Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval World
A narrative history podcast following the journeys of medieval travellers and their roles in larger historical events. Telling great stories, showing the interconnected nature of the medieval world, and meeting Mongols, Ottomans, Franciscans, merchants, ambassadors, and adventurers along the way.
Episodes
A 12th-Century Pilgrim's Guide 2: The Camino de Santiago
A medieval guide to the still-popular pilgrimage, our source covers the dangerous waters and malicious boatmen, the notable saints and sites along the way, and the writer's very open dislike of virtually everyone they would meet.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, a
A 12th-Century Pilgrim's Guide 1: The Source and the Way
The 12th-century text The Pilgrim's Guide to Compostela provided advice for travellers from France on the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route which is still/again very popular today.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, and I have some things on Redbubble
Medieval Lives 13: A Christmas Coronation
It's Christmas Day in 1066, and a new king is to be crowned. There will be all sorts of festive events: arrows in the eye, fires outside the church, and just a little holiday looting too.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, and I have some things on Redbubble
Medieval Lives 12: Two Saints and a Sinner
Marcellinus and Peter died in the early 4th century, but the saints would still be active and on the move in the 9th. This is about their journey. It is also about Charlemagne's biographer, Einhard, the man who wrote about that journey and set it into motion.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsk
Afanasy Nikitin 2: Return from India
The 15th-century Russian merchant and traveller journeys back from India.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Afanasy Nikitin's Voyage Beyond The Three Seas, 1466–1472. Geografgiz,
Afanasy Nikitin 1: Journey Beyond the Three Seas
Afanasy Nikitin, a 15th-century Russian merchant, sets out from Tver and immediately runs into trouble before travelling to India.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Afanasy Nikitin's Voy
Osman of Timisoara 5: Osman's Great Escape
Osman flees Vienna and reaches freedom, with success and suffering on the other side.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Osman Aga of Timisoara. Prisoner of the Infidels. Edited, translated, and i
Osman of Timisoara 4: Imperial Pastry Prep and Tavern Brawls
Osman's time in the city of Vienna is punctuated by violent misadventure, an unlikely career in sweets, and an ethical failing.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Osman Aga of Timisoara. Prisoner of the I
Osman of Timisoara 3: Hunger, Illness, and Intimacy
The story of Osman of Timisoara continues, and on this episode we follow him out of his initial adventures in captivity and into the years that came after, years of "toil and misery," he would say, along with hunger and sickness, but also of surprising moments of friendship and intimacy.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
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Osman of Timisoara 2: Ransom, Boats, and Bandits
In a fit of extreme absentmindedness, I forgot to upload this episode after recording it and then did the same thing for part 3 in the series! Osman of Timisoara 3 and 4 will follow this over the next few days.
Within the larger life-travels of Osman's book, this is going to be a relatively short journey, but as you'll hear, it will still be quite a stressful one. Osman needed to get to Timisoara
Osman of Timisoara 1: Prisoner of the Infidels
A departure from our usual historical period for the 17th-century story of Osman Agha of Timisoara, an Ottoman soldier taken prisoner in the years after the Battle of Vienna.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Osman Agha
Medieval Lives 11: William Fitz Osbert and the Unrest in London
A 12th-century execution and the mixed messages in the chronicles around how things had gotten to that point. Did William with the Long Beard offer a better life to those unhappy in Richard I's London, or did he just take advantage of their misery to serve his own vices?
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
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Nasir Khusraw 3: Makkah and the Way Home
The conclusion of Nasir Khusraw's story, following his repeated trips from Cairo to Makkah, his struggles in crossing the Arabian Peninsula, and then his journey toward Khorasan.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Hunsberger, Alice
Nasir Khusraw 2: Fatimid Egypt
An 11th-century journey from Jerusalem to Fatimid Egypt.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Fulton, Michael S. Contest for Egypt: The Collapse of the Fatimid Caliphate, the Ebb of Crusader Influence, and the Rise of Saladin. Brill,
Nasir Khusraw 1: Wine, Waking, and the Journey to Jerusalem and Elsewhere
Nasir Khusraw was around 40 years old when he experienced the vision that turned his life onto a new path and sent him out on the road in search, perhaps, of wisdom.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Hunsberger, Alice C. Nasir Khu
A Medieval Christmas, 2024
Happy Holidays!
This episode is about festive "medieval" poetry.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Andrews, William. At the Sign of the Barber's Pole: A Study in Hirsute History. Lethe Press, 2008.
Cook, Megan
Medieval Lives 10: Pietro d'Abano
Born in the 13th century, Pietro d'Abano was referred to variously as “the Great Lombard,” “the Conciliator,” and, in at least one case, a “great necromancer.” This scholar and physician faced various troubles relating to heresy or sorcery, and stories swirl around him of calling on demons or magically making spent coins return to his purse.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support
A Medieval Haunting in the Annales Fuldenses
The Annales Fuldenses, or Annals of Fulda, is a source for 9th-century events in Carolingian lands: the incursions of the Northmen, fighting among the royal relatives, and omens in the sky. It also contains the story of an unfortunate village, an even more unfortunate villager, and the evil spirit that haunted both.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon i
Medieval Lives 9: John Crabbe
The story of a 14th-century Flemish pirate, merchant, and adventurer, a man who took prizes at sea and took whatever side he needed to on land, crossing paths with various counts and kings as he went.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things
Pedro Tafur 7: Losing Teeth, Losing Swords
Our 15th-century Spanish traveller goes home, mixing with the imperial elite along the way.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Source:
Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introdu
Pedro Tafur 6: In the Baths and at the Fairs
Our 15th-century traveller returns to Venice and goes overland into central and western Europe, making friends and catching up with some old ones along the way. He'll heal at the thermal baths, and there's talk of Bruges, Antwerp, medieval trade and textiles, and the fairs.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
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Pedro Tafur 5: Doomed Empires and Slavery on the Black Sea
Pedro Tafur ventures out from Constantinople to visit a sultan, an emperor, and the centre of the Black Sea slave trade.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), transl
Pedro Tafur 4: Cyprus, Chios, and Constantinople
Our 15th-century traveller dodges catastrophe on the Mediterranean and drops in on late-imperial Constantinople, where there's plenty of seafood and the roots of Pedro's family tree.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
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Pedro Tafur 3: From Cyprus to Cairo
As our Castilian traveller makes his roundabout way toward Mt Sinai, he finds ill-health but lots of help on Cyprus, while around Cairo he's struck by the street food and crocodiles.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sou
Pedro Tafur 2: Busy Days in the Holy Land
The journey of our 15th-century Castilian traveller continues, as Pedro Tafur leaves Venice and makes his way to Jerusalem, where there will be no shortage of things for him to see and do.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubbl
Pedro Tafur 1: The Mediterranean Tour
Pedro Tafur, a 15th-century Castilian, makes his way around Spain and Italy with lengthy stops in Genoa, Venice, and Rome, and generally has a pretty pleasant holiday.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Pero Ta
Medieval Lives 8: Giovanni Fontana
Giovanni Fontana was a 15th-century Italian engineer and inventor. His designs included everything from systems for retrieving sunken ships and automating the defence of fortifications to measuring time and producing music. He created locks, clocks, and magic lanterns.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
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The Fire at Louvain
In the late-summer of 1914, a city burns and its university library with it. Unusually for this podcast, the story takes us into WWI, but there are medieval connections to the story of Louvain (Leuven) and what happened when the German army came to town.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_hu
Fernao Mendes Pinto 10: Lisbon at Last
The Fernao Mendes Pinto story reaches its conclusion, and he finally reaches Portugal once more.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
The Travels of Mendes Pinto, edited and translated by Rebecca D. Catz. Univers
Fernao Mendes Pinto 9: With Francis Xavier in Japan
The story of Fernao Mendes Pinto intersects with that of the Jesuit saint, Francis Xavier, and takes him back to Japan.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
The Travels of Mendes Pinto, edited and translated by R
Fernao Mendes Pinto 8: First in Japan
The first Europeans wash up on Japanese shores, bringing the musket as they do so, and Pinto would have you believe that he is with them.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
The Travels of Mendes Pinto, edited a
Fernao Mendes Pinto 7: A Traveller's Guide to Ming China
Pinto's story continues, and the Portuguese traveller makes his way across China as a prisoner, describing some its towns, cities, and countryside as he goes. His China, which he may not have actually visited himself, is dotted with the remnants of previous Portuguese actions, an envoy's gravestone and the remnants of failed embassies.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the p
Fernao Mendes Pinto 6: Grave Robbery and Leeches
Our Portuguese adventurer resumes his piratical ways and runs into trouble on the coast of China. He and de Faria find silver in abundance, but also shipwreck, poverty, and leeches.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
The Travels of Mendes P
The Medieval Winter and Other Seasons Since
Not a Christmas episode, but a winter one: winter in various Old English sources and winter now. Happy New Year and thanks for listening!
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Clare, John. Major Works. Oxford University Press, 2004.
Gopnik, Ad
Fernao Mendes Pinto 5: Revenge and a Little Piracy Too
Pinto and his colleagues embark on a quest for revenge against a certain pirate, and in the process indulge in quite a bit of piracy themselves along the coasts of Champa and Hainan. Ships are seized, silks are stolen, and brains are squeezed out.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I
Fernao Mendes Pinto 4: The Aceh Sultanate and Further Suffering at Sea
Fernao Mendes Pinto recovers from shipwreck and captivity, neither his first nor his last, and returns to the story of the Aceh Sultanate.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
The Travels of Mendes Pinto, edited and translated by Rebecca D. C
Medieval Halloween: Signs in the Sky, Strange Children, etc
From William of Newburgh's 12th-century chronicle, "History of English Affairs," these stories aren't really about Halloween, but they do feel a little Halloween-ish. There's no Michael Myers, zombies, or vampires, but there are strange portents in the sky, toads locked in stone, faerie banquets, green children, and a good number of demons.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support
Fernao Mendes Pinto 3: Melaka and the Embarrassed Envoy
The story of the 16th-century Portuguese traveller, writer, soldier, envoy, and so much more, takes us to Malaysia, to the city of Malacca (Melaka), and to diplomatic missions among nearby rulers.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
The Trav
Fernao Mendes Pinto 2: The Red Sea and the Siege of Diu
Pinto visits the "Land of Prester John," faces trouble on the Red Sea, and brushes up against the 1538 Siege of Diu. He takes part in combat along the Indian coast, grumbles as to his lot in life, and is whisked about by boat to Massawa, Mokha, Qeshm, Chaul, Goa, Honnavar, and Diu, before heading further east.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here
Fernao Mendes Pinto 1: From Lisbon, Poverty, and Pirates
Fernão Mendes Pinto, respected by many of his contemporaries for the expertise knowledge which he'd gained through his travels, absolutely synonymous for others with lies and exaggerations.
From humble beginnings and vaguely unfortunate events in his early life, Pinto would find a place for himself in the 16th-century world of colonial Portugal, would write himself into it if necessary.
He was, h
Medieval Lives 7: Long Distance Relationships
With all the medieval travel featured on the podcast—the trips across the Mediterranean, the Asian Steppe, and the Indian Ocean—of course we focus on the travellers themselves, the people actually making those trips, but whether they were merchants, envoys, or otherwise, they often left people behind, family that they were separated from for years at a time.
This episode is about those separations
The Cairo Geniza
Today’s episode is not the story of an individual but rather of a collected body of sacred and secular writings, or rather bodies of writings. It’s a story of scripture, court records, correspondence, literature, scholarly studies, and more, of human life as it has left its echoes in writing.
This is the story of the Cairo Geniza, an incredible collection of historical documents, from medieval man
Medieval Lives 6: Wuhsha the Broker
Today's episode takes us to medieval Egypt, to old Cairo in the 11th and 12th century, to Fustat, to the Fatimid Caliphate during the period of the First Crusade, and to the life of a medieval woman named Wuhsha al-dallala who stands out in her time for strength, independence, and wild financial success (through lending and investment in trading ventures, including one to Gujarat, India). Her hist
Brutus of Troy
The story of the legendary first kings of the Britons, complete with prophecy, a divine appearance, and a number of origin myths behind the names of Tours, Cornwall, New Troy, and Britain itself.
For this episode, we go to Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles for Britain's mythical Trojan origins, following Brutus of Troy as he receives visions from the goddess Diana and voyages to an Albion still in
Holinshed: The Scottish Source
Today we step outside the usual medieval travel subject matter on the podcast for a look into William Shakespeare's historical source for the story of Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and of course, King of Scotland, or at least of Alba.
That story takes us to a 16th-century man named Reginald Wolfe, to Holinshed's Chronicles, and to the 11th-century doings of some familiar figures, of D
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 7: The Romance of Thorstein and Spes
This is the final episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. The Grettir Saga concludes without Grettir the Strong. His half-brother Thorstein finds freedom and romance in Constantinople before the story takes one last turn, a religious one that will take us to Norway and then Rome.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 6: Revenge in Constantinople
This is the sixth episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. Grettir the Strong's half-brother goes looking for revenge, and his killer goes to join the Varangian Guard. The journey takes us from Iceland to Norway, and on to Constantinople.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
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The Saga of Grettir the Strong 5: To Live and Die on Drangey
This is the fifth episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. Grettir the Strong, his little brother, and their reluctant helper face a new threat on Drangey. His story comes to a conclusion but not his saga.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some t
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 4: The Brothers Asmundarson
This is the fourth episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. Grettir the Strong and his brother look for refuge on the island of Drangey in northern Iceland, but they aren't the only ones who are interested in the island.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, an
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 3: A Lonely Exile
This is the third episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. Grettir wanders Iceland, never able to stay in one place for too long. He is cursed to fear the dark and wish for company because of it, even as that company wishes him dead.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
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The Saga of Grettir the Strong 2: Foul Luck and Feuding
This is the second episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. Grettir the Strong's story continues. Following his fight with the undead draugr, he feels the effects of Glamr's curse as his luck turns against him and he is outlawed once more.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 1: Exile, Outlawry, and the Undead
This is the first episode of a narrative series on the Icelandic saga of a famed outlaw. The Saga of Grettir the Strong opens with his grandfather leaving King Harald's Norway for Iceland. We follow its portrayal of Grettir's troubled childhood and his tests of strength against boulders, men, bears, and (for some Halloween appropriate listening) draugr, the undead of the burial mound.
If you like
Medieval Lives 5: The Consorts of the Caliphs
Tāj al-Dīn ‘Alī ibn Anjab ibn al-Sā’ī was born in the last years of the 12th century and lived until the last quarter of the 13th. He was a prolific writer who grew up Abbasid Baghdad and saw it fall to the Mongol invasion of Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan.
His solitary work that survives in its entirety is Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. In that book, he reaches al
Medieval Lives 4: Chen Cheng, his Travels, and his Troubles at Work
A standalone episode on medieval diplomacy, on the travels, career, and narrative of a 14th and 15th century Ming Dynasty diplomat and administrator, and on the history around him. Chen Cheng would suffer professional setbacks outside of his control, as the the Jianwen Emperor would be replaced by the Yongle Emperor, and he would make the overland journey from China to see Shah Rukh, the son of Ti
Ghiyath al-Din Naqqash 2: AM Feasting & Other Diplomatic Concerns
A story of medieval travel and diplomacy, the 15th-century story of Ghiyath al-Din and the other Timurid envoys, and their visit to Yongle's Beijing on behalf of Timur's son Shah Rukh.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
"Report to Mirza Bays
Ghiyath al-Dīn Naqqash 1: A Timurid Painter in Ming China
In the early 15th century, Shah Rukh, the son of Timur, sent an embassy east to the target of his father's last military campaign, Ming China. Making that journey from Timurid Herat to the home of the Yongle Emperor (with stops along the way at Samarkand, Tashkent, Hami, Ganzhou, and finally Khanbaliq) was a chronicler and painter named Ghiyāth al-Dīn. His story is one of medieval diplomacy and tr
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 5: The Year 598
Another year of drought, another of famine, and even more disasters pile on for the early-13th-century Egyptians. We also see Abd al-Latif make a surprising 20th-century appearance.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 4: Consuming the Present
What happens when the river fails to rise? In 597 (1200), Abd al-Latif found famine, crime, and cannibalism.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Fami
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 3: Harvesting the Past
Like many people ever since, and even now, Abd al-Latif was fascinated by Egypt's ancient sites and structures, the pyramids and the Sphinx. He was fascinated, but also disgusted with how their stones and contents had been treated as his contemporaries looked to them less with wonder, more with greed.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 2: On Egyptian Flora and Fauna
We continue the Abd al-Latif series and dig into his observations on Egypt.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years. NYU Press, 2021.
Bonad
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 1: Scholars, Sultans & Money
Born in the 12th century, Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi travelled the Ayyubid world in search of students, mentors, and patrons. His curiosity stands out, and does his impatience with scholars who, as he saw it, wasted their time with alchemy or other unimportant topics.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @hu
Medieval Lives 3: An Anonymous Journey to Mecca
Today's episode centres on an anonymous 16th-century account of the Hajj that first appeared in English in a 1599 Hakluyt publication.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Hakluyt, Richard. The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Disc
Prester John 10: The End is not the End
It's the end of the Prester John story, or at least the end for now. The priest-king pops up in Tibet and dives into the world of fiction and comics, and the Dalai Lama makes an appearance.
The History of Sport podcast which I mention can be found here and on all the other usual podcast platforms.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twit
The History of Sport - Baseball & The Little Pretty Pocket Book
This is a preview of my new/other podcast. It has its own podcast feed, so I won't be bombarding you with other episodes on this feed, but I'm putting this one here in case anyone is interested. You can find more on Apple Podcasts and all the usual other platforms. Back soon with the next Human Circus episode!
Today's episode is about a piece of baseball history, very early baseball history. It's
Prester John 9: The End Part One
What happens to a mythical priest-king when you get too close to him? Does he just disappear?
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Keagan Brewer. Taylor & Francis, 2019.
Ra
Prester John 8: Ambassador Mateus and his Many Doubters
In the early years of the 16th-century, Ethiopia's regent, Eleni, sent an ambassador to Portugal to propose an alliance. She sent a man named Mateus. Unfortunately for Mateus, almost nobody believed him.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
P
Prester John 7: The Way from Lisbon
I finished this episode before Christmas and uploaded it to Patreon, only to completely forget to upload it anywhere else. So if you're wondering why I'm on here talking (very unnecessarily!) about how I won't have another episode out before Christmas, etc., that's why!
That aside, this episode is not any kind of a Christmas special anyways. It's the continuation of my Prester John story, on the t
Prester John 6: The Ethiopian Prester John
This is the first of two episodes on the next jump in the Prester John narrative, as the story pivots to Ethiopia and as Ethiopian envoys and pilgrims travel in 15th-century Italy and Spain.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Prester John:
Medieval Halloween: Lamias, Devils, and Disembodied Hands
Medieval stories of the paranormal, for Halloween or any time really. Featuring invisible devils, water sprites, and helpful hands.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Gesta Romanorum, translated by Charles Swan. George Bell & Sons, 1905.
J
Prester John 5: The Mongol Priest-King
The Mongols, their conquests, and the travellers who went to see them were all going to necessitate some changes to the Prester John narrative. This episode is all about those changes.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Prester John: The Le
Prester John 4: Waiting for David
After their success at Damietta, the participants in the Fifth Crusade decide what to do next, and they wait for a certain someone...
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Ke
Prester John 3: The Fifth Crusade
The crusaders make their way first to Acre and then to Damietta. Perhaps someone would be along to help them soon?
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Keagan Brewer. Taylor
Prester John 2.5: Papal Correspondence
A shorter episode, on a letter from Pope Alexander III to Prester John.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble.
Sources:
Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Keagan Brewer. Taylor & Francis, 2019.
Pope Alexander III (115
Prester John 2: Where From and What For
On the many fantastic additions to the Letter of Prester John (Dragons! Strange Bakeries! Etc!), and on the theories around it.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble at https://www.redbubble.com/people/humancircus.
Sources:
Prester John: The Legend and
Prester John 1: The Letter
The legend in its early forms: the arrival in Rome of a patriarch from the east, the chronicles of Otto of Freising, and that famous "letter."
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble at https://www.redbubble.com/people/humancircus.
Sources:
Otto of Freisin
Medieval Lives 2: Ramon Llull
Ramon Llull sat down one night to write a love song, but instead he experienced a religious vision that would totally change the direction of his life.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble at https://www.redbubble.com/people/humancircus.
Sources:
Docto
Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī 3: To Home, to Herat
The Timurid ambassador's time in India comes to an end, and he heads for home.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble at https://www.redbubble.com/people/humancircus.
Sources:
India in the Fifteenth Century: Being a Collection of Narratives of Voyages to
Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī 2: City of Victory
Shah Rukh's ambassador to the Indian city of Qaliqut arrives at the heart of the Vijayanagara Empire, finding much to admire but also war, a usurper, and uncertainties about his own status. We visit Hampi, the centre of that late-medieval power, and we talk about elephants.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Insta
Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī 1: The Unwilling Envoy
It's 1442, and Shah Rukh, the son of Timur, is sending an ambassador for Qaliqut / Kozhikode on the Indian coast. That ambassador, Abd-al-Razzāq, sails from Hormuz and experiences delays, sickness, death, and disappointment. Making matters worse, he never actually wanted to go.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, I
Medieval Lives 1: al-Ghazāl
This is a story about Abū Zakariyyāʾ Yaḥyā ibn Ḥakam al-Bakrī al-Jayyānī, known also as al-Ghazāl (the Gazelle). It's the story of a 9th century poet on an embassy from the Emirate of Córdoba to a Viking ruler.
If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here.
I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble at htt
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