We often associate slavery with non-Christians and the Romans, but unfree people continued to be owned and exploited throughout Europe for hundreds of years after the fall of the Empire. In fact, slavery was alive and thriving very well in the Medieval world. Let’s travel back in time and hear some stories about people who were enslaved, bought, sold, and exploited during the Middle Ages. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

Many forms of torture were utilised during the Middle Ages. But the rack was perhaps the most popular and most feared. Although it was common for joints to be dislocated during the process, the torture could tear a victim’s limbs apart and rip them from their sockets. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

It was established in 1188, under the reign of King Henry II. What was constructed out of a group of cells housed in London’s city walls above the ‘New Gate’ gatehouse soon became known as a place of darkness and despair. Nicknamed ‘Hell on Earth’ the prison became so synonymous with terror and misery that even the hangman’s noose became a welcome escape. Let’s travel back in time now to the Middle Ages and find out what life was like at the notorious Newgate prison. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

It all began in Switzerland, with an area of lush agricultural land, and became a dynasty that dominated Southeast Europe for centuries. The Habsburg's rise to power in the High Middle Ages and its descent into extinction is one of the most fascinating stories in European history. They survived bloody religious wars, alcoholism, and madness but it’s possible that the family's obsession with ‘blood purity’ is what finally brought about their downfall.

Welcome to Medieval Madness.

00:00 Introduction
00:42 The Birth
02:26 The Creator
04:00 The Offspring
06:37 The Plan
08:57 The Consequences
10:43 King of the World

Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions

From the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance, the Middle Ages was an era of history that encompassed massive social change. A time of international warfare, national rebellion, devastating disease, and at times brutal cruelty. Here are a few of the highlights or lowlights (depending on your point of view) that occurred over the one-thousand-year period. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

When most people think about medieval marriages they are either practical, cold, and loveless, or the idealised “courtly love” of chivalric knights and damsels in distress. But what was married life and love really like in the Middle Ages? Let’s travel back in time and take a look. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

0:00 Introduction
0:30 To Honour & Obey
2:15 Broken Promises
3:53 For Richer…
4:49 For Poorer…
6:10 With This Ring…
7:39 Till Death Do Us Part?
9:42 To Love And To Cherish

Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions

For most, incest is seen as sexual intimacy between anyone who is related by blood, like a parent and child, siblings, or cousins. We could even extend this to anyone who has a position of responsibility within a family such as step-parents, step-siblings, or aunts and uncles who have married in. However, it was during the Middle Ages that the Roman Catholic Church became obsessed with the subject, to the extent that it even caused arguments between kings and popes. Welcome to Medieval Madness

00:00 Introduction
00:45 Incest
02:43 Obsession
04:10 Degrees
05:46 A Declaration of Love
06:35 Papacy vs Monarchy
07:39 A Family Affair
08:57 It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know

Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions

It was from a cell in the Tower of London, “in a very high up and confined place … out of sight and hearing of the world”, that Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March made his daring escape. A feudal lord, experienced military commander, and twice governor of Ireland, Mortimer had found himself in the Tower for being involved in a rebellion against King Edward II. This audacious escape on 1st August 1323, would change the course of history, bring about the downfall of a king, and make Roger Mortimer the most powerful man in England. Welcome to Medieval Madness.

0:00 Introduction
0:45 Favourite Mistake
1:28 A Rising Star
3:08 Rebel Rebel
4:35 Tonight There’s Gonna Be A Jailbreak
7:18 Hell Hath No Fury
8:33 Like A Woman Scorned

Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions