American Medieval

Did you know that the earliest printing press is from the 13th century? And that the idea of print in the Middle Ages was pervasive and very different from ours? Plus, so-called “AI” is bad for education and I’m sorry to any fans of the Beatles. GuestSonja Drimmer is associate professor of medieval art in the Department of the History of Art & Architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She writes about medieval manuscripts, early printed books, and all of the technologies that have mediated them. Her next book, Impressive Politics: Print before the Press in Late Medieval England is forthcoming in 2027. More info available at sonjadrimmer.com. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsSpirits is a history and comedy podcast focused on folklore, mythology, and the occult, told through the lens of feminism, queerness, and modern adulthood. Julia and Amanda get together each week to learn more about a different story from mythology and folklore over drinks. That's everything from the mythological origins of major franchises like Lord of the Rings and Wonder Woman, to modern urban legends, to a roundup of werewolf stories from around the world. They’ve been doing it for 9 years, but are still going strong. Head to spirits podcast dot com, or search for Spirits wherever you download your podcasts. New episodes on Wednesdays.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Aliens! Not really. In this episode, Prof. Gabriele and Lisa talk about the travels of medieval manuscripts (including why there are so many right here in the USA - only Alaska doesn’t have any!), but also the inscrutable and mysterious Voynich Manuscript, with its puzzling script and compelling (weird) illustrations.GuestLisa Fagin Davis received her PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University in 1993. She has catalogued medieval manuscript collections at Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Walters Art Museum, Wellesley College, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Boston Public Library, and several private collections. Her publications include: several books,  numerous articles in the fields of manuscript studies and codicology; and the monograph, La Chronique Anonyme Universelle: Reading and Writing History in fifteenth-century France (a translation, critical edition and detailed study of a fifteenth-century French world chronicle) (Brepols Publishers, 2015). Dr. Davis has taught Latin Paleography at Yale University and regularly teaches an Introduction to Manuscript Studies at the Simmons University School of Library and Information Science. As of 2023, she is the regular Latin Paleography and Fragmentology instructor at The Rare Book School (University of Virginia). Dr. Davis was elected to the Comité international de paléographie latine in 2019 and has served as Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America since 2013. See more at https://medievalacademy.academia.edu/LisaFaginDavisCreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsJoin the Party will soon be no more, so it’s time to catch up. After 9 years, the crew are hanging it up, so check out this Multitude show and get in on the action as GM Eric and the emphatic players Amanda, Brandon and Julia welcome everyone to the table. The current campaign is a superhero high school, but you can also check out the back catalog – pirates, bugs, superheros, wizards, elves, and then the stuff from the campaigns themselves. Head over to join the party pod dot com, or search for it on your favorite podcast app.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode ranges over 19th-century history and why they thought of the Middle Ages as vibes, to the vast varieties of experiences of minority communities in medieval Europe, to how Putin uses the Middle Ages politically in contemporary Russia. Plus we righteously hate on Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations.”GuestEugene Smelyansky is an Assistant Professor of History at Washington State University, specializing in persecution and marginalization in late medieval Europe, and the uses and abuses of the medieval past during later periods. He is the author of Heresy and Citizenship: Persecution of Heresy in Late Medieval German Cities, The Intolerant Middle Ages: A Reader, and, most recently, Medievalisms and Russia: The Contest for Imaginary Pasts. His website is eugene-smelyansky.com CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsSimple and Clean is a show where hosts Mischa Stanton and Mayanna Berrin (and friends) talk about Kingdom Hearts, a little video game franchise about really big feelings. Join us as we discuss the plot, characters, world building, music, fashion, fanbase, and more. Never heard of Kingdom Hearts? That’s okay! They're here to break it down for you, explain why they love it, and hopefully to convince you that this weird little story deserves a place in your heart. New episodes every Sunday, wherever you listen to podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode focuses mostly on medieval Islam, including a cool medieval epic about a warrior woman and her son. But also we talk about why theory is good (it is), and how medievals - not just in the Islamicate world - thought about enslaved peoples and race difference. It’s different, but kind of similar, to how we do today.GuestRachel Schine is an assistant professor of Arabic and History at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on racialization and Afro-Arab connections in the medieval Islamic world. Her first book, Black Knights: Arabic Epic and the Making of Medieval Race, was awarded the Middle East Medievalists' Book Prize, and work on her second book is currently supported by a membership at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton. You can follow her on Bluesky at @rachelschine.bsky.social.CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsJust a reminder to check out one of my favorite other podcasts, This Guy Sucked - another sibling show on Multitude. It's a history podcast for haters by haters. Join historian Dr. Claire Alban and a new expert every week to see why no dead person is safe. Everyone from Charlemagne to James the Second to Phyllis Schlafly. They all sucked in their own way. New episodes every Thursday. Check it out now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Prof. Gabriele and Thomas talk about holy war and the end of the world and why early white Americans were kind of like medieval Europeans. GuestThomas Lecaque is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the First Year Experience at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, located on Baxoje, Meskwaki and Sauk lands. His primary research area is on religious violence and apocalypticism from the crusades of the High Middle Ages through the holy wars of colonial North America, but he teaches broadly in the medieval world, vast early America, and game studies. He can also be found on Bluesky at @tlecaque.bsky.social and on LinkedIn.CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsPale Blue Pod is an astronomy podcast for people who are overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend. Astrophysicist Dr. Moiya McTier and her best friend ConStar demystify space one topic at a time with open eyes, open arms, and open mouths (from so much laughing and jaw-dropping). By the end of each episode, the cosmos will feel a little less “ahhh too scary” and a lot more “ohhh, so cool!” New episodes every Monday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Prof. Gabriele and guests today are talking about sex, baby. About you and me. About all the good things and the bad things that may be. Sorry. But we are talking about medieval sex and desire with Nancy Thebaut and Melanie Holcomb, who have co-curated the great exhibition “Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages” at the Cloisters Museum in NYC.GuestsNancy Thebaut is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Oxford & tutorial fellow at St Catherine’s College. Her research interests range widely, from Carolingian & Ottonian liturgical manuscripts to the study of gender & sexuality across media. Melanie Holcomb is a curator in the Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has organized or co-organized numerous exhibitions including Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages (2009), Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven (2016). Melanie’s projects have been fueled by a career-long fascination with how art works—the functions it serves and methods it uses to communicate. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsSince you're listening to a podcast, why not another sibling podcast from Multitude? Wow, if true, is your one-stop internet culture shop explaining how what's happening online shapes the world. The hosts, tech culture journalist Amanda Silberling and science fiction author slash attorney Isabel J. Kim Esquire, ask those burning questions on everyone's minds. I mean, they've talked about heated rivalry, how chat GPT sucks and and enshitification, among other things. Check out the podcast now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Enjoy this special collab episode with "Wow if True," a podcast on internet culture and sibling in the Multitude Collective. Prof. Gabriele, Isabel J. Kim, and Amanda Silberling talk about your most favorite (and least favorite) medieval memes and various other internet stuff.GuestsSee more about Amanda and Isabel at this link. You already know about Prof. Gabriele.CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsTiny Matters is an award-winning podcast about tiny things, from molecules to microbes, that have a big and often surprising impact on society. Hosts and former scientists Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti embrace the awe and messiness of science, and you can learn about bunny pregnancy tests in the Milky Way and the Iron Lung, for example. I mean, that's all pretty cool, right? Anyway, this sibling pod from Multitude is brought to you by the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit scientific organization based in Washington DC. Look for new episodes every Wednesday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vikings. We talk about Vikings. It’s great. Traders and raiders, but no horned helmets. GuestDaniel Melleno is Associate Professor of pre-modern history at the University of Denver. His recently published book, Franks and Northmen: From Stangers to Neighbors, and his research more broadly, looks at the impact of cross-cultural encounters in the early medieval world. In the classroom he teaches on everything from the Ancient Near East, to Vikings, to Conan the Barbarian with a particular interest in how our own world engages with the past. Learn more at his website. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsIf you’ve liked this episode of “American Medieval,” then you’ll love an actually good podcast - “Join the Party,” another pod in the Multitude Collective. See more at jointhepartypod.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We go on a journey in this episode. Arkady Martine (AnnaLinden Weller) and Prof. Gabriele talk here about telling stories, about getting at complicated lives, and about the allure of empires (even when viewed from the margins). History and fiction? Thicker than thieves, those two. GuestArkady Martine is the author of the Teixcalaan series, a multitude of short stories, and various other science fiction, fantasy, & horror. She is also Dr. AnnaLinden Weller, who is a Byzantinist, a climate & energy policy analyst, and a city planner. She is not bored, but she is often tired. See more at her website, https://www.arkadymartine.net/ or find her on Bluesky: @byzantienne.bsky.social.CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsJoin the Party is an actual play podcast with tangible worlds, genre pushing storytelling and collaborators who make each other laugh at each week. Game Master Eric along with Amanda, Brandon and Julia welcome everyone to the table. The current campaign is about a superhero high school. Hop in now and join the campaign or head back into the archive to listen to campaigns about bug and plant pirates, weird summer camps, other superheroes or high fantasy. Those are all separate by the way, not like all in one together. See more at jointhepartypod.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John and Matt talk about not liking time machines (generally) but also about how the “medieval” can mean more than Europe, and why we should always talk about Africa. Plus a lot on teaching the Middle Ages, and how K-12 teaching compares with college. GuestJohn Terry is an award-winning world history teacher at the Paideia School in Atlanta, and has taught history from the ancient world to the present at both college and high school levels for over 15 years and his writing has appeared in Slate and The Washington Post as well as academic journals. John has worked in consulting roles with the Medieval Academy of America, the American Historical Association, and the National Humanities Center to produce educational opportunities and curriculum for both teachers and students. As an Arkansan with a PhD in medieval history, he hopes he's uniquely positioned to comment on the joy and weirdness of teaching the middle ages in twenty-first century America. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads Sponsors“Simple and Clean” is a podcast about the video game franchise Kingdom Hearts, hosted by Misha Stanton and Mayanna Baron, and friends. They talk about the plot, course, characters, world building, music, fashion, the fan base, and societal impact of a thing that by all means probably shouldn't even exist. Never heard of Kingdom Hearts? That's fine. They're here to break it down for you, explain why they love it, and hopefully convince you that this weird little story deserves a place in your heart. Be a weirdo along with us and listen to new episodes every Sunday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode there are dead mules, dead asses, and penguins. These are all sort of related to one another in the conversation Prof. Gabriele has with Ellen Arnold, but mostly we talk about how the Middle Ages had much more science than the 0% they supposedly did. People really cared about the natural world! They investigated it! It’s neat! GuestEllen Arnold is a senior lecturer at Ohio State University where she teaches medieval and environmental history courses. Her research has focused on the ways that pre-modern people understood the natural world around them and how they told stories about why nature mattered. See more at her website.CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsSpirits is a history and comedy podcast focused on everything folklore, mythology, and the occult, told through the lens of feminism, queerness, and modern adulthood. Every week mythology buff Julia and her childhood best friend Amanda get together to learn about a different story from mythology and folklore over drinks. That's everything from the mythological origins of major franchises like Lord of the Rings and Wonder Woman, to modern urban legends, to a roundup of werewolf stories from around the world. Dive in at spiritspodcast.com, or search for Spirits wherever you download your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Everybody loves Wheatus, right? Wait, you don’t know who Wheatus is? Nevermind, we’ll get there in this episode. Megan and Prof. Gabriele talk about book history, how medieval people could indeed read - and engage with books in all sorts of interesting ways. Plus, we talk about dirtbag medievalism, a grungy vibes-based way of thinking about the Middle Ages.GuestMegan L. Cook is the Arthur Jeremiah Roberts Associate Professor of Literature and Co-Chair of the Department of English at Colby College. She is interested in the ways that language, poetry, and politics combine in the stories we tell ourselves about shared pasts and collective presents. Learn more about Prof. Cook at https://www.colby.edu/people/people-directory/megan-cook/. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Prof. Gabriele and Rutger Kramer talk about jolly old St. Nicholas - who, in part, became a saint because he was a rich guy who was also nice. Then he became Santa Claus.GuestRutger Kramer is assistant professor of Medieval History at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). He works mostly on Carolingian history, monasticism, and hagiographies – topics which are tied together by his interest in the stories people tell about themselves, the way they justify their actions, and the construction of power and authority that flows from these choices. Find more about him at https://www.uu.nl/staff/RDKramer. He’s also visible on BlueSky as @anotheraspirin.bsky.social. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads Sponsors“Wow if True” is your one-stop internet culture shop podcast, explaining how what's happening online shapes the world. And the hosts, the internet experts and real-life besties, are the ones to unravel it. Tech culture journalist Amanda Silberling and science fiction author/ attorney, Isabel J. Kim, Esq.. Amanda and Isabel ask the burning questions on everyone's minds. Like in one of their most recent episodes, why does chat GPT suck so much? Because it does. Find out with new episodes every other Wednesday. Add it to your playlist now. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Prof. Gabriele and David Perry talk about their recent book, Oathbreakers, about an early medieval civil war that remade Europe. Plus we talk about how we can understand what happened in the past when the sources want to stay silent.GuestDavid M. Perry is a journalist and historian, who currently works as the associate director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Minnesota. He’s the co-author (with Matthew Gabriele) of the books Oathbreakers and The Bright Ages, both from HarperCollins. Publishers Weekly called Oathbreakers “An enlightening portrait of the medieval mindset” while The Boston Globe said The Bright Ages was “incandescent and ultimately intoxicating.” Over the last few years, Perry’s work on history, parenting, disability, and politics has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Nation, The Daily Beast, Smithsonian Magazine, Slate, CNN, and many others. His website is davidmperry.com, and he can be found on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/lollardfish.bsky.social. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Brandon GrugleMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads Sponsors“Pale Blue Pod” is a sister show on Multitude, an astronomy podcast for people who are overwhelmed by the universe but want to be its friend. Hosted by astrophysicist Dr. Moya McTeer and her best friend, Constar, together they demystify space one topic at a time. Hopefully, by the end of each episode, the cosmos will be a little less scary and a lot more freaking cool. New episodes drop every Monday. Who's ready for hot Jupiter… winter? You definitely are, so check the show out. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Prof. Gabriele and Brett talk about Jesus through the years. Defying our assumptions, that Christian figure hasn’t stayed the same and his image was very different through the Middle Ages. Plus we talk a bit about Led Zeppelin.GuestBrett Whalen is the Zachary Smith Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He generally researches Christian intellectual and cultural history during the European Middle Ages, including topics such as the crusades, apocalyptic thought, pilgrimage, and the history of the papacy. His current project is a book tentatively called Jesus: A Cultural History. Learn more about him at https://history.unc.edu/person/brett-e-whalen/. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Roland and Matt talk about Disney and the Byzantine Empire (not in that order). Plus we talk about how the process of studying the past can lead you down interesting rabbit holes and connect, for example, the Byzantine Empire and Disney.GuestRoland Betancourt is currently the Andrew W Mellon Professor in the Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts at the National Gallery of Art, and is also a Chancellor’s Professor of Art History at the University of California, Irvine. He’s the author of four books, broadly on the histories of science and technology, intellectual history, and the history of art in the Byzantine Empire. His new book is Disneyland and the Rise of Automation (to be released in April 2026). You can find more about him online at his faculty website - https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=6060. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads SponsorsFor the rest of November, our podcast and all of our sister shows at Multitude are offering 30% off annual Patreon and MultiCrew memberships! It’s our Black (Death) Friday sale. That’s right, each week you’ll get ad-free episodes of “American Medieval” (or any other Multitude show!) at a discount. Money's tight, consumerism is at an all-time high, and corporations are pressuring small businesses to juice their sales around the holidays. But we, like so many other businesses, need your support all year round. So, if you can, sign up for an annual membership. You can get 30% off 12 whole months of support now through the end of November! Head over to patreon.com/AmericanMedieval to see more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

SummaryIn this episode, we spend our time thinking about the Roman Empire. Cliche, but fun. Anyway, Sarah and Prof. Gabriele discuss how we can hear from the 98.5% of Rome that wasn’t an emperor (or a dude), and then try to unpack why Americans are so freaking obsessed with comparing themselves to Romans and why it always seems like the “Fall of Rome” (which isn’t really a thing) is just around the corner. GuestSarah E. Bond is an associate professor in the Department of HIstory at the University of Iowa, and her interests extend beyond late Roman history, epigraphy, late antique law, Roman topography, Digital Humanities, and the socio-legal experience of ancient marginal peoples. She’s the author of Trade and Taboo: Disreputable Professionals in the Roman Mediterranean (Univ Michigan Press, 2016), and Strike: Labor, Unions, and Resistance in the Roman Empire (Yale UP, 2025). Additionally, Bond is a regular contributor at Hyperallergic, a former columnist at the Los Angeles Review of Books, and a section editor at Public Books. She has written for The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and The Washington Post. Learn more at sarahemilybond.com. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/adsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eels. Prof. Gabriele and John Wyatt talk about eels. And maps. We also talk about maps, but mainly medieval  eels. GuestJohn Wyatt Greenlee is a cartographic historian, as well as a historian of roads and pathways and pilgrimage. He’s best known on social media though as the Surprised Eel Historian, and he’s been profiled in TIME, The Guardian, Atlas Obscura, Hakai Magazine, and The New Yorker. Learn more at his websites https://www.jwgreenlee.net/ and https://surprisedeelmaps.com/. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this very first episode of American Medieval, Prof. Gabriele and Dr Janega talk about what got us interested in the Middle Ages, what it’s like to do public-facing history, why Czech history is super cool, and why Dan Brown drives medievalists nuts.GuestDr Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian, whose work aims to highlight the ways that our society has been influenced by the past, and more particularly, how it tells stories about history that aren’t actually true to justify our own desires. She’s the author of the book The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society and The Middle Ages: A Graphic History. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, Time, History Today, BBC History, Slate, and the Times Literary Supplement, among others. In addition, she’s co-hosts the hit podcasts “Gone Medieval” and “We’re Not So Different,” and  is the host and co-creator of several history series on HistoryHit TV. Learn more at eleanorjanega.com. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matthew Gabriele. Find him on Bluesky @profgabriele.com or his homepage profgabriele.com Editor: Julia SchifiniMusic: “Sleeping Bags” by OTEArt: Ulysses GabrieleMultitude: https://multitude.productions Find American Medieval OnlineWebsite: AmericanMedieval.com Patreon: patreon.com/AmericanMedieval Insta: instagram.com/americanmedieval TikTok: tiktok.com/@americanmedieval YouTube: youtube.com/@AmericanMedieval Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/americanmedieval.bsky.social About UsAmerican Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, joined by expert guests, we’ll explore either some fascinating part of the medieval world, or some way Americans have used this period to help them understand themselves. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.Want to become a sponsor of American Medieval? Head over to https://multitude.productions/ads See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

American Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, your host Prof. Matthew Gabriele is joined by expert guests to explore not just the Middle Ages themselves, but how and why they have such a hold on our collective imagination. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.New episodes released every Wednesday. Be inscribed into the Book of Life, Drink with us Historians, and get ad-free episodes by subscribing at patreon.com/americanmedievalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.