What do skeletal remains from the fifteenth century tell us about one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Wars of the Roses? The Battle of Towton — fought on 29 March 1461 in North Yorkshire — was a decisive victory for the Yorkists over the Lancastrians, resulting in Edward IV taking the throne from Henry VI.

Skeletons found in a mass grave at Towton Hall in 1996 shed new light on the battle. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dr. Jo Buckberry about what has been learned from these remains about the battle and the injuries these men suffered.

This episode was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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What made for the ideal woman in the Middle Ages? In her new book The Once and Future Sex, Dr. Eleanor Janega looks at what beauty, sexuality, work and social status meant for medieval women. Despite the expectation of their primarily being mothers, they were also industrious farmers, brewers, textile workers, artists and artisans.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, for International Women's Day on Wednesday 8 March, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more from Dr. Janega  about an era that paved the way for new ideas about women’s nature, intellect and ability.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Wales in the Medieval period had a thriving bardic tradition and one poet is particularly fascinating. Gwerful Mechain lived in the second half of the fifteenth century. She left a body of work that is mostly religious, but sometimes very rude and irreverent.

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis finds out more from Professor Wynn Thomas, editor of A Map of Love: Twelve Welsh Poems of Romance, Desire and Devotion, which includes Mechain’s startling hymn of praise to female genitals.

**WARNING: This episode contains graphic, bawdy verse**

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg

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One year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. While the invasion and subsequent war have largely been driven by modern geopolitics, the history of the two countries has also played a part, especially that of the medieval period.

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval Dr. Cat Jarman explains the relationship between the Rus’ people and the Viking Age where this story begins, with contributions from Dr. Olenka Pevny from the University of Cambridge and Dr. Fedir Androschuk, Director of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg

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In the fifth century, Western Europe began remaking itself in the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire. In south-west Britain, old tribal authorities and identities reasserted themselves and a ruling elite led a vibrant and outward-looking kingdom - today’s Cornwall - with trade networks that stretched around the Atlantic coast of Europe and abroad into the Mediterranean. 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to historian John Fletcher about the early history of Cornwall, and how its unique language, culture and heritage survived even after politically merging with England in the tenth century. 

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Maps. They are an essential part of modern life. But when and how did people in medieval Britain first start mapping their surroundings? The Gough Map was one of their first attempts. Compiled in the fifteenth century, it is the earliest known surviving map of Britain to be drawn on a distinct sheet of parchment.

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Nick Millea and Dr Catherine Delano-Smith - two members of a multidisciplinary research project on the Gough Map - about why it is so exceptional, what it reveals about medieval Britain and how new technologies might be able to uncover the shadowy identity of its makers.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg

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Women were an integral feature of the crusade movement. They were not only sometimes participants on the battlefields but also played their part recruiting crusaders, and supporting the effort with patronage, propaganda, and prayer. 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Professor Helen J. Nicholson, author of Women and the Crusades, which explores the roles that women played and how their contemporaries recorded their deeds, limited by social convention and cultural expectations. 

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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When archeologists uncovered a jewellery hoard buried beneath the Iron Age ring fort of Sandby Borg in 2010, their excitement was palpable. Yet little did they know that they had only scratched the surface. As they dug deeper they began to find the remains of a community that had been brutally slaughtered - their wounds evidence of a terrible Early Medieval massacre.

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Dr Ludwig Papmehl-Dufay - one of Sandby Borg’s lead archaeologists. Together they discuss the story of the massacre’s victims, exploring how the latest archaeological techniques can peel back the mystery and tell us more about who they were and what actually happened to them.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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First defined in law in 1352, treason remains one of the most serious crimes a person can commit. And, remarkably, the core of the original Treason Act remains in force and relatively unchanged today.

A fascinating exhibition at the National Archives is offering a unique selection of letters, pamphlets, posters, maps and trial papers to reveal the motives, actions and fates of those accused of being traitors, many of whom paid the ultimate price for their cause. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis finds out more from Dr. Euan Roger, principal Medieval records specialist at The National Archives.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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For monks and monasteries in Anglo-Saxon England, obliteration by Vikings was a constant threat. Like Lindisfarne - first raided in 793 AD - religious houses were frequently preyed upon by marauding Danes searching for rich and easy pickings. But just how devastating were these raids? And were some monasteries capable of survival?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Dr Gabor Thomas from the University of Reading about his research into Lyminge, a monastery in Kent that adopted genius defensive strategies to hold back the Viking menace.

This episode was edited by Joseph Knight, and produced by Rob Weinberg.

Read more about the latest research into Lyminge Monastery here >

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If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store