With a team of dedicated monks and lay brothers to help him, fifteenth-century Venetian Fra Mauro attempted to create the most accurate map of the world. This week, Danièle speaks with Meredith Small about this incredible mappamundi, what it contained, and how this landed Fra Mauro on the moon. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

They’re the things that go bump in the night, the creatures that storm your mead hall and eat your friends, the beings that wander restlessly from their graves. This week, Danièle speaks with Charity Urbanski about monsters in the medieval world. You can support the podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

Some of the most important and influential figures of the Middle Ages were the big city bishops who ministered to rich and poor alike. But how did they tend to such a large and diverse flock? This week, Danièle speaks with Lesley Smith about William of Auvergne, the thirteenth-century upstart bishop of Paris who shaped a royal saint, changed the university forever, and gently guided the lives of ordinary Parisians with wit and compassion. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

In a time and place with a serious lack of pockets and built-in shelving, how and where did people carry and store their everyday stuff? This week, Danièle takes a look at carrying, packing, and moving in the Middle Ages. You can support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

She’s one of the most well-known figures in history: married to two kings, mother to three, and a powerful duchess in her own right. This week, Danièle speaks with Karen Sullivan about the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine, her famous - and infamous - relationships, and what makes her such a fascinating subject for historians and fiction writers alike. Karen Sullivan's book, Eleanor of Aquitaine, as It Was Said: Truth and Tales about the Medieval Queen, is published by University of Chicago Press. You can support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

Often, the stories we tell about colonization focus on the takeovers themselves, and the circumstances that led up to them. But what happens to the people when the dust settles? How do they manage the clash of two cultures and often two law codes? And how do the stories they tell about themselves and each other help them navigate society? This week, Danièle speaks with Joanna MacGugan about how the justice system worked in Ireland under medieval English rule, how communities shaped justice, and what this meant when a person was faced with capital punishment. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

This week, Danièle explores the big medieval news stories of 2023 in conversation with Peter Koniezcny, editor of Medievalists.net. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

In the Middle Ages, December meant a celebration of jolly old St. Nicholas along with a host of other sainted figures and important moments in the Christian story. This week, Danièle presents a quick guide to medieval holiday saints and feasts. You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

In the past few years, trans and genderqueer issues have come to the forefront both in society and in the way scholars are approaching medieval studies. But what do these terms mean? And how do we apply them responsibly to the past? This week, Danièle speaks with Alicia Spencer-Hall and Blake Gutt about trans and genderqueer scholarship in medieval studies. You can read the open-access book, Trans and Genderqueer Subjects in Medieval Hagiography, edited by Alicia Spencer-Hall and Blake Gutt, at https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/61200 You can support this podcast on Patreon - go to https://www.patreon.com/medievalists

This week, Danièle continues the annual tradition of sharing some of her favourite books of the year, along with the top picks of Peter Konieczny, editor and co-founder of Medievalists.net. Danièle's list: Temptation Transformed: The Story of How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple, by Azzan Yadin-Israel Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art, edited by Kristen Collins and Bryan C. Keene Vox Clamantis, translation by Robert J. Meindl and Mark T. Riley Women in the Crusades, by Helen Nicholson How to Focus: A Monastic Guide for an Age of Distraction, by John Cassian, translation by Jamie Kreiner Peter's list: The Donkey and the Boat: Reinterpreting the Mediterranean Economy, 950-1180, by Chris Wickham The Cosmography and Geography of Africa, by Johannes Leo Africanus, translation by Anthony Ossa-Richardson and Richard Oosterhoff The Emperor and the Elephant: Christians and Muslims in the Age of Charlemagne, by Sam Ottewill-Soulsby Inked: Tattooed Soldiers and the Song Empire's Penal-Military Complex, by Elad Alyagon Meteorological Disasters in Medieval Britain (AD 1000‒1500), by Peter J. Brown