Elephants and Ivory with John Beusterien
Elephants were known throughout most of the medieval world, even if most people had never encountered one, themselves. In bestiaries, elephants are praised for their long memories, intelligence, and m...
10 Jul 202549min
Royal Grief in Medieval Iberia with Nuria Silleras-Fernandez
For three medieval Iberian queens, grief - and the way they expressed it - had immense and far-reaching consequences. This week, Danièle speaks with Núria Silleras-Fernández about what grief and widow...
3 Jul 202556min
Mysterious Manuscripts with Garry Shaw
There are several famous examples of mysterious medieval writing, including the so-far unbreakable Voynich Manuscript. So, what secrets were medieval people trying to hide? And why? This week, Danièle...
26 Jun 202555min
Johannes Gutenberg with Eric White
There are a lot of gamechanging inventions that shifted the trajectory of the Middle Ages, but one machine managed to hit at just the right time and place to create a massive enterprise in medieval Eu...
19 Jun 202552min
Inventing the Renaissance with Ada Palmer
Given that the term literally means “rebirth”, the Renaissance throws some not-so-subtle shade on the period that comes before it. So, where did the idea of the Renaissance actually come from? And was...
12 Jun 202555min
Saint Thomas Becket with Michael Staunton
It's one of the most notorious political assassinations in history: the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The story of two friends who became bitter enemies in a struggle between ...
5 Jun 202557min
Medieval Infancy with Julie Singer
One of the most celebrated moments in childhood is when a person utters their very first words, stepping over a brand new threshold of communication. And from that moment on, all bets are off. This we...
29 Mai 202547min
Prester John with Chris Taylor
A mysterious figure ruling at the fringes of the known world, Prester John might be the most famous person you've never heard of. Like a medieval Carmen Sandiego, Prester John was a man people searche...
22 Mai 202543min
