'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
Talking about popular conceptions of the Middle Ages and their historical realities. Join Richard Abels to learn about Vikings, knights and chivalry, movies set in the Middle Ages, and much more about the medieval world.
'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages
Latest Episodes
Joan of Arc: Military Commander or Holy Cheerleader?
Today’s episode concerns one of the most celebrated medieval people, Joan of Arc. She is among the best-known saints of the Middle Ages, especially among non-Catholics, and one of the most unusual. She is the only saint to my knowledge to have ...
Thucydides' Melian Dialogue: "the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must"
Caveat auditor!. Listener beware! This episode is NOT about the Middle Ages, although it does touch upon medieval massacres toward the end. Rather, it focuses on a text I taught for years at the U.S. Naval Academy, the “Melian dialogue” in Thuc...
The Bayeux Tapestry: History and Interpretations
As our regular listeners know, I am an Anglo-Saxon historian. Previously, I did several episodes with my good friend Dr. Jennifer Paxton on the Norman Conquest of my beloved Anglo-Saxon England. In them we mentioned one of the most famous sourc...
The Evolution of Castles and Siege Warfare in medieval Britain, part 2 (conversation with Paul Remfry)
This is the second episode of a two-part series on the evolution of castle-building and siege warfare in Britain from the Norman Conquest through the fifteenth century. My very special guest for both is Paul Remfry, a world renowned expert on c...
The Evolution of Castles and Siege Warfare in medieval Britain, part 1 (conversation with Paul Remfry)
This is the first of a two part series on the evolution of castle-building and siege warfare in Britain from the Norman Conquest through the middle of the fifteenth century. My very special guest is Paul Remfry, one of the world’s leading exper...
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