The Deeds of Philip Augustus with Cecilia Gaposchkin and Sean Field
As a teenage king, a crusader, and a bigamist, Philip Augustus’ life story is filled with enough saintliness and scandal to satisfy the appetites of any medieval chronicler. This week, Danièle speaks with Cecilia Gaposchkin and Sean Field about the life of Philip II Augustus, as recorded by a contemporary monk.
Harald Hardrada: Going Back to Norway
While Harald Hardrada was gaining fame and fortune in Byzantium, much was changing in Norway and Scandinavia.
A Dangerous Duke: Gloucester Complains about Richard II of England
The reign of England’s Richard II (1376-1399) is very interesting for giving us moderns a feel for what political debates were like at the end of the 14th century.
“Stop the Steal!”: Challenging an election, medieval style
Today, the United States and other democratic countries are dealing with fundamental challenges to their electoral systems. Can events from the year 1378 give us some insights into what is a ‘legitimate’ election?
Lord of the Pen and Sword: Genealogy and Sovereignty in the Medieval Islamic West
Mohamad Ballan’s project closely examines the phenomenon of the “scholar-statesman”—litterateurs, physicians, and jurists who ascended to the highest administrative and executive offices of state—in late medieval Islamic Spain and North Africa.
Top 10 Peace Treaties of the Middle Ages
Wars and conflicts rarely end with one side totally defeating the other. Even in the Middle Ages enemies understood the value of diplomacy, and hundreds of peace treaties were signed (although many were not followed). Some would have profound consequences. Here is our list of the ten most important peace treaties of the Middle Ages, arranged chronologically.
El Cid and the Conquest of Valencia
Rodrigo Díaz, better known as El Cid, would find his greatest success in the year 1094, when he captured the city of Valencia. How he did it depends on which writer you believe.
Al-Muqanna‘: The Veiled Prophet of Transoxiana
One of the most serious revolts against the still young Abbasid Caliphate in the 8th century was led by a man best known in the sources as al-Muqanna‘, or “the veiled one.”
The First Khurramiyya Revolts: Mazdak and Sunbadh’s Rebellions
Abu Muslim’s betrayal and murder by the Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur, in 755 was the spark that ignited a series of revolts against caliphal rule by the various groups of Khurramiyya in the chaotic decades that followed the Abbasid Revolution. The largest and longest Khurramiyya revolts took place during the years 755-833.
Tilly goes to Church: the Medieval and Religious Roots of European State Formation
The single most powerful challenger to kings and emperors in the Middle Ages was the Catholic Church.
Treason in the Middle Ages, with Amanda McVitty
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Amanda McVitty about the changing face of treason in medieval England.
Harald Hardrada: Apprentice Warlord
We now turn to explore the events, as well as the political and cultural contexts of Harald’s burgeoning military career.
Carolingian and Byzantine practices of empire compared, with Jennifer Davis
A conversation with Jennifer Davis on the study of empire in a medieval context, contrasting the different ways in which Charlemagne and the Byzantine emperors ran theirs. What do we mean by empire after all?
Byzantine soft power in an age of decline, with Cecily Hilsdale
A conversation with Cecily Hilsdale about the coping strategies that late Byzantium used to counter, ameliorate, and reverse its imperial decline.
The man who should have lost the Battle of Hastings: The Saga of Swegen Godwinson
Shouldn’t Swegen have arisen to the English kingship in 1066 and been defending the throne at Stamford Bridge and Hastings?
‘The Worthiest Man’: The story of Count Philip I of Flanders
Philip I Count of Flanders was one of the most controversial nobles in twelfth-century France. His choleric temperament was equaled only by his reputation in many historical and literary works. Where he went, trouble and greatness followed.
The peoples of the Caucasus between Rome, Iran, and the steppe, with Garth Fowden
A conversation with Garth Fowden about how the peoples of the Caucasus – Armenians, Georgians, and Albanians – coped with living between two empires, how those empires sought to intervene in their region, and the cultural and religious changes that took place there during the first half of the first millennium. This episode demonstrates the illuminating ways in which global and regional history can be combined.
Edward I and the Tale of Two Audiences
Edward I and the Tale of Two Audiences Paper by Kathleen Neal Given at Mortimer History Society online conference on May 15, 2021…
Christian-Muslim Diplomacy – Gestures and Words: European Ambassadors and the Mamluk Sultanate
I would like to deal with the instructions given by Christian powers to their ambassadors sent to the Mamluk sultanate.
Canossa, 1077: Emperor vs Pope, with Blair Apgar
When it came to power in medieval Europe, much of it rested in the hands of kings and popes. But what happened when they decided not to share it? This week on The Medieval Podcast Danièle speaks with Blair Apgar about the dramatic clash of emperor versus pope at Canossa in 1077.
John of Gaunt with Helen Carr
Diplomat, soldier, prince, adulterer. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Helen Carr about one of the most colourful and powerful figures of the late Middle Ages: John of Gaunt.
Witch Hunts in Medieval England: The Trial of Walter Langton
In 1301 Walter Langton, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, was accused of using sorcery to acquire a large fortune and gain the favour of the king. His lengthy and inconclusive trial shows that accusations of witchcraft made at this time were often motivated by politics rather than fear
Revolting Scots: Rebels or National Enemy? Crown Communications and Public Perceptions in Early Fourteenth-Century England
Andy King talks about the views of the Scots within England during the early 14th century.
New study strengthens claims Richard III murdered ‘the Princes in the Tower’
King Richard III’s involvement in one of the most notorious and emotive mysteries in English history may be a step closer to being confirmed following a new study by Professor Tim Thornton of the University of Huddersfield.