Gone Medieval

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.

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The Picts who lived in what is now northern and eastern Scotland in the Early Medieval period spoke the Pictish language. But for centuries, the origins of Pictish have been hotly debated.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out all about the Picts and their language, and what insights are emerging from the latest research, with Dr. Guto Rhys.

This episode was 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.

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January 2023 is Matt Lewis’s Mystery Month on Gone Medieval and for his first foray into the unsolved enigmas of the Middle Ages, Matt looks into the death of King Edward II. 

Most historians agree that Edward died at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire on 21 September 1327, but some think he may have died much later. His death though was "suspiciously timely”. Was he murdered with a red-hot poker as the propaganda against him soon afterwards suggested? What proof exists to suggest that he may have died in another way, and at another time? Matt unpicks the evidence with Edward II’s biographer Kathryn Warner.

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 >

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Poland is not normally thought of as an important part of the Viking world. But as a key geographical location on the Baltic Sea, it was in fact a crucial meeting point between east and west. So what kind of presence did the Vikings have in Poland? And what was the connection between the region and the legendary Jomsvikings, and with King Harald Bluetooth?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman discovers more from Dr. Leszek Gardeła, an archaeologist and senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark.

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 >

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Vikings are often depicted as fearless warriors, but they were not immune to the harsh realities of northern weather. They not only survived in countries such as Greenland and Iceland but thrived. How did they adapt to the unforgiving ice and snow? 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, first released in 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by James McMullen to explore elements of Viking settlement and winter survival - from insulating clothing, skating, and saga sources to social adaptations and housing.

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At this time of year, many of us will find ourselves singing about a royal personage who braves the snow on the Feast of Stephen – the Second Day of Christmas – so that he can distribute alms to a poor peasant. But who was the real Good King Wenceslas and was he as pious and saintly as the Christmas song suggests? 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Czech historian Dr. David Kalhous to learn about the tenth century Bohemian Duke, posthumously declared to be a king and patron saint of the Czech state. 

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

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In recent weeks, cinema audiences have been enjoying The Lost King, which tells the story of the efforts of amateur historian Philippa Langley to find the remains of Richard III - lost for more than 500 years - beneath a social services car park in Leicester.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis meets Philippa to hear the story of this amazing discovery.

This episode was edited and produced by Elena Guthrie and Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

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Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about a fragment of Old English poetry that depicts one of the defining conflicts of 10th century England - the Battle of Maldon. Its 325 lines immortalise the bloody defence by Earl Byrhtnoth and the Anglo-Saxons against the Vikings which took place on the banks of the River Blackwater in Essex in the year 991. 

Cat talks to Dr. Mark Atherton - author of The Battle of Maldon: War and Peace in Tenth-Century England - who describes the circumstances of the battle and examines how and why the poem encouraged readers to relive the experience for themselves.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here >

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The Christmas carols we sing each year share roots in medieval church music. But as Matt Lewis finds out in this episode, carols were not just for Christmas but could be sung in different settings all your round.

To find out the origins of carols, Matt talks to Micah Mackay, who is a doctoral candidate researching medieval carols at Balliol College, Oxford.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

We've also been nominated for Best History Podcast and the Listener's Choice Award at the Signal Awards! We need your help though - it would mean so much to the whole Gone Medieval team if you followed this link to sign up and vote. Thank you!

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 >

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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 >

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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. 

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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 >

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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. 

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Growing from a few North German towns in the late 12th century, the Hanseatic League — a powerful network of merchant guilds and market towns — dominated trade across almost 200 settlements in seven modern-day countries. But how did it function and manage to become so successful over such a vast region?

In this edition of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out more about the Hanse from Dr. Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz.

This episode was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

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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. 

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878 AD witnessed a pivotal moment in the history of England as an emerging, unified nation, with the defeat of the Vikings by Alfred the Great at the Battle of Edington. Now, a new immersive history experience is opening in Winchester, titled 878 AD.

Winchester featured heavily in the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and the experience draws heavily on imagery and assets from the game to create an engaging representation of the city at the time.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Professor Ryan Lavelle, who acted as a historical consultant to the project, to find out more about the events and protagonists of 878 AD, and how they have been brought back to life in Winchester.

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

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit.

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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 >

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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.

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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.

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Archeological evidence of the Vikings as far north as Northumbria has practically been non-existent. On Gone Medieval in May 2021, Dr. Cat Jarman reported on a brand-new Viking site in Northumberland, 15 years after metal detectorists started carefully documenting their finds in the area. 

In this edition of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Dr. Jane Harrison and Dr. Jane Kershaw who report on new discoveries at the site which reveal more fascinating details about life and industry at the settlement in the ninth century.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Rob Weinberg. 

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Vlad the Impaler - Vlad Dracula - is one of history’s most brutal figures, who has enjoyed a bizarre afterlife as a cult character. Although a hero to his Romanian countrymen, the name Dracula has since become a global byword for horror.

In this Hallowe’en edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis finds out more about Vlad the Impaler’s dramatic life and career from Gavin Baddeley, co-author of Prince Dracula: The Bloody Legacy of Vlad the Impaler.

**WARNING: This episode contains graphic descriptions of impalement**

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Aidan Lonergan and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Earlier this month, it was reported that DNA analysis of the skeleton of a 10-year-old girl buried in Kent in the 7th century showed she was of West African descent. Thirty-three per cent of her DNA suggests that the girl’s grandfather or great-grandfather was probably from the Esan or Yoruba people.

As Black History Month draws to a close, Dr. Cat Jarman explores what is known about the presence of Africans in Britain during the Medieval period with the distinguished historian of African affairs, Professor Hakim Adi.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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On 21 October 1422 - 600 years ago - King Charles VI of France died at the age of 53 after reigning for 42 years. He was known as both Charles le Bien-Aimé (the Beloved) and Charles le Fou (the Mad) - the latter a reference to the mental health episodes that frequently dogged his life. Because he was a king, his health is better documented than most cases of mental illness in the Medieval period.

In this explainer episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis recounts the story of a man whose life was plagued with personal tragedy and illness, played out on the international stage - because he was a king.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Aidan Lonergan and produced by Rob Weinberg.

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here.

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For centuries, the pub has played a central role in our lives and communities. Throughout Britain, there are many pubs saying that they are the oldest - some of them even claim to have Medieval origins.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman welcomes back award-winning buildings archaeologist Dr. James Wright to explore how long we have actually had pubs and which of them can truly claim to be the oldest.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

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Were sub-Saharan Africans present in Medieval Europe? Despite their absence from many histories, they were. Arriving as traders, as explorers, as warriors, or - for those only known from archaeological discoveries - for many reasons that we may never find out. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis marks Black History Month with a look at the challenges of researching this largely ignored or unknown history with Dr Adam Simmons. 

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

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Across the world, a wide range of writing systems developed in diverse societies and Medieval Europe was no different. Apart from the Latin alphabet, many will be familiar with the use of runes. But did you know that in Ireland and Britain, right at the start of the Medieval period, a different alphabet emerged by the name of Ogham? To find out more about this fascinating script, Dr. Cat Jarman is joined by Professor Katherine Forsyth and Dr. Nora White who are deeply immersed in research into this unique alphabet and writing system. Read more about their project, here >

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

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When the skeletons of six adults and 11 children were found at the bottom of a Medieval well in Norwich in 2004, they were thought perhaps to be the victims of plague or famine or civil unrest. Now scientific advances in DNA analysis have made it possible to not only age the victims, but identify their Jewish origin and - in combination with historical sources - the precise day they died.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis unravels the mystery of the bodies in the well with Dr. Selina Brace, an ancient DNA specialist at the Natural History Museum. 

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

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Charles III recently became King at the age of 73 - the oldest man ever to become a British monarch. That might not seem so odd to us today, but had he been a child it would certainly have raised eyebrows. The idea of a child monarch is today practically unthinkable; in the Medieval period it was relatively common. But the rule of a boy king did not necessarily mean political disorder. In fact it posed far less of a challenge than having an adolescent king.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman finds out why from Dr. Emily Ward, author of Royal Childhood and Child Kingship: Boy Kings in England, Scotland, France and Germany, c. 1050–1262.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

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For your chance to win five Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

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The emergence of the Gothic style in twelfth-century France - with its pointed arches, flying buttresses and stained glass windows - triggered an explosion of cathedral-building across western Europe. But behind every great cathedral lay human stories of competition, triumph and tragedy.

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dr. Emma J. Wells, whose new book Heaven on Earth: The Lives and Legacies of the World’s Greatest Cathedrals reveals how 1000 years of cathedral-building shaped our world, influencing art, culture and society.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Dr. Cat Jarman concludes her month-long series about her favourite, specialist subject - the Vikings.

Cnut the Great became King of England in 1016, King of Denmark in 1018 and King of Norway in 1028, creating the North Sea Empire. In today’s episode Cat talks to Dr. Caitlin Ellis about Cnut, his impact and legacy, and the end of the Viking Era.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas 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.

For your chance to win five Historical Non-Fiction Books (including a signed copy of Dan Snow's On This Day in History), please fill out this short survey.

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Castles have held a pivotal place in British life, many of them remaining today as powerful reminders of our history and sources of inspiration. But castles were also homes and status symbols as well as hubs of life, activity, and imagination.

In today’s edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis discusses the castle’s early genesis from the Norman Conquest onward with John Goodall, whose new book The Castle: A History weaves together the history of the British castle from the eleventh century to the present day. 

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Few people in European history have had as many stories told about them as the Vikings. We know about them from novels, films, TV series and games. But telling stories about the Vikings is nothing new. In fact the richest stories come from the Middle Ages in the form of sagas that were mainly written down in Iceland.

As part of her special month of episodes exploring the Vikings on Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman meets Medievalist Dr. Eleanor Barraclough to explore the sagas and sort out the facts from the fiction about the Vikings.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Dan Jones is world-famous for writing swashbuckling factual history. But now he’s turned his hand to historical fiction with a debut novel Essex Dogs. It’s the first of a trilogy set in the Hundred Years War, in particular during the Crécy Campaign when England conducted large-scale raids throughout northern France.

In today’s episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Dan about his journey into writing fiction, how he combined historical accuracy with his imagination to dream up an unforgettable cast of characters, caught up in historical events beyond their control.

**WARNING! This episode contains a few colourful words!**

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Anisha Deva and produced by Rob Weinberg.

Watch Dan Jones’ Essex Dogs: In the Footsteps of the Crecy Campaign at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store. There are hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks to discover!

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September is Vikings month on Gone Medieval, as Dr. Cat Jarman presents a mini-series about her favourite, specialist subject. Over four episodes, Cat is taking a deep dive into the Viking age, looking at how it all started, how it all ended, and the stories we tell about those people from the north in between.

In this second episode, Cat tells how raiders, traders and settlers from Scandinavia succeeded over 300 years to make an indelible mark on Western Europe, with insights from some previous contributors to Gone Medieval.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Matthew Peaty 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.

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Queen Elizabeth II has died after 70 years on the British throne.

Born in April 1926, Elizabeth Windsor became heir apparent, aged 10, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI became king.

In 1947 – She married navy lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, a Greek Prince, at London’s Westminster Abbey before being crowned there in 1953 in the world’s first televised coronation.

In this special episode of Dan Snow’s History Hit, Dan is joined by historian Kate Williams to look at The Queen’s childhood, adolescence in WWII and the upbringing that made her a monarch admired around the world.

Producer: Charlotte Long 

Audio editor: Dougal Patmore

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Today’s episode of Gone Medieval is brought to you by Paradox Interactive, the creators of the game Crusader Kings III. In it, Matt Lewis explores all of the logistics of going on a Medieval crusade and how the first crusade played out.

Matt has been losing whole weekends to this game! If you want to experience the grand strategy adventure and delve into the world created by Crusader Kings III, be sure to take advantage of the free play weekend on Steam 8-12 September. Watch the trailer here.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Anisha Deva.

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.

September is Vikings month on Gone Medieval, as Dr. Cat Jarman presents a mini-series about her favourite, specialist subject. Over her next four episodes, Cat will be taking a deep dive into the Viking age, looking at how it all started, how it all ended, and the stories we tell about those people from the north in between.

In this first episode, Cat addresses all of the burning questions about the Vikings that you sent in via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and the Medieval Monday newsletter. Asking the questions are Gone Medieval’s producers Elena and Rob.

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.

Outside Medieval London’s city walls, Southwark was a land without rules. It was the place where people went to indulge their love of theatre, watch bear baiting and visit brothels. It was also under the control of the Bishop of Winchester.

In this edition of Gone Medieval - originally released as an episode of History Hit’s Betwixt the Sheets podcast - Matt Lewis talks with Dr. Kate Lister, about the sex workers of Southwark, once known as the Winchester Geese. They explore the role of the church and state in controlling Medieval sex work, and how this is mirrored today.

*WARNING There are adult themes and discussion of sex, abuse and abortion in this episode*

Produced by Charlotte Long, Sophie Gee and Rob Weinberg. Mixed by Seyi Adaobi.  

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays 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.

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What really happened in Britain after the fall of Rome? How did people adapt to their new lives? How were new identities formed, and eventually kingdoms? And how and when did people convert to Christianity?In today’s Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman poses these questions to Professor Robin Fleming, who has been extensively researching the period.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas 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.

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Few kings have left more of an impression on the English - and then the British - nation as King Henry V, who died on 31 August 1422. The Battle of Agincourt in 1415 wove Henry V’s legend into the fabric of history. To many, he remains a hero, the exemplar of what a warrior-king should be. To others, Henry had a darker side that eclipses any glimmer of glory.

To mark the 600th anniversary of his death, Matt Lewis takes a look at both sides of Henry V’s reputation and considers how we assess people and their actions from the distant past with our modern sensibilities.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited and mixed 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.

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In this episode of Gone Medieval, presenter Dr. Cat Jarman swaps seats and becomes the guest of Dr. Kate Lister’s brilliant podcast from History Hit, Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. In it, she delves into the topics that they didn’t teach you about in history lessons at school.

Today Cat answers everything Kate always wanted to know about sex and relationships in the Viking age - and it’s quite an eye-opener!

*WARNING! There is adult language and discussions of sexual assault in this episode.*

The Senior Producers were Charlotte Long and Elena Guthrie. It was edited and produced by Sophie Long with Rob Weinberg. 

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays 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.

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England, 1351. In the aftermath of the Pestilence, Gerard Fox - a young knight robbed of his ancestral home, his family name tarnished - sets forth to petition the one man who can restore his lands and reputation. Fox's road entangles him with an enigmatic woman, a priceless relic, and a dark family secret. 

In today’s Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis meets #1 New York Times bestselling thriller writer Boyd Morrison who has teamed up with his sister Beth Morrison - senior curator of manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum - to find out about their first historical fiction novel together, a fast-paced adventure titled The Lawless Land.

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 Mondays 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.

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The unusual Anchor Church Caves in south Derbyshire were, until quite recently, thought to have been follies cut into the rock in the eighteenth century. But new research has revealed that they could date from the early ninth century - making them probably the oldest intact domestic interiors in the UK. They may well have even been lived in by a king who became a saint.

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Professor Edmund Simons who been making use of innovative methods to date and understand better this and other Medieval cave dwellings.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas 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.

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Between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, a profound transformation took place in the ways that the English language was spoken and words were pronounced. This “Great Vowel Shift” saw a change in the pronunciation of all Middle English long vowels, resulting in spellings of words that often deviated considerably from how they are pronounced. 

In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Simon Roper - who makes videos about linguistics for YouTube - about the developments that led to the English language changing forever.  

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 Mondays 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.

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Early Medieval Britain was more Roman than we think. The Roman Empire left vast infrastructural resources, not least roads, walls and bridges. Why have they survived so well? And what did the people who lived here immediately after the Romans think of them and do with them?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Dr. Mateusz Fafinski about how the infrastructure the Romans left behind was used and adapted in the early Medieval period.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas and produced by Rob Weinberg.

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays 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.

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How do you go about finding your way around the history of a nation and a national identity? For the barrister and author Dominic Selwood, documents are the perfect window through which to watch a country develop and change. His new book Anatomy of a Nation: A History of British Identity in 50 Documents explores more than 950,000 years of history by examining those documents that tell the story of what has made Britain unique.

In this podcast, Matt Lewis talks to Dominic Selwood particularly about the Medieval documents he’s chosen, including the Magna Carta, Joan of Arc’s letter to King Henry VI, and the emergence of the stories of King Arthur.

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 Mondays 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.

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Archaeology has a lot to contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the so-called Dark Ages, and every now and then new sites are found in places where we previously knew nothing about the people who once lived there.

In today’s Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman goes to the Ministry of Defence land on Salisbury Plain to visit precisely one such site. There she meets Richard Osgood, senior archaeologist for the MoD who is excavating a seventh-century cemetery as part of Operation Nightingale which gives excavation opportunities to injured service personnel and veterans as part of their rehabilitation.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Seyi AdaobI and produced by Rob Weinberg.

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays 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.

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From an age in which women’s lives were obscured and poorly recorded, one shines brightly from the darkness. Eleanor of Aquitaine - born 900 years ago - has been the subject of scandal and legend for almost a millennium. Nevertheless, she played a central role in the pivotal events that defined nations and set relationships across Europe for centuries to come. 

In this special explainer episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis recounts an incredible life, separating the myths from the facts to get to the real Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was mixed and edited by Rob Weinberg. 

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays 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.

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The first of Greenland’s Viking settlements were established in the tenth century. But by the fifteenth century, they had all but vanished, their fate confounding generations of archaeologists. But new research has revealed that it was the trade in walrus ivory that was behind both their prosperity and decline.

In this edition of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Professor James Barrett, to discuss an enterprise that traversed East and West, but ultimately crashed as stocks ran out and elephant ivory became more accessible.

The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Thomas Ntinas and produced by Rob Weinberg. 

For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays 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.

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Parish churches were at the heart of English social life in the Middle Ages. But how did they come into existence? Who staffed them? And how were the buildings used? 

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Professor Nicholas Orme, whose new book Going to Church in Medieval England was shortlisted for the 2022 Wolfson History Prize, the UK’s most prestigious history writing award. Together, they explore how worship touched everyone’s lives, what happened in the daily and weekly services, and how churches marked festivals and the great events of life.

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 Mondays 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.

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