Matt Lewis continues his Mystery Month on Gone Medieval with another tantalising enigma of the Middle Ages - the legendary figure of Prester John.

There’s a long history to the myth that “out there” in the east, a pious and noble Christian king ruled over a mighty kingdom — filled with strange beasts, fabulous wealth, and colossal buildings — who was prepared to lead his army to the defence of Christendom. But Prester John never showed up to help. Did he even exist? Matt examines the facts with Medieval era historian Dr. Nicholas Morton.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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The Picts who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland in the Early Medieval period spoke the Pictish language. But for centuries, the origins of Pictish have been hotly debated.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out all about the Picts and their language, and what insights are emerging from the latest research, with Dr. Guto Rhys.

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

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January 2023 is Matt Lewis’s Mystery Month on Gone Medieval and for his first foray into the unsolved enigmas of the Middle Ages, Matt looks into the death of King Edward II. 

Most historians agree that Edward died at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire on 21 September 1327, but some think he may have died much later. His death though was "suspiciously timely”. Was he murdered with a red-hot poker as the propaganda against him soon afterwards suggested? What proof exists to suggest that he may have died in another way, and at another time? Matt unpicks the evidence with Edward II’s biographer Kathryn Warner.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Poland is not normally thought of as an important part of the Viking world. But as a key geographical location on the Baltic Sea, it was in fact a crucial meeting point between east and west. So what kind of presence did the Vikings have in Poland? And what was the connection between the region and the legendary Jomsvikings, and with King Harald Bluetooth?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman discovers more from Dr. Leszek Gardeła, an archaeologist and senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark.

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

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here >

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 >

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Vikings are often depicted as fearless warriors, but they were not immune to the harsh realities of northern weather. They not only survived in countries such as Greenland and Iceland but thrived. How did they adapt to the unforgiving ice and snow? 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, first released in 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by James McMullen to explore elements of Viking settlement and winter survival - from insulating clothing, skating, and saga sources to social adaptations and housing.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here.

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At this time of year, many of us will find ourselves singing about a royal personage who braves the snow on the Feast of Stephen – the Second Day of Christmas – so that he can distribute alms to a poor peasant. But who was the real Good King Wenceslas and was he as pious and saintly as the Christmas song suggests? 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Czech historian Dr. David Kalhous to learn about the tenth century Bohemian Duke, posthumously declared to be a king and patron saint of the Czech state. 

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here.

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In recent weeks, cinema audiences have been enjoying The Lost King, which tells the story of the efforts of amateur historian Philippa Langley to find the remains of Richard III - lost for more than 500 years - beneath a social services car park in Leicester.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis meets Philippa to hear the story of this amazing discovery.

This episode was edited and produced by Elena Guthrie and Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here >

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Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about a fragment of Old English poetry that depicts one of the defining conflicts of 10th century England - the Battle of Maldon. Its 325 lines immortalise the bloody defence by Earl Byrhtnoth and the Anglo-Saxons against the Vikings which took place on the banks of the River Blackwater in Essex in the year 991. 

Cat talks to Dr. Mark Atherton - author of The Battle of Maldon: War and Peace in Tenth-Century England - who describes the circumstances of the battle and examines how and why the poem encouraged readers to relive the experience for themselves.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here >

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The Christmas carols we sing each year share roots in medieval church music. But as Matt Lewis finds out in this episode, carols were not just for Christmas but could be sung in different settings all your round.

To find out the origins of carols, Matt talks to Micah Mackay, who is a doctoral candidate researching medieval carols at Balliol College, Oxford.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here >

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 >

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According to tradition, if it rains on Saint Swithun's bridge in Winchester on St. Swithun’s day — 15 July — it will continue for 40 days.  But who was the real Swithun?  And why has his historical importance as an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester been overshadowed by his reputation as a miracle worker?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about Swithun from Associate Professor Karl Christian Alvestad from the University of South-Eastern Norway.

This episode was edited by Matthew Peaty and produced by Rob Weinberg.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here >

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 >

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