The Medieval Podcast

What was torture really like in the Middle Ages? Everyone knows, or thinks they know, that torture was an integral part of medieval life, but many of our beliefs are really myths. Larissa ‘Kat’ Tracy joins Danièle to talk about iron maidens, dungeons, executions and more.

A special episode of The Medieval Podcast to discuss the tragic fire that has left much of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris destroyed. Danièle talks with Peter Konieczny, Editor of Medievalists.net, to recount what we know about the fire, and our own reactions to this sad disaster.

Although it seems to be a fundamental contradiction, some medieval conflicts saw bishops braving the battlefield. To find out more about these military men of the cloth, Danièle speaks with Craig Nakashian, author of Warrior Churchmen of Medieval England, 1000-1250: Theory and Reality.

These days, there are many different ways to be a historian outside of academia. In this episode, Danièle speaks with Christine Morgan, creator of Untitled History Project, about her latest work on the famous fairy Mélusine, Mary Boleyn, and making it as a historian off the tenure track.

The recent (re)confirmation that the prestigious medieval warrior buried in Birka, Sweden was female has gotten people talking once again about the role of women in the Viking world. This week, Danièle interviews archaeologist Leszek Gardeła to learn more about women, warriors, and when a weapon is more than just a weapon.

This month, an exciting connection was made between Islamic and Irish medicine through the discovery of a medieval fragment of Avicenna’s Canon of Medicine bound in a sixteenth-century printed book. In this episode, Danièle speaks with Pádraig O’Macháin about his discovery of the very first physical evidence that Avicenna was translated and shared in Gaelic.

Everyone loves a medieval mystery novel, but just how does an author go about creating one that’s true to the period? To find out, Danièle speaks with Candace Robb, author of the Owen Archer and Kate Clifford mystery series to learn about how to create compelling and intriguing historical fiction.

What was it like to be a bastard in medieval Europe? Were you excluded from one of the most important institutions of the time: the priesthood? Danièle is joined by Sara McDougall to talk about bastards, priests, and if you could be both at that same time.

How did medieval people deal with physical and mental challenges? Danièle speaks with Kisha Tracy of Fitchburg State University on why its important to talk about disabilities in the Middle Ages and what evidence we have for how people cared for each other when there was physical or mental disabilities.

It was one of the most famous battles of the Middle Ages, and one that has been studied by many historians. Yet, we do not know exactly where the battle was fought. Danièle speaks with Michael Livingston about his latest research on where the battlefield might be.