logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
37 m

Travel Guide to the Middle Ages

History Hit
About this episode

If you are planning - or dreaming of - your next holiday, have you stopped to wonder whether our medieval counterparts did exactly the same thing? Why did people travel in the Middle Ages, and what was the experience like for them? Were there any similarities with travelling today?


In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis talks to Anthony Bale.  His book A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages invites the reader to journey alongside scholars, spies and saints, from western Europe to the Far East and the Antipodes, giving an insight into how medieval people understood their world.


This episode was produced by Rob Weinberg.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code MEDIEVAL - sign up here >


You can take part in our listener survey here >

Up next
Today
Thor and Loki
Has Thor always been considered an all-powerful but ridiculed deity? Is it possible to pin down Loki's complex nature as simply a trickster?Matt Lewis embarks on a mythical journey with Carolyne Larrington to get to know the legendary gods Thor and Loki. Together they uncover the ... Show More
1h 14m
Oct 7
Odin, Asgard & the Norse Gods
Dr. Eleanor Janega gets chummy with the gods of Norse Mythology. She's joined by Professor Carolyne Larrington to explore Odin’s quest for wisdom and the heart-wrenching trials he undergoes; Loki's shapeshifting exploits, and the tragic saga of Baldr orchestrated by the wise but ... Show More
1h 12m
Oct 3
Norse Mythology: Creation Myths
Across October Gone Medieval embarks on an epic journey through Norse Mythology in a new series. From the first creation myth to Ragnarok, hosts Matt Lewis and Dr. Eleanor Janega are joined by our Viking king for immersive storytelling, cinematic sound design, expert interviews, ... Show More
1h 5m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
The surprisingly modern Middle Ages
Dan Jones explores the similarities and differences between the medieval experience and our lives today In what ways was the medieval era surprisingly modern? Dan Jones, whose latest book is Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages, reveals the similarities and differ ... Show More
1h 1m
May 2024
Medieval Torture & Execution
When you say ‘going medieval’ on someone, it brings up quite nasty connotations.  But is this brutal suggestion a fair depiction of medieval times and their thoughts on torture and punishment? What are some of the more gruesome methods they employed? And why did Henry I give auth ... Show More
49m 47s
Oct 2023
Le voyage au Moyen Âge : l'attrait vers l'inconnu
Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour ! Nous concluons aujourd’hui notre série sur le voyage au Moyen Âge : alors si ce n’est pas encore fait, écoutez d’abord les trois épisodes sur la route, les dangers, et les motivations des voyageurs. Car aujourd’hui, nous abordons les mentali ... Show More
9m 57s
Feb 2024
Origins of Carthage
Famed as one of Rome’s fiercest enemies, the city of Carthage was one of the jewels of the ancient Mediterranean world. Situated on the coast of North Africa on the tip of what is now Tunisia, it first rose to prominence as a Phoenician colony. But how did this once fledgling out ... Show More
54m 33s
Oct 2023
Pourquoi voyager au Moyen Âge ?
Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour ! On continue notre série sur le voyage au Moyen Âge : je vous conseille d’écouter d’abord les deux épisodes abordant la route et ses dangers. Vous découvrirez toutes les difficultés qu’on rencontrait à l’époque lorsqu’on décidait de partir lo ... Show More
12m 38s
Sep 2023
Comment voyageait on au Moyen Âge ?
Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour ! Qui met un terme à l’Antiquité ? Eh bien on peut dire que c’est Odoacre : sa longue expédition militaire de 476 renverse l’Empire romain. Mille ans plus tard, en 1492, le navigateur Christophe Colomb se dirige lui aussi vers l’Ouest… mais be ... Show More
10m 11s
Feb 2022
The Phoenician World
Imagine you are a traveller sailing to the major cities around the Mediterranean in 750 BC. You would notice a remarkable similarity in the dress, alphabet, consumer goods, and gods from Gibraltar to Tyre. This was not the Greek world—it was the Phoenician. Based in Tyre, Sidon, ... Show More
1h 2m
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
Feb 2024
Persia Reborn: Rise of the Sasanians
The Sasanians are renowned as one of Rome's most feared enemies. Founded in third century Persia by an Iranian noble called Ardashir, their dynasty oversaw the growth of a mighty empire that brought down the Parthians and survived into the early Middle Ages. But how did one famil ... Show More
50m 37s
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