In medieval times it was monks who were the masters of invention. They were the most educated members of society who saw scientific and philosophical investigation as a way to get closer to god. However, any experimentation had to be carefully balanced with religion, the threat of being labelled a heretic looming large. 

Today Dallas is joined by Matt Lewis, co-host of our sister podcast Gone Medieval, who explains how monks navigated this balance and tells the story of one man in particular: Roger Bacon. A friar and incredible polymath, Bacon has been credited with designing the magnifying glass but also predicted cars, powered ships and manned flight.

For more History Hit content, subscribe to our newsletters 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.