Lives of Medieval Nuns

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, ...  Show more

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 marc ...  Show more

When so much of history is written by men, Margaret Paston's letters offer us a rare insight into the life of a woman and the world around her in 15th century England.

How did she cope with waves of plague wiping out her town? What did she do when the War of the Rose ...

The 16th century was a dangerous time to be talking about magic and hidden forces, so how did John Dee end up being invited into Elizabeth I's court?He was an astronomer, occultist and alchemist who dedicated his life to understanding how celestial activity influenced life on ear ...  Show more

Warning: this episode contains explicit language.Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega to explore sex, marriage, and desire in the Middle Ages. They delve into the beliefs around sodomy as “non-procreative sex”; pilgrim ...  Show more

From the establishment of a formidable double monarchy to the complex dynamics of the Spanish Inquisition, Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were quite the Renaissance team.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Giles Tremlett to discuss the complex dynamics of this uni ...  Show more