The Medieval Podcast

This week, Danièle explores the big medieval news stories of 2023 in conversation with Peter Koniezcny, editor of Medievalists.net. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists 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

In the Middle Ages, December meant a celebration of jolly old St. Nicholas along with a host of other sainted figures and important moments in the Christian story. This week, Danièle presents a quick guide to medieval holiday saints and feasts. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners lik...

In the past few years, trans and genderqueer issues have come to the forefront both in society and in the way scholars are approaching medieval studies. But what do these terms mean? And how do we apply them responsibly to the past? This week, Danièle speaks with Alicia Spencer-Hall and Blake Gutt about trans and genderqueer scholarship in medieval studies. You can read the open-access book, Trans...

This week, Danièle continues the annual tradition of sharing some of her favourite books of the year, along with the top picks of Peter Konieczny, editor and co-founder of Medievalists.net. Danièle's list: Temptation Transformed: The Story of How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple , by Azzan Yadin-Israel Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art , edited by Kristen Collins a...

In honour of the new discoveries around the Princes in the Tower, Danièle delves into some other mysterious deaths and disappearances in English royal history. You can support The Medieval Podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieva...

Humans have always been fascinated by the birds and beasts of planet Earth, collecting and compiling information on their habits, habitats, and where they got their names. This week, Danièle speaks with Hana Videen about her contribution to the field: a brand new Old English bestiary. The Deorhord: An Old English Bestiary , by Hana Videen is published by Princeton University Press - https://press....

This week, Danièle and Peter Konieczny share profound - and profoundly odd - medieval proverbs from one of their favourite books of the Middle Ages: The Well-Laden Ship . The Well-Laden Ship, by Egbert of Liège, was translated by Robert Gary Babcock as part of the Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library. You can get details about the book at https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674051270 You c...

For a thousand years – and especially the last two hundred or so – people have had a love affair with Vikings. But what do we know about the Norse voyages to the Americas? Why are Vikings so fascinating at this historical distance? And how do they fit into modern people’s ideas of identity? This week, Danièle speaks with Martyn Whittock about Vikings and their influence on American culture. You ca...

This week, guest host Peter Konieczny interviews Danièle about her new book Chivalry and Courtesy: Medieval Manners for a Modern World. You can support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists 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, in celebration of her first two books becoming available on Patreon, Danièle discusses five ways to become a better medievalist, five minutes at a time. You can now buy two of Danièle's books on our Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists/shop This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval hist...

In light of the TikTok trend asking, "How often do you think about the Roman Empire?" Danièle discusses how to gently correct misguided assumptions about history in the people we love. You can support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread t...

For the better part of a millennium, people have been applying the tenets of chivalry to their personal lives in order to give themselves moral and ethical targets to tilt at. But what does it look like to apply medieval ideals to the twenty-first century? And what does it mean to walk the walk of knighthood in a high-tech society? This week, Danièle speaks with CEO and YouTube sensation Jason Kin...

One of the favourite activities of medieval scholars was to write massive encyclopedias, distilling every last detail of the known world into book form to share with an insatiably curious public. This week, Danièle speaks with Travis Zadeh about a thirteenth-century bestseller written by a scholar named Qazwini, who brought together natural philosophy and what we might now call supernatural philos...

We know that trees were a fundamental part of early medieval society, technology, and culture, but how did pagan communities preserve and adapt their thinking about trees in the face of increasing Christian missionary activity? This week, Danièle speaks with Michael D.J. Bintley about the evolving role of trees in early medieval England. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www....

This week, Danièle speaks with Kenneth Duggan about capital crime in medieval England, how the community was involved in the justice system, and some of the unexpected events that might happen at a gallows. You can support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find ou...

Myths and conspiracies aside, the real medieval Templars were indeed a formidable fighting force, as well as being financially savvy diplomats at many of the major courts of the time. This week, Danièle speaks with Steve Tibble about the Templars' role in Britain and Ireland, their activities on and off the battlefield, and some of the major political events they were involved with. Support this p...

This week, Danièle catches us up on what's been happening lately, and reads some advice written by Dhuoda, a Carolingian woman, for her teenaged son. You can learn more about the Patreon for Medievalists.net and The Medieval Podcast at https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval...

In honour of the new Barbie movie, Danièle talks about the games medieval children played, and the toys they played with. You can support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists 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...

This week, Danièle catches up with Peter Konieczny to discuss the new research they came across at the International Medieval Congress at Leeds, as well as some of the amazing historical sites they each visited this summer. 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/themedievalpod...

This week, Danièle takes a quick moment out of summer vacation to bring you a (mildly) spicy story from medieval Italy about a jealous husband and his quick-witted wife. You can support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medie...

This week, Danièle travels to the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds for a chat about life, history, and everything in between with podcast favourite Eleanor Janega in front of a live studio audience. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out h...

Everyone knows that the fruit Eve was tempted to eat in the Garden of Eden was an apple - or was it? This week, Danièle speaks with Azzan Yadin-Israel about the original fruit of original sin, how written culture and art worked together to transform it, and why it took centuries to settle on the apple. You can help support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.co...

Everyone’s heard of Geoffrey Chaucer, but he wasn’t the only poet writing powerful and political verse in fourteenth-century London. This week, Danièle speaks with Eve Salisbury and Georgiana Donavin about John Gower, his poetry, and why we should all get to know him. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists This podcast is made possible by the generous...

He’s a comic book hero. He’s a movie star. He’s Earth’s mightiest Avenger, and a day of the week. He’s the god of thunder… or is he? This week, Danièle speaks with Declan Taggart about Thor. To listen to ExtraMedieval, please sign up on Medievalists.net's Patreon or through Danièle's website . This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spre...

This week, Danièle celebrates 200 episodes of The Medieval Podcast. Find out whose episodes listeners voted the most surprising, most entertaining, and most uplifting, as well as who had the best voice and best chemistry with Danièle. Which episode will reign supreme? Want to get ExtraMedieval? Sign up on the Medievalists.net Patreon at the $3.99 US tier. Visit the Patreon page at https://www.patr...