Gone Medieval

According to tradition, if it rains on Saint Swithun's bridge in Winchester on St. Swithun’s day — 15 July — it will continue for 40 days.  But who was the real Swithun?  And why has his historical importance as an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester been overshadowed by his reputation as a miracle worker? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about Swithun from Associate Professor Karl Christian Alvestad from the University of South-Eastern Norway. This episode was edited by Matthew Peaty 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.

Medieval England’s relationship with the Jewish community was complex and, at times, brutally violent and cruel. In 1290, the entire population of some 3,000 Jews was expelled from the country by King Edward I. In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dr. Dean Irwin, whose research into Jewish moneylending activities sheds a fascinating light on the life of Jews in Medieval England, and the outbreaks of persecution against them. This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. For more Gone Medieval content, 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.

Humanity's relationship with the wilderness has been a theme of myths and legends for thousands of years. Such stories can offer a unique insight into the medieval mind and its concept of the wild.In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman ventures out into ancient Selwood Forest in Wiltshire with Amy Jeffs - author of Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain - to reflect on our ancestors’ travels through fen and forest in the Middle Ages.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 Crusades are well-known but only part of the complex history of the medieval Near East. During the same era, the region was completely remade by the Mongol invasions.  In a single generation, the Mongols upended the region’s geopolitics.  In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dr. Nicholas Morton, author of The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East, about the conquests that forever transformed the region, while forging closer ties among societies spread across Eurasia.  This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. For more Gone Medieval content, 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.

Join Dr. Cat Jarman, an expert on historical trade networks, and Dr. Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz, a scholar of the Hanseatic League, as they delve into the fascinating world of medieval trade. They discuss how this powerful alliance of merchant guilds transformed trade across Northern Europe. The conversation highlights the League's unique decentralized structure and its impact on language and society. They also uncover conflict management strategies among merchants, revealing the intricate dynamics that sustained this legendary trading network.

In the fourth century AD, the Christian faith exploded out of Palestine, overwhelming the paganism of Rome, converting the Emperor Constantine in the process. Almost a thousand years later, all of Europe was controlled by Christian rulers, and the religion was deeply ingrained within culture and society. In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Professor Peter Heather, author of Christendom: The Triumph of a Religion, about how Christianity rose to wield authority across nearly all of the disparate peoples of medieval Europe.The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. For more Gone Medieval content, 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 this discussion, Professor Ryan Lavelle, an expert in Early Medieval History, dives into the pivotal year of 878 AD, when Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington. He shares his insights on how augmented reality is used in a new immersive experience in Winchester, showcasing 9th-century life. Lavelle also connects the historical events to modern gaming through Assassin's Creed Valhalla, revealing how such projects can educate and engage wider audiences about the Anglo-Saxon past.

Public executions were a major part of Londoners’ lives from the 12th century right through to the 19th. Now the Museum of London Docklands has brought the rarely told and often tragic human stories behind these events to a superb new exhibition, containing a range of fascinating objects, paintings and projections, many of which have rarely been seen in public.In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis explores some of the exhibition’s Medieval stories and items with curator Meriel Jeater.The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Rob Weinberg. **WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of methods of execution**Find out more about the Executions exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands, here >For more Gone Medieval content, 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.

Britain was once a mosaic of small kingdoms, some of which have vanished without a trace. In his new book Lost Realms, Thomas Williams, uncovers the forgotten stories of nine kingdoms that fell while others - such as Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and Gwynedd - prospered.In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Thomas Williams whose close scrutiny of Britain’s ancient landscape has resurrected a lost past.This episode was edited by Thomas Ntinas 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 more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit. To download, go to Android or Apple store Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan Žižka is the legendary Czech national hero who led Hussite forces against three crusades and never lost a single battle. His rise to military greatness is now told in the feature film titled Medieval, starring Ben Foster and Sir Michael Caine - the most expensive Czech film ever made.In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis finds out more about Jan Žižka and the film from its director Petr Jákl and writer Petr Bok.This episode was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Gone Medieval content, 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.