Show Notes
Why would the execution of a single Czech priest spark decades of bloody revolution across Europe? In 1414, the outspoken reformer Jan Hus was promised safe conduct to a church council, only to be arrested, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis as they uncover the explosive Hussite Wars; a brutal conflict over church corruption, communion wine, and the right to preach in one's mother tongue. Did this rebellion pave the way for the Reformation?
MORE The Czech Braveheart: Jan Žižka Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify
Gone Medieval is now on YouTube! Watch here: @GoneMedievalPodcast
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.
Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega. The studio manager is Hanif Hussain. The researcher is Dr. Florence H R Scott. Video producer is McKenna Fernandez. Edited by Amy Haddow, channel manager is Vilde Oksnes. Production Manager is Beth Donaldson. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™
Watch Matt and Eleanor's film The Ascent to Power: Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II now on History Hit TV. 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.
More from Gone Medieval
In 1441, one of England's most powerful women was forced to walk barefoot through London's streets as a convicted sorceress. What drove Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, to the occult? Dr. Eleanor Janega sits down with bestselling novelist Philippa Gregory to uncover the political conspiracy, the astrology, and the shocking discovery of a wax doll buried at midnight. Was this genuine treasonous magic, or the ultimate political takedown of a dangerously ambitious woman?
The Battle of Agincourt is remembered as the ultimate David versus Goliath victory, where King Henry V’s small, exhausted army unleashed a devastating "hailstorm of arrows" to obliterate a French force twice their size. Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis uncover how this legendary clash was actually a brilliantly calculated slaughter against a fractured nation, securing Henry's throne and permanently forging the myth of the English underdog.
Forget everything you know about the Vikings. Matt Lewis and Thomas Williams explore the forgotten era when Scandinavian warriors abandoned their pagan roots to become devout Christian crusaders. Armed with the Pope's sanction, these former raiders turned their legendary fury eastward, destroying four-headed pagan idols in the Baltic, launching bloody holy wars, and forging geopolitical divides that still echo across Europe today.
Step onto the dusty and dangerous fields of the medieval tournament with the only knightly teammates worth having: Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis *sound trumpets* They discover how chaotic and brutal melees evolved into a highly lucrative sport where losing knights instantly forfeited their battle horses and armour. Enter the wild world of medieval pageantry, from campy decorative helmets and spring-loaded shields designed to shatter, to peculiar tournament prizes - a live pig on a leash, anyone?
What can the contents of a medieval French woman’s handbag tell us about her life, her beliefs and the strange world she inhabited? When she was captured by the Inquisition, Béatrice de Planisolles revealed all the juicy details of her forbidden relationships and folk magic practices, and why one should always carry dried umbilical cords in one's bag. Is Béatrice the Medieval Lorelai Gilmore?? Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Katherine Pangonis to discuss this incredibly rare insight into a normal woman's life over a thousand years ago.