Medieval Archives

Illuminating the Dark Ages for the Digital World

MAP86: Alice Kyteler: The Witch of Kilkenny 10/25/2021

MAP85: Mudlarks: Searching for London's Lost Treasures 03/01/2021

MAP 84: The Medieval Knight with Christopher Gravett 12/23/2020

MAP #83: Halloween Special – Ghost Stories From Haunted Castles 10/27/2020

MAP #83: Halloween Special – Ghost Stories From Haunted Castles The witching season is upon us once again. Past Halloweens we’ve covered a , and more. All the Halloween episodes are available on the . This Halloween we are looking at haunted castles from the Middle Ages. Castles We’ll visit a handful of castles around England and one in Ireland. Most of the castles today are in Northern England and one isn’t a castle. We’ll start out at Whitby Abbey and make our way north to Alnwick Castle and the infamous Alnwick Vampire! The Alnwick Vampire spread death and pestilence wherever it roamed. It was even recorded by medieval chronicler William of Newburgh. Then we’ll look at a castle dubbed ‘The Most Haunted Castle” in England, Chillingham Castle. Filled with the ghosts of hundreds of Scottish prisoners, an evil torturer and an innocent boy caught in the middle of political betrayal. The last two stops on our trip are on the Emerald Isle at Malahide Castle talking about perhaps, the first evil clown and ending up in London at the massive Tower of London! The Tower of London is home to some of the most famous ghosts in England including the Princes in the Tower and Queen Anne Boleyn. The night before her execution, Queen Anne wrote her death poem, which you can read below. I found a beautiful rendition of the poem set to music in the episode. Queen Anne Boleyn Death Poem: Oh Death, rock me asleep, Bring me to quiet rest, Let pass my weary guiltless ghost Out of my careful breast. Toll on, thou passing bell; Ring out my doleful knell; Let thy sound my death tell. Death doth draw nigh; There is no remedy. My pains who can express? Alas, they are so strong; My dolour will not suffer strength My life for to prolong. Toll on, thou passing bell; Ring out my doleful knell; Let thy sound my death tell. Death doth draw nigh; There is no remedy. Alone in prison strong I wait my destiny. Woe worth this cruel hap that I Should taste this misery! Toll on, thou passing bell; Ring out my doleful knell; Let thy sound my death tell. Death doth draw nigh; There is no remedy. Farewell, my pleasures past, Welcome, my present pain! I feel my torments so increase That life cannot remain. Cease now, thou passing bell; Rung is my doleful knell; For the sound my death doth tell. Death doth draw nigh; There is no remedy. The Tower of London also had one of the craziest executions recorded. A novice executioner missed his mark and chased an elder lady around hacking her to death. As comical as it sounds it as a gruesome death seen by over 150 witnesses. Grab some candy and get ready for a chilling tour of haunted castles! Haunted Castles covered in this episode: Whitby Abbey Alnwick Castle Chillingham Castle Malahide Castle The Tower of London Get your free audio book from Audible.com at: Download the MP3 and listen to it on your favorite MP3 player. Subscribe to the feed so you do not miss a single episode. to the MP3 file | Apple Podcast | RSS Podcast The intro music was provided by Tim Rayburn. It is available at /episode/index/show/medievalarchives/id/16575041

MAP082: Viking Warriors and Explorers 09/03/2020

MAP81: John II The Good: King of France 1350-1364 07/29/2020

MAP80: Sword for Hire: Mercenaries in the Middle Ages 07/14/2020

Medieval Archives Podcast Update 06/30/2020

MAP#79: Richard the Lionheart and author W.B. Bartlett 05/03/2018

MAP#79: Richard the Lionheart and author W.B. Bartlett In today's lesson we are joined by author Wayne Bartlett to discuss Richard the Lionheart! Wayne's new book Richard the Lionheart: The Crusader King of England is available through Amberley Publishing. It's an excellent biography and the first biography of Richard the Lionheart in over 40 years! Wayne and I discuss Richard's upbringing, the Crusades and his war in France. We also cover the women in his life; his powerful mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, the rejected Alice of France and his wife Berengaria of Navarre. Whilst Richard I is one of medieval England’s most famous kings he is also the most controversial. He has variously been considered a great warrior but a poor king, a man driven by the quest for fame and glory but also lacking in self-discipline and prone to throwing away the short-term advantages that his military successes brought him. In this reassessment the author looks at his deeds and achievements in a new light. The result is a compelling new portrait of ‘the Lionheart’ which shows that the king is every bit as remarkable as his medieval contemporaries found him to be. This includes his Muslim enemies, who spoke of him as their most dangerous and gallant opponent. It shows him to be a man badly let down by some of those around him, especially his brother John and the duplicitous French king Philip. The foibles of his character are also exposed to the full, including his complicated relationships with the key women in his life, especially the imposing contemporary figure of his mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his wife, Berengaria, with whom he failed to produce an heir, leading to later suggestions of homosexuality. This is a new Richard, one for the twenty-first century, and a re-evaluation of the life story of one of the greatest personalities of medieval Europe. W. B. Bartlett has worked across the globe in almost twenty countries and has spent time in over fifty. He is the author of many history books for Amberley including titles on the Titanic, Medieval History and Dam Busters. He lives in Bournemouth. You can buy his book from Amberley Publishing at or from If you are enjoying the podcast please considering leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts. Listen to the episode now Get your free audio book from Audible.com at: Download the MP3 and listen to it on your favorite MP3 player. Subscribe to the feed so you do not miss a single episode. | | | The intro music was provided by Tim Rayburn. It is available at /episode/index/show/medievalarchives/id/6550682

MAP#78: Edward II The Man with author Stephen Spinks 01/31/2018

MAP#77 – The Masque of the Red Death 10/30/2017

MAP#76 – Music inspired by Richard III and the Wars of the Roses 08/30/2017

MAP#75: Natural Disasters: Earthquakes that rocked the Middle Ages 04/20/2017

MAP#74: Northern Crusades: Teutonic Knights, Alexander Nevsky and the Battle on the Ice 03/27/2017

MAP#73: The Canterbury Tales: The Miller’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer 03/13/2017

MAP#72: Jack Cade’s Rebellion: A Prelude to the Wars of the Roses 12/05/2016

MAP Bonus: Top Five Borgia Myths and Book Giveaway 11/18/2016

MAP Bonus: Top Five Borgia Myths and Book Giveaway Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell MadeGlobal’s History in a Nutshell Series aims to give readers a good grounding in a historical topic in a concise, easily digestible and accessible way. Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell outlines the life of one of history’s most controversial figures from his birth through to his murder in 1507 at the age of just 31. This book aims to expose the truth behind the age-old rumours of this ancient family and to shed light onto a fascinating period of history. Today on this bonus episode of the Medieval Archives Podcast Samantha presents the Top Five Borgia myths! Listen to the episode and sign up for the book giveaway below. Please send any comments, suggestions or topic ideas to [email protected] If you are enjoying the podcast please considering leaving a rating on iTunes. Rate the Medieval Archives Podcast now! Listen to the episode now Book Giveaway! For a chance to win a copy of Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell subscribe to our newsletter and then send us an email with the answer to the following question: Who was Cesare Borgia's infamous father? Giveaway expires on 30 Nov 2016 at 1700MST (1900EST, 2400GMT). Winner will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Subscribe to our mailing list About the Author Samantha Morris studied archaeology at the University of Winchester where her interest in the history of the Italian Renaissance began. Since graduating University, her interest in the Borgia family has grown to such an extent that she is always looking for new information on the subject as well as fighting against the age-old rumours that haunt them. Samantha describes herself as an accountant by day, historian and author by night. Her first published book, Cesare Borgia in a Nutshell, is a brief biography which aims to dispel the myths surrounding a key member of the Borgia family. She runs the popular Borgia website https://theborgiabull.com/ and would love to see you on her site. You can follow Samantha on Twitter: @TheBorgiaBull and check out her Facebook page for The Borgia Bull http://www.medievalarchives.com/medievalpatron Get your free audio book from Audible.com at: http://www.medievalarchives.com/AudioBook Download the MP3 and listen to it on your favorite MP3 player. Subscribe to the feed so you do not miss a single episode. iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Download MP3 | RSS Feed The music was provided by Tim Rayburn. It is available at Magnatune.com /episode/index/show/medievalarchives/id/4858437