The Women Who Ruled Medieval Burgundy, and Europe

The Women Who Ruled Medieval Burgundy, and Europe

March 30, 2026 · 45 min · Episode 513

About this episode

This episode explores the powerful women who ruled medieval Burgundy and their influence in Europe.

What if the most powerful warlords in medieval Europe were women? From wine country to empire, Burgundy’s Duchesses brokered marriages, bullied rivals, made kings and emperors, and ruled vast lands in their own right. Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Susan Abernethy to uncover the formidable women behind one of Europe’s wealthiest, most sophisticated courts. MORE The Two Hundred Years War Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify The Real Eleanor of Aquitaine Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Tim Arstall, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe .   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Dr Eleanor Janega

Guest: Susan Abernethy

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit

Books & works: The Two Hundred Years War, The Real Eleanor of Aquitaine

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