Podcasts about Middle Ages

In honour of 350 episodes of The Medieval Podcast, Danièle celebrates the amazing progress that's been made in Medieval Studies since 2019.This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

What was life really like for working peasant women in the Middle Ages? How did family, marriage, work and social class shape their choices, joys and struggles?Taking a break from the usual queens, noblewomen and saints of the Medieval period, Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Catherine Hanley to explore the unsung experiences of mothers and daughters, wives, widows and women workers across medieval society.MOREThe Anarchy: Disruptive WomenListen on AppleListen on SpotifyHow to Survive the 14th CenturyListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Jangea. 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.Watch Eleanor and Matt's new documentary The Rise of the Plantagenets with a History Hit subscription. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early-access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who were the Teutonic Knights, and how did they influence Polish history? In this podcast episode, we travel back to the Middle Ages. You will learn the history of the Order of the Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem. You will find out why the Polish Duke Konrad of Masovia invited them to Poland in 1226. We discuss the construction of the mighty Malbork Castle and the famous Battle of Grunwald in 1410. It is a perfect history and Polish language lesson in one! Listen carefully, learn new vocabulary, and discover the secrets of Polish castles.The post ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RP523: Krzyżacy ⁠appeared first on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠realpolish.pl

Friends of the Rosary,Today, July 15, is the Memorial Day of Saint and mystic Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (1221-1274), a thirteenth-century Italian saint, known as the Seraphic Doctor.As the General of the Franciscan Order, he consolidated the institution and was even considered a second founder.Teacher and preacher, he was a unique personality, beloved by God and men alike, who attracted everyone who saw him.Unsurpassed in sanctity, wisdom, and eloquence, he was gifted, as with a skill of accomplishing things. St. Bonaventure had not only a winning disposition, but a heart full of love, pious, charitable, and rich in virtue and wisdom.His contemporaries are said to have believed that no one was "more handsome, more holy, or more learned" than he.In philosophy, he was the principal leader of the Platonic-Augustinian school of Franciscan thought; as such, he stood opposed to the Aristotelianism that was making its way into the schools of the time (represented by Thomas Aquinas).Bonaventure's Life of St. Francis was a favorite book of the Middle Ages.Dante had already included him among the inhabitants of his "Paradise."Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠June 15, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

In this episode, Mourad Tadghout explores how manuscript cultures shaped intellectual exchange across medieval Eurasia and the Mediterranean. Focusing on the transmission of texts such as Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine, Tadghout traces the movement of knowledge from Baghdad to Toledo and beyond. The episode highlights the collaborative nature of translation, commentary, and scholarly exchange, challenging narratives of isolation and rethinking the medieval world as deeply interconnected across cultures and languages.For more information, visit www.multiculturalmiddleages.com.

Today on the Christian History Almanac, we remember Jacob Voragine and his "Golden Legend" — the most important theological text in the Middle Ages you've never read. Show Notes: Support the work at 1517 1517 on YouTube 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts 1517 Events Schedule 1517 Academy - Free Theological Education Germany / Switzerland - Study Tour What's New from 1517: The Turk at the Door by Adam Francisco Luther and the Lion: A Narnian Catechism by Samuel Schuldheisz By Water and the Word by Brian Thomas Being Family by Dr. Scott Keith More from the hosts: Dan van Voorhis Follow 1517:  Instagram X/Twitter Facebook SHOW TRANSCRIPTS are available: https://www.1517.org/podcasts/the-christian-history-almanac CONTACT: CHA@1517.org Facebook Twitter Audio production by Christopher Gillespie (outerrimterritories.com)

Full episodes and much more available on Patreon.com/slopquest Ryan insist his brain is mush because he left a spoon in the blender for five minutes. Andy comes to terms with his subconscious chaos creation. Ryan fantasizes about being a vampire while they fight over who’s classier. Ryan is glad his d*ldo is covered in mustard stains so that he can identify it in a line up. Then he insists Andy would love the smell of the Middle Ages. Andy has his gut flop out during hema sparring and shows Ryan the video proof. Ryan insists that this because The Lord is telling him he’s meant to be a buffoon. Andy asks Ryan for grappling advice. Andy gets mistaken for a homeless guy at an all you can eat buffet. Ryan and Andy talk about being told to change the subject at a restaurant by strangers. This reminds Ryan of find memories of his dad. Ryan mocks Andy’s love life but then gets sad about all the farts. Andy’s worried that he smells like garbage and tries to investigate it then he reveals the toy he wanted as a kid that caused him public shame.

In 1302, an army of Flemish townsmen achieved the impossible. At the Battle of the Golden Spurs, infantry armed with pikes and determination crushed the mounted knights of Kingdom of France in one of the greatest military upsets of the Middle Ages.Matt Lewis is joined by Danièle Cybulski to uncover the truth behind this classic David v Goliath story. Why did France invade Flanders? How did ordinary craftsmen defeat Europe's most feared cavalry? And did this famous victory change the course of medieval warfare?MOREDeadly Rivalry: Armagnac v BurgundyListen on AppleListen on SpotifyThe Women Who Ruled Medieval BurgundyListen on AppleListen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Tim Arstall, 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.Watch Matt and Eleanor's new documentary The Rise of the Plantagenets only on History Hit TV with a subscription. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Full Text of Readings Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot Lectionary: 388 The Saint of the day is Saint Benedict Saint Benedict's Story It is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West. Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of Saint Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his career. Saint Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome, and early in life was drawn to monasticism. At first he became a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb. He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three years. Some monks chose Saint Benedict as their leader for a while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still the shift from hermit to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, and permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples. The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought under the Rule of Saint Benedict. Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation encompassing the men and women of the Order of St. Benedict; and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Reflection The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Although death is just a natural and expected part of life – especially in the Middle Ages – it's also an event that forever alters the lives of those left behind. For medieval women, widowhood changed everything. This week, Danièle speaks with Anna Wainwright about what it was like to be an Italian widow in the fifteenth century, how widowhood and politics went together, and the rise of widows as popular writers.This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

"The object of this book is to bring together stories of the most important movements in the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, and to make familiar the names of the most important figures in those scenes. I have endeavoured to weave a tapestry in which, with due colour, may be traced the history of the rise and fall of the various nationalities and the circumstances and mode of life of each—in short, to give the young reader an approximation to the background for the study of his country's history which a wide reading gives to a person." (Summary from the Preface.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"The object of this book is to bring together stories of the most important movements in the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, and to make familiar the names of the most important figures in those scenes. I have endeavoured to weave a tapestry in which, with due colour, may be traced the history of the rise and fall of the various nationalities and the circumstances and mode of life of each—in short, to give the young reader an approximation to the background for the study of his country's history which a wide reading gives to a person." (Summary from the Preface.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"The object of this book is to bring together stories of the most important movements in the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, and to make familiar the names of the most important figures in those scenes. I have endeavoured to weave a tapestry in which, with due colour, may be traced the history of the rise and fall of the various nationalities and the circumstances and mode of life of each—in short, to give the young reader an approximation to the background for the study of his country's history which a wide reading gives to a person." (Summary from the Preface.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"The object of this book is to bring together stories of the most important movements in the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, and to make familiar the names of the most important figures in those scenes. I have endeavoured to weave a tapestry in which, with due colour, may be traced the history of the rise and fall of the various nationalities and the circumstances and mode of life of each—in short, to give the young reader an approximation to the background for the study of his country's history which a wide reading gives to a person." (Summary from the Preface.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"The object of this book is to bring together stories of the most important movements in the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, and to make familiar the names of the most important figures in those scenes. I have endeavoured to weave a tapestry in which, with due colour, may be traced the history of the rise and fall of the various nationalities and the circumstances and mode of life of each—in short, to give the young reader an approximation to the background for the study of his country's history which a wide reading gives to a person." (Summary from the Preface.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"The object of this book is to bring together stories of the most important movements in the history of Europe during the Middle Ages, and to make familiar the names of the most important figures in those scenes. I have endeavoured to weave a tapestry in which, with due colour, may be traced the history of the rise and fall of the various nationalities and the circumstances and mode of life of each—in short, to give the young reader an approximation to the background for the study of his country's history which a wide reading gives to a person." (Summary from the Preface.)Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

fWotD Episode 3350: Cardinal-nephew Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Tuesday, 7 July 2026, is Cardinal-nephew.A cardinal-nephew (Latin: cardinalis nepos; Italian: cardinale nipote; Spanish: valido de su tío; Portuguese: cardeal-sobrinho; French: prince de fortune) was a cardinal elevated by a pope who was that cardinal's relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The last cardinal-nephew was named in 1689 and the practice was abolished in 1692. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to this practice, when it appeared in the English language about 1669. From the middle of the Avignon Papacy (1309–1377) until Pope Innocent XII's anti-nepotism bull (a papal charter) Romanum decet pontificem (1692), a pope without a cardinal-nephew was the exception to the rule. Every Renaissance pope who created cardinals appointed a relative to the College of Cardinals, and the nephew was the most common choice, although one of Alexander VI's creations was his own son.The institution of the cardinal-nephew evolved over seven centuries, tracking developments in the history of the papacy and the styles of individual popes. From 1566 until 1692, a cardinal-nephew held the curial office of the Superintendent of the Ecclesiastical State, known as the Cardinal Nephew, and thus the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. The curial office of the Cardinal Nephew as well as the institution of the cardinal-nephew declined as the power of the Cardinal Secretary of State increased and the temporal power of popes decreased in the 17th and 18th centuries.The list of cardinal-nephews includes at least fifteen, and possibly as many as nineteen popes (Gregory IX, Alexander IV, Adrian V, Gregory XI, Boniface IX, Innocent VII, Eugene IV, Paul II, Alexander VI, Pius III, Julius II, Leo X, Clement VII, Benedict XIII, and Pius VII; perhaps also John XIX and Benedict IX, if they were really promoted cardinals; as well as Innocent III and Benedict XII, if in fact they were related to their elevators); one antipope (John XXIII); and two or three saints (Charles Borromeo, Guarinus of Palestrina, and perhaps Anselm of Lucca, if he was really a cardinal).This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:29 UTC on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Cardinal-nephew on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Olivia.

You ready to nerd out on Medieval history? Today, Amber, Ashley, and Julie are diving into one of history's most fascinating eras, sharing strange facts and asking the important question: Were the Middle Ages really as romantic as we imagine, or were they just a sloppy, muddy time? The Brighter Side finds the positive light in this horror show we call Earth, a cynic's look at optimism. So put down the gun, stay outta that church, and spark up a joint, because everything is going to be alright. We promise. For real. Just chill. Hosted by Ed Larson, Amber Nelson, Ashley Brooke Roberts, and Julie Rosing. Theme song by the Cowmen. Logo by Dave Koehler. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of The Brighter Side ad-free.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas sits down with Professor Paul Robichaud — Professor of English at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut — to discuss his remarkable new book, Stories of the Stones: Imagining Prehistory in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany, published by Reaktion Books on July 6th. Paul is not an archaeologist but a literary scholar, and his book takes a completely different approach to prehistoric monuments: rather than asking who built them or how, he asks what stories people have told about them across the centuries — and what those stories reveal about us. From the earliest Greek account of a possible spherical temple on a northern island (possibly Callanish), through Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century account of Merlin flying Stonehenge from Ireland, through the antiquarian fantasies of Inigo Jones (who decided Stonehenge was Roman and helpfully corrected its geometry to fit) and William Stukeley (who invented the Druid connection that has never entirely gone away), through the Romantics — Wordsworth's visions of human sacrifice, Blake's prophetic paintings, Turner's atmospheric canvases — to the 1970s counterculture, folk horror films, and our own climate-anxious present, the book traces how five millennia of imagining these ancient places tells us as much about the people doing the imagining as it does about the stones themselves. Jonathan and Paul also share their personal favorite prehistoric sites, including Avebury, Wayland Smithy, and — Jonathan's top pick — Castlerigg in Cumbria. Links Stories of the Stones by Paul Robichaud (Reaktion Books, July 6) Stores of Stones - Amazon Stonehenge — English Heritage Avebury — National Trust Wayland's Smithy, Oxfordshire — English Heritage Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cumbria — National Trust Callanish Standing Stones, Isle of Lewis Stanton Drew Stone Circles, Somerset Newgrange, Ireland The Ridgeway National Trail Albertus Magnus College Friends of Anglotopia Club Takeaways The word "prehistoric" didn't exist until the mid-19th century. For most of human history, people encountering these monuments had no framework for understanding them as ancient — they were simply there, part of the landscape, and the stories told about them reflected whatever worldview the storyteller brought: giants, biblical patriarchs, Roman engineers, druid priests, or earth energies. Stonehenge is unique among stone circles not because of its age or size but because of its distinctive architecture — upright stones with lintels resting on mortise-and-tenon joints, clearly intentional and clearly extraordinary. Its location on a relatively populated southern English plain also meant it was seen by far more people across the centuries than monuments in Wales or the Outer Hebrides. The Stonehenge we see today is not how it looked for most of recorded history. Many of the stones that appear upright were raised during restoration work in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the contemporary visitor's experience of a cleaned-up, presented monument is itself a kind of modern imagination of what people thought it should look like. Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century account — in which Merlin magically flies the stones from Ireland to Salisbury Plain as a memorial to fallen British nobles — dominated the medieval imagination for centuries because there simply were no rival stories. With no archaeological framework and no competing account, his version was accepted as genuine British history. Inigo Jones concluded that Stonehenge must be a Roman temple, and helpfully corrected its irregular geometry in his drawings to make it look properly classical. William Stukeley correctly identified the Druids as the likely builders — and then spent decades constructing increasingly elaborate Druidical fantasies connecting ancient Britain to biblical monotheism. Both men are cautionary examples of how we make evidence fit our assumptions. The Druid/Stonehenge association is almost entirely modern — an 18th-century invention that has almost no basis in archaeological evidence. The Iron Age Celts we associate with Druids arrived in Britain centuries after Stonehenge was built. But the association was cemented through repeated reproduction in engravings and illustrations — like a cultural meme — and has proved impossible to dislodge. The Romantics found in prehistoric monuments the perfect embodiment of the Sublime — Edmund Burke's idea of awe and terror in the presence of something vast and unknowable. Wordsworth had what he described as visions of ancient Britons and human sacrifice after being stranded near Stonehenge in a carriage accident; Blake incorporated megaliths into his prophetic paintings; Turner painted Stonehenge in dramatic atmospheric light. These Romantic responses shaped how visitors expected to feel at these sites for generations afterward. Paul's most unexpectedly moving site visit was to Wayland's Smithy in Oxfordshire — a Neolithic chambered tomb accessible via the ancient Ridgeway path. He had it entirely to himself in the rain, found a fresh offering of flowers left by a previous visitor, and experienced the kind of quiet communion with place that Stonehenge, with its crowds and visitor management, rarely allows. Jonathan's personal favorite prehistoric site is Castlerigg in Cumbria — a stone circle set on a hill and surrounded by mountains, relatively unknown and often visitable in near-solitude. Paul's is Avebury, which he recommends over Stonehenge for anyone wanting to actually walk among the stones rather than view them from a distance. Our contemporary fascination with prehistoric monuments is increasingly shaped by environmental anxiety — a need to reconnect with the landscape and with deep human time at a moment of climate crisis and technological acceleration. The stories we now tell about standing stones are as revealing of our own moment as Geoffrey of Monmouth's were of the 12th century. Soundbites "I had one book that had a picture of a druid kind of surfing on a large stone coming into Stonehenge — like he's landing. The idea was that they must have levitated the stones using Earth energies. The 70s was a time when there was a lot of interest in what we call New Age thinking. All that was kind of in the air when I was a kid." — Paul on his childhood introduction to prehistoric Britain. "I'm more interested in what these stories are doing and what they reveal about the people who are telling them. We can get some insight into what these places have meant to people who have visited them and lived alongside them for centuries and even millennia. The stories are interesting in their own right." — Paul on what a literary scholar sees that an archaeologist might not. "Geoffrey of Monmouth claimed to get his information from a mysterious book in Welsh that no one else had ever heard of and has never been identified or located. He was clearly a fabulator. But his account dominated the Middle Ages and kept getting retold all through the Renaissance because there were no rival stories." — Paul on Geoffrey of Monmouth's enduring influence. "Inigo Jones with his very careful architectural drawings, correcting the shape of Stonehenge to make it fit his vision, is a kind of exaggerated form of what we're all tempted to do — which is make things fit our assumptions about the world." — Paul on antiquarian projection. "The controversy around Druids in the 1700s was not whether they conducted their rites at Stonehenge — that was assumed — but whether the Druids were noble philosophers who had a secret wisdom, or bloodthirsty priests using human sacrifice to terrify the population into submission. Stukeley and his friend Borlase fell out over this." — Paul on the 18th-century Druid debate. "You've got a stone circle, you've got a druid there, and they're just always together. It becomes like a meme. And then they're taken up by the Romantics. So it really gets cemented in the popular imagination." — Paul on how the Druid/Stonehenge association became inescapable. "The Romantics find this admiration for the rugged beauty of these sites. Edmund Burke's idea of the sublime — that we experience awe in wild places that provoke a frisson of fear — becomes a kind of defining experience that travelers have at Stonehenge. These sites are viewed through the same lens as Niagara Falls." — Paul on the Romantic discovery of the prehistoric sublime. "I walked from the visitor center and I was glad I did. You see the barrows and the wooded land and then finally, a little bit in the distance, Stonehenge itself. And it really is impressive. You get at least a little bit of that experience of what it must have been like to suddenly see it in front of you in the landscape." — Paul's practical advice for visiting Stonehenge. "I drove up to Wayland's Smithy and I had the place to myself. It was raining, just one of those English drizzles. You walk down this pathway and then all of a sudden this really magnificent tomb is in front of you with standing stones around it. Someone had left an offering of flowers there. It was really beautiful." — Paul on his most unexpectedly moving prehistoric site visit. "As we're living in this increasingly dire moment of climate change, there's a sense of urgency in thinking about our relationship to the landscape. And we live in a time of unprecedented technological change — we spend so much of our time staring at screens. I think this interest in the deep past is something more and more people are developing as a way of connecting to our cultural and human origins." — Paul on why prehistoric monuments still matter today. Chapters 00:26 Introduction — Jonathan introduces Paul Robichaud and Stories of the Stones 02:15 Origin Story — Leonard Nimoy's In Search Of, Usborne books, and a trip to Callanish in 1998 03:42 A Literary Scholar Looks at Standing Stones — What Paul's approach reveals that archaeology alone can't 05:28 Why Britain, Ireland and Brittany? — The megalithic density of northwestern Europe and the span from 4500 BC to 3000 BC 07:42 A Catalog of Monument Types — Burial mounds, menhirs, stone circles, dolmens, earthworks, and what distinguishes them 08:57 The Word "Prehistoric" Didn't Exist Until the 19th Century — How the lack of a framework shaped every story told before it 11:13 Why Stonehenge Above All Others — The lintels, the mortise-and-tenon joints, the location, and the architecture of uniqueness 13:49 Stonehenge Is Not What It Looked Like — Restoration, re-erected stones, and why we see a cleaned-up version 16:33 Avebury vs. Stonehenge — Why Avebury often offers a more powerful experience, and the tip to walk rather than take the bus 18:06 Diodorus Siculus and the Spherical Temple — The earliest possible written reference to a British megalithic monument 20:51 Geoffrey of Monmouth and Merlin — The 12th-century account that dominated the medieval imagination for centuries 23:54 The Welsh Tradition — Arthurian connections, early saints, St. Samson, and the distinct Welsh relationship with prehistoric places 26:04 Old English Anxiety — Giants, barrow demons, Beowulf's dragon, and the fear that ran through early medieval English culture 28:26 The Antiquarians — Inigo Jones decides Stonehenge is Roman and corrects its geometry to fit 31:05 William Stukeley — The genuine archaeological pioneer who invented the Druid connection that has never gone away 36:05 Why Modern Druids at Stonehenge Are Performing a Modern Tradition — And why that doesn't make it meaningless 38:15 The Romantic Imagination — Burke's Sublime, Wordsworth's visions, Blake's prophecies, Turner's light 41:01 Wordsworth's Carriage Accident and the Wicker Man — How personal experience and literary reading combine at these sites 43:38 The Modern Era — Counterculture, New Age, Doctor Who, folk horror, and our climate-anxious present 46:33 Practical Tips for Visiting — Stonehenge, Avebury, Stanton Drew and its pub, Callanish, and what to prioritize 48:33 Personal Favorites — Wayland's Smithy (Paul) and Castlerigg in Cumbria (Jonathan) 51:00 Wrap-Up — Stories of the Stones out July 6 from Reaktion Books Video Version

To picture the Middle Ages is to picture knights in shining armour. Custom-made, fashionable, and often beautiful, medieval armour was more than just practical: it was art. And in the late Middle Ages, a collection of talented artists captured the functional elegance of armour on paper. This week, Danièle speaks with Chassica Kirchhoff about armour as protection, art, and memorial in the Thun-Hohenstein Album.This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

On this episode of The Willie Jackerson Experiment, we travel back over 1,200 years to explore the extraordinary life and legacy of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks who united much of Western Europe and laid the foundation for what would become the Holy Roman Empire. From his relentless military campaigns and Christmas Day coronation in A.D. 800 to the Carolingian Renaissance that helped preserve learning during the Middle Ages, we separate historical fact from legend and examine why Charlemagne is still remembered as the "Father of Europe."Was Charlemagne merely a conqueror, or was he a visionary ruler whose influence shaped European civilization for centuries? Join me as we dive into the battles, politics, religion, and remarkable achievements of one of history's most influential monarchs.

5th June 1288: A day that changed the Rhineland forever. After five years of conflict, 12,000 participants gathered on the plain of the Fühlinger Heide north of Cologne for the Battle of Worringen, one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles of the Middle Ages. And Cologne in the middle of it

So often, we see the homes – and lives – of peasants represented as drab and empty. But the reality is bright, busy, fashionable, and colourful. This week, Danièle speaks with Luis Almenar Fernández about how peasants stored and cooked their food, how they used food culture to build relationships, and the beautiful, fashionable objects to be found in a medieval home.This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

The Middle Ages aren't just the Dark Ages! It's one of the richest literary eras in Western history. This week's Classical Et Cetera finds Jessica, Tanya, Paul, and Dr. Dan Scheffler building a reading list for the medieval world. From Beowulf and the Arthurian legends to Dante's Divine Comedy, Boethius, and Thomas Aquinas, there's so much to read here. Whether you're new to medieval literature or filling in the gaps, this conversation will show you what to read, where to start, and why these books still matter. Best Books of the Middle Ages (476–1450 AD) Literature picks: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Beowulf  Le Morte d'Arthur Canterbury Tales The Song of Roland Troubadour/lyric poetry of the Middle Ages The Decameron Philosophy & Theology picks: Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica Anselm Bede The Divine Comedy C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image

Ryan McMaken reviews a new book on the political institutions of the Middle Ages, 'The Medieval Constitution of Liberty: Political Foundations of Liberalism in the West.' We find that it is in the Middle Ages that we find the origins of modern notions of political freedom, representative government, political decentralization, and limits on state powers. In practice, the politics of the "Renaissance" and the "Enlightenment" were steps in the wrong direction.Be sure to follow Radio Rothbard at https://Mises.org/RadioRothbardRadio Rothbard mugs are available at the Mises Store. Get yours at https://Mises.org/RothMug PROMO CODE: RothPod for 20% off

Ryan McMaken reviews a new book on the political institutions of the Middle Ages, 'The Medieval Constitution of Liberty: Political Foundations of Liberalism in the West.' We find that it is in the Middle Ages that we find the origins of modern notions of political freedom, representative government, political decentralization, and limits on state powers. In practice, the politics of the "Renaissance" and the "Enlightenment" were steps in the wrong direction.Be sure to follow Radio Rothbard at https://Mises.org/RadioRothbardRadio Rothbard mugs are available at the Mises Store. Get yours at https://Mises.org/RothMug PROMO CODE: RothPod for 20% off

The story of the Roman catacombs is vastly different than that of the catacombs of Paris, as Rome’s are much older and were created for very different reasons. Research: Bonello, Giovanni. “Charting the enigmatic life of Antonio Bosio.” Times of Malta. Dec. 6, 2014. https://timesofmalta.com/article/Charting-the-enigmatic-life-of-Antonio-Bosio.547468 Bonello, Giovanni. “How Antonio Bosio Became famous Worldwide.” Times of Malta. Dec. 13, 2014. https://timesofmalta.com/article/How-Antonio-Bosio-became-famous-worldwide.548393 Bosio, Antonio. “Roma sotteranea.” 1650. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=zCXXSKqq3nQC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false Britannica Editors. "Edict of Milan". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Aug. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Edict-of-Milan Britannica Editors. "First Jewish Revolt". Encyclopedia Britannica, 31 Mar. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/event/First-Jewish-Revolt Britannica Editors. "Law of the Twelve Tables". Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Mar. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Law-of-the-Twelve-Tables “The Catacombs of Rome.” The Atlantic Monthly. March 1858. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1858/03/the-catacombs-of-rome/627225/ Coleman-Norton, Paul R. “The Twelve Tables.” 2024 (eBook). https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/14783/pg14783-images.html “Diocletianic Persecution.” Ebsco. 2023. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/diocletianic-persecution “Jews in Roman Times.” The Roman Empire. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/jews.html Lamberton, Clark D. “The Development of Christian Symbolism as Illustrated in Roman Catacomb Painting.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 15, no. 4, 1911, pp. 507–22. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/497187 Munro, Dana Carleton et al. “Translations and reprints from the original sources of European history : series for 1897.” University of Pennsylvania. 1898. https://archive.org/details/translationsrepr00munr/page/n3/mode/2up Northcote, James Spencer. “The Roman Catacombs.” Sophia Institute Press. 2017. (Reprint) Northcote, James Spencer. ““The Roman Catacombs; or Some Accounts of the Burial Places of the Early Christians in Rome.” Philadelphia. Peter F. Cunningham. 1857. (Reprint) Osborne, J. “The Roman Catacombs in the Middle Ages.” Papers of the British School at Rome , 1985, Vol. 53 (1985), pp. 278-328. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40310821 Perrottet, Tony. “Explore Rome’s Hidden Underworld, Where a City Lurks Beneath a City.” Smithsonian. April/May 2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/explore-romes-hidden-underworld-city-beneath-city-180986228/ “PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR SACRED ARCHAEOLOGY – Historical Notes.” Vatican. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_commissions/archeo/inglese/documents/rc_com_archeo_doc_20011010_cenni_en.html Richter, J. P. “Early Christian Art in the Roman Catacombs.” The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, vol. 6, no. 22, 1905, pp. 286–262. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/856226 “The Roman Catacombs.” Architecture. April 20, 1888. No. 414, p. 224. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433084078983&seq=414&q1=catacombs “The Roman Catacombs.” Scientific American, vol. 58, no. 20, 1888, pp. 312–312. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26094597 Rossi, Giovannie Battista de, et all. “Roma sotterranea : or, Some account of the Roman catacombs, especially of the cemetery of San Callisto ; comp. from the works of Commendatore de Rossi with the consent of the author.” Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer. London. 1869. https://archive.org/details/a606740800rossuoft/a606740800rossuoft/page/6/mode/2up RUTGERS, LEONARD VICTOR, and לאונרד רוטגרס. “הקטקומבות היהודיות ברומא: הערכה מחודשת / THE JEWISH CATACOMBS OF ROME RECONSIDERED.” Proceedings of the World Congress of Jewish Studies / דברי הקונגרס העולמי למדעי היהדות, י, 1989, pp. 29–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23535611 Terry, Andrea, and John Osborne. “Un Canadien Errant: Charles Smeaton and the Earliest Photographs of the Roman Catacombs.” RACAR: Revue d’art Canadienne / Canadian Art Review, vol. 32, no. 1/2, 2007, pp. 94–106. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42630755 Yeomans, Sarah. “City of the Dead.” Archaeology, vol. 61, no. 4, 2008, pp. 55–62. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41780388 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a devotion to Our Lord's immeasurable love. Although the Sacred Heart devotion had been around since the Middle Ages, its prominence came at a crucial point in ecclesiastical history, namely during the spread of Jansenism in France during the 17th century. Contrary to the belief in God's mercy, Jansenism taught that we can never be pleasing to God. As fallen and fallible humans who are often consumed by our own desires, we find it difficult to return love to Our Lord despite His great love for us. However, His love, and the unfathomable patience that comes with that love, never abates.

Fluent Fiction - Hungarian: Medieval Magic: Reviving Buda Castle's Historic Festivity Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hu/episode/2026-06-22-07-38-20-hu Story Transcript:Hu: Buda Várában, a nyári napforduló ünnepén, a várudvar életre kelt.En: In Buda Várában, during the midsummer festival, the castle courtyard came to life.Hu: Színes sátrak és zászlók lengedeztek a meleg nyári szélben.En: Colorful tents and flags fluttered in the warm summer breeze.Hu: Az emberek nevetése, kardok csörgése és a sülő hurka illata betöltötte a teret.En: The laughter of people, the clashing of swords, and the aroma of roasting sausages filled the air.Hu: A falak, melyek évezredek óta őrizték a történelmi titkokat, most tanúi voltak egy újkori kavalkádnak.En: The walls, which had guarded historical secrets for millennia, were now witnessing a modern-day spectacle.Hu: Ádám sétált végig a sátrak között, szemügyre véve mindent.En: Ádám walked through the tents, inspecting everything.Hu: Nagy figyelmet fordított a részletekre, hiszen számára a történelmi hitelesség volt a legfontosabb.En: He paid great attention to detail, as historical authenticity was the most important to him.Hu: A világoskék tunikájában, homlokára húzott bőrsapkával úgy tetszett, mintha a középkorból lépett volna elő.En: In his light blue tunic and leather cap pulled over his forehead, he looked as if he had stepped out of the Middle Ages.Hu: Mellette Zsófia, a lelkes színjátszó diák, ki boldogan lendítette kardját, és vidáman hívta a nézőket a következő előadásra.En: Beside him was Zsófia, a passionate drama student who cheerfully swung her sword and happily invited spectators to the next performance.Hu: Tamás, egy másik sátorban, serényen javította a páncélt, miközben oldalt szemmel tartotta a turistákat.En: Tamás, in another tent, was busily repairing armor while keeping an eye on the tourists.Hu: Ő mindent megtett, hogy a lehető legtöbb borravalót gyűjtse, hiszen gyűjtött a nagy hátizsákos utazására.En: He was doing his utmost to collect as much in tips as possible, as he was saving for a grand backpacking trip.Hu: Ahogy közeledett az este, feszült lett a helyzet.En: As evening approached, the atmosphere grew tense.Hu: Zsófia túlzott lendülettel játszotta szerepét, amit Ádám nem nézett jó szemmel.En: Zsófia was playing her part with excessive enthusiasm, which Ádám did not view favorably.Hu: Tamás csak remélte, hogy sikerül közös nevezőre hozni őket, miközben magára öltötte a lovagpáncélt.En: Tamás only hoped to bring them to a compromise as he donned his knight's armor.Hu: A nap már kezdett lejjebb ereszkedni, a távoli horizonton aranyszínű csíkot húzva.En: The sun was already beginning to descend, drawing a golden line on the distant horizon.Hu: - Zsófia, nem felejtheted el, hogy a történelmi pontosság a legfontosabb – mondta Ádám türelmetlenül.En: "Zsófia, you mustn't forget that historical accuracy is the most important," said Ádám impatiently.Hu: – A színjáték funkciója, hogy élővé tegye a múltat, nem pedig eltorzítsa.En: "The function of the play is to bring the past to life, not distort it."Hu: Zsófia csípőre tett kézzel válaszolt.En: Zsófia responded with her hands on her hips.Hu: – Én csak azt próbálom, hogy magával ragadjam a közönséget!En: "I'm just trying to captivate the audience!Hu: Ha unják, el se jönnek.En: If they're bored, they won't come."Hu: Tamás kettejük között állt.En: Tamás stood between the two of them.Hu: – Hé, srácok, nyugodjatok meg!En: "Hey, guys, calm down!Hu: Talán mindkettőtöket lehet kiszolgálni.En: Maybe it's possible to serve both of your needs.Hu: Ha a történetek izgalmasak, több látogató jön.En: If the stories are exciting, more visitors will come.Hu: És ha van egy kis izgalom, a történelmi részletesség sem vész kárba.En: And if there's a little excitement, the historical detail won't be lost."Hu: A naplemente előadás kezdetéhez közeledett.En: The sunset marked the approach of the evening performance.Hu: A kastély árnyékában gyülekeztek az emberek, várva az este fénypontját.En: People gathered in the shadow of the castle, waiting for the highlight of the evening.Hu: Ádám mély levegőt vett, és döntött.En: Ádám took a deep breath and decided.Hu: – Rendben – mondta.En: "Alright," he said.Hu: – Próbáljuk meg.En: "Let's try it.Hu: Egy kicsit engedek.En: I'll relent a bit.Hu: Legyen izgalmas, de közben ügyeljünk a részletekre.En: Let it be exciting, but let's pay attention to the details."Hu: Az előadás alatt Zsófia ügyesen játszotta a szerepét, érezhetően mérsékelte a túlzásokat.En: During the performance, Zsófia skillfully played her role, noticeably restraining her exaggerations.Hu: Tamás, a páncélja alatt, a legjobb harci jelenetet nyújtotta, amit a közönség valaha látott.En: Tamás, under his armor, delivered the best combat scene the audience had ever seen.Hu: Ádám figyelte, mosolyogva, ahogy a nézők tapsoltak.En: Ádám watched, smiling, as the spectators applauded.Hu: A nap végén Ádám megpihent a vár falainál, Zsófia és Tamás mellett.En: At the end of the day, Ádám rested by the castle walls, alongside Zsófia and Tamás.Hu: – Tudjátok, ez egész jól sikerült – ismerte el.En: "You know, this turned out pretty well," he acknowledged.Hu: – Lehet, hogy nem a pontos részletek a legfontosabbak.En: "Maybe the precise details aren't the most important.Hu: Azt hiszem, tanultam valamit tőletek.En: I think I learned something from you two."Hu: Zsófia bólintott.En: Zsófia nodded.Hu: – Művészet és történelem nem zárja ki egymást.En: "Art and history aren't mutually exclusive."Hu: Tamás boldogan koccintott velük egy pohár hideg borral.En: Tamás happily clinked glasses with them, a cup of cold wine in hand.Hu: – És így még a tippek is jobban csilingeltek a zsebemben!En: "And this way, the tips jingled better in my pocket!"Hu: Mindhárman nevettek, és a történelmi est sötétjében együtt élvezték a barátság és együttműködés örömét.En: They all laughed, and in the darkness of the historical evening, they enjoyed the joy of friendship and cooperation together.Hu: A várfalak közt az élet tovább burjánzott, és a múlt így kapott új értelmet a jövő felé vezető úton.En: Life continued to thrive within the castle walls, and thus the past gained new meaning on the path toward the future. Vocabulary Words:courtyard: várudvarfluttered: lengedeztekaroma: illataspectacle: kavalkádnaktunic: tunikadon: felvesz (volna jelentésű ez a magyar szövegkörnyezet)spectators: nézőkrepairing: javítottacompromise: közös neveződescend: lejjebb ereszkednihorizon: horizontonaccuracy: pontosságcaptivate: magával ragadniexaggerations: túlzásokcombat: harcirestraining: mérsékelteapplauded: tapsoltakmutually exclusive: kizárja egymástclinked glasses: koccintottpocket: zsebthrived: burjánzottauthenticity: hitelességpassionate: lelkesbackpacking: hátizsákosperformance: előadásdescend: lejjebb ereszkednienthralled: lenyűgözöttbreath: levegőtgathered: gyülekeztekrestraining: mérsékelte

The 25 verse epistle of Jude, the “brother of James” [v.1] and therefore understood to be another son of Mary and Joseph, is extremely interesting and challenging.   Jude is very succinct, first drawing lessons from the failures in the nations' history [v.5-7] and then condemning the false ways that are developing among the believers.We are fascinated by the parabolic language used from v. 12 on.  Jude does not write a complete parable as such, but uses words and phrases to describe the serious attitudes and behaviour that was developing among believers.  We read, “these are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, looking after themselves, waterless clouds, swept along by the winds, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.“This is a tragic testimony to human nature, but history testifies to its truth at several stages of history, such as the development to establish the dictatorial church at Rome and its rituals – and then again – after the inspiring flood of renewed faith in the Middle Ages that began with the work of Wickliffe and Tyndale and the printing of the Bible!  But that was followed by a renewal of those “who pervert the grace of God into sensuality …” [v.4] And so today there is a lot of talk (and written material) about “grace” – but little or no substance about what God's word says is to be believed. Jude builds up his message to include words that clearly apply to our generation, referring to the letters of the Apostles that “in the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions…” [v.18] Others can talk about “grace”, perverting the wonder of it – as though believers have the benefit of grace whatever they do!  But the message for us now, especially in v.20,21 is, “But you beloved build yourself up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit (holiness of spirit); keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” 

You can tell a lot about people by their spending habits. What do they buy for themselves? And what do they buy for other people? This week, Danièle speaks with Abigail S. Armstrong about royal financial records, what they can tell us about Margaret of France during Edward I's last days, and what one incredible inventory reveals about royal relationships in England's turbulent thirteenth century.This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

Names for historical periods like "Renaissance" and "Enlightenment" did not descend to us out of the heavens. Historians and propagandists of centuries past created these names, often for political purposes. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/middle-ages-enlightenment-and-propaganda

Names for historical periods like "Renaissance" and "Enlightenment" did not descend to us out of the heavens. Historians and propagandists of centuries past created these names, often for political purposes. Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/middle-ages-enlightenment-and-propaganda

Modern UFO reports are often associated with the 20th century, but strange objects in the sky have been recorded for hundreds of years. Medieval chronicles describe unusual celestial events, mysterious lights, and unexplained phenomena that left witnesses searching for answers. Centuries later, some researchers and UFO enthusiasts have pointed to curious details in medieval and Renaissance artwork, arguing that certain paintings appear to depict objects that resemble modern ideas of UFOs.In this episode, we explore reports of strange sightings from the Middle Ages and examine some of the most famous examples of alleged UFOs in historical art. We'll look at the historical context behind these accounts, the explanations offered by historians and art experts, and why these images continue to fuel debate today.Are these records evidence of something extraordinary, misunderstood natural phenomena, religious symbolism, or examples of modern interpretations being applied to ancient works? Join us as we investigate the fascinating intersection of history, art, folklore, and the enduring mystery of unidentified objects in the sky.SourcesArtnet article: Is There a UFO in That Renaissance Painting? A burials and beyond article: Aliens Over Nuremberg Wikipedia and Public Domain review Get Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.Support the show

June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.The devotion to the Sacred Heart is a devotion to the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ for us, especially His love for us as manifested in the Holy Eucharist.This devotion to Our Lord's physical heart, as a symbol of His love for us, existed during the Middle Ages, but in the 1600s, Our Lord Himself came down on earth to explicitly ask for Catholics to practice this devotion and for this feast to be instituted.The timing and place was important. Our Lord appeared in France at a time when the heresy of Jansenism was rampant in the Catholic world. This heresy made the hearts of Catholics cold towards God and so, a few decades after its appearance, Our Lord reminded the world of His great love for us and of our duty to love Him in return.If we fast forward to 2026, we find that we as Catholics and even as traditional Catholics very much struggle to love Our Lord as He deserves to be loved. This is why it is important for us to have a devotion to Our Lord's Sacred Heart. This helps us to love Our Lord.We must remember what our catechism teaches us, namely, that we are made to know, love and serve God in this life. We are made to love God. Loving God is to fulfill the very meaning for our existence, to accomplish the purpose for which we exist.There are two pieces of knowledge that are very important for us to possess in order for us to love God: one is an understanding of sin and the other is an understanding of God's love.These two things are mentioned in the beautiful Collect of the Mass of the Sacred Heart: “O God, Who in the Heart of Your Son, wounded by our sins, mercifully lavish upon us the infinite riches of love”.There are two great truths there: a) our sins wound Our Lord; b) Our Lord lavishes His love on us. Both of these truths are attacked today by two great illusions.One is the illusion that our sins do not hurt God. This is one of the reasons why sin is not taken seriously today. People do not worry about sin; they do not worry by saying to themselves, “If I engage in sinful behavior, I will offend God and He will send me to Hell”.This is particularly true of the sin of heresy. Heresy has always been considered to be one of the greatest sins because it is a willful rejection of what God has taught us. Our Lord came on earth, He taught us the truths that we are to believe about Him and which we need to get to Heaven. And the heretic says, “I refuse to believe; I choose not to believe” Offensive!But this is also true with sins against the moral law. Many people have the idea today, including many Catholics, that no matter how you live your life, God is still pleased with you. If you have a homosexual lifestyle, God blesses you; if you divorce and remarry, God blesses you; if you contracept your children, God blesses you.It is a hallmark of love that you seek to avoid anything that might displease the one that you love. But today's mentality is that nothing that I do can displease God, whether it be in thought, word or deed.This idea is false; it is sinful. Liberalism is a sin.The other blind spot we have today is not seeing how much God loves us, only understanding God's love in a minimalist way.

Spouting Off with Karen Kataline Borders, Western Memory, Medicine, and the Green Energy Fight in a Post–Alan Nathan Era Guests, Mark Krikorian, James Hankins, Dr. Toby Watson and Steve Goreham Carrying Forward the Alan Nathan Tradition In this episode of Spouting Off, host Karen Kataline continues what she describes as a new era for The Alan Nathan Show and the Alan Nathan All-Stars following Alan Nathan's untimely passing. She explains that the show will continue in his memory and honor, with her likely continuing to host many Monday editions. The program includes a mix of political commentary, interviews, tribute references, sponsor segments, and closing reflections on the Main Street Radio Network's transition after Alan Nathan's death. Mark Krikorian on Immigration, Libertarianism, and Sanctuary Policies Karen's first major guest is Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. They discuss immigration policy, libertarian support for open immigration, and the conflict between open borders and a welfare state. Krikorian argues that libertarians once aligned more often with conservatives on taxes, regulation, and government size, but now often align with the left on issues of sovereignty, borders, and immigration. Karen presses the question of whether open immigration can coexist with government benefits and public services. Chicago, Illinois, and Immigration Enforcement The conversation then focuses on Chicago, Cook County, and Illinois as sanctuary jurisdictions. Krikorian says local law enforcement is prevented from cooperating with immigration enforcement, even when people arrested for local crimes are found to be deportable. He says ICE primarily wants local authorities to hold such individuals long enough for federal agents to take custody, but sanctuary policies interfere with that process. Karen and Krikorian also discuss Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and conflicts involving ICE facilities and federal officers. Karen's Commentary on Communism, Democracy, and the Mayoral Race After the first interview, Karen turns to commentary about an upcoming mayoral race and expresses concern about a candidate she describes as Marxist, communist, or democratic socialist. She argues that communist movements often misrepresent their intentions and that terms such as democracy, republic, socialism, and communism are being confused or misused. Her commentary frames the political moment as one in which the left has embraced ideas she sees as hostile to private property, constitutional government, and individual liberty. James Hankins and the Lost Western Tradition Karen then interviews James Hankins, Harvard University historian and co-author of The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition. Hankins describes the book as an effort to recover the history of Western civilization from the ancient Greeks and Romans through the Middle Ages and into the modern world. He argues that Western civilization has not been adequately taught in schools or universities for decades and says that ignorance of history contributes to political confusion, especially around communism, democracy, and republican government. Harvard, Communism, and Historical Amnesia Karen asks Hankins about teaching at Harvard, which she criticizes as politically hostile to conservative viewpoints. Hankins responds that he does not believe the entire university is corrupt, but says some of the loudest voices tend to come from administrators and graduate students rather than the whole institution. The short interview emphasizes the importance of understanding the past, learning clear definitions, and recognizing that terms like democracy and republic carry meanings rooted in Western history. Dr. Toby Watson on Psychiatric Medication and Violence Another major guest is Dr. Toby Watson, a clinical psychologist from Wisconsin. He describes his background researching psychotropic medications, presenting data to the FDA, working on black-box warning labels for SSRIs, and consulting in forensic cases where medication may be connected to violent or self-destructive behavior. Karen asks whether antidepressants and psychiatric medications can fuel violence, and Watson says that SSRIs are known to increase suicidal thoughts and behavior in some patients, especially through a condition he identifies as akathisia, which involves intense restlessness, agitation, and emotional distress. Politics, Medication, and Social Contagion Karen asks whether the issue may involve more than money and whether political motives could be connected to the suppression of information about medication risks. Watson says he believes political factors are involved and connects the issue to broader claims about family breakdown, poverty, medication use among vulnerable populations, and disability outcomes. Karen also raises gender ideology, social contagion, and the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Watson says he does not have direct knowledge of that case but suggests the profile could fit someone who had used psychiatric medication, while making clear he cannot confirm it. Steve Goreham on Climate Policy and Rising Energy Costs The final interview features Steve Goreham, executive director of the Climate Science Coalition of America and author of Green Breakdown: The Coming Renewable Energy Failure. Karen asks him about rising electricity prices and green-energy mandates. Goreham argues that wind, solar, and other renewable-energy policies are driving costs higher, particularly in blue states. He contrasts states such as California, Maine, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Connecticut with states that still rely more heavily on natural gas or coal, saying the latter have seen lower electricity-price increases. Green Energy, Pipelines, and the AI Power Demand Goreham also discusses the effects of federal policy, the “one big beautiful bill,” pipeline politics, and Donald Trump's opposition to green-energy mandates. He says Trump is using leverage over offshore wind and pipeline approvals, particularly involving New York and New England energy access. The discussion then shifts to artificial intelligence and the rapid growth of data centers, which Goreham says require reliable twenty-four-hour power that cannot be supplied by wind and solar alone. He argues that the AI energy demand may overwhelm net-zero and green-energy policies. A Show in Transition Karen closes the program by emphasizing that the Alan Nathan All-Stars are entering a new chapter while keeping Alan Nathan as their guiding star. Across the episode, she uses interviews and commentary to connect immigration, political ideology, Western civilization, psychiatric medication, climate policy, energy costs, and media narratives. The program remains strongly opinion-driven, with Karen and her guests framing current events through themes of sovereignty, liberty, historical memory, institutional mistrust, and resistance to centralized control.

The many aspects of the prayer AleinuThere's no other prayer in the entire Jewish liturgy as fascinating as the Aleinu with its rich history and meaning on one hand, and melodies and Mi Sinai tunes on the other.This Shabbat we'll exam a very ancient prayer that in the Middle Ages caused our people persecution and censorship for the famous line that we no longer recite.But Aleinu is not just that. It is a prayer we recite with multiple melodies that were written in different centuries by composers with very little in common.And then, as you know, every evening minyan whether at Shul or at a house of morning congregants join in unison for the recitation of this prayer like no other prayer.Everyone knows the music…. Why? We'll examine the concept of what Brain Scientists call  “earworms”.

Contrary to the myth that kings routinely ruled over cowed subordinates by "divine right" in the Middle Ages, civil governments of the period faced countless institutional obstacles to the exercise of power.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/medieval-europeans-paved-way-freedom-west

Contrary to the myth that kings routinely ruled over cowed subordinates by "divine right" in the Middle Ages, civil governments of the period faced countless institutional obstacles to the exercise of power.Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/medieval-europeans-paved-way-freedom-west

How did a cloistered, twelfth century nun become a visionary, composer, healer, preacher, and adviser to popes and emperors?Despite having visions from childhood - even in the womb, she claimed - Hildegard of Bingen waited until the age of 42 when she heard a divine command to “write what you see and hear”, a moment that launched one of the most remarkable careers of the medieval world, including as creator of the most distinctive surviving sacred music of the Middle Ages.Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr Hetta Howes, to explore the extraordinary life, dazzling theology, and legacy of Hildegard.MORE:Julian of NorwichListen on AppleListen on SpotifyLives of Medieval NunsListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. 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, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 12th century, villagers in Woolpit, England reported a strange discovery: two children with green-colored skin who appeared suddenly near the village. The children spoke an unknown language, refused most food, and seemed unable to explain where they came from. Over time, their skin color faded, and one of the children eventually learned English, sharing a story that only deepened the mystery.In this episode, we explore the history of the Green Children of Woolpit, one of medieval England's most enduring legends. We examine the original historical accounts, the theories that have emerged over the centuries, and why this unusual story continues to fascinate historians, folklorists, and paranormal researchers alike. Were the children simply lost travelers, victims of a misunderstood medical condition, or something far stranger?Join us as we separate fact from folklore and trace the origins of one of the most mysterious tales from the Middle Ages.SourcesHistoric, UK article by Ben Johnson: The Green Children of Woolpit A Medievalists article by Timothy R Jones: Who Were The Green Children of Woolpit, a new look at a Medieval MysteryGet Lunatics Merch here. Join the discussion on Discord. Check out Abby's book Horror Stories. Available in eBook and paperback. Music by Michaela Papa, Alan Kudan & Jordan Moser. Poster Art by Pilar Keprta @pilar.kep.Support the show

In the Middle Ages, hell was useful because it was vaguely defined. Canonical scriptures scarcely mention hell, leaving much to the imaginations of early Christians, who used it to sort out who belonged within the faith. Translating hell: Vernacular theology and apocrypha in the medieval North Sea (Manchester University Press, 2026) by Dr. Stephen C. E. Hopkins explores how hell became a place for literary experiments with local challenges in theology and identity. Following the reception and transformations of two popular hell apocrypha, it argues that they served as this role because of their liminal textual authority. As noncanonical scriptures, apocrypha afforded medieval writers space to revise their hells (since they were not actually scripture), while also encouraging readers to revere those experiments as valid (since they seemed like scripture). The book brings together adaptations from early medieval England, Iceland, Ireland, and Wales, placing the early vernacular theologies of the North Sea in comparative conversation. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda's interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Did Freemasonry come from the Medieval Operative Masons?In this episode of Masonic Muscle: The Origin War, we examine Theory #7 from the 12 origin theories of Freemasonry: the claim that modern speculative Freemasonry developed from the operative stone masons of the Middle Ages.This is probably the most widely repeated explanation of Masonic origins.But is it proven?Or have Masons repeated it so many times that it now feels like settled history?This episode asks:Did Freemasonry truly evolve from medieval operative masons — or is the transition from operative craft to speculative fraternity more complicated than we were told?We discuss:the Operative Mason Theorymedieval stone masons and cathedral buildersguilds, lodges, charges, tools, and craft identitythe Regius Manuscript and the Old Chargesthe operative-to-speculative transition theoryaccepted or “non-operative” MasonsElias Ashmole and early speculative evidencethe difference between resemblance and proofwhy this theory is powerfulwhere this theory becomes difficultwhy Masons must stop confusing repetition with evidenceThis theory matters because it is the one many Grand Lodges, lodges, websites, and Masonic books present as the normal explanation:Operative stone masons became speculative Freemasons.Simple.Clean.Comfortable.But history is rarely that clean.If Freemasonry truly came from operative masons, then we need to examine the documents, the lodge records, the Old Charges, the ritual evidence, and the historical gaps.If the theory is true, it should be able to survive serious questions.And if it is incomplete, then Masons need to have the courage to say so.A Mason should not be afraid of uncertainty.He should be afraid of lazy certainty.Have an origin theory, Masonic question, old document, or source recommendation?Write to me at:masonicmuscle357@gmail.comFollow Masonic Muscle:Instagram: @masonicmuscleTikTok: @masonicmuscle357We give you more light — but no light weights.

A plague of terrifying speed, mysterious symptoms and global reach, the Black Death transformed more than Europe alone.Matt Lewis is joined by Thomas Asbridge to chart the medieval spread, from Caffa's siege lines to Cairo's crowded streets, from brutal medical experiments to self-flagellating penitents and a medieval world shaken to its core.MOREHow To Survive Plague and War in the Middle AgesListen on AppleListen on SpotifyLeprosy in the Middle AgesListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. 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, early access and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Boniface (c. 673-680-754), Bishop and Martyr, a Benedictine monk in the Middle Ages who was chosen by divine Providence to become Germany's great apostle and patron. Catholic Germany still venerates him as its father in the faith. The famous abbey of Fulda, where his body lies, has remained the national shrine of Catholic Germany. When he was about to administer confirmation to a group of neophytes at Dockum, a band of barbarous pagans overpowered and put him to death.In today's Gospel (John 10:11-16), we see Christ the Lord as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep – all of us – without hesitation."I am the good shepherd,and I know mine and mine know me,just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;and I will lay down my life for the sheep.I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,and there will be one flock, one shepherd."Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• June 5, 2026, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the practices of ancient and medieval Celts, and how those practices were transformed and integrated into Christianity over time. Today, we're shifting the lens eastward to investigate some of the last Europeans to accept Christianity. What did these people believe before the missionaries arrived? And how did their pre-Christian beliefs shape their eventual practice of Christianity, itself? This week, Danièle speaks with Francis Young about who the last pagan holdouts on the continent were, why Christian missionaries struggled to convert these regions, and how pagan traditions were integrated into this new faith.This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

Could a medieval church really protect a killer from the law?From the 40-day asylum of parish churches to the more permanent protections claimed by Westminster Abbey, sanctuary was never simply an escape route, it was a contested space where mercy and authority met.Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Shannon McSheffrey to uncover the extraordinary history of a medieval institution that could save lives, provoke outrage and expose the uneasy balance between bloodshed, forgiveness and power.More:Excommunication in the Middle AgesListen on AppleListen on SpotifyA Guide to Medieval ChurchesListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. 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 podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, plus early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How could a love song become a political weapon? How were scandals, wars and crusades turned into some of the most influential poetry ever written?The songs of the troubadours - celebrities in their day - helped define the emotional landscape of the Middle Ages and left a legacy that still echoes through European literature. Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Linda M. Paterson to explore the poet-musicians who shaped medieval ideas of courtly love, chivalry, gender, power and performance.More:Erotic Medieval Poet: Gwerful MechainListen on AppleListen on SpotifyCrusades Against Heretics (Albigensian Crusade)Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone 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 podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week plus ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent hospital visit means there is no new episode this week, but it reminded me of this classic from early 2024! Tune in to find out more How difficult was life in the Middle Ages? This is something archaeologists and historians have debated for decades. In recent years, new techniques, including genetic analysis, have given us new insights into the lives of our distant ancestors in the Medieval Era. Their findings are unsettling. Life in the Middle Ages was far more difficult than we imagine.My guest in this episode is Prof. Eileen Murphy from Queen's University Belfast. Eileen has recently published groundbreaking research on daily life in early medieval Ireland, based on her analysis of human remains excavated in Co. Roscommon. In this podcast, she answers all your questions on what life was like.Eileen shares her discoveries on how people survived in a hard and difficult world. It's not for the faint of heart.This episode is not suitable for children.Our interview is based on the book "The Forgotten Cemetery: Excavations at Ranelagh, Co. Roscommon," available for free at https://www.tii.ie/technical-services/archaeology/publications/tii-heritage/.Eileen is the deputy head of the School of Built & Natural Heritage at Queen's University Belfast: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/NBE/.Sound by Kate Dunlea Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who survives when medieval deaths are turned into Top Trumps? In this riotous made up game of Foolish Fatalities, Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis rank the most ridiculous ends of the Middle Ages, from a latrine disaster and Henry I's fatal fish, to a king laughing himself to death and a ghoulish deadly bite delivered by a severed head. Expect gore, gossip, and (at least) one unforgettable toilet death.MOREThe White Ship DisasterListen on AppleListen on SpotifyJames II and the Deadly Black DinnerListen on AppleListen on SpotifyGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, produced by Amy Haddow 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 plus ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.