We're Not So Different

Luke and Eleanor are back to talk about the meme that's been making the rounds for the past few weeks: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? we discuss how often we actually think about Rome and its successor states before moving on to talk about why this meme became so popular, why guys actually think about the Romans so often, why is this question so weirdly gendered, and more! we had a lot of fun with it and we know you will too. enjoy!

today, we have on Kleio Pethainou, a doctoral candidate at the Univ. of Edinburgh, to talk about Medieval humor and the lesser-known but still awesome tradition of Fabliau. Fabliau are bawdy, humorous stories, often filled with some level of social commentary, that started out in France in the High and Late Middle Ages. we talk with Kleio about what they were, what they mean, and even hear a great example of one of these ribald tales. check it out!you can check out all of Kleio's work here: https://linktr.ee/kpethainou

last time, we talked about two famous Medieval women, Hildegard of Bingen and Eleanor of Aquitaine. they were both titans in their own respects but there's a small issue with Eleanor's legacy and that's her 4 idiot failsons. while Eleanor's daughters were apparently quite proficient, her 4 sons who survived to adulthood, Henry the Young King, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, were all giants morons who failed spectacularly at being or attempting to be Kings of England. so join us as we look at their myriad failures as they tried to rule the realm or ended up fighting one another and their dad to try and rule.

in this one, we revisit our occasional series on the lives of prominent Medieval women as we discuss Hildegard of Bingen and Eleanor of Aquitaine. though they made their impacts felt in different ways, they were each monumentally important. Hildegard was a polymath who made her mark in the realms of religion, music, and science. Eleanor, meanwhile, was raised from birth to be in politics, ruled realms, served as a diplomat, and heavily influenced the later cultural milieu. enjoy!

we're back for another episode off Medieval what if scenarios. it's late, we all know it's late, it's fine. What if the Norman Invasion failed? What if Constantinople held out in 1453? What if Arthur Tudor, Henry VIII's older brother, hadn't died early? well, there's only one way to find out...

folks, today we move out of the realm of actual history and into the realm of alternative history as we take a look at some Medieval "what if..." scenarios. We go through a series of historical events, change one small detail, and see how things would've been different, if at all. What if the Moors won the Battle of Tours? What if the English won the Hundred Years War? What if the Chinese never dismantled their Treasure Fleet and instead "discovered" the Americas 40 years before the Europeans did? it's a lot of fun, so check it out!

this time, we embark on another occasional series we're going to do from time-to-time going forward and this one is all about Medieval fail sons who squandered the fortunes, power, and goodwill engendered by their parents and were just general fuck-ups. Today, we're talking about the two fail sons of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV: Wenceslas IV, King of Germany and Bohemia and Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor. we look at the legacy their dad created and how they just fucked everything up in spectacular fashion.

in this episode, we discuss the entertainment that you would see at a Medieval court: troubadours, dancers, jugglers, and, of course, jesters. we take a look at these professions, what their performances were like, how and why they were hired, and more. then we talk about the unique position held by medieval jesters and how it was a real thing and not just something fake you'd see in a fantasy novel. enjoy!

we're back to talk about a huge facet of Medieval life: going to the market. what were they like? what was a market town? what could you buy there? who went to market? how were they run? were Medieval goth kids hanging out at the market like they do at the mall? we will discuss all of that plus the social and cultural functions that markets allowed for and more.

in this episode, we start an intermittently recurring series where we explore the lives and times of two famous Medieval women. and while these will usually be about women who lived and rose to prominence during the Middle Ages, we kinda had to start with two women from an earlier era who were nonetheless extremely important: Mary, the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. we talk about who they were, what made them famous, how Medieval people understood them, and the confusion associated with being a female role model in a patriarchal society. Because while they may have died 500 years before the Middle Ages began, the two Mary's were easily the most influential women to Medieval Christians.here's a link to the Golden Legend or Mary Magdalene that Eleanor mentioned: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/goldenlegend/goldenlegend-volume4.asp