Gone Medieval

Edward III wed Philippa of Hainault when they were both teenagers. It was a marriage of deep affection lasting 41 years. But when Alice Perrers entered court as a young widow, she caught the eye of the ageing king as Philippa’s health declined. 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Gemma Hollmann, author of The Queen and the Mistress: The Women of Edward III about how two very different women used their skills and charms to navigate a tumultuous royal court – and win the heart of the same King.

This episode was edited 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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Danelaw was the part of England where large numbers of Scandinavians settled between the 9th and 11th centuries, and where Danish rather than English law was followed. Its set of legal terms and definitions was created in the treaties between Alfred the Great and the Danish warlord, Guthrum.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Jake Stattel, a PhD candidate in Medieval History at Cambridge, whose research is teasing out new evidence about the political and social shifts in early Medieval Britain.

This episode was mixed and edited by Annie Coloe 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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Lewis concludes his four special episodes on medieval mysteries with perhaps the most enduring historical enigma of them all.

For more than 500 years, people have speculated about the disappearance of King Edward V - aged 12, and his nine-year-old brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. They were lodged in the Tower of London by their paternal uncle the Duke of Gloucester, supposedly in preparation for Edward's coronation. But before the young king could be crowned, Gloucester ascended the throne as Richard III. The brothers vanished - and it’s generally assumed that they were murdered, probably by Richard. But Matt Lewis thinks differently.

This episode was mixed and edited by Anisha Deva 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The largest group of tiles in The British Museum was found at the site of Chertsey Abbey in Surrey. These fragmented floor tiles depict the fictional killing of Sultan Saladin during the Crusades by Richard the Lionheart. Groundbreaking technological research has now revealed what the tile fragments originally looked like on the floor of the Chapter House, as well as some surprising revelations.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Dr. Amanda Luyster, to find out how the Chertsey Tiles shed light on the impact that the Crusades had on the medieval visual culture of England.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

The exhibition, Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece, is at the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester MA, USA, 27 January - 9 April 2023.

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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Lewis continues his Mystery Month on Gone Medieval with another tantalising enigma of the Middle Ages - possibly the most mysterious manuscript that exists anywhere in the world. Carbon-dated to the early 15th century, the Voynich manuscript is hand-written in an unknown script, embellished with illustrations and diagrams, showing people, fantastical plants and astrological symbols.

Yet the origins, authorship, and purpose of the manuscript continue to baffle experts, which have even included British codebreakers from both World War I and World War II. Matt finds out more from Raymond Clemens, Curator of Early Books and Manuscripts at Yale University.

This episode was edited 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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1324, Alice Kyteler became the first woman in Britain and Ireland to be tried for witchcraft. Married to four different husbands - all of whom died in suspicious circumstances - Alice was accused of murder, heresy and having carnal relations with the devil. But was she guilty? Or just another woman who fell victim to the medieval distaste for women in power?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Professor Claire Downham to discuss why Alice’s status as a successful business woman put a target on her back, how she found herself caught up in a web of religious politics and intrigue, and the significance of Britain and Ireland’s first ever burning at the stake for witchcraft.

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 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 >

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.