For centuries, one English monarch basked in an almost unblemished, heroic reputation. But more recently questions have been asked about some of his actions. Was Henry V a great warrior king, or a vicious butcher - or both?

Matt Lewis is joined by Dan Jones to fill the gap between the Plantagenets and the Wars of the Roses with an examination of the relatively newly divisive figure, Henry V.

Clip of Shakespeare's Henry V from the 2013 Globe Theatre production, with Jamie Parker as Henry V.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and edited by Rob Weinberg. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’

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One of the enduring mysteries of the Viking Age is the identity of two people buried in a spectacular blood drenched ship in southern Norway in the autumn of 834. Why the mystery? Because these remains were of women accorded the most lavish Viking burial ever discovered.

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Heather Pringle to discuss research that reveals how Viking women were warriors, traders, and leaders, and how their lives have been long overlooked by history.

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega and edited by Ella Blaxill. The producer is Rob Weinberg, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’ https://historyhit.com/subscription

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The Crusades still capture the imagination today, for all of their professed good intentions they were also bloody ideological wars.

But have we misunderstood some of the key sources for the First Crusade? The letters on record are not only from popes and bishops but also written by crusaders who were actually on the campaign.

Matt Lewis is joined by Dr. Thomas Smith, a leading historian of the Crusades, to learn more about what we might have previously missed.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and edited by Ella Blaxill. The producers are Joseph Knight and Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’ https://historyhit.com/subscription

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In the year 940 in North-Eastern France, a young peasant girl began to experience vivid visions that mirrored the brutal conflict engulfing her world. Flothilde's visions were written down by one of the era's most respected historians, creating a unique record of how 'smallfolk' experienced the violent power struggles around them. 

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Fraser McNair, whose translation of the Visions of Flothilde reveals the horror that she experienced as her community was torn apart.

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega and edited by Ella Blaxill. The producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’ https://historyhit.com/subscription

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For millions of Tolkien lovers around the world, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are more than just fantasy fiction. Their rich mix of sacred mythology and archetypal saga stories draw deeply into history and legend and profoundly resonate with universal human experience. But from where did Tolkien derive his inspiration? As with most things, Matt Lewis is determined to claim it as medieval, with the help of today's guest, Tolkien scholar Dr. Chris Snyder.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’

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It’s summer, so let’s kick back, give our brains a break and indulge in a little fantasy. Hollywood, like us, ADORES the medieval period and has made some stonking entertainment based on this period. Our esteemed historian hosts assess the most fun, the most accurate and the most absurd films set in medieval times and choose their favourite guilty pleasures.

Starring Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, a rabble-rousing Chaucer and a cockney King Arthur. We also hear what medieval people would have made of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega. The editor is Ella Blaxill, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’: https://historyhit.com/subscription

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William Marshal was one of the most famous and influential figures in English medieval history, rising from a lowly start to becoming the knight at the right hand of five Kings - Henry II, his co-regent young Henry, Richard I, John and Henry III.  Marshal is the subject of the only known written biography of a non-royal to survive from the Middle Ages, extolled as being "the best knight in the world."

But was he really as great as his biographers made him out to be?  Matt Lewis finds out more from John Marshall, who has just finished his PhD at Trinity College, Dublin, on William Marshal.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’.

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On Gone Medieval we like to celebrate the best stories - and storytellers - of history, so today Dr.Eleanor Janega showcases the brilliant podcast History Daily. Host Lindsay Graham takes listeners back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history and to tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time. 

This episode is all about the events that took place in April 1014: King Brian of Ireland is killed by Vikings during the Battle of Clontarf, leading Ireland to fall into anarchy.

Listen to more History Daily episodes here: www.historydaily.com

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original History Hit TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’ https://historyhit.com/subscription

Please be aware that this episode mentions sexual violence

Amongst the countless crusaders who travelled to the Holy Land, there were undoubtedly some who believed they were doing the right thing for their God and King. Others though were gangsters, bandits and even worse, murderers and rapists, bringing horror and terror to the region. In fact, the real tensions stemmed not from religion but from young men - dislocated, disinhibited and present in disturbingly large numbers.

Matt Lewis finds out more about the shocking levels of criminality during the Crusades from Steve Tibble. They discuss those who used the cover of Holy War to commit a variety of crimes and how the clues are everywhere, even in the film Casablanca.

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. The editor is Ella Blaxill, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’: https://historyhit.com/subscription

You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

How did a peasant girl go on to lead French armies at the age of 17? How did her visions of saving France from the English play a part in her life? Why was it significant that she wore men's clothes and led armies? And what is her legacy today?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor Janega pops across to our sister podcast Betwixt the Sheets to discuss the life of the formidable Joan of Arc with Dr. Kate Lister.

This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith and Rob Weinberg. The senior producers are Charlotte Long and Anne-Marie Luff.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘MEDIEVAL’.

You can take part in our listener survey here >