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Medieval Madness

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An armored knight on a lumbering steed, toiling serfs, tied to the lands of their lord, cloistered monks and nuns, lost in prayer, and don’t forget the scenery: high-walled castles, great gothic churches, farms, farms, and more farms. We all know the kind of things we’d find during the Medieval Age. But what actually was the Medieval Age? Join us here at MedievalMadness to find out...

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23 episodes
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Thursday · 15 min
Halloween in the Middle Ages...
For most of us, Halloween is the commercial holiday celebrated every year on the 31st of October, when people carve jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins and dress up in scary costumes to go out trick or treating. But what did Halloween mean to the Medievals and how did their superstitions and beliefs influence how we celebrate Halloween today? Let’s travel back now to a time of witches, soul-hunters, and ‘Stingy Jack’. Welcome to Medieval Madness! 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Do You Believe in Magic? 02:35 Strange Magic 04:02 Sinners, Saints & Souls 06:01 Hallowmass 08:20 Devil In Disguise? 10:14 The Subtle Shifts Narrated by James Wade Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe Edited by Jamit Productions Thank you for watching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tuesday · 15 min
Staying Pretty in The Middle Ages...
Like us, the Medievals wanted to step out looking and smelling their best. For women especially, grooming was not just about creating the illusion of beauty, it was also a way to show off their social status because the higher the rank and wealth then the more access people had to expensive cosmetics made with rare ingredients. Let’s travel back to the Middle Ages to take a look at male and female grooming and discover how people used their available resources to create beauty products, that still inspire and influence cosmetics manufacturers today. 00:00 Introduction 00:45 The Beautiful People 02:13 All The Pretty Faces 05:14 Not A Hair Out of Place 06:44 Manscaping 09:37 Smile Like You Mean It Narrated by James Wade Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe Edited by Jamit Productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 30 · 15 min
This Medieval Knight Was a Total D*&k...
English soldier and knight, condottiero, Captain-General of Florence, Duke of the Duchy of Spoleto. Who was this man? A man nicknamed John Sharp by the Italians in reference to his “cleverness and cunning”. A man so highly thought of by the Italians that he is depicted in a fresco painted by Uccello at the Duomo in Florence. Could such an honourable man really be responsible for one of the worst massacres of the Middle Ages? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 28 · 14 min
Dying in The Middle Ages...
Where do we go when we die? It’s a question that humans have been pondering for thousands of years. For the Christian Medievals, there were only three options – heaven, hell, or purgatory. The problem was, they didn’t know what condition their soul was in until they died and that was causing concern. Even the theologians, with all their ecclesiastical knowledge and writings, debated the problem without success so what chance did the common people have? Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 27 · 15 min
The Medieval Murder Mystery You Didn't Read in History Class...
We’ll begin, as all good murder stories do, with the finding of a body. It was the end of May 1375, in the Lincolnshire countryside when the decomposing remains of a man were discovered in the fields near Grayingham. The man was about 30 years old and had been lying there for several months but his clothes showed he was a man of means. On examining the body, the coroner decided he had died from “diverse mortal wounds” caused by a knife. But who was the man? What was the motive for his murder? And what has a court case between William’s brother Nicolas and Nicolas’s wife, some seven years earlier, have to do with anything? Let’s travel back in time now to the late 14th century to discover treason, conspiracy, a tiny penis, and the connection between a wife, her lover, the chambermaid, the cook, the squire, and their neighbour. Welcome to Medieval Madness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
August 26 · 15 min
Getting Wasted in the Middle Ages...
The Medievals consumed alcohol all the time. At every event, whether that was a wedding, a funeral, a business negotiation, or the completion of an apprenticeship ... they didn’t really need an excuse. They even drank at work, all day, every day. Which begs the question. Were the people who lived through the Middle Ages always drunk? It makes you wonder how they could work, fight their many wars, or even function properly when they were all constantly hammered. Welcome to Medieval Madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 2 · 15 min
Surviving Summer in the Middle Ages...
For the Medievals, summer was a time of celebration for all classes. Perhaps the best time of the year for social gatherings. But work still had to be carried out in the fields and summer was also a time of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, plague, and fever. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
July 1 · 15 min
What Did Medieval People Think of UFOs & Alien Life?
In the West, the Middle Ages was a superstitious time, a time when what was real and unreal became blurred. Dragons, witches, basilisks, and zombies were just some of the beasts that offered an ever-present threat to Christian society. Is it any wonder then, that in a time when everything had a religious significance, any unexplained phenomenon in the skies was interpreted as either an omen, the manifestation of an angel or demon, or even a message from God himself? It was a time rich with mystery and wonder. Was it possible that the Medievals were not alone in the universe? Welcome to Medieval Madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
June 25 · 15 min
Cats During The Medieval Times...
The Egyptians treated them with reverence and adoration having, first domesticated them 4,000 years ago. Since then the small, carnivorous mammals have played a major part in religion, folklore, art, and community health across the world. However, in 13th-century Western Europe, cats became associated with the supernatural, when Pope Gregory IX called them an instrument of Satan. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and discover why cats were linked to witchcraft, why they were pl...
June 23 · 14 min
The Medieval Robbery Your School Didn't Teach You About...
In 1303, Westminster was an important place. West from the City of London, it was protected by its own walls and gates. Westminster Palace was there, which was once the main residence of the kings of England. On the evening of the 12th of May, in Westminster Abbey, which lay just across the pathway from the Palace, the Benedictine could be heard singing compline, their final prayer at the end of the day before they retired to their sleeping quarters. In the Abbey, beneath the Chapter House is...
June 18 · 14 min
The Medieval Blood Ritual You Didn't Learn About in School...
The 22nd of March 1144 was Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Outside the city walls, the forester Henry de Sprowston was riding through Thorpe Wood on the outskirts of Norwich, England. Among other things, Henry was looking for thieves, who were known to cut timber without permission. Suddenly he came across a peasant who led him to the mutilated body of a young boy lying under a tree. It was obvious that a crime had been committed. The boy's name was William, and no one could have imagin...
June 16 · 15 min
Surviving Life as a Woman of the Medieval Crusades...
Going on a Medieval Crusade was a male mission, a military enterprise in which only men could fight. Obviously, the women stayed home and did womanly things while their dashing, knightly husbands rode off and defended the Holy Land. Right? Wrong. Actually, many women also took up the cross and went off on Crusade, and they weren’t just the important warrior noble women, like Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Described as being “essential yet despised”, there were also the servants who looked after ...
June 11 · 15 min
The Most Feared Building of The Middle Ages...
The White Tower, as it was originally known, was a fortress-stronghold built by the first Norman king, William the Conqueror. It was intended to protect against foreign invasion and intimidate the citizens of London in equal measure. But the Tower also had other uses. It operated as a royal residence and was where monarchs would stay as they awaited their coronation. However, The Tower of London's most famous role, one that it played for over 850 years, was as a prison, detaining a list of pe...
June 9 · 14 min
Surviving Life During The Mongol Empire...
From an insignificant tribal clan, the Mongols seemed to come out of nowhere to rule over the greatest empire in the world, before disappearing just as quickly three centuries later. Their lands reached out across the Mediterranean to the Pacific from the Arabian Desert in the south to the tundra of Northern Russia and from the forests of Poland to the mountains of China. At the empire’s height, the Mongols controlled a staggering 12 million square miles of territory. But what was it like to ...
June 4 · 14 min
The Medieval Welshman Who HATED The English...
Born in 1359, Owain was the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales and fought for 15 years against English rule. He led successful sieges and battlefield victories to establish an independent Welsh State, refusing to ever give up, even when it seemed that all was lost he continued to resist the English, in the Welsh mountains by utilizing guerrilla warfare. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and meet the last Welsh Prince of Wales, who it is said will rise in def...
June 2 · 14 min
How to Survive The 'Battle of Bannockburn' as a Medieval Soldier...
It was a spectacular win for Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, over the two days of the 23rd and 24th of June 1314. Just like the triumph of Agincourt, which was to follow 100 years later, the Battle of Bannockburn was a win for the underdog, when a formidable army lost to one of significantly fewer numbers. A pivotal battle that would change the course of the First Scottish War of Independence which ended 14 years later with a victory for the Scots. Today we continue our ‘Day in the Life ...
May 28 · 14 min
Surviving Life as a Medieval Princess...
We often think of Medieval princesses in terms of fairy tales - as beautiful young ladies waiting around, in their tall pointy hats, for some knight to come along and rescue them from a tower. But the reality was far less romantic. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and meet some of these noble ladies and take a little look at how they navigated such an overwhelmingly male world.
May 26 · 14 min
Medieval Palaces That Have Been Lost To Time...
There are many medieval ruins scattered throughout England and the landscape is full of crumbling abbeys that were left to deteriorate after Henry VIII’s reformation. But there are also quite a few, little-known palaces, that were once magnificent during the Middle Ages and were also discarded. Some were abandoned because of fire or war and others just fell out of favour with their wealthy owners. Let’s travel back in time now and visit some of these splendid buildings that have become lost t...
May 21 · 14 min
Why You Wouldn't Survive 2 Minutes in a Medieval Prison...
For hundreds of years, for whatever reason, whether innocent or guilty, men, women, and children have found themselves in prison. Imagine travelling back to the Middle Ages and spending time inside one of those “unregulated, frequently packed ... verminous ... ill ventilated and badly sewered” places. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
May 19 · 14 min
The Wonderful World of Alchemy During The Middle Ages...
The word alchemy conjures up images of the occult, of dark laboratories and secretive wizard-like figures hunched over bubbling cauldrons. As well as trying to discover the philosopher’s stone, said to be the elixir of life and immortality, the idea of turning base metals into gold or silver has also fascinated people for thousands of years. The Medievals finally believed that they could ‘transmute’ one substance into another and in the Middle Ages the idea turned into quite a craze. Welcome ...

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