logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
32m 43s

The Danelaw

History Hit
About this episode

The Danelaw was the part of England where large numbers of Scandinavians settled between the 9th and 11th centuries, and where Danish rather than English law was followed. Its set of legal terms and definitions was created in the treaties between Alfred the Great and the Danish warlord, Guthrum.


In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman talks to Jake Stattel, a PhD candidate in Medieval History at Cambridge, whose research is teasing out new evidence about the political and social shifts in early Medieval Britain.


This episode was mixed and edited by Annie Coloe and produced by Rob Weinberg.


If you’re enjoying this podcast and are looking for more fascinating Medieval content then subscribe to our Medieval Monday newsletter here > If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android > or Apple store >



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Canterbury Tales: Pilgrims' Professions
Do you know what a Squire did? Was a Merchant as fancy as he sounds?Gone Medieval continues our week of pilgrimage as Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Robert Mayer Lee to explore the diverse jobs and social status' of the pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.They disc ... Show More
44m 55s
Jul 8
Chaucer's Wife of Bath: Medieval Feminist
This episode contains explicit language and themesWe're revelling in the Canterbury Tales this week; who else to kick things off with a bang than the scandalous Wife of Bath?Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Hetta Howes to celebrate Chaucer's scandalous and witty Wife of Bath, ... Show More
56m 2s
Jul 4
St. Christopher & Summertime Saints
Ever worn a St. Christopher medallion and wondered about the man carrying the Christ child across a river? Or heard of St. Uncumber, the bearded female saint invoked by women desperate to escape unwanted marriages? In this episode of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis is once again joined ... Show More
47m 21s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
2. Story of England: Medieval Invaders
Great Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, bloodshed at the battle of Hastings, Bubonic Plague and Roland the celebrity flatulist. As dawn breaks, Dan walks the beach at Pevensey where William the Conqueror and his Norman Invaders landed in 1066, but not before getting a quick lesson from Medie ... Show More
59m 51s
Aug 2024
Lawrence of Arabia
The famed British officer who fought alongside Arab guerrilla forces in WW1. Best known for his legendary exploits as an intelligence officer in the Middle East, Thomas Edward Lawrence was also an archaeologist, scholar and photographer. His life was one of adventure and espionag ... Show More
59m 29s
Apr 2022
Before Rome: The Truth About Late Iron Age Britain
Roman connections with Britain stretch back to (at least) the mid 1st century BC. But what has archaeology revealed about the Late Iron Age British societies they interacted with? Do we have any concrete evidence for the druids? Was human sacrifice a thing? Sit back and enjoy in ... Show More
43m 28s
Aug 2023
The Magna Carta in America
What does a document written in 1215 in England have to do with the United States? The Magna Carta has supposedly influenced foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. In this episode, Don is joined by Eleanor Janega, the new co-host of our ... Show More
29m 39s
Jun 2024
The Parthians
The Parthians were heavyweights of ancient Mesopotamia. Hailing from what is now modern day Iran, they charged onto the scene by destroying the Seleucid Empire and became one of Rome’s most formidable enemies. They are perhaps most famous for capturing Crassus - Rome’s spider-lik ... Show More
54m 58s
Jun 2024
Tudor Lesbians
Throughout history, it's mostly been queer men who were persecuted under the historical sodomy laws, but the Tudor period saw a spike in women being tried under it. Why was this? And why was it mostly happening in what is modern day Belgium and Netherlands? Joining Kate today is ... Show More
45m 43s
Oct 2022
The Rise and Fall of Roman London
In 43 AD, the Romans set up temporary forts along the banks of a river to wait for their Emperor, Claudius, to march onto the enemy capital of Camulodunum (Colchester), and eventually conquer Britain. The river was the River Thames. At the time, it was an area of marshy low-lying ... Show More
1h 1m
Feb 2024
The Real King Arthur
If King Arthur never existed, why does he loom so large in England's history? Dan traces the real-life figures who could have been the legendary King Arthur- the medieval king who pulled the sword from the stone and led the English against the Anglo-Saxons who arrived in England ... Show More
1h 18m
Jun 2023
The Picts
Emerging around the 3rd century CE and later designated official adversaries of the Roman Empire, the Picts wreaked havoc across the northern fringes of Roman Britain. But due to their limited presence in the archaeological record and the complexities of multiple kings, kingdoms, ... Show More
43m 10s
Nov 2023
Mary, Queen of Scots
This is the story of the incredible rise and fall of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was queen of Scotland, she was queen of France, and she could have been queen of England. She led armies, lived as a fugitive, became embroiled in love affairs and spent nearly two decades in jail. Dan ... Show More
41m 55s