folks, we're finally doing a review of Ridley Scott's 2021 Medieval history film, The Last Duel, a film that asks the question: what if Ridley Scott just didn't do all the stuff he's known for and instead made an intimate portrait of a Medieval soap opera in the style of Rashomon that revolves around both an obscure land dispute based on manorial custom and a lengthy legal proceeding. it is a surprisingly well done film based on the director and subject matter and we're glad you get to experience it with us in our longest episode ever (or close to it)!

The Last Duel Review

A mostly Medieval history podcast about how we've always been idiotspatreon.com/wnsdpod

History

Society & Culture

folks, we're back and we're talking once again doing another entry in our occasional series on large adult fail sons of the Middle Ages. Last time, we discussed Charlemagne, one of the most important rulers of all-time, his legacy, and his Carolingian Empire. however, the Carolingian Empire would only survive its founder by about 80 years thanks to the attempted coups, early deaths, and tragic misrule of Charlemagne's four sons: Pepin, Charles the Younger, Pepin of Italy, and Louis the Pious. so let's take a look at how it all went so wrong for Charlemagne's territorial and imperial legacy

Charlemagne's Fail Sons

folks, we're back and it's high time we talked about good ol' Karl the Great. no, not Marx, the Medieval Karl the Great, Charlemagne. though he's one of the most important figures in world history, we haven't ever done an episode dedicated to him, so we decided to remedy that. we talk about his early life, his rise to power, his military victories, his massive cultural interests, how he ruled over the only fully "feudal" society (as we understand that word today) in history, and the historiographical battles over legacy. however, if you're just a huge Charlemagne hater, that's ok too, because next week we're going to talk about how his vaunted and much renowned Carolingian Empire only survived his death by about 70 years than to Karl's 4 incompetent fail sons.

Charlemagne

folks, we're back and we've got Paul Bavill, co-host of the History Rage podcast, to talk with us about dueling, trials by combat, honor, and demands for satisfaction. we discuss why duels and trials by combat were actually fought, what the difference is between honor and reputation, and even some of the most interesting duels in history. check it out and check out Paul's work on History Rage to hear more from him.

We Demand Satisfaction feat. Paul Bavill from History Rage

folks, we're back and it's time to talk about saints. tho we have often touched on the lives of various saints, we've never really talked through the whole process of canonization and how it changed quite drastically during the Middle Ages as the Catholic Church began to consolidate and centralize its power in Europe. we also talk about the types of miracles needed to become a saint and how those are investigated. finally, we take a look at a few of the more popular Medieval saints: St. Louis, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Afra of Augsburg, and the martyred saints of Cordoba. enjoy!

Saints of the Middle Ages

folks, you've been asking when we're doing a review of Ridley Scott's 2023 film, Napoleon, and it's finally here but with a twist! instead of just doing an entire review episode for a movie that came out a few months ago and isn't even Medieval, we decided to make it a bit more on brand. so we spend the first half talking about Scott's frankly baffling film and then spend the second half talking about what it actually meant in practice for Napoleon to "smash feudalism" and to do away with all those pesky Medieval holdover institutions like serfdom and the Holy Roman Empire. and we brought on Everett Rummage of the amazing Age of Napoleon podcast to discuss it all with us.

The Last Duel Review

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