Gone Medieval Podcast Summary

Episode: Your Medieval Questions Answered
Date: February 17, 2026
Host: Dr. Eleanor Jarninger & Matt Lewis
Podcast: Gone Medieval (History Hit)

Overview

In celebration of Gone Medieval’s 500th episode, hosts Dr. Eleanor Jarninger and Matt Lewis answer an array of listener-submitted questions. Ranging from medieval periodization and cross-cultural perspectives to the realities of everyday life, monarchs' reputations, and the future of medieval research, the episode is a rich, lively, and humorous exploration of the Middle Ages. The conversation blends deep expertise, storytelling, and candid banter, making this milestone episode both informative and entertaining for history buffs and casual listeners alike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medieval Periodization: When Does the Middle Ages Start and End?

Timestamps: 05:40 – 12:53

• Listeners ask about favorite periods within the Middle Ages and differences in dating across Europe.
• Matt: Favors late Middle Ages (Wars of the Roses) but has grown fascinated by the early period.
  • “After 500 episodes… I’m becoming slightly obsessed with the early medieval period, too… Delving into the Anglo Saxon stuff and the Viking stuff.” (06:07)
• Eleanor: Specializes in the 14th century (high/late), loves societal upheaval, but also drawn to the early period and the Byzantine/Eastern influences.
  • “You really can find out most about a society when things go really, really wrong. That’s when you get to the beating heart of what makes people tick.” (06:57)
• Debate over “start” and “end” dates:
  • Eleanor: Prefers 476 AD (traditional Western Roman fall), but notes it’s a historian’s tool; different regions experience the “medieval” differently.
  • Matt: Mocks the idea of fixed dates—periods are messy, and transitions weren't recognized by contemporaries.
    • “A load of Roman citizens wake up... I’m not wearing that rubbish anymore. We’re medieval now.” (11:35)

2. Global Perspectives on the European Middle Ages

Timestamps: 12:56 – 16:33

• Discussion about how other cultures view “the Middle Ages.”
• In Japan, the term “Middle Ages” is not used as such; they focus on periods like the Warring States.
• China ends its “Middle Ages” by 1000 with the Tang transition; bureaucratic, social, and technological developments dictate their timeline.
• Eleanor: “Japanese people love French Medieval history.... Yes, the Hundred Years War, they were very interested in; princes in the Tower, a lot less so.” (13:16-15:39)
• English history matters less outside of England: “England’s not that important in the grand scheme... it's this weird little thing where, I mean, like, other countries, you don't get to, like, kill kings all the time...” (15:39)

3. Counterfactuals, Turning Points, and What-Ifs

Timestamps: 16:33 – 28:54

If You Could Ask a Monarch One History-Changing Question?

• Eleanor: Would confront Richard II about his treatment of peasants after the uprising: “What do you think this looks like when you treat peasants like that?... What do you think your boy Jesus Christ thinks about this, Richard?” (16:50)
• Matt: Would ask Harold Godwinson not to rush to Hastings, echoing his family's historical warnings.

Time-Travel Tinkering: Change One Medieval Moment

• Eleanor: Would save Wat Tyler to keep the Peasants’ Revolt moving—“I’m Team Peasant. We all know it.” (20:56)
• Matt: Considered stopping the Black Death or altering Mongol succession customs.
  • “Would the world have been a better place if the Mongol Empire had got further?” (21:09)
• Eleanor: Champions the Mongols’ religious tolerance and social policy over Alexander the Great’s conquests. “Don’t say that you don’t want to be amalgamated into the trade empire, and then things will be good.” (22:24)
• Musings on how England would differ if Richard III won at Bosworth—more Iberian, more Catholic, maybe in on the Age of Exploration earlier.
  • “Imagine if there had been no destruction... in the dissolution of the monasteries and libraries... what if we still had all of those books...” (24:54, 26:20)

4. Unfairly Maligned (or Praised) Monarchs and Notorious Figures

Timestamps: 29:44 – 34:40

• Matt: King Stephen’s reputation as a failure is undeserved; he survived 19 years of "anarchy," secured peace, and held onto the crown.
  • “He dies having found a way to peace with the crown on his head. I think that’s impressive.” (31:34)
• Eleanor: Empress Theodora (Byzantium) attacked mainly by misogynist chroniclers; modern scholarship is rehabilitating her as a formidable, effective ruler.
  • “She’s facing the OG historical hit job on the part of Procopius... I’m really glad that we have gone back to that.” (32:24)

5. Ordinary People: Life, News, and Everyday Realities

Timestamps: 36:12 – 53:48

Did Regular People Care about Kings?

• Eleanor: “No… what ordinary people notice is when kings are really bad, because there will be an army in your back garden stealing your pig and trampling on your crops.” (36:45)
• Mostly, survival and farming trumped courtly politics.

How Did People Know What Year It Was?

• Learned through the church; priests communicated the date/year via the ecclesiastical calendar. Regnal years used in administration.
  • “It just doesn’t mean the same thing... you don’t have every single kid going to school, writing the date on homework.” (39:47)

How Did Commoners Get Their News?

• Church proclamations, royal messages read in towns, word of mouth (“grapevine”).
  • “Anything that you want to send has got to be handwritten… you are talking… about the grapevine.” (42:24)

Jobs & Social Life:

• Both would pick, predictably, monastic life for safety, books, and relatively more autonomy (especially for women: nun = "book girl").
  • “Most women who are medieval historians [say], ‘I'll be a nun, thanks.’” (45:00)
• Winter evenings: singing, drinking, storytelling at inns if means allowed; bawdy songs about sex and everyday humor.
• Bathing and toilet habits: Washed, didn’t use paper; ‘modesty’ was different—a practical rather than a strict social expectation.
  • “[Medieval people] simply do not have the same conception of modesty that we do...” (51:39)

6. Quickfire Listener Q&A

Timestamps: 55:25 – End

• Favorite Non-Richard III Person?
  • Matt: Richard, Duke of York
  • Eleanor: Jan Millich of Kremerziege (obsessed preacher; “He would hate me, which I think is really funny.” (56:01))
• Top Five Historical Figures:
  • Eleanor: Genghis Khan, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Charles IV (Prague), Frederick II, Trotta of Salerno
  • Matt: Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Athelstan, Harald Hardrada, Richard/Duke of York
• Medieval Dinner Party Guests?
  • Matt: Empress Matilda & King Stephen (“just so you can drink a glass of wine and watch”)
  • Eleanor: Oscar Wilde and Genghis Khan (“they’re gonna make out!”)
• Most Frustrating Myth?
  • “The Dark Ages refers to a lack of sources, not intellectual decline…. If you say it, you sound stupid.” (58:36, Eleanor)
• Fashion?
  • Both: “Bring it back!” (With caveats about the impracticality of hose for men.)
  • Eleanor: “Bring back slutty little outfits for men.”
• Monty Python’s Historical Accuracy?
  • “The whole film.” (Both, in jest)
  • Matt: The film’s portrayal of kingly "blagging" and mistaken authority is spot-on.
  • Eleanor: The peasant's irreverent skepticism reflects medieval peasants well—"I'm still gonna be down here in this pit mucking it out..." (61:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Periodization:
  “...a load of Roman citizens wake up... I'm not wearing that rubbish anymore. We're medieval now. Someone give me some hose and a doublet.” — Matt Lewis (11:35)

• On the Impact of Kings on Commoners:
  “No... what ordinary people notice is when kings are really bad, because there will be an army in your back garden stealing your pig and trampling on your crops.” — Eleanor Jarninger (36:45)

• On Bathing vs. Toilet Paper:
  “The Chinese are using it and the Europeans are like... that is gross… yet here we all are today.” — Matt Lewis (50:45)

• On "The Dark Ages":
  “The Dark ages refers to a lack of sources, not intellectual decline.... If you say it, you sound stupid. And actually you're being ignorant. I'm sorry for yelling.” — Eleanor Jarninger (58:36)

• On Job Choices:
  “Most women who are medieval historians have. I'll be a nun, thanks. I don't want to be dealing with childbirth in the Middle Ages... I like to sit in a library, don't I?... If you're a book girl and I'm a book girl, the answer is nun.” — Eleanor Jarninger (45:00)

• On Why English Medieval History Isn't That Important Globally:
  “England's not that important in the grand scheme of things in the medieval period.... The things that are happening in England are really out of pocket, which is why people really like it.” — Eleanor Jarninger (15:39)

Episode Flow & Tone

The conversation is light-hearted, irreverent, and full of friendly jabs, but also offers scholarly nuance and plenty of witty historical takes. Both hosts clearly care about responsible history and are eager to debunk myths and bring forward lesser-known facts.

Useful Timestamps

• Defining the Medieval Period: 05:40 – 12:53
• Cross-Cultural Perspectives: 12:56 – 16:33
• Counterfactuals/Turning Points: 16:33 – 28:54
• Maligned Monarchs: 29:44 – 34:40
• Ordinary Life: 36:12 – 53:48
• Quickfire Fun: 55:25 – End

Closing

Eleanor: “Thank you to all of the listeners who sent us questions. ... Some of them are even going to give us the subject for entire episodes by themselves.” (62:21) Matt: “Maybe for 750th episode… April 2028… Better get my shackles back on, I guess, and make my way back to the dungeons.” (62:50)

This episode is a perfect example of accessible, expert public history: humorous, thoughtful, and endlessly enthusiastic about the rich, complex world of the Middle Ages.