In Our Time: History

Margery Kempe and English Mysticism


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the English mystic Margery Kempe (1373-1438) whose extraordinary life is recorded in a book she dictated, The Book of Margery Kempe. She went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to Rome and Santiago de Compostela, purchasing indulgences on her way, met with the anchoress Julian of Norwich and is honoured by the Church of England each 9th November. She sometimes doubted the authenticity of her mystical conversations with God, as did the authorities who saw her devotional sobbing, wailing and convulsions as a sign of insanity and dissoluteness. Her Book was lost for centuries, before emerging in a private library in 1934.

The image (above), of an unknown woman, comes from a pew at Margery Kempe's parish church, St Margaret's, Kings Lynn and dates from c1375.

With

Miri Rubin

Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London

Katherine Lewis

Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Huddersfield

And

Anthony Bale

Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck University of London

Producer: Simon Tillotson.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: HistoryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,800 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: History

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,401 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,834 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,708 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,204 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

509 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,791 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,077 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

275 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

957 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,950 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,041 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

591 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

707 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

279 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

860 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

588 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,630 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

811 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,981 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

2,941 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,517 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,715 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

1,937 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,009 Listeners