About this episode

Danièle Cybulskie interviews Francis Young about the last pagan peoples in Europe and their transition to Christianity.

A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the practices of ancient and medieval Celts, and how those practices were transformed and integrated into Christianity over time. Today, we’re shifting the lens eastward to investigate some of the last Europeans to accept Christianity. What did these people believe before the missionaries arrived? And how did their pre-Christian beliefs shape their eventual practice of Christianity, itself? This week, Danièle speaks with Francis Young about who the last pagan holdouts on the continent were, why Christian missionaries struggled to convert these regions, and how pagan traditions were integrated into this new faith. This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

People in this episode

Host: Danièle Cybulskie

Guest: Francis Young

Topics covered

• paganism
• Christianity
• Celtic practices
• medieval history
• missionary work

Keywords

• pagan beliefs
• Christian missionaries
• Celtic traditions
• medieval Europe
• religious conversion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

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• Medieval Mass Expulsions with Rowan Dorin · May 27, 2026 · 52 min
• Celtic Magic with Brigid Ehrmantraut · May 20, 2026 · 50 min
• The Life and Voyages of St. Brendan with Gordon Barthos · May 13, 2026 · 49 min

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