Medieval Beauty Tips
Just like us, medieval people wanted to step out looking (and smelling) their best. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle shares some hygiene and beauty advice from the Middle Ages.
Field Report: Kalamazoom 2022
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle and Peter Konieczny report back on the 57th International Congress on Medieval Studies, affectionately known this year as “Kalamazoom”. Here are some favourite papers, some of the exciting new research going on in medieval studies and how the field is changing for the better.
Christine de Pizan: Women’s Most Famous Medieval Defender
Despite centuries of obscurity, one of the most popular authors of the medieval period is slowly finding her place in the literary canon restored. Said to have been the first professional woman writer, Christine de Pizan’s life and career rivalled that of any of her better-known male counterparts, and believe it or not, she used that popularity to highlight women’s strengths and struggles.
Body Language and the Modern Medieval Courtroom
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle reflects on medieval court cases, body language, and the ways in which both have shaped today’s modern trials – including the celebrity ones.
Household Goods in Medieval London with Katherine French
Material goods are a rich and fascinating source for finding out more about the ordinary lives of the people of the Middle Ages. This week, Danièle speaks with Katherine French about what Londoners’ homes were like both before and after the Black Death, what they filled them with, and how we know.
The Northman
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle and Peter Konieczny give their takes on Hollywood’s latest foray into medieval movie-making: The Northman.
Five Gamechangers in English Castle-Building
Here are five changes in English castle design that had a big impact on history.
Episode 150! Your Top Ten Favourites
This week, Danièle celebrates 150 episodes of The Medieval Podcast by looking back at the top ten episodes, as chosen by you.
The Permeable Self with Barbara Newman
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Barbara Newman about the self in the Middle Ages, how others could shape and transform a person inside and out, and how a medieval person’s idea of self-reflected their relationship to other people and the world around them, both physical and spiritual.
New Book Recommendations
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle recommends some newly-released books on the Middle Ages, covering essay collections, a standout new sourcebook, some primary sources, and a biography of one of her favourite medieval writers.
Medieval Storytime: Animals
For this week’s medieval storytime, Danièle reads a collection of descriptions, fables, and poems all featuring animals. From venomous toads to proud peacocks and malicious whales, the Middle Ages shares its moral worldview through the animal kingdom.
The Distaff Gospels
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Peter Konieczny about one of her favourite medieval books: The Distaff Gospels. Full to the brim with wit and wild advice for timeless problems, this is a book that reminds us of the full picture of life in the Middle Ages.
The Strange Case of Ermine de Reims
In the Middle Ages, demons were a well-known threat to even the most devout Christians. This week, Danièle speaks with Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski about the strange case of Ermine de Reims, a late medieval woman plagued by demonic visitations.
Fun Facts About Monks
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle dishes on some of the ways medieval monks could be silly, petty, clever and compassionate. Here are some of the fun facts that made it – and didn’t make it – into her new book, How to Live Like a Monk.
Sanitation in Medieval Paris with Emily Hutchison
Just how dirty was medieval Paris? And what did people do with their waste? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Emily Hutchison about sanitation in the Middle Ages.
Storyland with Amy Jeffs
There’s one thing that seems common to humankind across time and space: we love a good origin story. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Amy Jeffs about some of the medieval origin myths and legends surrounding the British Isles and its peoples, and how she’s retold them for a modern audience.
The Medieval Ass with Kathryn Smithies
Although you’d find them in cities and on farms, serving in wars and taking part in religious services, we’re not talking about people (or bottoms). This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Kathryn L. Smithies about one of the medieval world’s most hardworking creatures and symbols: the donkey.
The Jacquerie Revolt with Justine Firnhaber-Baker
A decade after The Black Death, French peasants rose up suddenly against the nobility in an unprecedented and remarkably coordinated revolt. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Dr. Justine Firnhäber-Baker about the rebellion that shocked the elites of Europe: the Jacquerie.
Paper in the Middle Ages with Orietta Da Rold
Although it tends to be thought of as a time when people rejected technology, there were many new inventions met with enthusiasm in the Middle Ages, including one we might not be able to imagine living without: paper. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Orietta Da Rold about the many uses of medieval paper.
Going Medieval in Dungeons & Dragons
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle starts the new year with a fun episode exploring how real history can be used to add challenges to your Dungeons & Dragons games.
2021: The Medieval Year in Review
As the new year approaches, it’s time to take a look back at the best parts of 2021: the medieval stuff. This week, Peter Koniezcny returns for the third annual Medieval Podcast Year in Review, covering everything from new discoveries to movies to video games to our own adventures in 2021.
The Best Medieval Books of 2021
One of the great things about 2021 drawing to a close is that we can take a moment to think about all of the really amazing books we’ve read over the past twelve months. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Peter Konieczny about ten of our favourite books of the last year.
John Trevisa and Medieval Information, with Emily Steiner
Many medieval people were hugely invested in finding ways to organize and share what they knew about the world, including one influential translator from England. This week, Danièle speaks with Dr. Emily Steiner about John Trevisa and how his work on medieval compendia influenced history.
Powers and Thrones with Dan Jones
In the last decade or so, there’s been a rising tide of history books and articles that are written to meet the people where they are; public histories of the Middle Ages full of life and energy, that hook even more people and bring them into our world. This week on The Medieval Podcasr, Danièle speaks with a writer who does it better than maybe anyone else in the world today: Dan Jones.