Episodes
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2024 has been another wild ride in politics and medieval studies. This week, continuing tradition, Danièle speaks with Peter Konieczny from Medievalists.net about what’s been happening in the world and in the field this year.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
One of the favourite pastimes of certain thinkers throughout history has been to demonstrate the supposed inferiority of women, something both modern people and people of the past have resisted with spicy arguments of their own. These days, we tend to use science and statistics to help us lend weight to our positions. But what did people lean on in the past? This week, Danièle speaks with Margaret L. King about Renaissance man Pompeo Colonna, why he’s writing in defense of women, and how he crafts his argument.
You can support this podcast and Medievalists.net on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/c/medievalists -
Missing episodes?
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Medieval Studies has no shortage of amazing books coming out each year, but which ones are the best of the best? This week, Danièle continues the annual tradition of listing her top five book recommendations of 2024 alongside those of Peter Konieczny, editor of Medievalists.net.
This year's list is:
Beards and Baldness in the Middle Ages, translated by Joseph McAlhany
Bad Chaucer, by Tison Pugh
Crusader Criminals, by Steve Tibble
The Broadview Anthology of Medieval Arthurian Literature, by Kathy Cawsey and Elizabeth Edwards
The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV, by Helen Castor
Rewriting the First Crusade, by Thomas W. Smith
A Shattered Realm: Wars and Lives in Fourteenth-Century Japan, translated by Royall Tyler
House of Lilies: The Dynasty that Made Medieval France, by Justine Firnhaber-Baker
God’s Own Language: Architectural Drawing in the Twelfth Century, by Karl Kinsella
The Illustrated Cairo Genizah, by Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee -
There’s a general impression of the Middle Ages that wherever you started out in life is where you ended up. But with a few business smarts, the right connections, and a willingness to play fast and loose with ethics, sometimes a person could rise to the very gates of heaven. This week, Danièle speaks with Alan Stahl about life in one of the richest cities in the medieval world, and the fate and fortunes a family who climbed the social ladder to the very top.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
One of the clearest and most enduring legacies of the Middle Ages is the beautiful buildings left behind. Many of these buildings were devoted to God, using blueprints that no longer exist. But one of the most famous – and famously confusing – sets of architectural instructions was set out in the Bible, itself. This week, Danièle speaks with Karl Kinsella about the great twelfth-century scholar Richard of St. Victor, his efforts to make the vision of Ezekiel clear, and why this set of biblical blueprints is such an important contribution to the history of architecture.
Enrol in one of Medievalists.net's online courses at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/ - use the coupon code 'BlackFriday' to save 25% -
Experimenting, translating, and philosophizing about physics and metaphysics, biology and geology, two great thinkers from Central Asia stand out both for their achievements, and their completely opposite points of view. This week, Danièle speaks with S. Frederick Starr about the work and the lives of Ibn Sina (aka Avicenna) and Biruni, their contributions to science and culture, and the reason they outright despised each other.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
A place of supernatural encounters both incredibly good and spectacularly bad, the Otherworld featured in stories and songs throughout the Middle Ages, especially on the storied isle of Ireland. This week, Danièle speaks with Lisa Bitel about what the Otherworld was like, why Otherworldly beings were interested in humankind, and where we find these enchanting stories.
Sign up for the online course on The First Crusade at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/first-crusade -
When it comes to classics of literature, it can feel like there’s a lot of pressure to nod along with the crowd and say that some authors are just brilliant, full stop. But sometimes even great literature isn’t so great. This week, Danièle speaks with Tison Pugh about the good, the bad, and the downright ugly in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
You can support this podcast on Patreon. Go to www.patreon.com/medievalists -
Across the world, there’s no shortage of contested sites where local identities, national identities, and international politics clash, often with high stakes for the people who live there. One of these places is the storied capital of Latvia: Riga. This week, Danièle speaks with Kevin O’Connor about medieval Riga, its tumultuous place as a trading post between West and East – as well as war between bishops and crusaders – and how its medieval history plays out in today’s politics.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/c/medievalists -
New and high-tech solutions for a sustainable future are being proposed on the daily, but what if some of the best ideas actually reside in the past? This week, Danièle speaks with Annette Kehnel about the way medieval communities shared, recycled, and even upcycled.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
Last week, we looked at the story of Richard II and Henry IV, and the way these two cousins wielded the power of the English crown. This week, we round out the cycle that makes up the Hollow Crown by looking at Henry V, a man who many - including this week's guest, Dan Jones - have called England’s greatest warrior king.
Check out online courses in medieval studies at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/ -
Richard II came to the throne as a young child, only to lose it to his cousin Henry IV in 1399. But why did Henry take such drastic action? And what became of the teenage boy who stood up to a crowd of angry peasants and held his own? This week, Danièle speaks with Helen Castor about these rival cousins, the events that shaped them, and how an anointed king could lose his hollow crown.
You can listen to this episode ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
What’s so great about Charlemagne? We’re about to find out. This week, Danièle speaks with Cullen Chandler about the reign of Charlemagne, how he ruled such a massive empire, and how he still took the time to care about font.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
What's new and beautiful and hitting the medieval history section of the bookshop? This week, Danièle shares six new books spanning art, gunpowder, translation, and medicine in the Middle Ages.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
In the Middle Ages, falconry was one of the most popular pastimes across the known world. More than just a pleasant diversion in the countryside, it was a way to show status, education, sophistication, and leadership. This week, Danièle speaks with Yannis Hadjinicolaou about why falconry was so widely beloved, and such a popular metaphor for both love and power.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
In the eleventh-century, Iberia was in the process of evolving networks of tiny villages into the powerful kingdoms we recognize from the end of the medieval period – sometimes by any means necessary. This week, Danièle speaks with Simon Doubleday about the ways in which Queen Sancha and King Fernando I shaped northern Spain and Portugal.
Danièle's online course - Calamity and Change: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Century - begins on September 6th. Sign up at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/calamity-and-change -
When someone evokes the medieval – in conversation or in media – they’re looking for you to feel something. So, the question becomes what are they trying to get you to feel? And how are they accomplishing it? This week, Danièle speaks with Usha Vishnuvajjala about some of the surprising places the medieval world pops up in the modern world, and how it’s perfectly okay to love medieval fiction.
Sign up for Calamity and Change: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Century at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/calamity-and-change -
As we wrap up another summer vacation season, it's a good time to take a look at the way medieval people travelled for business, pleasure, and their immortal souls. This week, Danièle speaks with Anthony Bale about the ins and outs of medieval travel, and some of the wild stories of journeys gone wrong.
Danièle's online course, Calamity and Change: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Century, starts Friday, September 6th. Sign up at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/calamity-and-change -
Ever come across a really amazing historical fact on the internet or in school, and tell it to all your friends, only to find out that it actually isn’t true? This week, Danièle speaks with Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse (aka the Fake History Hunter) about things that never happened, what it’s like to hunt fake history, and what really grinds her gears.
You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists -
If we need proof of how wonderful both baldness and beards are, we need only to cast our eyes back to the Middle Ages, where people were writing rhetorical arguments, alliterative poetry, and even learned sermons on the virtues of masculine hair. This week, Danièle speaks with Joseph McAlhany about these hilarious medieval texts, why people wrote them, and how seriously we're supposed to take them.
Learn more about Danièle's online course at https://medievalstudies.thinkific.com/courses/calamity-and-change - Show more
