleur de Notre Dame or Our Lady’s Tumbler had been forgotten for centuries, but then was rediscovered in the 19th century. It rapidly became a very popular story, recreated in books, plays and films. Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington D.C. has opened the “Juggling the Middle Ages” exhibition to look at the medieval tale and its modern reinterpretation. Danièle is joined by...

Researchers examining the remains of a medieval nun in Germany have discovered the mineral Lapus Lazuli in her teeth. Danièle talks with two of the team members behind this fascinating find, Christina Warinner and Alison Beach, about how her blue teeth tells us she was an artist. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of...

The Crusades were a phenomenon that had profound consequences for Europe and the Middle East. Why did they begin and how did they evolve? Danièle is joined by Andrew Latham of Macalester College, author of Theorizing Medieval Geopolitics, to talk about the Crusades, including Richard the Lionheart's strategy during the Third Crusade.  This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listen...

The Hundred Years' War would see England and France fighting for much the 14th and 15th centuries. It was one of the most important conflicts of the Middle Ages. Danièle speaks with Dr. David Green of Harlaxton College, the author of The Hundred Years War: A People’s History. They talk about the causes of the war, and how the conflict impacted peasants, the Church, soldiers and women. You can foll...

How were books made and used in the Middle Ages? Danièle is joined by Professor Erik Kwakkel from the University of British Columbia, a 'rockstar' of the Book History world. Learn about the process of making manuscripts, including why medieval scribes made doodles in their works. You can follow Erik on Twitter @erik_kwakkel  This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like y...

Could you really find coconuts in medieval England? Danièle talks with Kathleen E. Kennedy, Associate Professor of English at Penn State-Brandywine, about medieval trade, Monty Python, goblets and more. You can follow Kathleen on Twitter @TheMedievalDrK 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 vi...