The Medieval Podcast

This week, Danièle gets dramatic with a look at medieval drama, how it changed and evolved, and how it influenced later forms of theatre.

Often, people think of the women of medieval Europe as either wives or nuns: women whose lives and property were under the control of someone else. But what tends to be forgotten is that for some women there was a third option: to become a beguine. This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Tanya Stabler Miller about who the beguines were, and what medieval society thought of them.

This week, Danièle gets down and dirty on medieval laundry. Who washed the clothes in the Middle Ages? How did they do it? And why was it so dangerous?

This week is all about King Arthur and his Knights - Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to discuss their favourite tales from Arthurian literature and how the story has changed over time.

We’re going back to the Lais of Marie de France, as Danièle tells the story of Yonec. It has all the hallmarks of a classic medieval romance: adultery, magic, spying, revenge, and women being blamed for wrecking everything.

In the Middle Ages, a person could claim sanctuary to delay or avoid punishment for a serious crime. But what were the rules? This week, Danièle interviews Dr. Shannon McSheffrey to find out how and why medieval people sought sanctuary, and whether or not a convicted heretic could expect the church to save his life.

This week, Danièle reaches out to romance writers, giving both information and resources for those who want to write their very own medieval novels.

In this first episode of 2020, Danièle connects with Anne Thériault, author of Longreads’ Queens of Infamy series, to talk about some of her favourite queens, saints, and foxes, and what it’s like to write infamous history on the internet in 2020.

For the final episode of 2019, Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to talk about the some of the top medieval-related news stories and their personal highlights from the last year.

This week, Danièle is joined by Peter Konieczny to talk about their favourite books on the Middle Ages that were published in 2019. It take us from Viking Greenland to manuscripts to the Crusades, with books for all types of readers.