PODCAST · history
Medieval Archives
by Medieval Archives
The Medieval Archives podcast transports you back to an age of heroic kings, gallant knights and pious bishops. Separate fact from fiction and find out how the men and women of the middle ages really lived.
Episodes
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MAP97: Hunger Games: The Great Famine of 1315
Listen Now! 🌾Hunger Games: The Great Famine of 1315🌾 Executive Producer: ⭐Lilac Square Antiques & Books 💰Become a Producer! DONATE to the show via PayPal, or use Venmo You can also donate with Stripe The 14th century opened with a nightmare beginning a period called the Crisis of the Late…
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MAP96: Tales of Medieval Revenge by Edgar Allan Poe
Listen Now! 🎃Tales of Medieval Revenge by Edgar Allan Poe🎃 Executive Producer: ⭐Lilac Square Antiques & Books 💰Become a Producer! DONATE to the show via PayPal, or use Venmo You can also donate with Stripe On this Medieval Archives Halloween Special we’re listening to two tales of revenge by…
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MAP95: John the Fearless and the Bloody Fight for France
Listen Now! 🇫🇷 John the Fearless and the Bloody Fight for France 🇫🇷 Executive Producer: ⭐Two Anonymous Producers (Thank you! you know who you are) 💰Become a Producer! DONATE to the show via PayPal, or use Venmo You can also donate with Stripe John the Fearless (1371-1419) 14th century France...
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MAP94: Papal Conclave: Medieval Origins of a Modern Election
🇻🇦 Papal Conclave 🇻🇦 Pope Francis died on 21 Apr 2025 starting a process established in the Middle Ages. Learn all about the Medieval origins of the Papal Conclave and watch as it unfolds in modern Italy during the Papal Conclave of 2025. Once a Pope dies the Vatican enters a period called…
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MAP93: Robin Hood: Prince of Movies
🏹 Robin Hood 🏹 in the Movies The story of Robin Hood is over 600 years old. An Outlaw from English folklore and a hero to the people, Robin Hood has inspired countless poems, books and movies. Robin Hood first appeared in the poem Piers Plowman, written around 1377. His band of Merry Men, Will...
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MAP92: Canterbury: A Modern Day Pilgrimage
Canterbury: A Modern Day Pilgrimage A day trip to Canterbury is a a popular choice for tourists visiting England and London and for good reason, it’s a great city! During our European vacation in the Summer of 2024 we had a free day and decided to take a modern day pilgrimage to Canterbury and...
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MAP91: The Devil’s Bible
Codex Gigas: The Devil’s Bible We’ve entered the spooky season and today we are looking at a mysterious manuscript called the Codex Gigas, Latin for Giant book. It lives up to it’s name measuring over 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, 9 inches thick, over 500 fully illuminated pages and weighing in at…
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MAP90: The Black Hour: Solar Eclipse and the Medieval Mind
The Black Hour: Solar Eclipse and the Medieval Mind 08 April 2024, a total solar eclipse will travel across North America. The path of totality stretches from Durango, Mexico up through Dallas, Texas, Arkansas, Southern Illinois, through Indianapolis, Ohio, Buffalo, New York, Toronto, Montreal…
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MAP89: British Myths & Legends with Amy Jeffs
British Myths & Legends Medievalist and Art Historian Dr. Amy Jeffs joins the show to discuss her books Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain and Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain In Amy’s first book, Storyland she examines the origins of Britain from Noah’s flood to the Norman invasion.…
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MAP87: The Mongol Storm with Nic Morton
Professor and author Nicolas Morton joins the podcast to discuss his book, The Mongol Storm. The Mongol Empire rose to power in the early 1200s, founded by Genghis Khan. At it’s peak the Empire stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Black Sea, encompassing Korea, Mongolia, China, Russia and...
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MAP86: Alice Kyteler: The Witch of Kilkenny
Listen now! The Season of the Witch It’s Halloween again, the air turns colder, the nights grow darker and spirits roam in the shadows. On this year’s Halloween episode we are traveling to the Emerald Isle. In 1324 Kilkenny, Ireland witnessed it’s first witchcraft trial and the first execution...
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MAP 84: The Medieval Knight with Christopher Gravett
Click here to download the episode When people think of the Middle Ages one of the first images that pops into their head is a knight in shining armor. Knights are synonymous with the Middle Ages. Slaying dragons, saving damsels in distress, but beyond the fairy tales are the real life knights.…
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MAP #83: Halloween Special – Ghost Stories From Haunted Castles
The witching season is upon us once again. Past Halloweens we’ve covered a Medieval Serial Killer, Medieval Zombies and more. All the Halloween episodes are available on the Halloween Podcast page. This Halloween we are looking at haunted castles from the Middle Ages. We’ll visit a handful of...
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MAP82: Viking Warriors and Explorers
Listen Now! The Viking Age VIKINGS! The scourge of the early middle ages. Vikings raided England, Ireland and Europe with a ferocity never seen before. On this episode we’re going to look at a few Vikings that you may not have heard of, or know much about. One of them should be taught in every...
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MAP81: John II The Good: King of France 1350-1364
Listen Now! John II: King of France 1350-1364 King John II of France, called The Good. John ruled during a tumultuous time, the Plague was in full force killing large parts of France’s population, the Hundred Years’ War was raging and France was in financial trouble. With all that going on how…
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MAP80: Sword for Hire: Mercenaries in the Middle Ages
Listen Now! Fight For Profit Soldiers in the Middle Ages fought for King and Country. But what did they do when the wars ended? Not all soldiers retired back to a life of farming or trade. Some men wanted to continue fighting and they fought for profit Medieval Mercenaries rose to prominence in…
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Medieval Archives Podcast Update
We hit a milestone this month for the Medieval Archives Podcast. Ten years of podcasting! Unfortunately the podcast hit an unexpected and lengthy hiatus. But we are coming back this summer! Along with the 10 year anniversary is a fresh new website. And we’re removing all the ads from the website…
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MAP#79: Richard the Lionheart and author W.B. Bartlett
In today’s lesson we are joined by author Wayne Bartlett to discuss Richard the Lionheart! Wayne’s new book Richard the Lionheart: The Crusader King of England is available through Amberley Publishing. It’s an excellent biography and the first biography of Richard the Lionheart in over 40 years!...
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MAP#78: Edward II The Man with author Stephen Spinks
Listen Now! Today’s lesson features a talk with historian and author Stephen Spinks. Stephen’s new book Edward II The Man: A Doomed Inheritance was recently published by Amberley Publishing. Edward II The Man is an in-depth biography of an often overlooked medieval king. Stephen and I talk about...
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MAP#77 – The Masque of the Red Death
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The Great Plague or Black Death ravaged Europe in the 14th century, killing around 200 million people. No one was immune to the Plague! But as we’ll find out in today’s episode one man thought his wealth could keep him safe. Today on the Halloween inspired episode we are going to...
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MAP#76 – Music inspired by Richard III and the Wars of the Roses
Listen Now! We have a special episode today of medieval inspired music! Ian Churchward and his band The Legendary 10 Seconds write music about Richard III and the Wars of the Roses. Today we are showcasing one of their albums Tant le Desiree, the second album in the Richard III saga. You can find...
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MAP#75: Natural Disasters: Earthquakes that rocked the Middle Ages
Ever wonder how medieval people dealt with natural disasters? No Red Cross or FEMA to come in and help clean up. Earthquakes and Tsunamis are some of the most destructive forces in nature. It’s estimated there are over 500,000 earthquakes each year and over 100,000 of them can be felt.…
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MAP#74: Northern Crusades: Teutonic Knights, Alexander Nevsky and the Battle on the Ice
In 1242 the Teutonic Knights were conquering lands to the east into Novgorod. Pope Gregory IX blessed the Knights in their Crusade to rid Novgorod of the orthodox pagans. Alexander Nevsky and his army had other plans. They intended to defend their country from all invaders. The conflict ended…
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MAP#73: The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories written Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387–1400. The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury...
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MAP#72: Jack Cade’s Rebellion: A Prelude to the Wars of the Roses
Jack Cade’s Rebellion The summer of 1450 was full of unrest in England. A failing war in France, political corruption and out of control crime left the citizens of England on edge. One man, Jack Cade, gathered together a band of followers from all classes of life and marched on London. The group...
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MAP Bonus: Top Five Borgia Myths and Book Giveaway
Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell MadeGlobal’s History in a Nutshell Series aims to give readers a good grounding in a historical topic in a concise, easily digestible and accessible way. Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell outlines the life of one of history’s most controversial figures from his birth through...
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MAP#71: The Children’s Crusade 1212
The Children’s Crusade 1212 In the summer of 1212 a French boy and a German boy had separate visions of freeing the Holy Land from the Muslims. Their quests included over 20,000 medieval children and is known as the Children’s Crusade. Stephan of Cloyes, a French shepard boy, claimed Jesus told…
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MAP#70 – Medieval Christmas II
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from the Medieval Archives! Listen now! No intro, no talking just Christmas music inspired by the Middle Ages! Have a safe holiday season and thank you for supporting the Medieval Archives Podcast. Please send any comments, suggestions or topic ideas to...
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MAP#69: The Pit and the Pendulum
Happy Halloween! The Spanish Inquisition, started in 1478 by Ferdinand and Isabella, was used to rid Spain and the Spanish Territories of heretics. The Spanish Inquisition targeted Catholics who strayed from the Catholic teaches and expanded to Jews, Muslims and non-Catholic Christians. Being...
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MAP#68: Combat of the Thirty
During the first phase of the Hundred Years War a smaller war broke out in France, the Breton War of Succession. Wars of Succession always start the same way, a Nobleman dies without an heir. In this case it was the Duke of Brittany, John the Good, who died childless in 1341. Two men stepped up…
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MAP#67: Warrior Princess: Female warriors of the Middle Ages
Women in the Middle Ages were docile, meek and subservient. Or at least that’s what we were led to believe. But that isn’t always the case. In previous lessons we looked at Black Agnes, the defender of Dunbar Castle and Melisende, the Queen of Jerusalem. Women like Joan of Arc, Isabella, the...
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MAP#66: The Battle of Sluys (1340)
The Battle of Sluys was the first major battle of the Hundred Years’ War. There were a few battles before it but nothing that compared to the size and ramifications of Sluys. The Hundred Years’ War was a series of wars between England’s Plantagenet Dynasty and France’s House of Valois and lasted...
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MAP#65: The Pardoner’s Tale (Canterbury Tales)
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales toward the end of the 14th century. The tales are a story telling contest by a group of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Today we are going to listen to The Pardoner’s Tale, a tale of greed, treachery and...
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MAP#64: Terry Brooks and The Shannara Chronicles
While browsing a B. Dalton bookstore in 1987 I happened upon a book with a glowing sword on the cover. The description talked of Skull Bearers, trolls, dwarfs, elves and a powerful Sword of Shannara. I was sold! That summer I read the entire Original Shannara trilogy by Terry Brooks. Over the…
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MAP#63: Marc Morris, King John and the Road to Magna Carta
This year marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. The medieval King responsible for the document is King John of England. He didn’t create it, but it was his turbulent reign that caused the Barons to create the document. King John put his seal on it in June 1215 and then refused to abide…
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MAP#62: Kristie Dean and The World of Richard III
We are two weeks away from the beginning of the Richard III re-interment ceremonies. Leicester will be packed with dignitaries, tourist and medievalists to witness the final procession of Richard from Leiscester to Bosworth and back. On the last episode we talked to David Monteith, the Dean of...
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MAP#61: David Monteith Dean of Leicester Cathedral and King Richard III
Three years ago archaeologists began a dig to discover the lost remains of King Richard III. Unbelievably they found his remains the very first day! It took over a week of careful excavation to uncover and exhume his bones. The bones were sent to the University of Leicester for analysis. After...
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The Vikings Podcast #301: Mercenary
Season 3 Premiere! What’s in store for Ragnar and company this year? A trip to Wessex, raids, glory? All that and more! Find out on another great episode of Vikings. On this episode of The Vikings Podcast we’ll review and recap the Season 3 premiere episode, Mercenary. Then we’ll look at the...
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MAP#60: Council of Constance: Heretics, Schism and the Teutonic Knights
Six hundred years ago Anti-Pope John XXIII called the Council of Constance. It was an ecumenical council recognized by the Roman Catholic Church and began in November 1414. The main purpose of the Council was to end the Western Schism. In 1414 three Popes ruled the Catholic Church, Anti-Popes…
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MAP#59: Author Ian Macgill, 1066 and The Rhyme of King Harold
Journalist and author Ian Macgill found his writing passion traveling through the jungles of South America. As a young man Ian was awarded the Winston Churchill fellowship and traveled through South America studying ancient sites. His adventures in South America would make a great book as well!...
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MAP#58: Gilles de Rais – Gallant Knight, Occultist and Serial Killer
Gilles de Rais, an esteemed knight and the Marshall of France, who fought alongside Joan of Arc. Then he turned to the occult and tried to deal with the devil. Gilles isn’t remembered as a hero of France, instead he is remembered as a gruesome child murderer. On today’s episode we are going to…
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The Vikings Podcast #212: Vikings Season 2 Blu-ray Giveaway!
I wanted to get out a quick update to let you know about the VIKINGS Season 2 Blu-ray giveaway! It’s easy to enter and you could take home a great prize! Head over to https://www.medievalarchives.com/vikingsgiveaway to enter the contest. One lucky player will win a copy of VIKINGS Season 2 on...
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MAP#57: Dan Jones Interview: Wars of the Roses and The Plantagenets
Award-winning journalist, best selling author and Historian Dan Jones joins the Medieval Archives Podcast to talk all things Plantagenets! His first book on the subject The Plantagents: The Kings Who made England covers the first two centuries of Plantagenet Kings from Henry II to Richard II. In...
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MAP#56: Jan Hus and the Hussite Wars
Jan Hus was a Czech or more accurately for his time, a Bohemian priest, philosopher and religious reformer who shock up the catholic church in the 15th century. We’ll look at his life, his ideas about religion and the catholic church and the wars fought in his name. I have shelves and shelves of...
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MAP#55: Bernard Cornwell Interview – The Empty Throne
Few authors can capture the atmosphere of the middle ages as well as Bernard Cornwell. A master storyteller Bernard has written over 50 books! I first discovered Bernard Cornwell in the early 2000s when I was browsing at a local bookstore. A book titled The Archer’s Tale caught my attention and…
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MAP#54: The Battle of Bannockburn 1314
In June 1314 Scotland faced off against England in a battle that would be remembered through the ages. Outnumbered more than 2-1 the Scots banded together to fight the mighty English. The Battle of Bannockburn started out with an epic confrontation between King Robert the Bruce and the English...
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MAP#53: War of Scottish Independence 1296-1328
For everyone living today the Kingdom of Scotland has been apart of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. But the two kingdoms weren’t always united. In fact they have only been unified for 300 years. Prior to the 1707 Treaty of Union, Scotland was an independent nation. Travel back even farther…
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MAP#52: Defending the City of God, Sharan Newman Interview
Defender of the City of God is a new book by award winning author Sharan Newman. It examines the First Crusade, the Crusader state of Jerusalem and Queen Melisande. Sharan also writes fiction novels based in the Middle Ages, including a series of Medieval mysteries. In this lesson we talk with...
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MAP#51: Jacques de Molay and The Knights Templar
Jacques de Molay the 23rd and final Grand Master of The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, better know as The Knights Templar. The Knights Templar formed in 1119 and quickly rose in power and wealth. With help from the church they were able to amass a fortune in money and...
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MAP#50: Medieval Torture
In the Middle Ages torture was used for a variety of reasons, to gain information, to purify heretics and to punish criminals. In this lesson of the Medieval Archives Podcast we are going to explore medieval torture and the devices used by medieval torturers. Devices of pain, torment and…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Medieval Archives have?
Medieval Archives currently has 96 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Medieval Archives about?
The Medieval Archives podcast transports you back to an age of heroic kings, gallant knights and pious bishops. Separate fact from fiction and find out how the men and women of the middle ages really lived.
How often does Medieval Archives release new episodes?
Medieval Archives has 96 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Medieval Archives?
You can listen to Medieval Archives on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Medieval Archives?
Medieval Archives is created and hosted by Medieval Archives.
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