We're Not So Different

Luke and Eleanor continue their series on Medieval food by discussing the massive number of feasts days, what those feasts were like, and more! cover art is The Fight Between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Luke and Eleanor are back to continue their series on food, drink, and drugs in the Middle Ages. this time, we look at some regional differences in foods, debate the best type of beer, and discuss the conquest of bread

Luke and Eleanor are back and, after so many asked, they're finally talking about food in the Middle Ages. what did they eat and drink, how was it like our food, how was it different, and more!

Luke and Eleanor are back to close out their series on Medieval China by talking some more about the Mongols. How did the Mongol Empire rise to such great heights, only to break apart within 150 years? What was the Pax Mongolica? Who was Kublai Khan and why did his Yuan Dynasty, which China, Mongolia, and parts of Russia, fall apart at the end of the Middle Ages?

just Luke this time as Eleanor is away on a well-deserved vacation. in lieu of our normal episodes and because Luke isn't a scholar of the Middle Ages, we decided to do a show about the medieval influences on the Star Wars franchise, something that Luke does know a lot about. enjoy!

new episode! Luke and Eleanor are back to talk about the Mongols, their many invasions and innovations, and, of course, Temujin, aka Genghis Khan! check it out as we start to wrap up our series on Medieval China

Luke and Eleanor are back to discuss the Great Wall of China. We discuss the numerous walls built over time, the Ming Great Wall that we know today, and how the Wall actually, usually served its purpose as a defensive structure. Imagine that!

Luke and Eleanor are back and continuing the series on Medieval China. this time, we responded to a few questions about sex, both in Medieval China and more generally across the Middle Ages. what can we say? our listeners want to hear about sex and we're happy to oblige

Luke and Eleanor are back to continue the series on Medieval China. this time, we answer a couple of patron questions about life and culture in Imperial China. the first question concerns how the Chinese saw themselves and who they considered the barbarians on their frontier borders while the second question revolves around the creation and trade of ceramics and porcelain out of Medieval China. ch...

we're back, baby! Luke and Eleanor answer some questions before continuing the series on Medieval China by discussing gunpowder. we talk about its discovery, its original purpose as an elixir for eternal life, and its eventual use in a martial context. check it out!

We are back with a brand new episode! Luke and Eleanor continue their series on Medieval China by talking about the Silk Road. It wasn't just commerce and trade goods that flowed along the road, it also carried inventions, armies, and even cultures from the Pacific to the Mediterranean.

hello! no new episode this week due to real world stuff getting in the way, so we're unlocking one of our Patreon episodes for everyone to check out. it's an interview with podcaster and historian Patrick Wyman about a bunch of topics, including his forthcoming book, The Verge. check out the show and if you like what you hear, preorder Patrick's book and subscribe to the patreon for $5 a month at...

Luke and Eleanor are back to continue their series on Medieval China. This episode is the second part of the introduction to Medieval China and gives a very high-level overview of some of the long history of Ancient and early Imperial China, including a look at the early dynasties.

Luke and Eleanor are back to start a series on Medieval China. of course, Medieval China is so different from our general conceptions of the Middle Ages that we have to spend some time introducing Chinese history. after all, China did go through a period of serfdom, they just abandoned the practice over 200 years before the birth of Christ whereas serfdom would last into the 19th century AD and la...

Luke and Eleanor close out the series on the peasants by finishing the final peasant revolts of the medieval era, including the Samogitian Uprisings and the only successful, European medieval peasant rebellion, the Wars of the Remences. Then we wrap up our series on the peasants by talking about how things changed for them during the medieval era

Luke and Eleanor are back for another episode on medieval peasants revolts and this time it's mostly about the English Peasants Revolt of 1381. we discussed how the revolt failed in its immediate goals but did eventually bring about the demise of serfdom in England and we relive the bitter betrayal of Wat Tyler who suffers his very own red wedding moment at the hands of evil nobles after trusting...

welcome back! in this episode, Luke and Eleanor discuss what happens when the peasants get fed up with everything and the world around them generally turned to shit: they rebelled against the nobility. we discuss what gave rise to all the medieval peasants rebellions, talk about the early medieval revolts, and then get into the Jacquerie. Next episode, we will continue to discuss the rebellions, i...

Luke and Eleanor are back, continuing the series on the peasantry. This time, we get into the peasant mindset by seeing how they thought about themselves, what they did in their free time, and how many of them got more vacation time than we do today. Then we begin to discuss the growing friction with the nobility that caused the spate of peasants revolts in the 14th and 15th centuries, which we wi...

Luke and Eleanor are back to continue the series of the peasantry and this time it's all about the process known as Enclosure and how it fundamentally altered property ownership forever by alienating the people from the land they lived and worked upon and accumulating even more capital in the hands of the elites. also, we talk about the Green Knight trailer, fun! here's a link to what land looked...

Luke and Eleanor are back to begin a series on the peasantry. Who were they? What were their lives like? Were they all farmers? And much more! Also, a brief preview of our newest Patreon episode featuring an interview with Patrick Wyman

Luke and Eleanor are back to talk and very briefly sing about everyone's favorite worthless medieval piece of paper: Magna Carta. check it out to learn why Magna Carta doesn't really protect any rights anymore unless you're heavily invested in fishing weirs on the Thames.

Luke and Eleanor are back to talk about sex in the Middle Ages once again. We talk about the shortcomings of medieval sex ed, their views on the importance of virginity, and, of course, wooden dildos. CW: there is some general discussion of rape and sexual assault against women in this episode.

Luke and Eleanor return to break down some popular misconceptions about sex in the Middle Ages because, shockingly, pop culture has led us astray yet again and not everything was weird. church-based sexual puritanism or bodice-ripping softcore porn. Also, we announce the start of our Patreon, coming later this week and featuring a debate on everyone's favorite topic from history: when did Rome fal...

Luke and Eleanor are back to talk more about the Black Death, including its many recurrences, how it changed life for those who survived, and how it all applies to our lives after during and after the present-day covid pandemic. also, some nice reviews for a change.

Luke and Eleanor are back to talk about the utter horror of the Black Death, the way our ancestors coped with it, and what we can possibly learn about how to handle what looks like the end of the world.