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Medieval Madness

An armored knight on a lumbering steed, toiling serfs, tied to the lands of their lord, cloistered monks and nuns, lost in prayer, and don’t forget the scenery: high-walled castles, great gothic churches, farms, farms, and more farms. We all know the kind of things we’d find during the Medieval Age. But what actually was the Medieval Age? Join us here at MedievalMadness to find out...

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All Episodes

33:56

The Great Fire of London: A Timeline of Tragedy

Medieval Madness ·

2026/10/06

Today we thought we would travel outside of the Middle Ages and into the early modern period. But why? We hear you shout when you have 1,000 years of medieval history to go at. Well, the answer is easy. The Great Fire of London was one of the greatest catastrophes ever to befall the City and was a tale just too extraordinary not to be told. Over ffour days from Sunday 2nd to Wednesday 5th September 1666, London was over powered by the largest and fastest moving fire that it had ever faced. Fanned

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15:02

Surviving Life as Baby in the Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/10/04

The Medievals are often criticised for their bad child-rearing skills, such as sending their youngsters off to be fostered and trained by other families. Many of the decisions they made as parents are considered bizarre, if not downright cruel, today. So, just what was needed to survive babyhood in the Middle Ages? Let’s travel back in time now to discover how medieval babies were fed and clothed, how precarious their lives were, and how they were lucky to have been conceived at all. Welcome to

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15:47

Surviving Dwarfism in the Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/09/30

During the Middle Ages, disabled people were found in all parts of society. Those born into ordinary peasant families just got on with their lives and coped as best they could, whatever their impairment, be they “lame”, “blynde,” or “dumbe”. However, the ‘Little People’ with their short stature found themselves popular with monarchs across Europe. At court, they were required to fill roles such as the King’s Fool or Jester, giving them a level of prestige that the Medieval disabled person couldn’t

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16:38

Surviving a Winter Storm in the Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/09/27

The 14th century wasn’t a great time for sunbathing in Europe. Right from the start it seemed as though a distinct chill had settled over the land. The Baltic Sea froze over twice in 1303 and again over the winter of 1306 to 1307. For many years following there were cold storms and heavy rains, resulting in a rise in levels in the Caspian Sea. What the Medievals could not have known then, was that this was the start of what we now call the ‘Little Ice Age’. It wasn’t a real ‘Ice Age’, more of a

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15:40

Halloween in the Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/09/24

For most of us, Halloween is the commercial holiday celebrated every year on the 31st of October, when people carve jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins and dress up in scary costumes to go out trick or treating. But what did Halloween mean to the Medievals and how did their superstitions and beliefs influence how we celebrate Halloween today? Let’s travel back now to a time of witches, soul-hunters, and ‘Stingy Jack’. Welcome to Medieval Madness!00:00 Introduction 00:46 Do You Believe in Magic? 02:35

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15:37

Staying Pretty in The Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/09/22

Like us, the Medievals wanted to step out looking and smelling their best. For women especially, grooming was not just about creating the illusion of beauty, it was also a way to show off their social status because the higher the rank and wealth then the more access people had to expensive cosmetics made with rare ingredients. Let’s travel back to the Middle Ages to take a look at male and female grooming and discover how people used their available resources to create beauty products, that still

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15:04

This Medieval Knight Was a Total D*&k...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/08/30

English soldier and knight, condottiero, Captain-General of Florence, Duke of the Duchy of Spoleto. Who was this man? A man nicknamed John Sharp by the Italians in reference to his “cleverness and cunning”. A man so highly thought of by the Italians that he is depicted in a fresco painted by Uccello at the Duomo in Florence. Could such an honourable man really be responsible for one of the worst massacres of the Middle Ages?Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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14:48

Dying in The Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/08/28

Where do we go when we die? It’s a question that humans have been pondering for thousands of years. For the Christian Medievals, there were only three options – heaven, hell, or purgatory. The problem was, they didn’t know what condition their soul was in until they died and that was causing concern. Even the theologians, with all their ecclesiastical knowledge and writings, debated the problem without success so what chance did the common people have? Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about

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15:00

The Medieval Murder Mystery You Didn't Read in...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/08/27

We’ll begin, as all good murder stories do, with the finding of a body. It was the end of May 1375, in the Lincolnshire countryside when the decomposing remains of a man were discovered in the fields near Grayingham. The man was about 30 years old and had been lying there for several months but his clothes showed he was a man of means. On examining the body, the coroner decided he had died from “diverse mortal wounds” caused by a knife. But who was the man? What was the motive for his murder? And

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15:02

Getting Wasted in the Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/08/26

The Medievals consumed alcohol all the time. At every event, whether that was a wedding, a funeral, a business negotiation, or the completion of an apprenticeship ... they didn’t really need an excuse. They even drank at work, all day, every day. Which begs the question. Were the people who lived through the Middle Ages always drunk? It makes you wonder how they could work, fight their many wars, or even function properly when they were all constantly hammered. Welcome to Medieval Madness! Learn

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15:32

Surviving Summer in the Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/07/02

For the Medievals, summer was a time of celebration for all classes. Perhaps the best time of the year for social gatherings. But work still had to be carried out in the fields and summer was also a time of heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, plague, and fever. Welcome to Medieval Madness.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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15:54

What Did Medieval People Think of UFOs & Alien Life?

Medieval Madness ·

2026/07/01

In the West, the Middle Ages was a superstitious time, a time when what was real and unreal became blurred. Dragons, witches, basilisks, and zombies were just some of the beasts that offered an ever-present threat to Christian society. Is it any wonder then, that in a time when everything had a religious significance, any unexplained phenomenon in the skies was interpreted as either an omen, the manifestation of an angel or demon, or even a message from God himself? It was a time rich with mystery

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15:38

Cats During The Medieval Times...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/25

The Egyptians treated them with reverence and adoration having, first domesticated them 4,000 years ago. Since then the small, carnivorous mammals have played a major part in religion, folklore, art, and community health across the world. However, in 13th-century Western Europe, cats became associated with the supernatural, when Pope Gregory IX called them an instrument of Satan. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and discover why cats were linked to witchcraft, why they were placed in

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14:38

The Medieval Robbery Your School Didn't Teach You...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/23

In 1303, Westminster was an important place. West from the City of London, it was protected by its own walls and gates. Westminster Palace was there, which was once the main residence of the kings of England. On the evening of the 12th of May, in Westminster Abbey, which lay just across the pathway from the Palace, the Benedictine could be heard singing compline, their final prayer at the end of the day before they retired to their sleeping quarters. In the Abbey, beneath the Chapter House is a

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11:01

The Medieval Blood Ritual You Didn't Learn About in...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/18

The 22nd of March 1144 was Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Outside the city walls, the forester Henry de Sprowston was riding through Thorpe Wood on the outskirts of Norwich, England. Among other things, Henry was looking for thieves, who were known to cut timber without permission. Suddenly he came across a peasant who led him to the mutilated body of a young boy lying under a tree. It was obvious that a crime had been committed. The boy's name was William, and no one could have imagin...

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11:34

Surviving Life as a Woman of the Medieval Crusades...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/16

Going on a Medieval Crusade was a male mission, a military enterprise in which only men could fight. Obviously, the women stayed home and did womanly things while their dashing, knightly husbands rode off and defended the Holy Land. Right? Wrong. Actually, many women also took up the cross and went off on Crusade, and they weren’t just the important warrior noble women, like Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Described as being “essential yet despised”, there were also the servants who looked after ...

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11:50

The Most Feared Building of The Middle Ages...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/11

The White Tower, as it was originally known, was a fortress-stronghold built by the first Norman king, William the Conqueror. It was intended to protect against foreign invasion and intimidate the citizens of London in equal measure. But the Tower also had other uses. It operated as a royal residence and was where monarchs would stay as they awaited their coronation. However, The Tower of London's most famous role, one that it played for over 850 years, was as a prison, detaining a list of pe...

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10:50

Surviving Life During The Mongol Empire...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/09

From an insignificant tribal clan, the Mongols seemed to come out of nowhere to rule over the greatest empire in the world, before disappearing just as quickly three centuries later. Their lands reached out across the Mediterranean to the Pacific from the Arabian Desert in the south to the tundra of Northern Russia and from the forests of Poland to the mountains of China. At the empire’s height, the Mongols controlled a staggering 12 million square miles of territory. But what was it like to ...

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10:37

The Medieval Welshman Who HATED The English...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/04

Born in 1359, Owain was the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales and fought for 15 years against English rule. He led successful sieges and battlefield victories to establish an independent Welsh State, refusing to ever give up, even when it seemed that all was lost he continued to resist the English, in the Welsh mountains by utilizing guerrilla warfare. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and meet the last Welsh Prince of Wales, who it is said will rise in def...

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10:40

How to Survive The 'Battle of Bannockburn' as a...

Medieval Madness ·

2026/06/02

It was a spectacular win for Robert the Bruce, King of the Scots, over the two days of the 23rd and 24th of June 1314. Just like the triumph of Agincourt, which was to follow 100 years later, the Battle of Bannockburn was a win for the underdog, when a formidable army lost to one of significantly fewer numbers. A pivotal battle that would change the course of the First Scottish War of Independence which ended 14 years later with a victory for the Scots. Today we continue our ‘Day in the Life ...

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