Seeking Sanctuary: Fleeing conflict in the Middle Ages

Seeking Sanctuary: Fleeing conflict in the Middle Ages

June 18, 2026 · 48 min · Season 2 · Episode 60

About this episode

This episode explores the phenomenon of seeking refuge during the Middle Ages, focusing on the experiences of refugees during significant conflicts.

Throughout the ages, people have been forced to leave their homes due to conflict and instability and find refuge in another country - or a different part of their own country. In this episode of the English Heritage Podcast, host Amy Matthews sits down with English Heritage historian Dr Will Wyeth and Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge Prof Bart Lambert to look at that phenomenon across the Middle Ages, in particular during the Wars of Independence in Scotland and the Hundred Years' Wars in France and the Low Countries. Together they discuss how during this period, refugees came from all social levels, from nobility, clergy and the political elite to the poor, especially women. This episode reveals the everyday realities of seeking safe haven in the medieval world and challenges the common assumption that medieval people rarely travelled far from home. Don’t forget to follow this podcast and leave a review if you love the show. Join English Heritage: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/⁠ Podcast listeners can get 20% off the first year of an annual membership. Use code POD20 at checkout.* Support our work: ⁠https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/support-us/⁠ The…

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