Episódios

  • Elephants and Ivory with John Beusterien

    Elephants and Ivory with John Beusterien
    Jul 10 2025
    Elephants were known throughout most of the medieval world, even if most people had never encountered one, themselves. In bestiaries, elephants are praised for their long memories, intelligence, and monogamy. And, of course, their ivory. This week, Danièle speaks with John Beusterien about elephants and ivory in medieval China and Spain, including how elephants were put into service, and how ivory was used and traded across the world.

    Listen to this podcast ad-free on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    50 minutos
  • Royal Grief in Medieval Iberia with Nuria Silleras-Fernandez

    Royal Grief in Medieval Iberia with Nuria Silleras-Fernandez
    Jul 3 2025
    For three medieval Iberian queens, grief - and the way they expressed it - had immense and far-reaching consequences. This week, Danièle speaks with Núria Silleras-Fernández about what grief and widowhood were "supposed" to look like, how grief and madness were thought to be intertwined with love, and how the grieving women in the famous Isabella the Catholic’s family shaped the history of Spain and Portugal.

    Listen to this podcast ad-free on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    57 minutos
  • Mysterious Manuscripts with Garry Shaw

    Mysterious Manuscripts with Garry Shaw
    Jun 26 2025
    There are several famous examples of mysterious medieval writing, including the so-far unbreakable Voynich Manuscript. So, what secrets were medieval people trying to hide? And why? This week, Danièle speaks with Garry Shaw about who was encrypting their manuscripts, the codes they used, and the centuries of attempts to crack the Voynich Manuscript.

    You can support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    55 minutos
  • Johannes Gutenberg with Eric White

    Johannes Gutenberg with Eric White
    Jun 19 2025
    There are a lot of gamechanging inventions that shifted the trajectory of the Middle Ages, but one machine managed to hit at just the right time and place to create a massive enterprise in medieval Europe, with consequences that touched the entire globe: Gutenberg's printing press. This week, Danièle speaks with Eric White about Johannes Gutenberg’s life, his early entrepreneurship, and the invention that changed the world.

    Support this podcast on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    52 minutos
  • Inventing the Renaissance with Ada Palmer

    Inventing the Renaissance with Ada Palmer
    Jun 12 2025
    Given that the term literally means “rebirth”, the Renaissance throws some not-so-subtle shade on the period that comes before it. So, where did the idea of the Renaissance actually come from? And was it truly a golden age? This week, Danièle speaks with Ada Palmer about Petrarch, Machiavelli, atheism, and how we should look at the period formerly known as the Renaissance.
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    56 minutos
  • Saint Thomas Becket with Michael Staunton

    Saint Thomas Becket with Michael Staunton
    Jun 5 2025
    It's one of the most notorious political assassinations in history: the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The story of two friends who became bitter enemies in a struggle between church and state that drew in some of the most powerful people from all over medieval Europe. So, how did a pretty ordinary kid from London end up as England’s most famous saint?
    This week, Danièle speaks with Michael Staunton about Thomas’ rapid rise to the highest positions in England, his epic feud with Henry II - including what part Henry might have played in Thomas’ martyrdom - and the aftermath of the infamous murder in the cathedral.

    You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    57 minutos
  • Medieval Infancy with Julie Singer

    Medieval Infancy with Julie Singer
    May 29 2025
    One of the most celebrated moments in childhood is when a person utters their very first words, stepping over a brand new threshold of communication. And from that moment on, all bets are off. This week, Danièle speaks with Julie Singer about what medieval people thought about infancy in general, how literary children could be vehicles for truth and justice, and how even in the Middle Ages kids were known to say the darnedest things.

    Help support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    48 minutos
  • Prester John with Chris Taylor

    Prester John with Chris Taylor
    May 22 2025
    A mysterious figure ruling at the fringes of the known world, Prester John might be the most famous person you've never heard of. Like a medieval Carmen Sandiego, Prester John was a man people searched the globe for, from Ethiopia, to Tibet, to the New World, never quite catching up to him in the end. So, who was Prester John and why were medieval people so keen to find him? This week, Danièle speaks with Chris Taylor about where the legend comes from, how it may have had a disastrous effect on the fifth crusade, and what Prester John has to do with the Fantastic Four.

    Support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists
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    44 minutos