Episodes

  • What Did Medieval People Think of UFOs & Alien Life?

    What Did Medieval People Think of UFOs & Alien Life?
    Jul 1 2026
    In the West, the Middle Ages was a superstitious time, a time when what was real and unreal became blurred. Dragons, witches, basilisks, and zombies were just some of the beasts that offered an ever-present threat to Christian society. Is it any wonder then, that in a time when everything had a religious significance, any unexplained phenomenon in the skies was interpreted as either an omen, the manifestation of an angel or demon, or even a message from God himself? It was a time rich with mystery and wonder. Was it possible that the Medievals were not alone in the universe? Welcome to Medieval Madness! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
  • Cats During The Medieval Times...

    Cats During The Medieval Times...
    Jun 25 2026
    The Egyptians treated them with reverence and adoration having, first domesticated them 4,000 years ago. Since then the small, carnivorous mammals have played a major part in religion, folklore, art, and community health across the world. However, in 13th-century Western Europe, cats became associated with the supernatural, when Pope Gregory IX called them an instrument of Satan. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and discover why cats were linked to witchcraft, why they were placed in barrels, and just why anyone would want to kiss a cat's anus. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
  • The Medieval Robbery Your School Didn't Teach You About...

    The Medieval Robbery Your School Didn't Teach You About...
    Jun 23 2026
    In 1303, Westminster was an important place. West from the City of London, it was protected by its own walls and gates. Westminster Palace was there, which was once the main residence of the kings of England. On the evening of the 12th of May, in Westminster Abbey, which lay just across the pathway from the Palace, the Benedictine could be heard singing compline, their final prayer at the end of the day before they retired to their sleeping quarters. In the Abbey, beneath the Chapter House is a small Crypt, behind its solid doors were the crown jewels and royal treasury which were about to be stolen by a band of robbers. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • The Medieval Blood Ritual You Didn't Learn About in School...

    The Medieval Blood Ritual You Didn't Learn About in School...
    Jun 18 2026
    The 22nd of March 1144 was Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Outside the city walls, the forester Henry de Sprowston was riding through Thorpe Wood on the outskirts of Norwich, England. Among other things, Henry was looking for thieves, who were known to cut timber without permission. Suddenly he came across a peasant who led him to the mutilated body of a young boy lying under a tree. It was obvious that a crime had been committed. The boy's name was William, and no one could have imagined that the discovery of his body would lead to the first-ever example of a ritual murder charge, with horrific consequences that would echo down the centuries. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • Surviving Life as a Woman of the Medieval Crusades...

    Surviving Life as a Woman of the Medieval Crusades...
    Jun 16 2026
    Going on a Medieval Crusade was a male mission, a military enterprise in which only men could fight. Obviously, the women stayed home and did womanly things while their dashing, knightly husbands rode off and defended the Holy Land. Right? Wrong. Actually, many women also took up the cross and went off on Crusade, and they weren’t just the important warrior noble women, like Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Described as being “essential yet despised”, there were also the servants who looked after the animals and accompanied the army, the washerwomen, the camp-following prostitutes, and not forgetting the lice-pickers as well. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • The Most Feared Building of The Middle Ages...

    The Most Feared Building of The Middle Ages...
    Jun 11 2026
    The White Tower, as it was originally known, was a fortress-stronghold built by the first Norman king, William the Conqueror. It was intended to protect against foreign invasion and intimidate the citizens of London in equal measure. But the Tower also had other uses. It operated as a royal residence and was where monarchs would stay as they awaited their coronation. However, The Tower of London's most famous role, one that it played for over 850 years, was as a prison, detaining a list of people that included Sir William Wallace in 1305, Anne Boleyn and her daughter, the future Queen of England Elizabeth I. Here are just some of the prisoners kept within its 27m high walls during the Middle Ages. Welcome to Medieval Madness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    15 mins
  • Surviving Life During The Mongol Empire...

    Surviving Life During The Mongol Empire...
    Jun 9 2026
    From an insignificant tribal clan, the Mongols seemed to come out of nowhere to rule over the greatest empire in the world, before disappearing just as quickly three centuries later. Their lands reached out across the Mediterranean to the Pacific from the Arabian Desert in the south to the tundra of Northern Russia and from the forests of Poland to the mountains of China. At the empire’s height, the Mongols controlled a staggering 12 million square miles of territory. But what was it like to live under their governance? How did they treat their subjects, and just why did they almost hunt owls to the edge of extinction? Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 mins
  • The Medieval Welshman Who HATED The English...

    The Medieval Welshman Who HATED The English...
    Jun 4 2026
    Born in 1359, Owain was the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales and fought for 15 years against English rule. He led successful sieges and battlefield victories to establish an independent Welsh State, refusing to ever give up, even when it seemed that all was lost he continued to resist the English, in the Welsh mountains by utilizing guerrilla warfare. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and meet the last Welsh Prince of Wales, who it is said will rise in defence of his country if she is ever threatened again. Welcome to Medieval Madness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    13 mins