logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
43m 12s

How The North Turned Christian

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Jul 28
Folk Legends of Iceland
How was folklore woven into the everyday life of medieval Icelanders? How did they make sense of the darkness of their world?During Iceland's endless nights, tales of trolls, ghosts, elves, hidden people and restless spirits were far more than entertainment: they explained an unp ... Show More
57 m
Jul 24
High Kings of Ireland
What if “High King” in medieval Ireland was less a fixed office than a fiercely contested prize, won through ritual, lineage, and force? On the Hill of Tara, a would-be ruler climbs toward the Stone of Destiny, hoping for the legendary cry that marks him as chosen.Matt Lewis and ... Show More
54m 18s
Jul 21
How to Survive as a Medieval Woman
What was life really like for working peasant women in the Middle Ages? How did family, marriage, work and social class shape their choices, joys and struggles?Taking a break from the usual queens, noblewomen and saints of the Medieval period, Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. ... Show More
1h 1m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
Why did medieval Europe become Christian?
Why did Christianity become so deeply embedded across western Europe in the centuries after the end of the Roman empire? To what extent did the old gods of Rome survive? And how did the concept of being Christian change over the course of the Middle Ages? Professor Mark Pegg of W ... Show More
40m 47s
Nov 2023
Norse myths: everything you wanted to know
What myths did the Norse believe, and what influence did they exert on daily life? Was the trickster god Loki really that bad, and was Odin really that wise? And why is Christianity a crucial part of the story? Speaking to Kev Lochun, historian and broadcaster Eleanor Rosamund Ba ... Show More
58m 21s
Jan 2014
109 – Edwin’s Ambitions
When we last left Edwin, Bishop Paulinus finally had his prize. He convinced the great King of Northumbria… the Bretwalda!… Edwin… to abandon his gods and convert to Christianity. It had been a long hard road for the Bishop. Failed assassinations, war, marriage, magical visions, ... Show More
28m 8s
Apr 2024
Viking Royalty: Nicknames, Love Poems & Victorian Myths
We think we know the Vikings, but how well do we really know them?From the insignia we think they wear, to the names they call themselves and the way they spoke to each other, there's a lot to uncover.Joining Kate today is Dr. Caitlin Ellis, historian and Associate Professor at t ... Show More
40m 34s
Nov 2023
Vikings in America
<p>What is a Viking? Did they really make it to the United States? And if so, how far did they get?</p><br><p>Don speaks to Martyn Whittock about the norse landings in North America. From the Icelandic sagas to the archaeological evidence that supports them, listen as we separate ... Show More
40m 28s
Jun 2023
Converting the Vikings
<p>Working off an article about the inability of modern writers on the Vikings to understand their conversion to Christianity, the guys discuss the weaknesses of Norse religion and the answers Christianity offered them. Glenn tells a number of stories about Vikings and explains h ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 2016
207 – Christianity in Early Danelaw
Here is part two to our story of religion and religious life at the age of the Great Heathen Army and the Danish invasion of Britain. Last episode, I told you about how the stories we’re often told – of violent atrocities committed against Christian spaces and against Christendom ... Show More
33m 20s
Sep 2013
96 – The Conversion of King AEthelberht
In the last several episodes we’ve been speaking about religion. We’ve spoken about the paganism that existed on the island, the christians that lived on the island, the reasons why individuals and rulers might want to convert, and of course we’ve spoken about what the church in ... Show More
20m 42s
Jan 2021
Saint Cuthbert
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Northumbrian man who, for 500 years, was the pre-eminent English saint, to be matched only by Thomas Becket after his martyrdom in 1170. Now at Durham, Cuthbert was buried first on Lindisfarne in 687AD, where monks shared vivid stories of his s ... Show More
56m 5s
Oct 2013
101 – I Ran (So Far Away): The Life and Times of Edwin of Deira
Today we’re going to talk quite a bit about Northumbria. And actually, Northumbria is going to start to get really important in our story going forward. Now much of what we know of Northumbria during this period is due to the efforts of Bede, and other Northumbrians who maintaine ... Show More
25m 33s