This episode discusses the burgos of medieval Pamplona as a means to explore the complex state of relations between Franks and native people in pilgrim towns along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It will also explain how tension between these groups was enflamed by the notion of Frankish cultural superiority which was propagated through stories about Charlemagne and native Spaniards. 

This episode will explore the development of influential guilds in Santiago de Compostela that allowed merchants and artisans to significantly advance their economic and spiritual interests. It will also discuss how these guilds helped tradespeople and the shrine of St James to overcome the moral stigma from their association with money while dramatically enhancing the infrastructure and appeal of the Camino de Santiago.

This episode will explore the roles played by the Templars and Hospitallers along the medieval Camino de Santiago. In addition to providing security and hospitality these military orders cared for the spiritual wellbeing of pilgrims and helped facilitate the movement of wealth along the pilgrim roads. Legends and mysteries surrounding the Templars will also be discussed.

This episode attempts to unravel a mystery surrounding a group of minters found on the twelfth-century façade of the church of Santiago in the pilgrim town of Carrión. The complex role of money on the medieval Camino de Santiago will be explored. What message did the sculptures on the façade send to those who handled money along the Camino?

As pilgrim traffic started to boom in the 12th century, merchants and artisans living along the Camino de Santiago became wealthy and sought a greater say in the administration of towns and markets. Simmering tension between townspeople and local lords, including abbots and bishops, sometimes exploded into chaotic and violent rebellions. This episode will discuss events surrounding urban revolts in the pilgrim towns of Sahagún and Santiago de Compostela in the early 12th century. 

This episode focuses on the second half of the 11th century, the pivotal period that set the stage for a boom in pilgrim traffic in the 12th century, the golden age of the Camino de Santiago. It will discuss changing power dynamics in Spain which led to an increasing emphasis on the pilgrimage. It will then show how the monarchs developed or repopulated a chain of towns along the Camino that would facilitate the movement of large numbers of foreign pilgrims and merchants.

This episode will discuss how the shrine of St James, town of Compostela and the Camino de Santiago started to evolve after the supposed discovery of the tomb of St James in the first half of the 9th c. It will also explain how increasing wealth of the shrine led it to become a target of Viking and Muslim raiders. It will further show how early royal patrons increased the prestige of the shrine while developing and protecting the initial pilgrimage route.

What inspired medieval pilgrims to leave their homes and undertake the long and perilous journey to Santiago de Compostela, particularly during the twelfth century, the golden age of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage? This episode will discuss these motivating factors including salvation and miracles. It will also explain Church expectations about the moral standards that pilgrims were expected to follow. In doing so, it will shed light on broader medieval attitudes concerning spirituality.

This episode discusses legends that describe how the bodily remains of St James made their way to Spain from the Holy Land and how they were eventually discovered hundreds of years later. It also explains how the church in Santiago de Compostela communicated and reinforced these stories to support the cult of St James, particularly during the twelfth century, the golden age of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage.