What was First Iconoclasm about?, with Leslie Brubaker
A conversation with Leslie Brubaker on the first period of Byzantine iconoclasm (ca. 730 to 787 AD). What was the problem with religious icons? What did the “Isaurian” emperors Leon III and Konstantinos V try to do about it, and why? A great deal of what we used to know, largely by following pro-icon sources, has come undone in the latest research.
Lost Medieval Chapel Sheds Light on Royal Burials at Westminster Abbey, study finds
New evidence, helping to form a 15th-century reconstruction of part of Westminster Abbey, demonstrates how a section of the building was once the focus for the royal family’s devotion to the cult of a disemboweled saint and likely contained gruesome images of his martyrdom.
The Seduction of Christ: Listening Out for Queerness in the Middle Ages
This article will look at four examples of where lust for Christ pushes in two directions: towards a community of suffers emphasising and imitating his pain, and towards a private and personal relationship with Christ.
Building the Parish Church, 1150-1300
Estimated somewhere between 8000 and 9000 examples, parish churches containing at least some medieval building fabric are ubiquitous in the English landscape.
Rome’s Catacomb of Commodilla to open to the public for the first time
The Catacomb of Commodilla in Rome, currently undergoing restoration, will open to the public for the first time ever in 2025.
How to be philanthropic in early Byzantine Christianity, with Dan Caner
A conversation with Dan Caner about the different kinds of charitable giving in early Byzantium. We talk about the pre-Christian background, the role of institutions, and views about wealth. Was giving primarily good for the soul of the giver, and under what conditions, or for the material assistance of the needy? How could one give to ascetics, who had renounced such needs?
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.