Going to Church in Medieval England with Nicholas Orme
During the Middle Ages, the church was at the very heart of European society, but how did ordinary people interact with it in their daily lives? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Nicholas Orme about the churchgoing experience of everyday medieval people, how it changed over time, and what it was like to attend a medieval mass.
Medieval Holy Wars
Holy wars have come in all sizes and shapes, but overall they have fallen into four categories: ritual holy wars; holy wars of conquest and conversion; defensive holy wars; and millenarian holy wars.
Old Age and Poverty in the Middle Ages
What happened to elderly individuals deprived of resources and family?
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.
Living on a Prayer? Parish Guilds in the Middle Ages
What was their role in medieval society, who could belong to them, and to quote the famous Bon Jovi classic. were they simply living on a prayer?
Khurramism: The story of a medieval religious movement
A look at the beliefs and religious practices of the Khurramiyya, and what happened when they came into contact with Zoroastrianism and Islam.
Saint Anne: Grandmother to the Medieval World
The story of how the grandmother of Jesus became an important figure in medieval Christianity.
Kissing in the Middle Ages
For medieval people, a kiss represents far more than the romantic.
Pain is Salvation: Flagellant Songs in the Middle Ages
The history of flagellant songs will be explored, beginning with their origin among the flagellants in Italy and tracing their transmission and adoption among flagellants in Germany.
The religion of simple believers, with Jack Tannous
They probably knew little about the minutiae of theology, but what did they know about their faith, and how important was theology for their religious identity?
Medieval Confraternities: Prayers, Feasts, and Fees
We can examine what were medieval confraternities by focusing on those the existed in the towns and cities of Southern France.
Were the Cathars even real?
The Cathars are one of the most well-known heresies in medieval Europe. But how much do we know about them? In this episode, Lucie Laumonier interviews Jean-Paul Rehr about the mythical Cathars and a peculiar inquisition record drafted near Toulouse in the thirteenth century.
What a medieval prayer roll can tell us about religious beliefs
A rare English illuminated medieval prayer roll, believed to be among only a few dozen still in existence worldwide, has been analysed in a new study to expose Catholic beliefs in England before the Reformation in the sixteenth century.
Medieval Badges with Ann Marie Rasmussen
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Ann Marie Rasmussen about medieval badges, how they were made and used, and who was wearing them.
The Cross of War in the Age of the Crusades
Talking about the carrying of the True Cross during battles in the crusades.
Locusts: an apocalyptic iconographical representation of the medieval warhorse
I’m really happy to bring you this talk about the Biblical locusts from the Book of Revelations and their apocalyptic and iconographical connections to the medieval warhorse.
Everyday Magic in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages magic was an accepted and common part of many people’s lives.
‘Royal Icons’ of Medieval Georgia
Medieval Georgian monarchs developed their own “icon politics” adapted to the current political situation and their own ideological agendas.
The power and journeys of the True Cross and other holy relics, with Lynn Jones
A conversation with Lynn Jones on how fragments of the True Cross were requested, gifted, traveled, repatriated, abducted, and returned in the early Byzantine period; how they were used to validate rival claims to power; and the anxiety caused by doubts over their authenticity.
St. Francis, Disability, and Illness, with Donna Trembinski
One of the world’s most well-known and beloved medieval saints is, of course, St. Francis, a man who faced many tribulations in the form of physical illness and disability. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Donna Trembinski about what we can learn about the person behind the saint by studying how his physical life affected his spiritual life.
Religion and the Military: The Good Duke as a Christian Warrior
How Louis II, Duke of Bourbon, melded his role as a warrior with his Christian piety.
Historical document details martyrdom of Japanese Christian retainers 400 years ago
New research has uncovered a letter indicating that Hosokawa Tadaoki, lord of the Kokura domain from 1600 to 1620, ordered the execution of Diego Hayato Kagayama, a chief vassal of the Hosokawa family, and the banishment of Genya Ogasawara, both Christians.
Miracle Stories
It’s medieval storytime! This week, Danièle reads from Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogue on Miracles, including the story of a sinful student, and the woman who took the baby Jesus hostage, as well as a few other fun tales from this thirteenth-century book for monastic novices.
Early Christian relics examined and dated by researchers
For more than 1500 years, this site has held the believed remains of two of the earliest Christians and Jesu apostles: St. Philip and St. James the Younger – relics of the Holy Catholic Church.