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Was Offa a tyrant whose reputation was forever tainted by the killing of his prospective son-in-law? Or a visionary ruler whose achievements have been overshadowed by legend? Offa is largely known for murderous acts and building a dyke. But he was so much more: a great leader who reshaped Mercia into the dominant power in southern Britain, and pioneered new models of kingship that would influence generations. Matt Lewis talks to Professor Rory Naismith, to rehabilitate Offa and challenge the way we understand power in early medieval England. MORE Rise of Mercia Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Rise of Wessex Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producers are Rob Weinberg and Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who would pick a fight with the Pope?? Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega dive into the explosive clash between Pope Boniface VIII and Philip IV of France, a head of state who dared to challenge papal power. From taxes and excommunication to arrest and humiliation, this is a gripping story of ambition, authority, and the Avignon Papacy. MORE Pope Vs. Emperor: An 11th Century Crisis Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Holy Roman Empire Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Richard the Lionheart really England’s greatest medieval hero? Or is he one of history’s most successful myths, more heroic in legend than in life? Over eight centuries, Richard has handled Excalibur, been celebrated in medieval romance, reinvented in novels and films, and even transformed into a character in Assassin’s Creed. Matt Lewis is joined by Dr. Heather Blurton to dig into the myths of Richard the Lionheart and ask why they endured and what they reveal about the societies that needed Richard to be larger than life. MORE King Henry II Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify King John: Worst Medieval Monarch? Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producers are Joseph Knight and Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the best cure for a hangover? What's the most effective way to curse your enemies? How do you keep demonic powers at bay? The medieval Celtic world was filled with magic which became absorbed and restructured within a Christian worldview, as saints, prayers, and sacred objects replaced earlier supernatural beings, incantations, charms and talismans.  Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Brigid Ehrmantraut to find out how people in the medieval Celtic world coherently integrated magic into their daily lives.  MORE Lizard Shampoo, Potions and Remedies Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Prophecies of Merlin Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producers are Joseph Knight and Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes an Archbishop one of the most hated figures in British history? And does Thomas Arundel truly deserve to be branded the greatest villain of 15th-century Britain? Matt Lewis and Professor Chris Given-Wilson explore the life, power, and legacy of a man whose influence reached deep into the politics, religion, and royal struggles of late medieval England, and ask whether he was truly a villain or a far more complex figure than history has remembered. MORE: Richard II vs. Henry IV Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Plantagenets at War: A Fight for the Throne Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?!" These words supposedly uttered by a King over 800 years ago set in motion a chain of gruesome events, and sparked cult-like devotion across the world. Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis consider Becket's meteoric rise in status to becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury, his increasingly fractious relationship with King Henry II, the vicious murder itself and finally, how the cult of St Thomas of Canterbury spread across the European continent.  But how did Thomas Becket first rise to power and prominence? Professor Michael Staunton joins Eleanor to unwrap the enigma and get to the heart of who Thomas Becket was, and whether his fate was truly inescapable. MORE Henry II & Thomas Becket: A Doomed Friendship Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify The Murder of Thomas Becket Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify The Cult of Becket Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis. Audio editors are Ella Blaxill and Amy Haddow, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega dive into the chaos of the late Middle Ages; from the Great Famine and the Little Ice Age to plague, peasant revolts, papal schism and deposed kings, they explore how the 14th and 15th centuries rocked Europe’s political, social and religious foundations. Along the way, they ask what really separates the “high” from the “late” Middle Ages, how far disasters undermined faith in monarchy and the Church, and whether these tidy labels make sense once you look beyond Europe. MORE: Why the Early Middle Ages Matter Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify What are the High Middle Ages? Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if the most powerful warlords in medieval Europe were women? From wine country to empire, Burgundy’s Duchesses brokered marriages, bullied rivals, made kings and emperors, and ruled vast lands in their own right. Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Susan Abernethy to uncover the formidable women behind one of Europe’s wealthiest, most sophisticated courts. MORE The Two Hundred Years War Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify The Real Eleanor of Aquitaine Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Tim Arstall, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a kidnapped teenager returns to the land of his captors to change it forever? Dr Eleanor Janega and James Hawes romp through medieval Ireland, as St Patrick’s mission unfolds against an Ireland of raiding Vikings, clashing warlords and coastal towns under siege, culminating in the thunderous showdown at the Battle of Clontarf. Dive into an age of monasteries, longships and Gaelic resilience to unpick a thousand years of Irish history. MORE Castle and Conquests of Ireland Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Supernatural Medieval Ireland Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if one of the most famous stories in English history never happened? What if King Harold did not march his exhausted troops 200 miles before the Battle of Hastings? Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Tom Licence whose explosive research argues that King Harold’s legendary march never happened, revealing a far more sophisticated Anglo-Saxon military strategy than always thought. So how did Harold get to Hastings? And how does this discovery change our understanding of the Norman Conquest?  MORE: Harold Godwinson Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Battle of Hastings Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when Vikings stop raiding and start laying siege to a mighty rock fortress on the Clyde? Matt Lewis is joined by Todd Ferguson to uncover the four-month Viking siege of Dumbarton in 870, exploring why this Brittonic stronghold mattered so much, how its fall reshaped Strathclyde, and how these events fed into the long, messy road towards a more unified Scotland MORE The Viking Great Army in Britain Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify What Caused the Viking Age? Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producers are Rob Weinberg and Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if everything you think you know about medieval Croatia is wrong? Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Florin Curta to uncover how Dalmatia’s coastal cities defied “Dark Age” collapse, why Slavic identity may have been a political invention, and how frontiers became homelands in a zone contested by Franks, Byzantines, Venetians and Hungarians. Discover the extraordinary archives, churches and cultures that made medieval Croatia uniquely complex. MORE The Hussite Wars: Crusades Against Bohemia Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Teutonic Knights Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Tim Arstall, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the mid‑13th century, the Mongols seemed unstoppable until a former slave‑soldier stood in their way. Mamluk Sultan Qutuz of Egypt defied an empire that had crushed Baghdad and Syria, and began the beginning of the end of the Crusader States. Matt Lewis and Nicholas Morton uncover how Mongol conquests shattered the Crusader world, set Louis IX’s doomed crusade in motion, and paved the way for the Mamluks to end the era of the Crusader states forever. MORE Mongol Empire Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Genghis Khan's Pax Mongolica Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Crusading in the 13th century was brutal, chaotic and transformative. Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by historian Dr. Tom Smith to uncover failed campaigns, papal ambition, the sack of Constantinople, and Frederick II’s extraordinary treaty for Jerusalem. Expect extraordinary battles, medieval flamethrowers, nunchucks and too much French wine – revealing a crusading movement tearing itself apart. MORE Emperor Frederick II: The Scourge of the Papacy Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify The Rise of Constantinople Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Islam first take root on Iranian soil? What did medieval Iran - or Persia - look like before and afterwards? How do those early encounters still echo through Iranian society today?  The roots of the present-day tensions in Iran are much deeper than just the last 47 years following the Islamic Revolution. To understand more, Matt Lewis is joined by Dr. Khodadad Rezakhani. MORE Medieval Europe's Encounter with Islam Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Prophet Muhammad Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Tim Arstall, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.