Medieval Madness

Born in 1359, Owain was the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales and fought for 15 years against English rule. He led successful sieges and battlefield victories to establish an independent Welsh State, refusing to ever give up, even when it seemed that all was lost he continued to resist the English, in the Welsh mountains by utilizing guerrilla warfare. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and meet the last Welsh Prince of Wales, who it is said will rise in def...

We often think of Medieval princesses in terms of fairy tales - as beautiful young ladies waiting around, in their tall pointy hats, for some knight to come along and rescue them from a tower. But the reality was far less romantic. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and meet some of these noble ladies and take a little look at how they navigated such an overwhelmingly male world.

For hundreds of years, for whatever reason, whether innocent or guilty, men, women, and children have found themselves in prison. Imagine travelling back to the Middle Ages and spending time inside one of those “unregulated, frequently packed ... verminous ... ill ventilated and badly sewered” places. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

The history of Malmesbury Abbey is a long one and there are many tales to tell of the celebrated monastery. Founded by the Benedictines in 676, part of the abbey still survives today, over thirteen hundred years later. But it is the abbey’s connection to John of Tintern, a cleric described by one historian as probably the “most corrupt and disreputable monk of the entire Middle Ages”, that stands out as the most fascinating story. Let’s travel back in time now to the14th century and meet the ...

The Middle Ages, with its crippling poverty and lack of law and order, was the perfect time for unscrupulous men to turn to a life of crime and roam around the countryside causing untold trouble. But not all gangsters were poor, some came from noble families, and they certainly weren’t all Robin Hoods – stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Most were brutal, ruthless, and out for themselves. Let’s travel back in time now and take a look at some of the more notorious gangsters of the ...

Earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions, whenever and wherever they hit are devastating events that can wipe out entire cities and leave thousands of people dead. Let’s travel back in time now and take a look at some of the worst natural disasters that took place across the world in the Middle Ages. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

Many forms of torture were utilised during the Middle Ages. But the rack was perhaps the most popular and most feared. Although it was common for joints to be dislocated during the process, the torture could tear a victim’s limbs apart and rip them from their sockets. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

It all began in Switzerland, with an area of lush agricultural land, and became a dynasty that dominated Southeast Europe for centuries. The Habsburg's rise to power in the High Middle Ages and its descent into extinction is one of the most fascinating stories in European history. They survived bloody religious wars, alcoholism, and madness but it’s possible that the family's obsession with ‘blood purity’ is what finally brought about their downfall. Welcome to Medieval Madness. 00:00 Intro...

When most people think about medieval marriages they are either practical, cold, and loveless, or the idealised “courtly love” of chivalric knights and damsels in distress. But what was married life and love really like in the Middle Ages? Let’s travel back in time and take a look. Welcome to Medieval Madness. 0:00 Introduction 0:30 To Honour & Obey 2:15 Broken Promises 3:53 For Richer… 4:49 For Poorer… 6:10 With This Ring… 7:39 Till Death Do Us Part? 9:42 To Love And To Cherish Narrate...

It was from a cell in the Tower of London, “in a very high up and confined place … out of sight and hearing of the world”, that Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March made his daring escape. A feudal lord, experienced military commander, and twice governor of Ireland, Mortimer had found himself in the Tower for being involved in a rebellion against King Edward II. This audacious escape on 1st August 1323, would change the course of history, bring about the downfall of a king, and make Roger Mortim...

When most people think about Transylvania it conjures the image of Dracula and the world dreamed up in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel - a world of gothic castles, shapeshifting bats, and vampires. Some people even think of Transylvania as a mythical place like that of Middle-Earth or Narnia, only much creepier. But Transylvania is a real place in what is now modern Romania, in Western Europe, and Dracula was a real person known to the world as Vlad III or Vlad Tepes, meaning the Impaler. Welcome to...

Once again we delve into the reasons why you probably wouldn’t live very long in the Middle Ages. For one reason or another death seemed to be waiting around every corner. Having dealt with war, poison, and squalor in our last video we now move on to religion. Really, things just don’t get any better. And with one year in particular being described as the worst year EVER to be alive, we can’t see any reason why you would want to even go there.

14th-century London was tiny when compared to today's modern cities, but much larger than any other English town at that time. In 1300, the population stood at approximately 80,000, all crammed into one square mile. It was noisy, pretty stinky, packed with people, and not the safest place to be when you consider that getting mauled by a pig was a thing. Let’s travel back in time now to the London of the Middle Ages and experience the sights, sounds, and smells of life there in the heart of th...