Medieval Archives
Illuminating the Dark Ages for the Digital World. Podcast and website dedicated to the medieval era.
Appears in 105 Episodes
MAP80: Sword for Hire: Mercenaries in the Middle Ages
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 ...
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 ...
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 ava...
MAP#78: Edward II The Man with author Stephen Spinks
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 ...
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 f...
MAP#76 – Music inspired by Richard III and the Wars of the Roses
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 Rose...
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 destruct...
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 paga...
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...
MAP#72: Jack Cade’s Rebellion: A Prelude to the Wars of the Roses
Jack Cade's RebellionThe 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 Engl...
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 a...
MAP#71: The Children’s Crusade 1212
The Children's Crusade 1212In 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 ov...
MAP#70 – Medieval Christmas II
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from the Medieval Archives! No intro, no talking just Christmas music inspired by the Middle Ages! Have a safe holiday season and th...
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 Inquisi...
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 Noblem...
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 look...
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...
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...
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 a...
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 t...
