Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the legends of Thor, Odin and Asgard are familiar to millions today. Yet the histories of these myths are far richer than modern popular culture often implies. From Yggdrasil to Ragnarok, the seemingly unending tales of heroism, betrayal and intrigue found within the Norse Sagas have captivated audiences for centuries. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Prof Carolyne Larrington to dig into these histories and explore how Norse Myths have shaped the way we think. Together they discuss why Norse mythology seems to be having a ‘moment’, how it has been used to legitimise political violence, and most importantly, why everyone loves Loki? This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Elena Guthrie and 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 We've teamed up with Tripsmiths to provide our History Hit subscribers the opportunity to join Matt Lewis, on a two-night break to delve into the story of King Richard III. You'll be travelling through 500 years of history to explore his life, death, and rediscovery. Go to historyhit.com/leicester to book now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our modern and digital age, contemporary music has many influences: heartbreak, war, even climate change. But what about the Middle Ages? Has the artistry and literature of the medieval period had an influence on music today? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis speaks to singer and songwriter Elanor Moss - who studied seventh to tenth century literature at university - to discuss how her interest in medievalism has influenced her songwriting and whether we can see themes and imagery from the medieval world feeding into the work of modern musical artists.  This episode was edited by Joseph Knight and produced by Rob Weinberg. We've teamed up with Tripsmiths to provide our History Hit subscribers the opportunity to join Matt Lewis, on a two-night break to delve into the story of King Richard III. You'll be travelling through 500 years of history to explore his life, death, and rediscovery. Go to historyhit.com/leicester to book now. 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.

Everyone lies from time to time but some lies have had a particular influence on world events and have even been a major factor in shaping history. In the Middle Ages, for example, how did an outlandish book called The Travels of Sir John Mandeville create misconceptions about foreigners? And how did falsehoods promoted after the death of a young boy in northern Italy lead to widespread anti-semitic pogroms as well as conspiracy theories that endure today? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Natasha Tidd, author of the new book A Short History of the World in 50 Lies. Together they explore these two cases where lies had widespread consequences. This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. Read more of Natasha Tidd’s work at F Yeah History. We've teamed up with Tripsmiths to provide our History Hit subscribers the opportunity to join Matt Lewis, on a two-night break to delve into the story of King Richard III. You'll be travelling through 500 years of history to explore his life, death, and rediscovery. Go to historyhit.com/leicester to book now. 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.

What do skeletal remains from the fifteenth century tell us about one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Wars of the Roses? The Battle of Towton — fought on 29 March 1461 in North Yorkshire — was a decisive victory for the Yorkists over the Lancastrians, resulting in Edward IV taking the throne from Henry VI. Skeletons found in a mass grave at Towton Hall in 1996 shed new light on the battle. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dr. Jo Buckberry about what has been learned from these remains about the battle and the injuries these men suffered. This episode was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg. We've teamed up with Tripsmiths to provide our History Hit subscribers the opportunity to join Matt Lewis, on a 2 night break to delve into the story of King Richard III. You'll be travelling through 500 years of history to explore his life, death, and rediscovery. Go to historyhit.com/leicester to book now. 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.

What made for the ideal woman in the Middle Ages? In her new book The Once and Future Sex, Dr. Eleanor Janega looks at what beauty, sexuality, work and social status meant for medieval women. Despite the expectation of their primarily being mothers, they were also industrious farmers, brewers, textile workers, artists and artisans. In this episode of Gone Medieval, for International Women's Day on Wednesday 8 March, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more from Dr. Janega  about an era that paved the way for new ideas about women’s nature, intellect and ability. 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.

Wales in the Medieval period had a thriving bardic tradition and one poet is particularly fascinating. Gwerful Mechain lived in the second half of the fifteenth century. She left a body of work that is mostly religious, but sometimes very rude and irreverent. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis finds out more from Professor Wynn Thomas, editor of A Map of Love: Twelve Welsh Poems of Romance, Desire and Devotion, which includes Mechain’s startling hymn of praise to female genitals. **WARNING: This episode contains graphic, bawdy verse** 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.

One year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. While the invasion and subsequent war have largely been driven by modern geopolitics, the history of the two countries has also played a part, especially that of the medieval period. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval Dr. Cat Jarman explains the relationship between the Rus’ people and the Viking Age where this story begins, with contributions from Dr. Olenka Pevny from the University of Cambridge and Dr. Fedir Androschuk, Director of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. 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.

In the fifth century, Western Europe began remaking itself in the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire. In south-west Britain, old tribal authorities and identities reasserted themselves and a ruling elite led a vibrant and outward-looking kingdom - today’s Cornwall - with trade networks that stretched around the Atlantic coast of Europe and abroad into the Mediterranean.  In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to historian John Fletcher about the early history of Cornwall, and how its unique language, culture and heritage survived even after politically merging with England in the tenth century.  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.

Maps. They are an essential part of modern life. But when and how did people in medieval Britain first start mapping their surroundings? The Gough Map was one of their first attempts. Compiled in the fifteenth century, it is the earliest known surviving map of Britain to be drawn on a distinct sheet of parchment. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Nick Millea and Dr Catherine Delano-Smith - two members of a multidisciplinary research project on the Gough Map - about why it is so exceptional, what it reveals about medieval Britain and how new technologies might be able to uncover the shadowy identity of its makers. 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.

Women were an integral feature of the crusade movement. They were not only sometimes participants on the battlefields but also played their part recruiting crusaders, and supporting the effort with patronage, propaganda, and prayer.  In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Professor Helen J. Nicholson, author of Women and the Crusades, which explores the roles that women played and how their contemporaries recorded their deeds, limited by social convention and cultural expectations.  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.

When archeologists uncovered a jewellery hoard buried beneath the Iron Age ring fort of Sandby Borg in 2010, their excitement was palpable. Yet little did they know that they had only scratched the surface. As they dug deeper they began to find the remains of a community that had been brutally slaughtered - their wounds evidence of a terrible Early Medieval massacre. In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Dr Ludwig Papmehl-Dufay - one of Sandby Borg’s lead archaeologists. Together they discuss the story of the massacre’s victims, exploring how the latest archaeological techniques can peel back the mystery and tell us more about who they were and what actually happened to them. 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.

First defined in law in 1352, treason remains one of the most serious crimes a person can commit. And, remarkably, the core of the original Treason Act remains in force and relatively unchanged today. A fascinating exhibition at the National Archives is offering a unique selection of letters, pamphlets, posters, maps and trial papers to reveal the motives, actions and fates of those accused of being traitors, many of whom paid the ultimate price for their cause. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis finds out more from Dr. Euan Roger, principal Medieval records specialist at The National Archives. 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.

For monks and monasteries in Anglo-Saxon England, obliteration by Vikings was a constant threat. Like Lindisfarne - first raided in 793 AD - religious houses were frequently preyed upon by marauding Danes searching for rich and easy pickings. But just how devastating were these raids? And were some monasteries capable of survival? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr Cat Jarman talks to Dr Gabor Thomas from the University of Reading about his research into Lyminge, a monastery in Kent that adopted genius defensive strategies to hold back the Viking menace. This episode was edited by Joseph Knight, and produced by Rob Weinberg. Read more about the latest research into Lyminge Monastery here > 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.

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.