Memory Medieval Podcast

J Stephen Roberts of Real Crusades History joins me to discuss Richard the Lionheart and what some of the hostile sources have to say about him. As J Stephen is one of the top history creators online, we also discuss his recently released historical fiction book and his other projects. How will AI affect the retelling of history online?If you’d like to help me revitalize enthusiasm in medieval history, consider becoming a paid subscriber.If you’d like the podcast directly in your email a day early, click here to become a subscriber on Substack.You can click here to check out the Real Crusades History youtube channel.You can click here to purchase J Stephen’s book, Richard and Saladin.You can click here to check out Knights of the Cross TV pilot.The Memory Medieval Podcast is a conversational podcast about medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes come out on the 3rd and 17th of each month (a day early for Substack subscribers). The next episode in this series will feature Ben Duval of The Bazaar of War in an EPIC nearly 3 hour episode on one of Richard’s great nemeses, Saladin! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

This is the first in a six part series on Richard the Lionheart and what a way to kick it off than with the world’s top scholar! John Gillingham has written the seminal biography on Richard and is widely regarded as the top authority on Richard. In this episode, John joins me to discuss how we can look at Richard, why is he misunderstood, addressing some common criticisms, and how should Richard really be viewed..This is a special episode because, to my knowledge, there is no conversation with Mr. Gillingham out there on the internet speaking about Richard!If you’d like to go further in depth, click here to check out Mr. Gillingham’s incredible biography of Richard.This episode is sponsored by Cards of History. Click here to get your own AND get 10% off! If you’d like to get podcast episodes a day early and straight to your email, click here to subscribe to the substack.And if you would like to support my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber! Thank you to everyone who is supporting my work!The Memory Medieval Podcast is a conversational podcast about medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes come out on the 3rd and 17th of each month. The next episode in this series will feature J Stephen of the Real Crusades History Youtube Channel! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Andrew Mitchell is a history professor at Grove City College, a small liberal arts college in western PA where he teaches a recurring and popular history class on “Food and Feasting”. Grove City is one of only a handful of colleges in the country that do not accept federal funds!Thanks to the sponsor of today’s show, Cards of History. You can click here to get your own sets of the Cards of History with a special 10% discount!You can click here to subscribe to the Memory Medieval substackYou can click here to follow Andrew on XAnd you can click here to get Andrew’s giant resource on historical cookbooks!The Memory Medieval Podcast is a conversational podcast about medieval history with subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes release on the 3rd and 17th of each month (one day early for substack subscribers both free and paid). 2026 will begin with SIX episodes in a row on Richard the Lionheart, starting off with an episode with John Gillingham, the world’s foremost scholar on Richard. Drops on January 3rd! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Luke Daly joins me to discuss the insane, incredible, and very interesting finances of 13th century Canterbury Cathedral. A very interesting look into the economics and finances of medieval England and the medieval church.The perfect gift for the history enthusiast in your life - and with a discount- click here to purchase Cards of HistoryMy new medieval history publication launching early in 2026, get in on the ground floor and click here to subscribe for free to Feigned Flight MagazineYou can follow Luke Daly on X by clicking here and you can check out his first book by clicking here.You won’t want to miss the special holiday episode on medieval feasting and then SIX episodes on Richard the Lionheart to start off 2026! Thank you for a great first year podcasting. Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Nathan Hood, founder of the newly created Pendragon Foundation joins me on this episode of Just Feudal Things to discuss the sad state of castles (and historical sites) in Britain and what he is going to try and do about it. It’s a good opportunity to consider how the past shapes our lives now and how we interact with that history shapes our view of it.For all things Memory Medieval, you can become a free subscriber to my substack hereIf you would like to support my work, you can also become a paid supporter but all of the podcasts are free! (terrible sales pitch, I know)To check out the Pendragon Foundation, you can click here to view their websiteTo check out Nathan’s newly released book, you can click here And to score 10% off on your own sets of Cards of History, you can click hereJust Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history, with new episodes coming out on the 3rd and 17th of each month (a day early for those of you who are free subscribers on substack). The next episode will be about the financial records of a medieval cathedral and then we will have an epic medieval feasting episode to finish out the year! 2026 will begin with a series of podcasts on Richard the Lionheart… get ready!Thank you for all of the support, from my paid supporters and otherwise. All of your kind comments, shares, and feedback is much appreciated! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Jack Wilson (Mongol EXPERT) joins me to explore the history of European-Mongol conflict between the 1240s and 1280s and to use what we know of what did happen to inform the often-speculated question: Could the Mongols have conquered Europe?After you listen to the episode, let me know what you think!You can learn much, much more about the Mongols at Jack’s youtube channel You can also click here to follow him on XAnd you can click here to subscribe for free to my substackAnd lastly you can check out the sponsor of this episode, Cards of History hereIf you have the generosity and resources, becoming a paid subscriber will help me create bigger and better projects to delight you with and help revitalize an interest in medieval history!Just Feudal Things is a conversational podcast on medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes release on the 3rd and 17th, each month. In case you missed it, the last two episodes featured Dr Elizabeth Norton on many medieval female rulers and Dr Emma Herbert-Davies on what we know about medieval warhorses! Future episodes will feature conversations on current-day castle restoration and preservation, the financial records of cathedrals, and a special episode on medieval feasting, just in time for Christmas! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

I'm sorry, I made a mistake on the original upload and I need to reupload!Dr. Elizabeth Norton joins me to discuss some of the medieval women featured in her recent book “Women Who Ruled the World”. We discuss Empress Matilda, Charlotte of Cyprus, Tamar of Georgia, Isabelle the Catholic, and several more! An inside look into the lives and struggles of medieval women rulers.If you’d like to purchase her book, you can click here.If you’d like more medieval content from Dr. Elizabeth Norton, you can follow her on X here.If you’d like to support my efforts to revitalize medieval history and to bring you bigger and better projects, please consider becoming a paid supporter.If you’d like to subscribe to my free substack, you can click here.ICYMI, the last episode was about medieval warhorses with Dr. Emma Herbert-Davies and her cutting edge research. The episode before that was on the medieval ‘great books’ with Dcn Harrison Garlick. Up next is tentatively a DEEP DIVE on the Mongols, could they have invaded Europe? What were they really like? What were their invasion attempts like? And I have a special holiday episode on medieval feasting that is cooking up! Just Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history with subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes release on the 3rd and 17th each month! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been TWENTY episodes!In this exciting episode, Dr. Emma Herbert-Davies joins me to discuss the reality of medieval warhorses which was the focus of her very novel research. She poured over horse-keeping records from the reigns of Edwards I & II to discover many tricks of the trade, as well as the methods they used to keep the war machine supplied with equine friends.If you’re enjoying the podcast, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. It will help me to create even better, more ambitious content! Paid supporters also get access to the subscriber chat where you will get sneak peeks of upcoming episodes to be recorded as well as a chance for input on questions for guests.You can purchase Dr Herbert-Davies book hereYou can subscribe to her substack hereAnd if you are not already, you can subscribe (for free) to my substack hereIf you enjoyed this episode, you may also want to look at episodes on Medieval War Strategy (episode 1) and the 5th Crusade (episode 5)You can look forward to upcoming episodes on Medieval Women Rulers with Dr. Elizabeth Norton and a deep dive (over 2 hours) into the Mongol Invasions of Europe with notable Mongol youtuber Jackfriend, who is also working on a PhD on the Golden Horde and 1285 invasion.Just Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes come out on the 3rd and 17th each month (one day early for all of my substack subscribers). Thank you to everyone who is already supporting the Memory Medieval project. We will revitalize medieval history together! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Deacon Harrison Garlick joins me to discuss the "great books" that affected the medieval mind and the great books that came out of the medieval period. We discuss Plato, Aristotle, Boethius, Cicero, The Song of Roland, Canterbury Tales, and more. Ever wonder why there aren't many "great books" that have come out of the medieval period? We cover that too. You can check out the home for everything Memory Medieval on substack and if you are enjoying the content, please consider becoming a paid supporter. It will help me create even bigger and better medieval history projects! You can follow Harrison's great book podcast on X here The website is here He also writes here Just Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes out on the 3rd and 17th of each month. Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

This is a roundtable discussion between REAL HISTORIANS David Parnell and John D Hosler and POP HISTORIANS myself and Andrew of Shadows over Constantinople. You may have seen some online tension between pop historians/enthusiasts and "real" historians. I have experienced a bit of that myself (see previous episode). Why is there this tension? Don't we have common ground? How can we all work together better? We discuss "What is an historian?" and "Is history an art or science?" What does an historian's training look like? How do we spend our time? Why are many non-professional historians anonymous? and more! You can follow David Parnell on substack here You can pick up his excellent book here You can follow John D Hosler on X here You can pick up his excellent book on the Siege of Acre hereYou can follow Andrew on X here And lastly, you can follow everything related to my Memory Medieval project at the substack Look for new episodes on the 3rd and 17th of each month. I have a few great episodes lined up for the near future you won't want to miss. The next episode is on medieval literature and its effect on the medieval mind. Then an episode on war horses. And a couple more big episodes in the works! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

This is a podcast response to a clique of substack "historians" who have publicly slandered me. Disclaimers: 1- Links below are for your educational purposes. Please do not give any hate comments or harass these people at all. In fact, if you'd like to “get revenge” on them, the best way is to comment on and share this video (free) and to become a paid supporter of my work, if you have the generosity and resources. 2- The video is, of course, my opinions only. I would like to remain open to speaking with all kinds of historians and enthusiasts of every political stripe. We all have differing opinions but I'd like to imagine that doesn't mean we cannot continue to drive interest and education in medieval history together. But my views do not represent the views of anyone I speak with or who is associated with me. 3- I go out of my way to not attack academia here. I think there are many academics and scholars who do great work. And in the real episode 18 (forthcoming), you can hear my discussion with a couple great historians about how we can all work together. Ultimately, these sorts of "criticisms" (to which I am responding here) are very devious. They're attempting to freeze me out of academic spaces, and to harm my public reputation by baselessly slandering me. 4- I welcome critique of anything I post. I am happy to engage with anyone who cares to add context or even to correct something I post. Mistakes happen. I am not perfect, nor do I know everything. However, the “criticisms” I am addressing here were not written publicly to come to a better understanding, or to generate knowledge or enthusiasm for history, but as a way to slander me and to gatekeep what they think should be “their arena”. History is a collective social project and they do not get to have a monopoly on it.It's crazy that John participated in this after I invited him on the podcast! I have never had any negative interactions with any of these people before they decided to baselessly insult me, I have even liked and commented on some of Holly's posts in the past. I'd much rather speak about history, which is a big reason I sat on this for so long but I felt like I could not let this ridiculous slander go unanswered. You can follow along at the home for my project, big things coming by years end: https://substack.com/@memorymedieval Link to the hit piece written about me by Madeleine, who is pictured in the thumbnail. It's her own picture (this is proper photo attribution), 2025. https://empressofbyzantium.substack.com/p/the-people-who-built-this-were-motivated I hope you find her method of muddying the waters, poisoning the well, and saying things without saying them much more engaging than I did.Link to Holly A Brown's accusation about my "misinformation" https://substack.com/@hollyabrown/note/c-135157049 Link to Ben Loomis' longwinded comment where he agrees with me and then randomly insults me https://substack.com/@benloomis/note/c-141811683 Link to John Dell Isola's remark https://substack.com/@jondellisola/note/c-126738078 You are welcome to let me know in the comments why you think a single-sentence post got all these people so upset. Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Matt Lewis joins me today to talk about Richard III, The Wars of the Roses, Bosworth Field, Richard’s early life, and some of his views on medieval history. I was unaware until recently that there may be much more to the case of the Princes in the Tower than meets the eye and Matt is maybe one of the foremost experts in the world on all of the evidence. If you have not seen any of his content before and are interested further, would highly recommend you check out his content or his recent book, which is a deep dive on the mystery of the princes.You can subscribe to Matt on substack hereYou can purchase his recent book on the mystery of the Princes hereTo get daily notes on medieval history and follow along with the entire Memory Medieval project, you can subscribe to my substack here Just Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history with subject matter experts and enthusiasts. My goal is to bring you some unique angles and information to get a fresh look into medieval history. If you’ve been enjoying the podcast and would like to support my creation of even bigger and better things, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you to all of my patrons for your support.As always, if you have any comments or questions about the episode, you can post them on substack or you can comment on my pinned post on X Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Taylor Kniphfer joins me today to discuss Wars of the Roses and how this period of warfare (also somewhat experienced separately throughout Europe) caused the medieval polity and monarchy to unravel. Stable systems (and secure monarchs) of monarchy were replaced by insecure monarchs and an unstable ruling class. It was a pivotal period, ending the medieval age and beginning a new one. A fascinating perspective from Taylor who is working on his PhD in the governance of the Dutchy of Lancaster during the wars.For more historical content from Taylor, please subscribe to his substack hereFor more historical content from me, please subscribe to my substack hereIf you are on X, I will add medieval content to your timeline thereThank you for listening. If you enjoyed, please share or leave a review at your convenience and consider becoming a paid supporter. My goal is to do this better, more frequently, and forever but I can only do so with your support! Look forward to the next episode on the Wars of the Roses with a special guest on the 17th of this month! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Slavery with extra steps? Professor Levi Roach joins me to discuss Feudalism. An hour goes quickly so we touch on three main points. Did Feudalism exist (the academic debate)? Was Feudalism just slavery? What was Feudalism like? If you would like to dive deeper and read his paper on Feudalism it is here If you would like to check out his very excellent book on the Normans it is here Many thanks to all of my substack subscribers, I appreciate all of your comments and feedback. To subscribe to my substack, you can click here. If you'd like to take your support to the next level, if you have the resources and generosity to financially support Memory Medieval, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Many thanks to those of you who are financially supporting my projects! Previous episodes of Just Feudal Things covered: -The First Crusade- Myths, Misconceptions, and Modern Scholarship -The Albigensian Crusade -The Last Anglo-Saxon King, Harold Godwinson Coming up, I will have a show with an expert on Richard III discussing evidence that perhaps he did not murder his nephews. New episodes on the 3rd and 17th each month! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Did Harold Godwinson have a legitimate claim to the throne of England? Did William the Conqueror? What was Anglo-Saxon culture like? Author Paula Lofting joins me to discuss the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Harold Godwinson. You can check out Paula’s book on Harold Godwinson hereYou can subscribe to my substack here. Paid subscribers will get advance notice of upcoming podcast guests and the chance to have a question of theirs (for the guest) feature in the episode.If you have the resources and generosity to support the Memory Medieval project, you can become a paid subscriber on substack or X. If you are enjoying, it also helps if you engage with and share this podcast! Thank you to everyone who has supported my mission to bring epic medieval history to greater light.The previous episode of Just Feudal Things features Laurence Marvin and we discuss The Albigensian Crusade. The next episode will feature Professor Levi Roach and we discuss Feudalism. Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Laurence Marvin, professor of history at Berry University, joins me to discuss the Albigensian Crusade. Who were the Cathars? What was the purpose of the Crusade? What did the French Kings stand to gain? We talk about the slaughter (and famous quote) of Beziers and what happens to Raymond Roger Truncaval.You can click here to purchase Laurence’s bookYou can click here to subscribe to my substack, which is the hub for the Just Feudal Things podcast and for the entire Memory Medieval projectYou can click here to follow my X/twitter timeline with a bit more off the cuff medieval contentThe previous episode was about Myths, Misconceptions, and Modern Scholarship on the First Crusade. The next episode will discuss Harold Godwinson. I am going to introduce a new benefit for paid substack subscribers, allowing you to ask questions that I will ask the guests on podcast episodes. So if you’d like to participate a bit in the conversation, that’s a little bonus for you. And thank you to everyone who is supporting my work, even those of you who simply like or share the content. Thank you! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

The First Crusade is a massive subject. Dr. James Naus joins me to cover every single myth, misconception, and proper perspective that modern scholarship has revealed within the time that our very short discussion allowed. Were the crusaders cannibals? Did Alexios break his oath? Was Stephen of Blois a coward? Were the crusaders colonizers or attempting a land grab? Was Bohemond a villain? We cover it all! (Except Robert Curthose… we don’t get to him, unfortunately)You can click here to purchase Dr. Naus’ book You can click here to check out my substackYou can click here to check out my X accountIf you’d like to support my efforts to continue producing ever more medieval history content, the paid subscriptions have been opened on substack. For those of you with the resources and generosity, your support is much appreciated, thank you. But for all of you, I will continue working to bring you the maximum amount of medieval history content. If you missed the last episode, it’s on Richard the Lionheart’s queen Berengaria. The next episode is on the Albigensian Crusade, our first returning guest! If you enjoy the episode and have a moment, I would greatly appreciate if you left a review, if you are listening on Apple or Spotify.Enjoy! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

This episode is a biographical overview of Richard the Lionheart’s queen! Berengaria of Navarre. Why did they get married? What was their relationship like? What was her life like after Richard? Dr. Storey joins me to explore the life of one of the queens at the height of the Angevin Empire (and what happened to her). You can check out Dr. Storey’s book hereYou can follow Dr. Storey on Instagram hereYou can follow Dr. Storey on BlueSky hereYou can follow Dr. Storey on X hereFor the home of the entire Memory Medieval project, you can subscribe to my free substack hereYou can follow me for more medieval content on X hereJust Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. New episodes on the 3rd and 17th of each month. And of course I appreciate any feedback, questions, or letting me know what you think! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

This is a comprehensive look at the Fourth Crusade from the Eastern Roman perspective. One of the medieval period’s worst tragedies. Join me as I talk with Andrew of Shadows of Constantinople and he walks us through the history of the Fourth Crusade, beginning centuries prior, all the way to the disaster of 1204. Was a clash between East and West inevitable? Many thanks to Andrew for this EPIC conversation that went for well over three hours!Follow Shadows of Constantinople on X hereFollow Shadows of Constantinople on Instagram hereCheck out his website for more Eastern Roman content hereYou can subscribe to my free substack, the home for the Memory Medieval project, hereYou can follow me on X hereLet me know what you think in the comments and if you’re listening on a platform where you can leave a review, it would be much appreciated! New episodes of Just Feudal Things release on the 3rd and 17th of each month. Stay tuned, we may have a very interesting episode on a medieval queen later this month! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe

Eric Weiss is an instructor at Valiant School of Arms, specializing in sword fighting in the Italian/Bolognese tradition. We talk about what sword fighting was really like. How techniques developed. And HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) today as a discipline and exploration. You can check out Eric’s school in Dallas here You can follow Eric’s X account hereYou can follow out Eric’s Instagram account hereJust Feudal Things is a conversational podcast about medieval history featuring subject matter experts and enthusiasts. If you have a moment to let me know what you think in a comment or if you can leave a review for the algorithm, it’s much appreciated!If you’d like to get the episodes as quickly as possible and stay on top of all future collaborations and medieval history content, please subscribe to my substack hereYou can follow my X account hereSoon I will be releasing some custom, medieval inspired playing cards for you to enjoy and support my project to bring to life more medieval history!Next episode is the 10th episode and it is going to be a GIANT episode over 3 hours long! Get full access to Memory Medieval at memorymedieval.substack.com/subscribe