Medieval Monday: Battling Against the Shield Wall

March 1, 2021January 25, 20212 Comments

Jason looks back at our shield wall experiment day that we filmed in the summer of 2017. We put shieldmaker Luke’s handiwork to the test with a group of twenty brave volunteers, who clashed together in various formations of shield wall. In doing so, we explored some of the events recounted in ancient sagas to determine whether they were flights of narrative fancy or genuine reports of the flow of battle.

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Medieval Monday: Horse Travel vs. Walking

February 22, 2021January 25, 20212 Comments

How does riding a horse compare with walking in Medieval times? Who would have done what and why? We do an experiment and find out.

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Medieval Monday: How Shields were Made

February 15, 2021January 25, 2021Leave a comment

Jason is joined by shieldmaker Luke Woods, who talks about the materials and construction of shields. Shields weren’t just painted pieces of wood but cleverly engineered pieces of technology, with all the materials working together to make a tough defensive item.

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Medieval Monday: History of Michaelmas

February 8, 2021January 25, 20211 Comment

Jason discusses the history and meaning of the Medieval tradition of Michaelmas. Looks at harvesting and hedgerow foods.

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Medieval Monday: Why Shields are Different Sizes and Shapes

February 1, 2021January 25, 20211 Comment

Shields have taken many shapes and sizes over the thousands of years of their use. Their design isn’t just random or aesthetic. What can the evolution of the shield during the Middle Ages tell us about how warfare itself changed in this turbulent period?

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Medieval Monday: Tiles and Billhooks

January 25, 2021January 24, 20213 Comments

How did changing seasons affect medieval life? How did itinerant workers survive the year?

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Medieval Monday: How Healthy was Medieval Food?

December 28, 2020October 13, 20202 Comments

It can be hard to stick to a diet in modern times when eating out. It was much the same for a medieval knight, so when he was dining in his own household his personal physician would work with his cook to keep their master in peak condition. In this episode, Jason and food historian Chris Carr discuss the medieval understanding of nutrition and how it affected the knight’s diet, as well as the influence of spices and how they defined one’s social standing.

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