Podcasts by The Medieval World

Ep. 09: Medieval Birds in Thought from 2020-05-28T20:13:39

In this episode, we look at birds generally as they existed in the minds of medieval people. We talk about the different ways in which medieval people hunted, ate, used, and envisioned birds. Listen

Ep. 08: Hobgoblin in the Ninth Century (Medieval Beasts) from 2020-05-22T14:39:41

In this episode, we look at an account of a hobgoblin in ninth-century France. This account comes from a ninth-century Carolingian author named Notker who wrote a biography of Charlemagne.

Ep. 07: Dirty Riddles and Farts from 2020-05-17T13:06:51

In this episode, we look at some dirty riddles from Anglo-Saxon England and a fart so powerful that it blinded a man.

For translation and commentary on the riddles, see:

Listen

Ep. 06: Murder in a Church from 2020-05-08T15:33:38

In this episode, we look at murder (and a battle) in the Basilica of Saint-Martin in Tours, France.

Music:

Ep. 05: The Case of a Criminal in a Church from 2020-05-05T11:07:24

In this episode, we look at a famous case of an escaped criminal who hides in a church. Can he legally be extradited from a church? We find out in this episode.

Books reference...

Ep. 04: The Song of Roland (Medieval Tale) from 2018-12-21T08:08:22

This is a dramatization of the Song of Roland. It takes the entire epic and reduces it to just a 7 minute reading.

Key Figures:

Roland

Oliver

Ganelon

Bish...

Ep. 03: That Time a Viking Kissed a Foot from 2018-12-14T11:49:46

In this episode we look at the time Rollo had one of his Viking friends kiss the foot of King Charles the Simple of Francia.

Music:

Ep. 02 - Medieval Beasts (Cynocephaly) from 2018-12-09T11:21:48

In this episode, our subject is Medieval Beasts. We look at a species of beasts known as Cynocephaly, or dog-headed men. No, these aren't werewolves.

Ep. 01: Medieval Murder (The Murder of a Pope) from 2018-12-07T08:35:33

In this episode, we look at the assassination of Pope Boniface VIII at the hands of Philip IV of France and his cronies in 1303.

Charlemagne 06: Boyhood (742-755) from 2015-01-01T01:06

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Charlemagne 05: Pippin the Short (751-768) from 2015-01-01T01:05

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Charlemagne 04: Charles the Hammer from 2015-01-01T01:04

In the last lecture, we looked at the history of the Carolingian family up to Pippin of Herstal. In this lecture, we zoom in and look at the life of his son, Charles the Hammer, Charlemagne’s gr...

Charlemagne 03: The Carolingian Family from 2015-01-01T01:03

In the last lecture, we examined some of the key institutions of the Frankish realm. I briefly touched on some of the earlier figures of the Carolingian family. In this lecture, I want to take a...

Charlemagne 02: The Institutions of the Frankish Kingdom from 2015-01-01T01:02

In the last lecture, we saw some of the salient features of the Frankish world. Towards the end, I noted the rise of an important family, that is, the dynasty of the Merovingians. Under the Mero...

Charlemagne 01: The Frankish World from 2015-01-01T01:01

Charlemagne is an oddity in the early medieval world. He’s odd not because of the things he did or how he acted. He’s odd because it is possible to construct an entire course around him. It is p...

Medieval Europe 30: The End of the Middle Ages from 2014-01-01T01:30

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 29: The Hundred Years War, Part II (1415-1453) from 2014-01-01T01:29

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 28: The Western Schism (1378-1417) from 2014-01-01T01:28

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 27: The Black Death (1347-1351) from 2014-01-01T01:27

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 26: The Hundred Years War, Part I (1327-1386) from 2014-01-01T01:26

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 25: The Avignon Papacy (1309-1376) from 2014-01-01T01:25

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 24: The Capetians (1165-1328) from 2014-01-01T01:24

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 23: The Plantagenets, Part II (1216-1327 from 2014-01-01T01:23

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 22: The Plantagenets, Part I (1154–1216) from 2014-01-01T01:22

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 21: The First Crusade (1095-1099) from 2014-01-01T01:21

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Lecture 20: The Rise of the Normans from 2014-01-01T01:20

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Lecture 19: The Gregorian Reforms (1073-1085) from 2014-01-01T01:19

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 18: The Investiture Controversy (1075-1077) from 2014-01-01T01:18

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 17: The Year 1000 from 2014-01-01T01:17

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 15: The Anglo-Saxons (770-1066) from 2014-01-01T01:15

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 14: The Vikings from 2014-01-01T01:14

Heavy Interlude by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) S...

Medieval Europe 13: The Anglo-Saxons (500-750) from 2014-01-01T01:13

In this lecture, we meet the Anglo-Saxons who were the combined groups of the Angles, the Saxons, and a few smaller groups, such as the Jutes. All of these groups were Germanic tribes who hailed...

Medieval Europe 12: Early Medieval Ireland from 2014-01-01T01:12

In this lecture, we explore early medieval Ireland. As we will see, Ireland was a much more diverse place in the medieval period that is today. Today, the island of Ireland is divided between tw...

Medieval Europe 11: The Later Carolingians (814-926) from 2014-01-01T01:11

In the previous lecture, we looked at Charlemagne and the so-called Carolingian renaissance. I only briefly laid out Charlemagne’s life because I am producing a whole series of lectures on him. ...

Medieval Europe 10: The Carolingian Renaissance from 2014-01-01T01:10

In the previous lecture, we met the Carolingian family. In this lecture, we are going to look closely at the most important memb...

Medieval Europe 09: The Early Carolingians (688-760) from 2014-01-01T01:09

In a previous lecture, we looked at the Frankish World. We now return to that world by looking at a specific dynasty, or family, the Carolingians. We met briefly the Merovingian dynasty. The Car...

Medieval Europe 08: The Umayyad Invasions (711-732) from 2014-01-01T01:08

In the previous lectures, we the rise of the so-called “barbarian kingdoms” across Europe and how they began to forge new political boundaries across Europe. We also saw how the Papacy grew as a...

Medieval Europe 07 - Visigothic Spain (400-711) from 2014-01-01T01:07

If you have heard my lectures on Rome or listened to my earlier lecture on the Gothic War, then you should be somewhat familiar with the Goths. The term “Goths” is a collective term to refer to ...

Medieval Europe 06: The Frankish World from 2014-01-01T01:06

In the previous few lectures, we have examined the Church and Christianity and the Lombards of Italy. In this lecture, I will be looking at the Franks. We will have several lectures that address...

Medieval Europe 05: Lombard Italy (533-774) from 2014-01-01T01:05

In an earlier lecture, I discussed the Gothic War in which the Byzantine Empire invaded Italy to try and reconquer the Italian Peninsula, which had once been the heartland of the Roman Empire. U...

Medieval Europe 04: Monasticism from 2014-01-01T01:04

In the previous lecture, we saw the rise of the early medieval Church. We saw the solidification and concentration of power under the Papacy of Gregory the Great. In this lecture, we are going t...

Medieval Europe 03: The Early Medieval Church (30-604) from 2014-01-01T01:03

In the previous lecture, we saw the Byzantine Empire try and regain its holdings in the West. These attempts, while initially successful, ultimately failed. With the Roman state largely gone in ...

Medieval Europe 02: The Gothic War (535-554) from 2014-01-01T01:02

In the previous lecture we looked the Barbarian Kingdoms that popped up across Europe in the fifth century. As we saw, these “barbarians” were heavily Romanized. In my final lecture on Rome, I e...

Medieval Europe 01: The Barbarian Kingdoms (476-533) from 2014-01-01T01:01

Welcome to the Middle Ages. If you are coming to these lectures having just finished my lectures on Rome, there will be some minor overlap here. If you have not listened to my lectures on Rome, ...

Rome 29: The End of the Western Roman Empire? from 2011-01-01T01:29

In the last lecture, we saw the Goths rise up and overthrow the last Roman Emperor in the West. In this lecture, we ask a single, simple question. Did the Roman Empire in fact fall? The answer, ...

Rome 28: The Goths from 2011-01-01T01:28

In the last lecture, we got a sense of what Europe looked like as Rome expanded northward and westward. It was a diverse region with many different peoples, separated roughly into two groups: th...

Rome 27: The "Germanic" Tribes from 2011-01-01T01:27

In the last lecture, we met the Celts, a diverse people who inhabited Gaul, modern-day France, and Ireland primarily. In this lecture, we will examine another major group of people who are colle...

Rome 26: The Celts from 2011-01-01T01:26

In the past few lectures, we’ve seen the rise of Christianity and its acceptance in Rome. In this lecture, I want to look at another theme, the people whom Romans called “barbarians.” This will ...

Rome 24: The Rise of Christianity from 2011-01-01T01:24

Before reading this chapter, STOP. Take a moment and think about what your perceptions are of the medieval Church. What came to mind? The Pope, corruption, scandal, power, controllers of Europe,...

Rome 23: The Crisis of the Third Century from 2011-01-01T01:23

In the previous lectures, we’ve seen the relatively good rule of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. In this lecture, we turn to the third century. Unfortunately for Rome, this is a period known as the ...

Rome 21: The Nerva-Antonines from 2011-01-01T01:21

In the previous lecture, we saw the end of the Flavian dynasty with the death of Domitian. In this lecture, we pick up where we left off and begin with a new dynasty that would rule for 180 year...

Rome 20: The Flavians from 2011-01-01T01:20

In the previous lecture, we examined the Year of the Four Emperors, a period in which four Roman emperors vied for power. This was the result of the power vacuum after Nero’s death in 68 and las...

Rome 19: The Year of the Four Emperors from 2011-01-01T01:19

In the last lecture, we saw the rise and fall of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was the last in this line. His suicide was welcomed by the Roman elites, but it also created a new host of probl...

Rome 18: The Julio-Claudians from 2011-01-01T01:18

In the previous lecture, we examined the reforms that Augustus instituted during his reign. In this lecture, I want to look at the final years of his life and the beginning of the so-called Juli...

Rome 17: The Reforms of Augustus from 2011-01-01T01:17

In the previous lecture, we saw the rise of Augustus. We saw how a young, adopted son of Caesar out-smarted some of the greatest minds the Roman state had to offer. He and Mark Antony briefly al...

Rome 16: The Age of Augustus from 2011-01-01T01:16

In the previous lectures, we saw the rise and fall of the First Triumvirate and the assassination of Julius Caesar. Caesar came to power through civil war, in which he challenged the Roman state...

Rome 11: Marius and Sulla from 2011-01-01T01:11

In this lecture, I want to discuss the immediate effects of these reforms by looking at two individuals, Marius, the man responsible for these reforms, and Sulla. If humans have archenemies, Sul...

Rome 10: Second Century Military Changes from 2011-01-01T01:10

In the past lectures, we’ve seen the political results of these developments. In this lecture, I want to focus on the militaristic results, that is, how these changes in Rome affected the milita...

Rome 09: Scipio Aemilianus and the Gracchi from 2011-01-01T01:09

This Rise of the Individual, as I call it, is both the natural result of Roman expansion and increased wealth and a testament to the strength of the Roman Republic but it is also the beginning o...

Rome 08: The Social and Political Changes from 2011-01-01T01:08

In the past few lectures, we have discussed the ways in which Rome expanded. We saw them first attack their neighbors and expand their empire across Italy. Next, we saw them turn their attention...

Rome 07: The Punic Wars from 2011-01-01T01:07

In the last lecture we saw the rise of Rome on the Italian Peninsula. In this lecture, I want to focus on the first major encounter Rome had with a non-Italian adversary. This foe was Carthage.

Rome 06: The Conquest of Italy from 2011-01-01T01:06

In the past few lectures, we have contextualized Rome and its place within the Mediterranean Sea generally and the Italian Peninsula specifically. Today we are going to be looking at how Rome gr...

Rome 05: The Institutions of the Roman Republic from 2011-01-01T01:05

After the Rome's regal period, they entered into what is known as the Roman Republic. The word republic comes from the Latin words res publica, which literally translates to "the public thing." ...

Rome 04 - The Mythical Origins of Rome from 2011-01-01T01:04

In this lecture we are going to explore how Rome viewed their earliest history and how that balances against fact. Early cultures rarely have an accurate view of their earliest past. 

Rome 03: The Ancient Italian Peninsula from 2011-01-01T01:03

In the past lectures, I spoke about the Ancient Mediterranean. We saw that this was a belligerent political arena fraught with peril. We saw that the annual calendar was developed around agricul...

Rome 02: The Ancient Mediterranean from 2011-01-01T01:02

Welcome to the Ancient Mediterranean. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with it because it's going to be our home for many lectures to come. It is impossible to study Rome without first cont...

Rome 01: Early Writing Cultures from 2011-01-01T01:01

There is something magical about the written word. It connects us to the past in a way no other technology can. With the advent of writing, the historian's profession was born. In this chapter, ...

Ancient Greece 22: The Achaean War from 2010-01-01T01:22

In the last lecture, we saw Rome go to war with Macedonia in four separate wars. After Rome finally defeated the region after the Fourth Macedonian War, they quickly faced an uprising in 146 kno...

Ancient Greece 21: The Macedonian Wars from 2010-01-01T01:21

In the previous lecture, we examined the Pyrrhic War between Rome and King Pyrrhus of Epirus. I noted that this was the first war in which Rome came into contact with Hellenistic and Greek milit...

Ancient Greece 20: The Pyrrhic War from 2010-01-01T01:20

In my lectures on Rome, I detail the rise of Rome in the Italian Peninsula. This lecture is one of three designed to discuss Rome in the contexts of Hellenism. Remember, when Greek power waned a...

Ancient Greece 15: Hellenism from 2010-01-01T01:15

In the last lecture, we saw the rise and fall of Alexander the Great. This lecture will be quiet brief as I am less interested in historical events and people and more interested in a concept th...

Ancient Greece 11: The Peloponnesian War from 2010-01-01T01:11

In the last lecture we witnessed the Persian Wars. We saw that the Greeks ultimately defeated the Persians as they advanced into Greece twice during the early fifth century. We also saw that the...

Ancient Greece 10: The Persian Wars from 2010-01-01T01:10

In the past few lectures, we have seen how certain poleis structured their government and we have learned a bit about Ancient Greek geography and military organization. In this lecture, we begin...

Ancient Greece 07: Sparta from 2010-01-01T01:07

This lecture on Sparta is the beginning of a few lectures in which we explore some of the poleis of Ancient Greece. As we saw in the previous lectures, the Ancient Greek world had many different...

Ancient Greece 06: Ancient Greek Geography and Military from 2010-01-01T01:06

In an earlier lecture, I emphasized the role of geography in the Ancient Mediterranean in general. In this lecture, I want to zoom in on Ancient Greece and study its geography. As we will see th...

Ancient Greece 05: The Polis from 2010-01-01T01:05

At the end of the Dark Ages, a new system was firmly entrenched across Ancient Greek. This new system was that of the poleis, the plural of polis. You have heard this term numerous times in prev...

Ancient Greece 04: The Greek Renaissance from 2010-01-01T01:04

When the Dark Ages end in the eighth century BCE, we enter a new period of Greek history. Historians call this period Archaic Greece. It will last from the reemergence of writing in the 8th cent...

Ancient Greece 03: The Dark Ages and Homeric Society from 2010-01-01T01:03

After the Mycenaean culture collapsed, Greece entered into a period where no written record exists. This would become known as the Greek Dark Ages (c. 1200-900 BCE). During this period, historia...

Ancient Greece 02: The Ancient Mediterranean from 2010-01-01T01:02

Welcome to the Ancient Mediterranean. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with it because it's going to be our home for many lectures to come. It is impossible to study Rome without first cont...

Ancient Greece 01 - Early Writing Cultures from 2010-01-01T00:01

There is something magical about the written word. It connects us to the past in a way no other technology can. With the advent of writing, the historian's profession was born. In this chapter, ...