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 170 pounds! There’s more to it besides its massive size…

It's time for our 🎃Halloween🎃 episode! This year we are looking at... The Devil's Bible Codex Gigas "Giant book" lives up to it’s name measuring over 3 feet long, 2 feet wide, 9 inches thick, over 300 fully illuminated pages and weighing in at 170 pounds! Legend has it the book was written in one night, by a single monk condemned to death, who sold…

Have you ever seen an eclipse? I’ve seen numerous lunar eclipses and I’ve seen a few partial solar eclipse, but never a total solar eclipse. On 08 April 2024, Mexico, the United States and Canada will experience a total solar eclipse. It’s the first one in 7 years and the last one for 20 years. The next total solar eclipse in North America will be …

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 and making it’s way over New Brunswick before leaving N…

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. And there are some good stories to tell, including the …

Professor and author Nicolas Morton joins the podcast to discuss his book, The Crusader States and their Neighbours. The Crusader States were founded during the First Crusade. The Crusaders conquered the land and claimed it as their own. There were four Crusader States established during the First Crusade; The County of Edessa, The County of Tripol…

We are embarking on a new podcasting adventure! Medieval Tales Podcast will be released every Tuesday and Thursday and feature medieval themed classic novels. The first book in the series is: The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson The Black Arrow: A Tale of Two Roses is the 1888 historical adventure novel. Set in fifteenth century England during…

Welcome to the Medieval Tales podcast, well, to the trailer at least. Do you love reading classic novels set in the Middle Ages. Stories of brave Knights and epic battles, royal intrigue and life in a castle? Is it getting harder to find time to sit down and read a good book? With all the cooking and cleaning and commuting. Maybe you have the time …

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 portions of Eastern Europe and the Near East. Nic’s new b…

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 portions of Eastern Europe and the Near East. Nic’s new b…

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 carried out by burning at the stake. Alice Kyteler was …

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 carried out by burning at the stake. Alice Kyteler was a popular, beautiful inn keeper who'…

Mudlarks A mudlark is defined as someone who digs or searches in in river or harbor mud for items of value. The term was widely used in 18th and 19th century London. Mudlarks would search the shores of the River Thames during low tide to find valuable items and sell them for a profit. Being a mudlark back then was usually a job for those in extreme…

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. Men who sacrificed and endlessly trained to earn the t…

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. Men who sacrificed and endlessly trained to earn the title of Knight. On this episode of …

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 castles around England and one in Ireland. Most of the c…

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 school in America and Europe. They are portrayed as blood thirsty …

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 school in America and Europe. They are portrayed as blo…

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 did John get dubbed, The Good? We’ll take a look at his rise to the…

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 the 13th and 14th centuries. The Mercenary Companies w…

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 as well! The new website and renewed podcast will rem…

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 as well! The new website and renewed podcast will rem…

The very first episode of medieval archives podcast! This episode is about medieval cathedrals

The very first episode of Medieval Archives - Castle!

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! Wayne and I discuss Richard’s upbringing, the Crusade…

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 his work with the National Trust, his writing and his new book. I…

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 listen to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red De…

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 listen to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red De…

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 all their music at thelegendary10seconds.co.uk Ian and his band …

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. Earthquakes in the Middle Ages are some of the most destructive…

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. Earthquakes in the Middle Ages are some of the most destructive…

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 with a fierce battle, called the Battle on the Ice. On a…

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 with a fierce battle, called the Battle on the Ice. On a…

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 Cathedral. The Miller's Tale is about a carpenter, Jo…

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 England on edge. One man, Jack Cade, gathered together a band of followers from all classes of life and marched on London. The group presented King Henry VI a list of grievances called 'T…

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 presented King Henry VI a list of grievances called ‘…

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 to his murder in 1507 at the age of just 31. This bo…

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 to his murder in 1507 at the age of just 31. This bo…

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 over 20,000 medieval children and is known as the Children's Crusade. Stephan of Cloyes, a French shepard boy, claimed Jesus told him to gather a group of children and free the Holy Lan…

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 thank you for supporting the Medieval Archives Podcast. Please send any comments, suggestions or topic ideas to podcast@medievalarchives.com If you are enjoying the podcast please consi…