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Ask a Medievalist

Everything you always wanted to know about the Middle Ages, but were unable to ask.

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1:20:30

Episode 57: Dancing Queens (pt 1)

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/11/05

Synopsis As a memorial to Elizabeth II, Em and Jesse discuss famous queens throughout history and mostly in the UK, including drag queens, the borough of Queens, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, Elizabeth I, Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. Also Sophie of Hanover, Wills and Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan, and I think … Continue reading "Episode 57: Dancing Queens (pt 1)"

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1:16:56

Episode 56: THE BEOWULFENING

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/09/20

Synopsis Bro! You knew it was coming! Grab your replica Sutton Hoo helmet and get ready, it’s Beowulf o’clock. Annotations 1/ Spoiler alert: it wasn’t published as episode 50. [But that’s ok! 🙂 –Jesse] 2/ We talked about Cotton in episode 39 note 8. Here is more info on the Cotton collection: https://www.bl.uk/collection-guides/cotton-manuscripts https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_library 3/ … Continue reading "Episode 56: THE BEOWULFENING"

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1:12:51

Episode 55: In the Summertime, When the Weather is...

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/09/02

Summary Summertime, and the living is Medieval. But really, what was summer like in the Middle Ages? We talk about the Medieval Climate Anomaly, the (not at all Medieval) Little Ice Age, the volcano on Santorini, Medieval vacation tendencies, the Tres Riches Heures of the Duc de Berry, and the Olympics. Also, Firesign Theatre references! … Continue reading "Episode 55: In the Summertime, When the Weather is Medieval"

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1:08:16

Episode: 54: More England, More Normans

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/08/22

Synopsis Part two of the run up to the arrival of Queen Matilda and that other guy…what was his name…William the Conqueror. Yeah. Him. Includes Danelaw, Danegeld, surprising connections to Hamlet, an explanation of whether Aethelred the Unready was really unready, and of course a discussion of Eric the Viking! Annotations 1/ We have obviously linked … Continue reading "Episode: 54: More England, More Normans"

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1:01:20

Episode #53: England Before the Norman Invasion

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/08/05

Synopsis As good students of history, you already know that all-important date in British history: 1066, aka the Norman Invasion. But what happened in England before then? From the Romans through to Alfred the Great, join Em and Jesse as they talk about a whole bunch of kings, kingdoms, Vikings, and Monty Python. Annotations 1/ … Continue reading "Episode #53: England Before the Norman Invasion"

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1:31:31

Episode 52: Heut’ kommt die Jesse zu Oberammergau

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2022/07/24

Synopsis What do you get when you combine Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and the Passion of Christ? I don’t know, but it’s been going on for 390 years at this point. In this episode, Em and Jesse discuss what Jesse did on her summer vacation (or part of it): a trip to see the passion … Continue reading "Episode 52: Heut’ kommt die Jesse zu Oberammergau"

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1:22:50

Episode 51: The Relic (not the 1997 Creature Feature...

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/06/22

Summary Ever see an Indiana Jones movie? For more on relic theft, see Patrick J. Geary’s Furta Sacra: Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages. Annotations and Corrections 1/ The episode where we talked about St. Nicholas was episode 23 (a Christmas episode). The oil is kind of said to be myrrh, but it’s … Continue reading "Episode 51: The Relic (not the 1997 Creature Feature set in the Field Museum in Chicago)"

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1:17:24

Episode 50: The Heretical Hussites (feat. Martin Luther)

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2022/06/04

Synopsis The last of the major proto-protestant heresies we’re going to examine is the Hussites, who were led by Jan Hus. And then we’re going to quick talk about the man, the myth, the machine, Martin Luther. The first rule of Medieval Studies is “Don’t talk about Luther.” [Also the second and third rules.–Jesse] But … Continue reading "Episode 50: The Heretical Hussites (feat. Martin Luther)"

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1:15:32

Episode 49: Where’s Waldensians?

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/05/10

Synopsis Let’s talk about the Waldensians, the Lollards, and some revolting peasants. Wait. Oh well–Anyway, we talk a lot about how the Pope gave all the Franciscans’ stuff back to them and forced them to own stuff, some Shakespeare, and a lot of heresies. Notes 1/ RI Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority … Continue reading "Episode 49: Where’s Waldensians?"

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1:22:54

Episode #48: Meet the Cathars

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/04/16

Synopsis So, say you like what Christianity has to offer generally. That Jesus kid seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. But theologically, you have a problem. Maybe you’re a Gnostic and think they’re wrong about the spiritual vs physical world. Maybe you think more women should be allowed to participate in … Continue reading "Episode #48: Meet the Cathars"

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1:19:22

Episode 47: There’s GNO Business Like Show Business

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/03/04

Synopsis Manichaeism: The number one major world religion you’ve never heard of. In order to understand it and its prophet, Mani, we need to understand Gnosticism, a complex and subtle philosophy regarded as a heresy by the Christians. The short version is, “[i]n the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of … Continue reading "Episode 47: There’s GNO Business Like Show Business"

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1:28:00

Episode 46: The Well-Tempered Podcast

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/02/14

Synopsis After an unexpected late-season hiatus, we’re back with an episode on musical forms! We’ve got the earliest hymns, the maddest madrigals, tuning and temperament, at least three different types of chant, and a song so recursive it will summon Douglas Hofstadter if you play it into a mirror in a dark room. Annotations 1/ … Continue reading "Episode 46: The Well-Tempered Podcast"

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1:14:56

Episode 45: Fool Me Twice

Ask a Medievalist ·

2022/01/09

Summary More on the Feast of Fools and the Kalends, with some digressions about Roman Emperor Claudius and labyrinths. Annotations For most of the Feast of Fools and Herod info from this episode, see Max Harris, Sacred Folly: A New History of the Feast of Fools https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Folly-History-Feast-Fools/dp/0801479495 1/ The Kalends (or calends, hence calendar :)) … Continue reading "Episode 45: Fool Me Twice"

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1:14:14

Episode 44: Upside Down and Inside Out

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/12/24

Summary Christmas, a season for overeating, arguing with your parents about politics, and…wearing masks? Join Em and Jesse as they talk about topsy turvy Medieval holidays like the Feast of Fools! Also we talk a little about the Purge film/TV franchise, Rabelais, and Foucault. Sorry to the two people who follow us who are not … Continue reading "Episode 44: Upside Down and Inside Out"

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1:17:16

Episode 43: Our Bagpipes Go to Eleven

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/12/23

Summary More on music! (Shoutout to episode 40/music part 1, which came out a while ago now.) We talk about dulcimers and gitterns, viols and tabors, Jew’s harps and gamelans, and Jesse’s favorite–the bagpipe. Also tuning, temperament, aaaand a little Monty Python. Annotations 1/ The Early Instrument Database at Case Western Reserve University, Ross Duffin. … Continue reading "Episode 43: Our Bagpipes Go to Eleven"

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1:19:08

Episode 42: Candy Is Dandy

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/11/17

Summary Do you want some candy, little girl? Of course you do, it’s delicious. But what was candy a thousand years ago? Turns out at least some of it was kind of similar to what we get today. Annotations Some book recommendations: Steven Epstein, An Economic and Social History of Later Medieval Europe, 1000–1500. Sidney … Continue reading "Episode 42: Candy Is Dandy"

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1:12:58

Episode 41: I’ll Get You, My Pretty

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/10/30

Summary It’s spooky season! Witches have been around–and feared–since the Middle Ages. We discuss their history, unexpected ties to Judaism, and their little (or large and wolfy) dogs, too. Annotations 1/ See also: Wyrd Sisters, by Terry Pratchett. Book 1 of the collected Sandman (I think they get summoned in issue 2) by Neil Gaiman. … Continue reading "Episode 41: I’ll Get You, My Pretty"

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1:13:24

Episode 40: To Be Played at Maximum Volume

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/10/20

Summary You may have heard someone say that music is in their bones, but is it really? Answer: Yes! (If you are a Neanderthal, anyway.) In fact, the earliest instrument we have found, dating from 50-60,000 years ago, is a flute made from the bone of a cave bear. In this episode, we’ll discuss instruments … Continue reading "Episode 40: To Be Played at Maximum Volume"

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Episode 39: Où est la bibliothèque?

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/10/03

Summary What was the one weird habit of the Ptolemys that librarians hated? What trick did early indexers use for organizing collections? And what major library lost some really important documents–and tried to keep it a secret? From Alexandria to the Medieval monastery, let’s talk about the evolution of libraries over the course of a … Continue reading "Episode 39: Où est la bibliothèque?"

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1:12:06

Episode 38: Take a Look, It’s in a Book (or a scroll,...

Ask a Medievalist ·

2021/09/14

Summary “When I was in library school, we never discussed outright conquest as a method of collection development.” In which we discuss books (and other recordkeeping methods), the growth of reading in conjunction with the consolidation of manuscripts, and also Em is a nerd about classification systems. Sources Paul Saenger “Silent Reading: Its Impact on … Continue reading "Episode 38: Take a Look, It’s in a Book (or a scroll, or a tablet, or…)"

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