63. The Children of Hamelin Disappear, Hamelin, Lower Saxony, 1284
*Something* seems to have happened in Hamlin, Germany, circa 1284, something so terrible it was remembered for generations and grew in time into the story of the Pied Piper.
So, what happened?
In this episode, we consider the evidence (such as it is) for the disappearance/kidnapping/luring away of children/young people/boys from Hamlin. We also consider how modern Hamlin embraces the Pied Piper legend for tourism. There’s a play! And rat-shaped pastries! I want a rat-shaped pastry, filled with marzipan. Mmmmmm.
SOURCES
History
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20200902-the-grim-truth-behind-the-pied-piper
Tourism
https://www.germany.travel/en/cities-culture/hamelin.html
https://www.hameln.de/en/thepiedpiper/rats-musical-on-wednesdays/the-history-of-rats?L=1
https://myramusic.co.uk/index.php?page=cd&content=all&id=203
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45818/the-pied-piper-of-hamelin
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
62. Leopold of Austria Kidnaps Richard the Lionheart, Near Vienna, Austria 1192
In 1192, Richard I captured and held for ransom by Emperor Henry VI. Capturing aristocratic combatants and holding them for ransom was absolutely an accepted part of chivalric culture. It was unusual for nobles to die in battle. (Then, as now, dying in war was for the lower classes, not the elite.)
But in this case, imprisonment and demanding ransom was a crime. Richard was on his way home from the Third Crusade. He was imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor. Theoretically, they were on the same side.
But medieval politics was bigger than the Crusades. In Richard’s absence, his brother John and Philip, the king of France, had made an alliance, each seizing as much of Richard’s lands as they could. The papal decree protecting Crusaders during their travels, as well as protecting their domains from attack in their absence, was not sufficient to make John and Philip behave or keep Henry from seeing the benefits of holding Richard prisoner.
While Eleanor of Aquitaine raised the money for Richard’s ransom, John and Philip were trying to persuade Henry (i.e., by offering more money) to keep Richard imprisoned longer, even better, to hand him over to Philip.
In this episode, we discuss Richard’s kidnapping, why it’s a crime, and how Richard was ultimately freed rather than ending up dying in a French prison. We touch as well as modern reconsiderations of Richard’s performance as king. We also discuss how Richard becomes a figure of legend in his own time and continues as such down into ours, with particular attention to Sharon Kay Penman’s historical novel about Richard’s imprisonment, A King’s Ransom.
SOURCES
General
Gillingham, John. Richard I. Yale English Monarchs. Yale University Press, 1999.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England
https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_2.htm
https://www.worldhistory.org/Richard_I_of_England/
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Richard_I_of_England
Richard’s reputation as a bad king
https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-reasons-why-Richard-Lionheart-is-considered-a-bad-king
https://www.onthisday.com/articles/lionheart-richard-the-stranger-king
Sharon Kay Penman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon_Kay_Penman
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24655.Sharon_Kay_Penman
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
61. King John Starves Maud and William de Braose to Death, Corfe Castle, Dorset, England 1210
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
In 1210, we are told, King John locks up Maud DeBraose and her oldest son William and leaves them to die.
This account is exactly the sort of thing that makes medievalists twitchy. Oftentimes, tales of adject villainy turn out to be just that—tales. Exaggerations. Later inventions to smear someone’s reputation. Accusation hurled by a person’s enemies.
Not this time. John really did toss the wife and son of his former confidante, William DeBraose, into a dungeon to die.
(If that name is ringing bells, it’s because we’ve discussed this guy before. William DeBraose is not a paragon of virtue. See our episode about the Abergavenny Massacre.)
In this episode, we discuss John’s crime, what led up to it, how it has been discussed by historians, and Maud DeBraose’s curious afterlife as a figure in Welsh folklore.
SOURCES
History
Costain, Thomas. The Conquering Family. Random House, 1949.
Morris, Marc. King John: Treachery, Treason, and the Road to Magna Carta. Simon and Schuster, 2015.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_de_Braose,_4th_Lord_of_Bramber
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_de_Braose
http://abergavennynow.com/2015/06/28/the-massacre-at-abergavenny/
http://www.berkshirehistory.com/bios/mstvalery.html
http://www.castlewales.com/pains.html
Folklore
Appleyard, Ernest Silvanus. Welsh Sketches: Chiefly Ecclesiastical, to the Close of the Twelfth Century. 1852. https://books.google.com.ag/books?id=A18BAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Sikes, Wirt. British Goblins: Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions. 1888. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34704/34704-h/34704-h.htm
Williams, Mary. “A Welsh Version of the William Tell Legend.” https://www.jstor.org/stable/1258894.
The Picards of Pychards of Brecknockshire. Golding, 1878. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Picards_of_Pychards_of_Brecknockshir/gzwXAAAAYAAJ?hl=en
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
60. Jacques le Gris Rapes Marguerite de Carrouges, Normandy, January 1386
On December 29, 1386, Jean de Carrouges killed Jacques Le Gris in the last judicial duel in France. Carroughes’ wife, Marguerite, had accused Le Gris of rape, but Le Gris was favored by their overlord, so Carroughes appealed to the king, requesting trial by combat.
Theoretically, the winner would be shown to be the truthful party, the idea being that God helps the one in the right. That’s the notion behind trial by combat, but it sure didn’t play out that way. Arguments over Le Gris’ guilt were in no way dispelled by the outcome of the duel. Indeed, attempts to exonerate him despite it began almost immediately.
Eric Jager’s 2004 The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France was adapted in a 2020 film of the same name. We discuss Jager’s book, as well the primary sources behind it, and the film adaptation.
SOURCES
The Duel
Jager, Eric. The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France. Penguin, 2004.
Muhlberger, Steven and Will McLean. Murder, Rape, and Treason: Judicial Combats in the Late Middle Ages. Deeds of Arms Series Volume 5. Freelance Academy Press, 2019.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-history-behind-the-last-duel-180978860/
Jager’s Book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Duel:_A_True_Story_of_Trial_by_Combat_in_Medieval_France
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-last-duel/
https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7679-1416-1
The Film
https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-last-duel-true-story/
https://www.frockflicks.com/the-last-duel-2021-preview/
https://www.alternateending.com/2021/12/the-last-duel-2021.html
https://bleedingcool.com/movies/the-last-duel-review-why-men-need-to-put-their-goddamn-swords-away/
https://bleedingcool.com/movies/the-last-duel-review-all-men-are-trash-as-execution-negates-intent/
https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/last-duel/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
59. Bran Ardchenn, King of Leinster, and his wife Eithne are Assassinated, Cell Cúile Duma, Ireland May 6, 795
In 795, Bran Ardchen, King of Leinster, and his wife Eithne, were assassinated by Fínsnechta Cethardec mac Cellaig, Bran’s first cousin once removed (and, you know, successor).
One might think the killing of a king would merit more than a casual one-liner in contemporary chronicles. I certainly did.
It turns out Bran’s death is remarkable in how utterly unremarkable it is. Violent death, either by assassination or in battle, is common for early Irish kings. Nor did they live long and prosper. Reigns of less than a decade are the norm.
So in this episode, we discuss the distressingly representative murder of King Bran and Eithne, the Irish Annals’ love of jotting down names without much else, some relevant archeology, and the super awesome Book of Leinster.
SOURCES
Bran Archenn
https://www.dib.ie/biography/bran-ardchenn-a0892
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Ardchenn
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/10141388
https://celt.ucc.ie/published/G100050/index.html
Annals
https://celt.ucc.ie/index.html
https://celt.ucc.ie/published/T100001A/index.html
Mullaghmast
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullaghmast
https://100objects.ie/mullamast-stone/
http://athyeyeonthepast.blogspot.com/1996/01/mullaghmast-rath.html
https://www.discoverireland.ie/kildare/mullaghmast
Oakvale Monastery
http://www.megalithicireland.com/Oughaval%20Church.html
http://www.thestandingstone.ie/2010/05/oughaval-church-carricksallagh-co-laois.html
http://irelandinruins.blogspot.com/2016/12/oughaval-church-co-laois.html
https://visionsofthepastblog.com/2020/03/07/oughaval-church-laois-ireland/
Book of Leinster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Leinster
https://www.tcd.ie/library/exhibitions/directors-choice/book-of-leinster/
https://codecs.vanhamel.nl/Dublin,_Trinity_College,_MS_1339
https://sites.google.com/site/bookofleinster/
Historical Fiction
http://www.historicalnovels.info/Medieval-Celts.html
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
58. The Pazzi Conspiracy, Florence, Italy, Easter 1478
On April 26, 1478, members of the Pazzi family and their hired help tried to assassinate Lorenzo de Medici and his brother Guiliano. Lorenzo survived. Guiliano was killed.
Okay, fine. Assassinations and assassination attempts were not uncommon. Both Lorenzo’s father and his grandfather had also survived assassination attempts.
But this one was in a church. During Mass. Using the elevation of the Host as the signal.
It’s not the easiest thing in the world to be both tacky and blasphemous.
In this episode, we discuss the Pazzi conspiracy and its aftermath. Why did they want to kill Lorenzo and Guiliano? Why did they decide to attack in church? What happened to the Pazzi family afterward? (I bet you can guess, but we’ll tell you.) We also discuss Netflix’s series Medici the Magnificent.
SOURCES
Hibbert, Christopher. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall. William Morrow, 1974
https://ultimatehistoryproject.com/the-pazzi-conspiracy.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazzi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_de%27_Medici
https://dailyhistory.org/Top_Ten_Books_on_The_Medici_Family_during_the_Renaissance
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
57. Stephen of Blois Breaks His Oath, London England, December 1135
In 1127, Henry I of England persuaded/cajoled/forced his nobles to swear loyalty to Mathilda, his only remaining legitimate heir (What happened to the other one? Check out our episode about the White Ship disaster). Stephen of Blois did so, with the other lords.
But when Henry I died in 1135, Stephen high-tailed it to London and with the help of his brother (Henry, Bishop of Winchester and Abbot of Glastonbury, and the second-richest man in England after the deceased king) and seized the crown.
Oath to support Mathilda? What oath?
In this episode, we discuss the seemingly minor and possibly not even technically an actual crime of Stephen breaking his word. The consequences, however, were significant and severe: an eighteen-year civil war now known as the Anarchy. During which, multiple and very real crimes were definitely committed, including Stephen’s summary execution in 1137 of the defenders of Shrewsbury Castle once they were forced to surrender.
Conflict being good for fiction, a famous book series is set during the Anarchy, Ellis Peter’s Cadfael mysteries, which we discuss, along with its television adaptation (starring the incomparable Derek Jacobi). In particular, we discuss One Corpse Too Many, set during and after the siege of Shrewsbury Castle.
SOURCES
King, Edmund. King Stephen. Yale English Monarchs Series. Yale University Press, 2010.
Lewis, Matthew. Stephen and Mathilda: Cousins of Anarchy. Pen and Sword History, 2019.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anarchy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen,_King_of_England
https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/normans_4.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/stephen_king.shtml
Cadfael
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cadfael_Chronicles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadfael
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Pargeter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_mystery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CWA_Historical_Dagger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Corpse_Too_Many
https://crimereads.com/brother-cadfael-an-appreciation/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108717/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadfael_(TV_series)
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
56. Special Episode: Darnley Murders Rizzio, Edinburgh, Scotland 1566
Not all criminals are masterminds. Many crimes are poorly planned, poorly executed, and/or dumb ideas from the outset.
Case in point: that time Lord Darnley murdered David Rizzio.
March 9, 1566. Darnley, the husband of Mary Queen of Scots, although he wanted to be acknowledged as King, interrupted the Queen’s dinner party with a group of men to drag the Queen’s secretary David Rizzio out and kill him. According to Mary, Rizzio was stabbed 57 times.
(Is it just me or does that number seem oddly specific?)
The idea seems to have been that the murder would be the start of Darnley wresting control of Scotland from Mary. But Mary escaped, rustled up a group of men of her own, and turned the tables, leaving Darnley politically hamstrung.
Eleven months later, Darnley himself was murdered (in an equally ham-handed fashion.) The house in which he was staying blew up, gunpowder having been stashed in the cellar. It seems Darnley was not killed by the blast, but he ended up dead anyway.
In this episode, we discuss the murder of David Rizzio, with the bonus murder of Lord Darnley, and the execution of Mary Queen of Scots after she annoyed Elizabeth I once too often by plotting to depose her and take her place. Some people are touchy about that sort of thing.
Unsurprisingly, this tangled ball of drama yarn has proven irresistible to those who knit stories. There are lots and lots, but here we look at three of the films, ranging from 1895 to 2018.
SOURCES
David Rizzio
https://www.rct.uk/resources/activity-challenge-the-murder-of-david-rizzio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Rizzio
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/r/davidrizzio.html
Darnley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Stuart,_Lord_Darnley
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Stewart-Lord-Darnley
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/s/henrystuartdarnley.html
Mary Queen of Scots
https://www.royal.uk/mary-queen-scots-r1542-1567
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Mary-Queen-of-Scots/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots
https://www.biography.com/royalty/mary-queen-of-scots
Films
https://screenrant.com/mary-queen-of-scots-best-shows-movies/
https://mqs.glasgow.ac.uk/index.php/2020/07/09/mary-queen-of-scots-on-film-and-tv-1895-1967/
1895 Film
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Execution_of_Mary_Stuart
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXljxujXoAc
https://artandcultureofmovies.blogspot.com/2010/03/alfred-clark-narrative-and-special.html
1940 The Heart of a Queen
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032587/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Herz_der_K%C3%B6nigin
2018 Mary Queen of Scots
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2328900/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Queen_of_Scots_(2018_film)
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mary-queen-of-scots-2018
https://slate.com/culture/2018/12/mary-queen-of-scots-movie-fact-vs-fiction-historical-accuracy.html
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
55. Winter Shenanigans, Europe 500-1600
Holidays have customs, and at times, those customs get (are?) rowdy. People wear ugly sweaters to office parties—and sometimes photocopy their butts. There’s that cousin who’s a little too competitive in a snowball fight, an uncle who tells you he has a direct line to Santa and knows for a fact you’re getting coal, or the person who pins up mistletoe and tries to herd you beneath it.
Fun/unruly celebration was part of medieval Christmas parties every bit as much as modern. In this episode, we discuss medieval holiday traditions that celebrated social inversion, satire, and/or general mayhem, such as the Lord of Misrule, the Boy Bishop, and the Feast of Fools. Rough and tumble fun? Or is there a crime here?
SOURCES
History
Chambers, E.K. The Medieval Stage. Dover, 1996. Originally published Oxford UP, 1903.
Streitberger, W.R. Court Revels, 1485-1559. University of Toronto Press, 1994.
Three Late Medieval Morality Plays: Mankind, Everyman, and Mundus et Infans. Ed. G.A. Lester. New Mermaids, 1981.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_Misrule
https://www.britannica.com/art/Lord-of-Misrule-English-medieval-official
https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Text/Brands/lord_of_misrule.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cawarden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Machyn
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography,_1885-1900/Ferrers,_George
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Feast-of-Fools
https://www.liturgicalartsjournal.com/2021/01/customs-and-traditions-boy-bishop.html
Random Modern Bits
https://www.lushusa.com/fragrances/perfume/lord-of-misrule-/9999901646.html
https://www.nationalbook.org/books/lord-of-misrule/
https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/lord-misrulehttps://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/L/Lords-of-Misrule
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
54. Fulbert’s Henchmen Attack Peter Abelard, Paris, France 1117
It’s not cool to get involved in a love affair with your student. Even by medieval standards that’s a sketchy prospect, in no small part because of the expectation of clerical celibacy.
But it is ALSO not cool for the woman’s uncle to hire a bunch of ruffians to castrate the teacher in revenge.
The story of Abelard and Heloise is famous, and infamous, and quite frankly so implausible that it can only exist in real life because any fiction editor worth their salt would make you turn it down a few notches for credibility.
In this episode, we consider what lead up to Heloise’s uncle hiring the ruffians, how we know about any of this, Abelard’s astonishing talent for annoying people, Heloise’s much better skills at diplomacy, and a 1999 book arguing that we have more letters from Abelard and Heloise than the 8 we’ve known about since the thirteenth century.
SOURCES
Abelard and Heloise
Burge, James. Heloise and Abelard: A New Biography. HarperCollins, 2003.
Clanchy, M.T. Abelard: A Medieval Life. Blackwell, 1999.
Mews, Constant J. The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard. Second edition. Translations by Neville Chiavaroli and Constant J. Mews. The New Middle Ages series. Palgrave, 2008.
Newman, Barbara. “Authority, Authenticity, and the Repression of Heloise.” Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 1992. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/3322516/mm-S4126-newmanm-authoritya-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?Expires=1638490192&Signature=DBQ~DL9J1kNLfeYGJwt~WiklZwHaUlB~Qn45tK1htM9COS6YPp3yhRiIC42-CuvcpA3lAG~134J68DVkUtsQxhgI8r9hyoUSL~OvPoHZPga1qcuW035XbiwyLYpCznzSxVDP992w4rmNALirtdOs27e5vhJKmTsEZQ1qNZfZGjd4xqalqiwMqbb9Cb~Tq26OfoZF5j8qvSUKX2U2–fVIg1f4X4-G844XFTdyXwsssU1TGxL3mESPx5CEtXOxG2Fn6ay2FaYiJF6OOqA1oBv87oyuWPaWL1oA4DldFUfmX5wGjiMWCO312Sng4idVfMXFyzP~Vl1zy2XLUZgOAFf0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Radice, Betty. The Letters of Abelard and Heloise. Penguin, 1974.
Fiction, etc.
https://bookriot.com/abelard-and-heloise-in-historical-fiction/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stealing_Heaven
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/496795.Stealing_Heaven
https://aelarsen.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/stealing-heaven-the-great-medieval-love-story-on-film/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
53. St. Brice’s Day Massacre, England November 13, 1002
In 1002, King Aethelred decided to solve England’s problem with Vikings by ordering the murder of all Danes in the country. I have my doubts this strategy would have worked, since there were more Danes in Denmark, many well-armed, and word would have gotten back to them. But it seemed like a good idea to King Aethelred.
However, the king’s forces did not manage to kill all the Danes in England. There were definitely deaths, especially near Oxford, where we know people took refuge in a church, which was promptly set on fire to force them out. This information comes from a record a year or so later of the king paying to rebuild said church and why.
In this episode, we discuss the massacre and what and how we know about it, Aethelred’s misleading nickname (“the Unready”), some archeological findings possibly (but probably not) connected to the killings, the scholarly reevaluation of Aethelred in recent decades, and Aethelred’s formidable wife, Emma of Normandy.
SOURCES
Aethelred II
Roach, Levi. Aethelred the Unready. English Monarchs Series. Yale University Press. 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%86thelred_the_Unready
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ethelred-the-Unready
https://www.royal.uk/ethelred-ii-unready-r-978-1013-and-1014-1016
St. Brice’s Day Massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Brice%27s_Day_massacre
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/st-brice%E2%80%99s-day-massacre
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/St-Brices-Day-Massacre/
Archeology of the St. Brice’s Day Massacre
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/109-1311/features/1421-viking-england-st-brices-day
https://www.historyextra.com/period/anglo-saxon/st-brices-day-massacre-what-happened-how-violent/
Emma of Normandy
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Emma-Of-Normandy/
http://www.1066.co.nz/Mosaic%20DVD/whoswho/text/Emma_of_Normandy[1].htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_of_Normandy
https://www.bl.uk/people/queen-emma
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encomium_Emmae_Reginae
https://www.medieval.eu/encomium-emmae/
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/encomium-emmae-reginaehttp://www.patriciabracewell.com/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
52. Special Episode: Elizabeth Bathory Commits Serial Murder, Castle of Csejte, Hungary 1590-1610
If you Google Elizabeth Bathory, you find she is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as “the most prolific female murderer and the most prolific murderer of the western world…alleged to have killed more than 600 virgins in order to drink their blood and bathe in it, ostensibly to preserve her youth” (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-prolific-female-murderer).
Whoa! THOSE are big claims. In the Guinness Book of World Records. There must be some really solid evidence—
Yeah. About that.
In this episode, we discuss the evidence, such as it is, for Elizabeth Bathory’s crimes. Who accused her? Who were the witnesses? Where did the bathing in blood thing come from?
We also consider her absolutely vast presence in popular culture. Seriously. It’s huge. It has its own Wikipedia page. At least it’s working out well for Slovakia’s tourism industry.
Is any of her story real? Or is this pretty much a legend? Your friendly neighborhood medievalists are on the case.
SOURCES
Elizabeth Bathory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bathory
https://www.historytoday.com/archive/months-past/death-countess-elizabeth-bathory
https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/elizabeth-bathory
Popular Culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bathory_in_popular_culture
Tourism
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/blood-countess-slovakia/index.html
https://slovakia.travel/en/the-castle-of-cachtice
https://darktourists.com/cachtice-castle-home-of-the-blood-countess-elizabeth-bathory/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QqGernWjns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4kLTieuepw
https://cachtickyhrad.eu/en/historia-hradu/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
51.Pope Stephen VI is Murdered, Rome, Italy 897 Credits
In 897, Pope Stephen VI (or maybe the VII) was overthrown and soon strangled in prison. A shocking crime, to be certain. But maybe less surprising when we scroll backwards a few months.
In January of that same year, Pope Stephen put a predecessor on trial.
That doesn’t sound too bad.
But the predecessor had been dead seven months. Stephen had the body disinterred, draped in papal regalia, and propped up for trial. Worse, he assigned a deacon to stand behind the body and answer for it, confessing to all accusations.
Shock and outrage over this behavior led to Stephen’s overthrow and murder. Honestly, it’s reassuring that his contemporaries found this as repellent as we do. It led to a law about not putting dead people on trial, which you would think didn’t need to said out loud but here we are.
Unsurprisingly, the Cadaver Synod has had a rich presence in art. Okay. I wasn’t surprised by the death metal songs. I was surprised by the musicals. Note the plural.
SOURCES
Pope Stephen VI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Stephen_VI
https://allthatsinteresting.com/pope-stephen-vi
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG140859
The Cadaver Synod
https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/dead-pope-put-on-trial.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver_Synod
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-cadaver-synod
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLyTBMRWDCo
Visual Art
https://useum.org/artwork/Pope-Formosus-and-Stephen-VI-The-Cadaver-Synod-Jean-Paul-Laurens-1870
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cadaver_Synod.jpg
Sculpture
https://historybones.com/shop/the-cadaver-synod
Cadaver Synod Musical
https://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/reviews/nymf-2017-second-roundup_81805.html
https://t2conline.com/nymf-the-cadaver-synod-a-pope-musical-or-a-pope-love-affair-gone-wrong/
https://stagebuddy.com/theater/theater-feature/nymf-interview-robbie-florian-cadaver-synod
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1vS6QIYdSc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgI4dJDvpf0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGTwoqVSMPY
Formosus (the other musical)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13932466/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
https://www.amazon.com/Formosus-Organic/dp/B08P4SVLSY
Music
https://www.spirit-of-metal.com/en/album/The_Battle_to_Come/370296
https://music.apple.com/us/album/cadaver-synod-feat-blaine-l-reininger-tuxedomoon-single/1453017899
https://www.facebook.com/TheCadaverSynod/?ref=page_internal
https://www.amazon.com/Cadaver-Synod/dp/B07CVPDCN9
Joseph Dispenza and his play
https://texasarchive.org/2018_01024
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
50. Charlemagne Massacres the Saxons, Verden, Lower Saxony 782
Charlemagne is the model of kingship for the Middle Ages. One of the Nine Worthies (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Worthies). The first Holy Roman Emperor. Founder of one of the first great medieval empires, one that king after king attempted to put back together.
So the Massacre of Verden might seem trifle awkward. Can you massacre 4500 people and still be a hero? That’s complicated, even by medieval standards.
In this episode, we examine Charlemagne’s slaughter of the Saxons in 782. How do we know this happened? Mightn’t the number be exaggerated? Maybe he had a good reason…? These are, after all, questions asked by generations of modern scholars made uncomfortable by Charlemagne’s bad behavior. And the Nazis but honestly it’s tough to sympathize with their struggle to both revere Charlemagne as a conqueror and condemn his killing of their ancestors.
We talk a bit about Charlemagne’s good behavior too. Saying classical knowledge so the Renaissance could find it again later is worth something. Also the fact that Time New Roman is a direct ancestor of the script his copy shop developed is just cool.
Oh, and Christopher Lee (Saruman, Lord of the Rings) leads Michelle down a particularly deep rabbit hole. (It connects back to Charlemagne, I promise. But not before wandering into Dracula and James Bond.)
SOURCES
Charlemagne
McKitterick, Rosamond. Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_Verden
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widukind
Christopher Lee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Lee
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/11/christopher-lee-dies-at-the-age-of-93-dracula
https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/sir-christopher-lee-charlemagne-the-omens-of-death
https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Christopher_Lee/Charlemagne%3A_The_Omens_of_Death/377877/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
49. Edward I Steals the Stone of Scone, Scone, Scotland 1296
In 1296, Edward I took a rock from Scotland back to London.
Normally, souvenirs do not engender seven centuries of resentment, but this was no ordinary rock. After conquering (or so Edward I thought) Scotland, he brought home the vanquished land’s symbol of kingship: the Stone of Scone (or Stone of Destiny), upon which Scottish kings were crowned.
He had done the same in Wales, pocketing the Welsh crown and other symbols of royalty. Unfortunately for the Welsh, their regal emblems disappeared into Westminster Abbey and have not been seen since. Edward made darn sure everyone could tell where the Stone was, though. He had a throne built and the Stone incorporated into it, so when an English king was crowned, he was also sitting over the Scottish Stone of Destiny. So there, Scotland. You’ve got a king. No backsies.
According to a peace agreement in 1328, the Stone was supposed to have been returned but somehow Edward III never got around to it.
In 1950, four Scottish college students stole it back. The ringleader, Ian Hamilton, wrote a memoir, which was made into a perfectly delightful film in 2008.
Every piece of this episode’s crime is awesome.
SOURCES
Edward I
Morris, Marc. A Great and Terrible King. Pegasus Books, 2009.
Prestwich, Michael. Edward I. Yale Monarchs Series. New edition. Yale University Press, 1997.
Watson, Fiona. Under the Hammer: Edward I and Scotland, 1286-1307. Tuckwell Press, 1998.
1950 Retrieval
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_removal_of_the_Stone_of_Scone
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-23225247
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hamilton_(advocate)
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
48. Viking Child Murdered in Dublin, Ireland 9th-10th C.
In September 2020, archeologist Alan Hayden’s dig near Dublin Castle turned up a shocking and unusual discovery: the well-preserved skeleton of a child. The circumstances strongly suggest this unfortunate child was the victim of violence.
On the one hand, that is the end of the story. A Viking child, between 10 and 12 years old, probably murdered, his body certainly concealed rather than given a proper burial. Who killed him? Why? What was his name? What about his family? Were they responsible? Or was he harmed by other hands? No one can possibly answer those questions (although forensic archeological work, which has barely begun on such a recent find, might yield some clues.)
Those unresolvable queries are one reason we chose to cover this topic. Given the nature of surviving evidence from the Middle Ages, we usually discuss crimes by and/or against upper class people. This child was not. This discovery is an all too rare moment to consider crimes against the rest of the population, however incompletely that is possible. We’re also both moms and it seemed worthwhile to give this child and his death some of the attention the years hidden in the river stole from him.
We also discuss how archeology adds to our knowledge of the seemingly static past, and how the demands of the present often clash with uncovering information about the part. The remains of Viking Dublin were nearly lost beneath bulldozers in 1978 as city government rushed to clear the site to build office buildings, but the citizens of Dublin rallied to save the site and demand a thorough archeological excavation. In the end, more than half a million artefacts from Viking Dublin were found.
SOURCES
The Murdered Viking Child Specifically:
https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/viking-child-skeleton-dublin-excavation
Alan Hayden (the archeologist)’s Facebook gallery from the excavation: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10212270906807121&set=a.1329105727005
https://www.archaeology.org/news/9063-200930-ireland-child-remains
RTE (Irish news channel) coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OjMopksNfQ
Viking Dublin
Clarke, Howard B., Sheila Dooley, and Ruth Johnson. Dublin and the Viking World. Dublin: The O’Brien Press, 2018.
Wallace, Patrick F. “Viking Age Ireland, AD 850-1150.” Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland. Ed. Patrick F. Wallace and Raghnall O’ Floinn. Dublin: Gill and MacMillan, 2002.
–. Viking Dublin: The Wood Quay Excavations. Kildare: Irish Academic Press, 2016.
Coverage of the Wood Quay Excavation
Bradley, John, ed. Viking Dublin Exposed: The Wood Quay Saga. Dublin: The O’Brien Press, 1984.
Heffernan, Thomas F. Wood Quay: The Clash over Dublin’s Viking Past. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1988.
Roskilde and the Sea Stallion of Glendalough
https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havhingsten_fra_Glendalough
Wood Quay Venue (where part of the stone city wall of Viking Dublin is preserved)
http://mcculloughmulvin.com/projects/wood-quay-venue
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
47. St. Olga Massacres the Drevlians, Ukraine 945
In 945, Olga of Kiev’s husband was killed by the Derevlians. If we believe the account in the Russian Primary Chronicle—also known by the objectively cooler name The Tale of Bygone Days—Olga launches a wide ranging and creative revenge. Burying people alive in their boat. Burning people alive in the bathhouse. Bloodfeast. Incendiary birds.
Um. Okay.
In this episode, we discuss what we know about Olga of Kiev and how. How much can we trust the sources? Where do contemporary scholars come down on the historicity of Olga’s revenge? We also discuss her popularity on the internet. Search for her on YouTube. I dare you.
Oh, and she’s also a saint. So there’s that too.
SOURCES
Olga
Clements, Barbara Evans. A History of Women in Russia: From Earliest Times to the Present. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2012.
Hubbs, Joanna. Mother Russia: The Feminine Myth in Russian Culture. Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1993.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_of_Kiev
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Olga
https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2019/10/18/olga-of-kiev
https://shespeakspoignards.wordpress.com/2015/11/01/lix-patron-saint-revenge/
Her Son
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sviatoslav_I
Primary Sources
The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text. Translated and edited by Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor. Cambridge, MA: The Medieval Academy of America, 1953.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_Chronicle
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
46. Battle Abbey Forges Charters, Sussex, England mid 12th Century
Battle Abbey found itself in the sticky situation of needing paperwork. The abbey claimed its founder, William the Conqueror, had promised it freedom from the demands of the local bishop and whole handful of other special rights. Too bad that wasn’t written down anywhere.
Or…was it?
In 1155, Abbot Water de Luci took an oh-so-conveniently surfaced charter to Henry II to bolster his assertion that Bishop Hilary had no authority to demand anything from Battle Abbey, as he had been trying to do. Bishop Hilary and his supporters called foul, pointing out (correctly) that nobody had seen this charter before. When they met again in 1157, Abbot Walter had two more ‘newly rediscovered’ charters in his arsenal.
As you’ve probably guessed, they were all forgeries.
In this episode, no one dies, which is nice. Instead we have ongoing forgery, as Battle Abbey tried for seventy years to hold onto the special rights it claimed. In all, eight forgeries were trotted out during this time period. Plus we discuss Battle Abbey itself, what charters are, wonder how exactly Pope Alexander meant the Norman Invasion to go, and have a cameo appearance by Thomas Becket.
SOURCES
Foundation of Battle Abbey
Battle Abbey
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/1066-battle-of-hastings-abbey-and-battlefield/
https://www.medievaldeathtrip.com/tag/chronicle-of-battle-abbey/
Forged Charters
Searle, Eleanor. “Battle Abbey and Exemption: The Forged Charters.” The English Historical Review. Vol 83; No 328. July 1968.
Forged Charter for Paleography Practice
https://medievalwritings.atillo.com.au/exercises/battle/flbattle.htm
Westminster Abbey Forgery Ring
Gillingham, John, Ed. Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2002. Boydell Press, 2003.
Excerpt at: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Proceedings_of_the_Battle_Conference_200/Cqb9nsvIZGYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=abbot+gervase+westminster+seal+forgery&pg=PA67&printsec=frontcover
Eleanor Searle
https://academic.oup.com/ahr/article-abstract/95/4/1180/197381?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://hssonline.org/jobs/eleanor-searle-visiting-professor-in-history/
https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/eleanor-m-searle-caltech-professor-history-dies-325
List of book publications: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AEleanor+Searle&s=relevancerank&text=Eleanor+Searle&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
45. The Sack of Constantinople, April 8-13, 1204
In April 1204, the army of the Fourth Crusade attacked a major city, breeched the walls, and proceeded to inflict unimaginable violence on the city and its inhabitants.
Jerusalem?
It would be reasonable to assume so. Wasn’t the whole point of the Crusades to ‘liberate’ the Holy City from Muslim control, returning the ground where Jesus walked to Christendom?
Ah. So. No. Not in this case.
The city the Crusaders thoroughly decimated in 1204 was Constantinople.
Constantinople. The seat of the Greek Orthodox church. Home of Haggia Sophia. Guardian of hundreds of Christian relics, manuscripts, statues, and mosaics, and half a million inhabitants.
In this episode, we discuss the monstrous crime of the Sacking of Constantinople. How on earth did an army gathered for the purposes of retaking Jerusalem end up attacking coreligionists? How was Constantinople overrun, when it had never been taken the outside? What were the long-range effects of this destruction? We also talk about the surprising (but not really) lack of heroic movies or historical fiction about the Fourth Crusade.
SOURCES
Hallam, Elizabeth, ed. Chronicles of the Crusades. New York: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1989.
Harris, Jonathan. Byzantium and the Crusades. Second Edition. New York: Bloomsbury, 2013.
Phillips, Jonathan. The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople. New York: Penguin, 2005.
Queller, Donald E. and Thomas F. Madden. The Fourth Crusade: The Conquest of Constantinople. Second Edition. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997.
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2019/06/05/sack-of-constantinople-1204/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Crusade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Constantinople
https://www.medievalists.net/2020/11/fourth-crusade-robert-clari/
Short documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QDdUXnFeZg&t=4s
Powerpoint presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2O-sTjIuS0
Fiction/Art
Fan-casting of Pretend Film: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls063605059/
Painting 1840, commissioned by the last king of France: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entry_of_the_Crusaders_in_Constantinople
15th c miniature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Crusade#/media/File:ConquestOfConstantinopleByTheCrusadersIn1204.jpg Historical Fiction: http://www.historicalnovels.info/Crusades.html
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
44. King James Murders the Earl of Douglas, Stirling Castle, Scotland 1452
Often, we cover crimes that are nuanced. John Comyn and Robert the Bruce meet. John Comyn ends up dead at Robert the Bruce’s hand. Self defense? Cold blooded murder? No way to know.
Then there crimes like this one. James II of Scotland invites William Earl of Douglas to a parlay with a guarantee of safe conduct but in the course of their conversation, James loses his temper and kills him.
‘Kills him’ is a mild way to describe Douglas ending up with 26 stab wounds.
It’s brazen, unambiguous murder. But James is king. So, complicated.
In this episode, we discuss what led up to James deciding (if ‘deciding’ is the right word) to aerate his cousin (they’re ALWAYS cousins) and the aftershocks of the murder for Scottish politics.
And there’s plays. Woot!
SOURCES
Oram, Richard. The Kings and Queens of Scotland. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Tempus Publishing, 2006.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/james_ii/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_Scotland
Not consulted (hard to obtain) but important: McGladdery, Christine. James II. The Stewart Dynasty in Scotland series. Edinburgh: John Donald, 2015.
Fiction and Drama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_Scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rona_Munro
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/17/james-plays-edinburgh-sofie-grabol-observer-review
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/feb/16/the-james-plays-review-edinburgh
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p024b2jw/p024s8j0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kk6_ZxivwE
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/theatre-review-the-james-plays-20160228-gn5luc.html
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
43. St. Columba Violates Nonexistent Copyright Laws and Starts a War, Movilla Abbey, Ireland 560
In this episode, we’re having a welcome respite from vicious killings with a crime that could also double as a letter to an advice column.
(Yes, I do realize that comparison shows my age.)
If you copy an acquaintance’s book (one they own, not one they wrote) without their knowledge, are you in the wrong? Who is entitled to that copy?
Saint Columcille is accused of doing just that. As the story goes, the acquaintance objected, appealing to the High King, who ruled against Columcille. Surprising consequences follow. Battles, book shrines, exile to Scotland, the foundation of Iona, carrying a book shrine into battle as a talisman.
Um. How much of this actually happened? We discuss.
We also discuss how this case is often cited as the first known copyright dispute, and how open source advocates have seized upon it as an argument for their position. We also have a fun rabbit hole via Manus O’Donnell, responsible for a 1532 book about Saint Columcille’s life, and how opening the book shrine in 1813 resulted in a lawsuit.
SOURCES
Adomnan of Iona’s Life of St Columba. Translated by Richard Sharpe. New York: Penguin, 1995.
https://www.ria.ie/cathach-psalter-st-columba
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_C%C3%BAl_Dreimhne
As part of modern discussions about copyright and/or open source access:
https://funferal.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2005/03/firstcopyrightcase.pdf
Article about Ireland sidestepping English copyright laws in the 18th c:
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irishman-s-diary-1.650520
Manus O’Donnell:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manus_O%27Donnell
Digital edition of his book: https://digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/c5be6f79-5964-4f2a-927c-022d075e53a9/surfaces/c18bf351-6a09-4248-9dbc-e99915c69b27/#
Rediscovery of the Cathach by William Betham:
https://www.ria.ie/news/library-library-blog/pandoras-box-re-discovery-cathach-colum-cille
St Patrick’s Bell:
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
42. Special Episode: Christopher Marlowe is Assassinated, Deptford, England, 1593
Perhaps you were taught, like we were, that Shakespeare’s contemporary and fellow playwright/poet Christopher Marlowe was killed in a tavern brawl in 1593.
That version is widespread, oft-repeated, well known—and wrong.
Huh.
In this episode, we discuss what happened to Marlowe according to the inquest records discovered in the 1920s. Then we talk about the problems with said inquest records—unanswered questions, uninterviewed witnesses, unexamined body. We consider the various theories about Marlowe’s death (including it was faked) that began to circulate immediately afterward and which have continued to attract interest up to the present day. Holy smokes are there a lot of theories.
Because we’re literature specialists, we can’t not mention Marlowe’s influence on English plays and poetry. It turns out that both of us have a soft spot for the brilliant bad boy and a serious appreciation of his work. Maybe someday he will get the awesome movie and/or musical treatment he deserves.
SOURCES
Nicholl, Charles. The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe. New York: Harcourt, 1994.
Ziegler, Wilbur. It was Marlowe (1895 novel): https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57810/57810-h/57810-h.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe
http://www.marlowe-society.org/
Transcription of the inquest report:
http://www.marlowe-society.org/christopher-marlowe/life/death-in-deptford/
The giant list of Marlowe’s presence in fiction:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Marlowe_in_fiction
Announcement about a Marlowe movie being made: https://medium.com/shakespeare-co/what-nourishes-me-destroys-me-is-this-a-portrait-of-christopher-marlowe-a6c6b043a19b
Announcement that the movie producer had died: https://variety.com/2018/film/news/christopher-marlowe-movie-star-wars-producer-gary-kurtz-1202824874/
A video about the 1981 Broadway musical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhGOc32LMFU
The new musical project: https://kitmusical.com/
Queen Elizabeth’s bloodthirsty song from KitMusical which I was in exactly the right mood to find hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGZ4-dj7BTM&t=218s
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
41. The Assassination of Queen Joanna of Naples, Mura Lucano, Italy 1382
The reign of Joanna of Naples might be a True Crime Medieval record for the most crimes in a single episode. We focus on her assassination (1382), but there’s also: a bloodfeast, judicial executions of (probably) innocent people, kidnapping, rape, roving bands of brigands, domestic violence, revenge killings, poisoning(s)—oh, and the strangulation of Joanna’s first husband, Andrew, which she may or may not have had a hand in arranging.
It’s not a good thing, really, when the Black Death is a footnote in your reign.
In this episode, we discuss what led up to Joanna’s assassination, the plethora of crimes committed along the way (not necessarily by Joanna. Fourteenth-century Naples was a rough neighborhood), and the challenges faced by Joanna to hold onto her throne.
Unsurprisingly, this eventful reign has been popular in fiction. We discuss Dumas’ Joan of Naples (1839) and Louisa Jane Hall’s Joanna of Naples, A Historical Tale (1838). Also, why is there no movie? There should definitely be a movie about Joanna of Naples. (As long as Charlton Heston or Mel Gibson aren’t involved.)
SOURCES
Historical
[scholarly biography]: Casteen, Elizabeth. From She-Wolf to Martyr: The Reign and Disputed Reputation of Joanna I of Naples. Cornell University Press, 2015.
[general audience biography]: Goldstone, Nancy. The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily. Little, Brown, and Company, 2018.
https://longreads.com/2018/07/03/queens-of-infamy-joanna-of-naples/
[adorable student project]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTFLWi_Cghw
Fiction
Dumas, Alexander. Joan of Naples. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2750/2750-h/2750-h.html
Hall, Louisa Jane. Joanna of Naples, A Historical Tale. 1838.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/r_VLAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisa_Jane_Hall
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
40. University of Paris Strike, Paris 1229
A bunch of undergraduates go out drinking on Mardi Gras, get predictably plastered, and argue with the tavern owner about the bill. The barman rounds up some friends and throws the students out, who return the next day with reinforcements and trash the tavern.
Yesterday? Twenty years ago? A hundred years ago? Five hundred?
Ha. Any of the above is possible. But this particular bout of student badness occurred in 1228.
In this episode, we discuss the students’ Carnival exploits, how some deaths followed, and how those deaths caused a two-year long strike by faculty and students. Along the way we talk about the founding of medieval universities, how much of modern university life has medieval roots, a delightfully cranky vintage grievance about undergrads being careless with books, and a surprisingly forthright ninetieth-century scholarly book.
SOURCES
Janin, Hunt. The University in Medieval Life, 1179-1499. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2008.
Rashdall, Hastings. The Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages. Volume 1: Salerno, Bologna, Paris. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1895.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Paris_strike,_1229
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hastings_Rashdall
https://historycollection.com/12-of-the-worlds-most-violent-student-riots/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
39. April Fool’s Episode: Ferdinand II of Aragon Abolishes the Droit de Seigneur, Spain 1486
During the Middle Ages, feudal lords had the right to take the virginity of any woman in his domain on her wedding night. Everybody knows that.
Yeah. About that.
In this April Fools’ Day episode, we discuss the widely held but erroneous belief that the droit du seigneur was a right enshrined in medieval law and/or custom.
Plot twist! If the droit du seigneur wasn’t a real thing, why did King Ferdinand of Spain outlaw in 1482?
Good question! Which we try to answer. As well as when and why belief in the droit du seigneur took root, and how it was (eventually) shown to be untrue. Connections with the French Revolution, Afghanistan, Hector Boece, The Marriage of Figaro, Charlton Heston, and German scholars’ opinions about whether French scholars can adequately read German ensue. Oh, and of course Braveheart.
SOURCES
Brundage, James A. Law, Sex, and Christian Society in Medieval Europe. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Bullough, Vern L. and James A. Brundage. Handbook of Medieval Sexuality. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Classen, Albrecht. “Another Myth: The Jus Primae Noctis, or The Droit du Cuissage (Droit du Seigneur).” In The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2007.
Boureau, Alain. The Lord’s First Night: The Myth of the Droit de Cuissage. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Karras, Ruth Mazo. Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing Unto Others. 3rd edition. New York: Routledge, 2017.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059896/
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/first-knight/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Droit_du_seigneur
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DroitDuSeigneur
Mentioned but not consulted personally:
Litvack, Frances Eleanor Palermo. Le Droit du Seigneur in European and American Literature from the Seventeenth through the Twentieth Century. Birmingham: Summa Publications, 1984.
Schmidt, Karl. Jus Primae Noctis: Eine geschichtliche Undtersuchung. Freiburg im Breisgau and St. Louis: Herder, 1881.
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
38. The Death of William Rufus, New Forest, England, August 2, 1100
On August 2, 1100, William II, King of England, son (but not the eldest son) of William the Conqueror, went hunting in the New Forest. He died after being shot by an arrow.
So. Accident or murder?
In this episode, we discuss the evidence for each, along with the background of William, his conflicts with his brother Robert Curthose, the monastic chroniclers’ opinions of William (you will never guess who shows up again), William’s favorite swear, the creation of the New Forest, the dangers of hunting, the Domesday Book, and really anything else that strikes our fancy as we wend our way through the death of the second Norman king of England.
SOURCES
Mason, Emma. King Rufus: The Life and Mysterious Death of William II of England. Tempus, 2008.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_II_of_England
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/holy-face-of-lucca
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_William_II_of_England
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/domesday-book/
https://opendomesday.org/media/images/bdf/01.png
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
37. St. Patrick Gets Kidnapped, Roman Britain, late 5th C.
Sometimes real-life history throws us curveballs that a fiction editor would never allow because they strain credulity to breaking. For instance, St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish. And when he came to Ireland (the first time), it wasn’t voluntarily.
Patrick was Welsh, or more precisely Roman British, the son of a deacon, grandson of a priest. The family was well-to-do if not rich; after the teenage Patrick was captured by Irish raiders, he was probably sold into slavery alongside people who had been enslaved in his father’s household.
In this episode, we discuss the kidnapping of Saint Patrick, how he ended up enslaved for six years in Ireland, how he escaped, and what he did after that. Oh, and how basically no part of the stories that become popular about him are, strictly speaking, true. Oh well. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, but at other times, fiction gives facts a run for their money. We also touch upon an astonishing 1920 silent film about Saint Patrick made in Dublin.
SOURCES
Freeman, Philip. St Patrick of Ireland: A Biography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004.
Ibid. The World of Saint Patrick. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day/who-was-saint-patrick.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick
List of Books about Saint Patrick on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/146565.Fiction_Non_Fiction_Saint_Patrick
1920 Silent Film:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Whitten
https://earlyirishcinema.com/category/film-directors/norman-whitten/
Other Films
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11908924/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0202595/
https://watch.formed.org/in-the-footsteps-of-saint-patrick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jy4E4PdQUgk
https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/2708/st-patrick-apostle-of-ireland
https://www.prayerfoundation.org/movie_review_st_patrick_apostle_of_ireland.htm
http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/Libr/zStPatVideos.html
https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/documentary/st-patrick-apostle-of-ireland/
Credits
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.