Ask a Medievalist

Synopsis When did the conclave system get started and why? Following on the heels (uh, vaguely) of our emergency popecast, Em and Dr. Jesse discuss history of papal elections and how the Church got to where it is. Notes Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes, by Eamon Duffy. 4th ed. Yale University Press, … Continue reading "Episode 93: Take Me Down to Vatican City"

Synopsis Pope Francis, beloved of medievalists, died on April 21, 2025, so we're here with all you might care to know about the forthcoming conclave (now a film starring Ralph Finnes), the history of conclaves, and why medievalists loved Francis so much, anyway. Notes 1/ Benedict went to Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, I think. It's in … Continue reading "Episode 92: Emergency Popecast"

Summary Em and Jesse are back with more medieval meme review. Join us as we discuss martyrdom, marginalia, The Seventh Seal, and the Bayeux Tapestry. Notes 1/ martyrdom of Isaiah: Martyrdom sword through throat: 2/ St. Sebastian. Artists love him! Just to be clear, “It's difficult to assert that there were any gay men before … Continue reading "Episode 91: The Field Where I Grow My Ducks"

Synopsis Memes. Love or hate them, they're hard to escape. Let's do a medieval meme review. Notes 1/ Sorry for the weird sound at the beginning. File errors. 2/ There are whole Bsky accounts like “weird medieval guys“. 3/ Cave Canum Know thyself 4/ The Book of Dog Names: Superdog's name is Krypto

Synopsis Trade goods weren't the only things that moved along the Silk Road. Join Em and Jesse as they trace the history of an interesting artistic motif that made it from China all the way to England! Notes 0/ Credit to Hither, Page, by Cat Sebastian, for bringing this topic to my attention. 1/ Previous … Continue reading "Episode 89: The Three Hares on the Silk Road"

Synopsis In a first for Ask a Medievalist, Em sits down with Sebastian Nothwell to discuss his approach to writing historical/historical fantasy novels. In the process, they get into everything from Victorian steam power to the effects of the peasants revolt of 1381 on the chartists in the 1830s–50s. You can find Sebastian's website at … Continue reading "Episode 88: The Peasants Are (Still) Revolting"

Synopsis “Times are tough, but they could be worse” is the eternal message of our show. This time, we're talking about persecution and rebellion–how certain groups were oppressed for political purposes in medieval (and early modern, and modern) Europe, and some people and groups who rebelled, in both a personal and more broadly political way. … Continue reading "Episode 87: Resistance Is (Not) Futile"

Summary The Ramayana is not the oldest story in the world, but it's definitely in the running. Composed starting in the 700s BCE, it has been carried to all corners of the earth and translated into many languages and cultures, traveling along several distinct lines of migration, yet it remains largely unknown in the west. … Continue reading "Episode 86: Too Many Ramayanas"

In memory of Wrigley Njus-Kirk, The Best Puppy (May 28, 2009–November 18, 2024), we're reposting our episode on dogs this week! You can check out the original notes here: http://askamedievalist.com/2021/03/26/episode-29-dyou-like-dags/ We'll be back with regular episodes next week! Until then, give your puppy a pat and keep it medieval!

Synopsis One time, Em got drunk and started texting Jesse about the bronze age collapse. This is the result. Notes 1/ Em studied abroad in Tianjin, China. It was very educational. I learned that black vinegar is good for your health, that there are mushrooms called ear mushrooms (wood ear, but I only recognized one … Continue reading "Episode 85: It's (not the) End of the World as We Know It"

Synopsis We talked about trade moving across Asia and into Europe, but what about trade going North–South? Like the Silk Road, there was a lot of Trans-Saharan trade going back a long time. Goods like salt, ivory, gold, beads, and metal goods–as well as enslaved people–crossed hostile conditions to travel from as far south as … Continue reading "Episode 84: Trans-Saharan Trade"

Synopsis The Silk Road spanned four thousand years and lasted for centuries–it's hard to think of anything comparable in scale. From the second century BCE until the mid-15th century, jade, silk, tea, horses, the plague, and more flowed across the Eurasian continent. Join Em and Jesse as they talk about it–and also about Route 66, … Continue reading "Old Silk Road, Take Me Home"

Synopsis Join Em and Dr. Jesse as they talk about the last two branches of the Mabinogi. Em's books can all be found here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C5XX9BH3 (or at many other fine internet sites.) Notes 1/ The previous episodes were: Episode 78 (introduction), and episode 79 (branches 1 and 2). Also, we're still using The Mabinogion translated … Continue reading "Episode 82: Morebinogion"

Synopsis Did you see a headless (possibly satanic) angel rising from the stage during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, or Winged Victory? Or did you wonder, as we did, how the two happen to be so similar, when angels in the bible are often described as having six wings, or wheels, or four … Continue reading "Episode 81: Angel of the Morning"

Synopsis Last week, the 2024 Summer Olympics started in Paris with an opening ceremony that featured nods to several musicals, a heavy metal band named after Godzilla, a bit of an aria from Carmen, and of course, a tableau of drag queens and gender bent fashionistas referencing Leonardo da Vinci's 1498 painting The Last Supper. Or perhaps … Continue reading "Episode 80: Emergency Olympics Episode"

Synopsis The Mabinogi: what's it actually about, when you get down to it? Join Em and Jesse as they discuss the first two branches, in which Pwyll meets Arawn, lord of the underworld, and has adventures; in which Pwyll meets Rhiannon and has a lot more adventures than maybe he bargained for; and in which … Continue reading "Episode 79: Branching Out"

Synopsis Paul: Look, it's a school of whales. Ringo: They look a little bit old for school. Paul: University then. Ringo: University of Wales. (From Yellow Submarine, 1968) Ever wonder what Wales is, on a mythological level? That strange country of Michael Sheen with a dragon on the flag! And jokes about leeks in Henry … Continue reading "Episode 78: Ma-Ma-Ma-Mabinogi"

Summary Here comes the parade, want some beads? Okay, so carnival is a prelude to Lent, which is an extremely solemn time in Catholic tradition. So why is it the way that it is in so many places? Let's talk about it. Notes 1/ It's late, but it's up before the end of Lent. lol … Continue reading "Episode 77: Carnival and Lent"

Synopsis If you're one of those people who thinks about the Roman Empire a lot because aqueducts are really cool, you're going to love this. Join Em and Jesse as they discuss the irrigation of the Chengdu Plain, the plumbing of Tenochtitlan, and water management at Machu Picchu. Then we round out our “the middle … Continue reading "Episode 76: Pipe Dreams"

Summary After a brief discussion of how people brushed their teeth, we move on to the question of where the water they used came from. And yeah, Rome had aqueducts–but so did a lot of places! And the Romans didn't even build the aqueducts they did have–they took them from the Etruscans! Who may have … Continue reading "Episode 75: Plumb as in Full of Lead"

Summary When Em was a kid, she was told that knights in shining armor didn't bathe, that Elizabeth I had bathed only three times in her life, and various other assertions. But we know that soap is not a modern invention–the word itself comes from the Latin, and no less than Pliny the Elder discusses … Continue reading "Episode 74: Bath House (in the Middle of the Street)"

Synopsis Are you travelling for Thanksgiving? Believe it or not, “travel” as a thing is not a modern creation. In the middle ages, people visited many remote and far-flung places and brought back notes (and delicious noodles). Join Em and Jesse for travel talk, including Lord Elgin, Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, Zheng He, Margery Kemp, … Continue reading "Episode 73: I'm a Ramblin' Man"

Synopsis We've all seen that scene in Indiana Jones where he's clutching an artifact and shouting, “It belongs in a museum!” But nowadays in 2023, we tend to temper that idea–museums are fun, but who gets to hold a particular object, why, and for how long is a point of contention. Join Em and Jesse … Continue reading "Episode 72: Does It Belong in a Museum?"

Synopsis Em and Jesse talk about Italian sumptuary laws, which unlike the British ones, were more aimed at women. Then they talk about fashion “dos” of the middle ages. Notes 1/ So, the difference between having a title and being part of the peerage is this. In America, when you earn a lot of money, … Continue reading "Episode 71: Fashion (Turn to the Left)"

Synopsis Just in time for Paris Fashion Week, join Em and Jesse for an exciting discussion of sumptuary laws and the medieval origins of prohibitions against wearing white, as well as a few digressions about John Waters films and Blackadder. Notes 0/ Rainbow Space Magic Con: https://www.rainbowspacemagic.org/ 1/ Serial Mom: (warning for violence) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnGHB-kI2ZM 2/ … Continue reading "Episode 70: White After Labor Day"

Synopsis What got written illicitly on the walls back before 79 CE? It turns out a lot of stuff! Join Em and Jesse as they discuss the graffiti of Pompeii and also stuff Vikings wrote their names on. Em's book: Amazon, all other sites. Notes Books! Ancient Graffiti in Context ed. Baird and Taylor: https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Graffiti-Context-Routledge-Studies-ebook/dp/B004OBZWDG … Continue reading "Episode 69: Virgil Was Here"

Summary Let's talk about psychedelics in ritual practice. From Hunter S. Thompson's pilgrimage across the desert to the human sacrifices of the Incan empire in the sixteenth century to the use of opium during the late bronze age, people have been altering their mental states in religious contexts almost since the dawn of civilization. Join … Continue reading "Episode 68: Bat Country (Drugs, pt 2)"

Synopsis In honor of the publication of Em's debut novel, Dionysus in Wisconsin, Em and Jesse talk about Dionysus (the god), and then about drug use in ancient religious rituals. Notes 1/ Order book here (or from non-Amazon sites here). (Incredibly well reviewed! Buy one now!!) 2/ Sparagmos: your vocabulary term for the day, kids. … Continue reading "Episode 67: Dionysus and Drugs, part 1"

Synopsis Are butts the most medieval of body parts? From the Wild Man to Chaucer to good old Michelangelo, let's pontificate about the posterior. Do you need more of a pitch than that? Notes 0/ Preorder Em's book: a little obscene, only a few butts. 1/ Warning for…talking about butts, I guess. 2/ The Wild … Continue reading "Episode 66: Medievally Bootylicious (obscenity part 2)"

Summary A long time ago, people were pure at heart. Of course, sex happened occasionally, but no one took off their clothes for it–that would be gauche. Then James Joyce wrote a book called Ulysses and things started to go downhill. In 1933, a judge named John M. Woolsey ruled in a case called United … Continue reading "Episode 65: I Know It When I See It"

1/ EB White was a rather nice, shy guy who wrote for the New Yorker and hid from his admirers. TH White was a weirdo who lived on the edge of the woods in the UK. EB White is the White of Strunk & White. https://xkcd.com/923/ 2/ it would be more accurate to say Em … Continue reading "Episode 64: Fight Knights"

Summary Early on, a friend of the podcast asked if we were going to cover chivalry. Because really, when you think of the Middle Ages, this is it, right? Knights in very shiny armor on beautiful horses charging into battle, swords drawn! Knights getting scarves from their ladies! Knights holding vigils and praying in front … Continue reading "Episode 63: The Knight in Tarnished Armor"

Summary The other day, I asked a friend, “Hey, what do normal people put on their walls?” The answer…is tapestries. Cold, stony castle? Tapestries. Small, plain cathedral? Tapestries. A house of some sort? Probably also tapestries. In this episode, Em and Dr. Jesse talk over how tapestries are made, famous tapestries from around the world, … Continue reading "Episode 62: Tapestries Not by Carole King"

Summary It's wintertime in the Northern hemisphere! Snow is, of course, eternal, but did you ever wonder how far back the tradition of making snowpeople goes? Jesse did. Join us as we trace the history of snowpeople in Europe/the UK as far back as we can. Notes 1/ Marginal illustration in a Book of Hours … Continue reading "Episode 61: Snowpeople"

Synopsis Once upon a time there was a guy named Gawain, and someone made a movie about him! And he got to be played by Dev Patel, which is pretty great when you get down to it. And then we covered it! In which Em reveals that she watches way too much historical costuming YouTube, … Continue reading "Episode 60: The Green Knight"

Synopsis Famous eels: 1/ “Those are the shrieking eels. You don't believe me? Just wait. They always grow louder when they're about to feed on human flesh.” (Name that movie.) 2/ Mark Oliver Everett 3/ Medieval eel rents! The medieval church, famously, had a lot of restrictions on what people could eat and when—during Lent, … Continue reading "Episode 59: The Real MedEELval Times"

Summary A lot of stuff about Richards II and III for a podcast that's supposed to be about queens. Also Mathildas, Boudica, and why Black Panther is more historically accurate than Wonder Woman. Notes 1/ Richard III's body was eventually found under a car park. I swear we talked about this at some point. “Was … Continue reading "Episode 58: Long Live the Queen"

Synopsis As a memorial to Elizabeth II, Em and Jesse discuss famous queens throughout history and mostly in the UK, including drag queens, the borough of Queens, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, Elizabeth I,  Mary II, Anne, Victoria, and Elizabeth II. Also Sophie of Hanover, Wills and Kate, Prince Harry and Meghan, and I think … Continue reading "Episode 57: Dancing Queens (pt 1)"

Synopsis Bro! You knew it was coming! Grab your replica Sutton Hoo helmet and get ready, it's Beowulf o'clock. Annotations 1/ Spoiler alert: it wasn't published as episode 50. [But that's ok!

Summary Summertime, and the living is Medieval. But really, what was summer like in the Middle Ages? We talk about the Medieval Climate Anomaly, the (not at all Medieval) Little Ice Age, the volcano on Santorini, Medieval vacation tendencies, the Tres Riches Heures of the Duc de Berry, and the Olympics.  Also, Firesign Theatre references! … Continue reading "Episode 55: In the Summertime, When the Weather is Medieval"

Synopsis Part two of the run up to the arrival of Queen Matilda and that other guy…what was his name…William the Conqueror. Yeah. Him. Includes Danelaw, Danegeld, surprising connections to Hamlet, an explanation of whether Aethelred the Unready was really unready, and of course a discussion of Eric the Viking! Annotations 1/ We have obviously linked … Continue reading "Episode: 54: More England, More Normans"

Synopsis As good students of history, you already know that all-important date in British history: 1066, aka the Norman Invasion. But what happened in England before then? From the Romans through to Alfred the Great, join Em and Jesse as they talk about a whole bunch of kings, kingdoms, Vikings, and Monty Python. Annotations 1/ … Continue reading "Episode #53: England Before the Norman Invasion"

Synopsis What do you get when you combine Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and the Passion of Christ? I don't know, but it's been going on for 390 years at this point. In this episode, Em and Jesse discuss what Jesse did on her summer vacation (or part of it): a trip to see the passion … Continue reading "Episode 52: Heut' kommt die Jesse zu Oberammergau"

Summary Ever see an Indiana Jones movie? For more on relic theft, see Patrick J. Geary’s Furta Sacra: Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages. Annotations and Corrections 1/ The episode where we talked about St. Nicholas was episode 23 (a Christmas episode). The oil is kind of said to be myrrh, but it’s … Continue reading "Episode 51: The Relic (not the 1997 Creature Feature set in the Field Museum in Chicago)"

Synopsis The last of the major proto-protestant heresies we’re going to examine is the Hussites, who were led by Jan Hus. And then we’re going to quick talk about the man, the myth, the machine, Martin Luther. The first rule of Medieval Studies is “Don’t talk about Luther.” [Also the second and third rules.–Jesse] But … Continue reading "Episode 50: The Heretical Hussites (feat. Martin Luther)"

Synopsis Let’s talk about the Waldensians, the Lollards, and some revolting peasants. Wait. Oh well–Anyway, we talk a lot about how the Pope gave all the Franciscans’ stuff back to them and forced them to own stuff, some Shakespeare, and a lot of heresies. Notes 1/ RI Moore, The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Authority … Continue reading "Episode 49: Where’s Waldensians?"

Synopsis So, say you like what Christianity has to offer generally. That Jesus kid seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. But theologically, you have a problem. Maybe you’re a Gnostic and think they’re wrong about the spiritual vs physical world. Maybe you think more women should be allowed to participate in … Continue reading "Episode #48: Meet the Cathars"

Synopsis Manichaeism: The number one major world religion you’ve never heard of. In order to understand it and its prophet, Mani, we need to understand Gnosticism, a complex and subtle philosophy regarded as a heresy by the Christians. The short version is, “[i]n the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of … Continue reading "Episode 47: There’s GNO Business Like Show Business"

Synopsis After an unexpected late-season hiatus, we’re back with an episode on musical forms! We’ve got the earliest hymns, the maddest madrigals, tuning and temperament, at least three different types of chant, and a song so recursive it will summon Douglas Hofstadter if you play it into a mirror in a dark room. Annotations 1/ … Continue reading "Episode 46: The Well-Tempered Podcast"

Summary More on the Feast of Fools and the Kalends, with some digressions about Roman Emperor Claudius and labyrinths. Annotations For most of the Feast of Fools and Herod info from this episode, see Max Harris, Sacred Folly: A New History of the Feast of Fools https://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Folly-History-Feast-Fools/dp/0801479495 1/ The Kalends (or calends, hence calendar :)) … Continue reading "Episode 45: Fool Me Twice"

Summary Christmas, a season for overeating, arguing with your parents about politics, and…wearing masks? Join Em and Jesse as they talk about topsy turvy Medieval holidays like the Feast of Fools! Also we talk a little about the Purge film/TV franchise, Rabelais, and Foucault. Sorry to the two people who follow us who are not … Continue reading "Episode 44: Upside Down and Inside Out"