American Medieval
American Medieval is a podcast about the history of the Middle Ages, told with an American twist. Each week, host Prof. Matthew Gabriele is joined by expert guests to explore not medieval history itself, but how and why the Middle Ages still hold such a grip on the American imagination. Rather than a straight historical survey, the show looks at the ways America keeps returning to medieval ideas, symbols and myths. New episodes are released every Wednesday, with ad-free versions available to Patreon supporters.
Episodes
Medieval True Crime with Sara McDougall
Prof. Gabriele and Sara McDougall talk about her new book, a medieval true crime thriller about an alleged sexual assault in medieval France, and how we can know so much about the rich, complicated lives of people who usually don’t appear in our sources.GuestSara McDougall is professor of history at John Jay College of the City University of New York and affiliated with the CUNY Graduate
Creatures of Myth with Julia Perratore and Joanne Pillsbury
We’re back at the Cloisters (in NYC) in this episode! Prof. Gabriele is joined by Joanne Pillsbury and Julia Perratorre to talk about the exhibition “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” that compares monstrous(?) hybrids from Europe and the Americas.GuestsJulia Perratore is Associate Curator, Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, where she specializes in the art of southern Europe.
Stealing St. Nick with M.T. Anderson
Prof. Gabriele is joined by the National Book Award winning author M. T. Anderson to talk about his new book Stealing Saint Nick. We talk about the saint, the heist and its cast of characters (freaking Matteo!), and writing good history for teens and adults.GuestM. T. Anderson is a National Book Award-winning author. He’s written stories for adults, picture books for children, adventure n
September Medieval News with David M. Perry & Thomas Lecaque
Medieval in the neeeeeeews… This week we talk Bayeux Tapestry, the anti-LLM vibes in our classrooms, and how to ethically use technology in studying the past. Plus no one knows about “Game of Thrones” anymore. GuestThomas Lecaque is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the First Year Experience at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, located on Baxoje, Meskwaki
Medieval Dungeon Crawling with Stephen Yeager
Prof. Gabriele and Stephen Yeager talk about how medieval “aventure” (adventures) have a lot in common with Twitch streams and the epic Dungeon Crawler Carl phenomenon. Who knew? GuestStephen Yeager is a professor of English at Concordia University, in Montreal. For information about his teaching and research, visit his faculty webpage. CreditsHost & Executive Producer: Matt
Medieval Caves with Alexander D’Alisera
Prof. Gabriele and Alex talk about caves. Geologic time. Mystical experiences. Hiding stuff from the fuzz. Plus the idea of total darkness is freaky.GuestAlexander D’Alisera is an interdisciplinary historian of medieval Europe, specializing in caves, stone, ritual, and religion. Currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of History at Boston College, he is working on a book titled Medieval
Turin Shroud (Crossover with Tiny Matters Podcast)
In this crossover episode with Tiny Matters, we talk about a new scientific study (and some older studies) of the Turin Shroud. Prof. Gabriele talks about its history and about medieval relics generally, and the Tiny Matters experts talk about DNA testing and other science stuff. Collaboration FTW!GuestSam Jones, PhD, is the executive producer and co-host of the science podcast Tiny Matte
August Medieval News with David M. Perry & Thomas Lecaque
In our 1st episode of its kind, we talk about the Middle Ages [in a “Pigs in Space” voice”] in the news. Prof. Gabriele is joined by David M. Perry and Thomas Lecaque to talk about archeological discoveries, AI slop, “medieval” medicine in the modern world, and fascists’ love for the crusades. GuestThomas Lecaque is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the First Year
“Neomedieval” Detroit with Rachel Gabriele
Hey! It’s a great episode, perhaps the best episode because our guest this week [Borat voice] MY WIFE! Rachel Gabriele talks with us about Detroit and how the city tells stories about itself – but also how the overlapping policy, politics, and economics of the city (and its universities) are similar to the Middle Ages.GuestRachel currently serves in the Provost's Office at Virginia Tech l
Medieval Tattoos with Esther Liberman Cuenca
There was no word for tattoo (in Europe) before the 18th century or so, but people had tattoos. Esther Cuenca talks about how to get at the lives of the 90% of the population who often don’t have sources written for them. Plus Prof. Gabriele tells you about his own tattoo.GuestEsther Liberman Cuenca is Associate Professor of History at Texas A&M University–Victoria and the author of T
Medieval Conspiracy Theories with Elise Wang
This episode is about stories and what they do. Medievals told them (as we do today, often without knowing it!) that conveyed truth, but not necessarily fact. This is where conspiracy theories come from. Is there hope to defeat them? Yup. GuestElise Wang works on the medieval history of modern ideas, like felony (her first book) and conspiracy theories (her second). She is an assista
Let’s go to Hell with Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins has been thinking about Hell for a long time, and so have medieval Christians. But only one of them grew up in Ohio. Plus there are 2 killer puns towards the end that I’m very proud of.GuestStephen Hopkins is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Virginia. He teaches Old English and Old Norse languages and literatures, as well as courses on
Medieval Sicily and the Mediterranean with Sarah Davis-Secord
Sicily isn’t just cannoli (but it is, and they’re great). In the Middle Ages, this was an island filled with Latin Christians, Greek Christians, Muslims, and Jews — and one that kept right on chugging as the centerpoint (almost literally) of the Mediterranean. We talk about how people moved, didn’t, got along, and didn’t. GuestSarah Davis-Secord is Professor of History and Associate
American (Medieval) Monsters with Surekha Davies
Monstrification. Prof. Gabriele talks with Surekha Davies about Star Trek and how that led to a career studying monsters in the European imagination, plus how embracing wonder helps historians (and people generally) understand the world. GuestSurekha Davies is a historian of science, speaker, and historical monster consultant. She’s the author most recently of Humans: A Monstrous His
The Medieval F-Word (“Feudalism”) with Ada Kuskowski
The medieval F-word. Ada Kuskowski and Prof. Gabriele talk about “Feudalism” and how it’s a term that’s more about modernity than the Middle Ages. It’s Adam Smith’s fault.GuestAda Kuskowski is an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania. Her book Vernacular Law: Writing and the Reinvention of Customary Law in Medieval France was published in 2022,
Medieval Plays in Modern Times with Andrew Albin
Imagine walking down the street and seeing a fox arguing with a wolf, or some dudes on a cart talking about the end of the world. That’s (part of) medieval drama, baby. Prof. Gabriele and Andrew Albin talk about how street theater, both in the medieval world and performed today, can be liberatory.GuestAndrew Albin is Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Fordham University. His sch
Opera and Medievalism with Hannah Weaver
Matt and Hannah talk opera and how it uses the Middle Ages, because there is A LOT of medievalism in opera - far beyond the stereotypes we have in our head about Wagner. There’s something in the water that helps us think not just about the medieval world, but our own. Take that Chalamet. GuestHannah Weaver is an assistant professor of medieval literature at Columbia University. She's
Medieval Techno-Optimism with Jennifer Jahner
This episode we talk about Roger Bacon, maybe not perfect for Instagram but not far off. There’s some medieval science (and using data to understand the medieval world), some alchemy, and some antichrist. Peter Thiel even gets a mention, but only briefly. GuestJennifer Jahner is a Professor of English at Caltech, where she has worked since 2012. Trained in literature, she has migrate
The 100 (200?) Years War with Michael Livingston
Michael and Matt talk about wars between England and France. There were a lot of them, or maybe there was just one. Plus we talk about humility in doing the work of history and how telling stories is really good for making people understand things. GuestMichael Livingston, PhD, FRHistS, Col (UMSC), is an award-winning historian and author who frequently lectures on military history a
Grief/Pain and Turning Away in the Middle Ages with Benjamin Saltzman
Although our guest doesn’t still skateboard (much), he does have a great new book on the history of a gesture - to turn away from grief/ shame. What does it mean to bear witness in the medieval and modern worlds?GuestBenjamin A. Saltzman is associate professor of English at the University of Chicago, where he coedits the journal Modern Philology. Saltzman is the author of the books Bonds
Medieval America with Kathleen Duval
In this episode, Kathleen and Matt talk about vast early North America and all the peoples who inhabited it during (what Europeans call) the Middle Ages. There were cities, and then there weren’t. And the not having cities was better in a lot of ways, so we don’t need to cling to 19th-century stories about what’s “civilized” and what isn’t.GuestsKathleen DuVal is the author of the Pulitze
Lost Worlds with Patrick Wyman
There’s something just amazing about being able to reconstruct a person’s life in the deep past, from say 5,000 years ago. Matt and Patrick talk in this episode about how being a medievalist helps think about our shared humanity and why history is so freakin’ exciting. GuestPatrick Wyman is a historian and the host of the history podcast “Tides of History” and now the new show “Past
Multicultural Middle Ages with Reed O’Mara and Loren Cantrell
I think this might be a food podcast now because we talked a lot about cake. But also in this episode we talk about archives, how podcasts can demystify the medieval world, and how everyone should be welcomed into studying the Middle Ages.GuestsReed O'Mara is a PhD candidate in the joint art history program between Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art and is cur
Future Medievalisms with Matthew X. Vernon
It’s the Matthew and Matthew show! In this episode, we talk about frictions - about how art can help us think differently about the Middle Ages, as well as our own futures. Plus we talk about Doritos.GuestMatthew Vernon is a medievalist at UC Davis. He’s the author of The Black Middle Ages: Race and the Construction of the Middle Ages, and if you want a peek into his new work, check out&n
Medieval Video Games with Blair Apgar
Video games! They’re fun. We discuss, and mention some of our favorites set in/ around the Middle Ages. Plus they’re really great for showing how history works. Trust us, we’re doctors.GuestBlair Apgar is an assistant professor of Art history at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where they research and teach on the reception of the Middle Ages into modern media such as video games. The
Crossover Episode with “Reckoning” (the film “Kingdom of Heaven”)
This is an older episode from the “Reckoning with Jason Herbert” back catalog, but we all talk about the Ridley Scott epic (?) “Kingdom of Heaven.” Matt yells about water, among other things. GuestJason Herbert is the host of Reckoning with Jason Herbert, a podcast about history, the outdoors, and movies. He's also the creator of “Historians at the Movies” Watch Party, one of the lon
Medieval Comics with Natalie Hopwood
This episode we talk about Norse sagas and medieval comics. Jack Kirby was an interesting guy - loved norse stuff and hated Nazis. Plus dragons. We talk about medieval dragons.GuestsNatalie Hopwood is a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, where she researches monster encounters as points of intertextuality in Old Norse, and other medieval literature, in modern media, particularly Am
The “Dark Ages” with David M. Perry and Eleanor Janega
Ok, we get yell-y about the “Dark Ages” in this episode. But first David and Matt make a shocking admission on this April 1, 2026 episode. Then we talk about other things. GuestsDr Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian, whose work aims to highlight the ways that our society has been influenced by the past, and more particularly, how it tells stories about history that aren’t actuall
Medieval America (Cahokia) with Sarah Baires
North America? Of course you did. We have Dr. Sarah Baires about that, specifically Cahokia - a city of about 20,000 people outside (modern) St. Louis that was bigger than Rome was at the same time. GuestDr. Sarah Baires received her PhD in anthropological archaeology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2014, and her research focuses on why humans built and populated
Medieval Printing (and why LLMs are crap) with Sonja Drimmer
Did you know that the earliest printing press is from the 13th century? And that the idea of print in the Middle Ages was pervasive and very different from ours? Plus, so-called “AI” is bad for education and I’m sorry to any fans of the Beatles. GuestSonja Drimmer is associate professor of medieval art in the Department of the History of Art & Architecture at the University of Ma
The Voynich Manuscript with Lisa Fagin Davis
Aliens! Not really. In this episode, Prof. Gabriele and Lisa talk about the travels of medieval manuscripts (including why there are so many right here in the USA - only Alaska doesn’t have any!), but also the inscrutable and mysterious Voynich Manuscript, with its puzzling script and compelling (weird) illustrations.GuestLisa Fagin Davis received her PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale Uni
Russian Medievalisms with Eugene Smelyansky
This episode ranges over 19th-century history and why they thought of the Middle Ages as vibes, to the vast varieties of experiences of minority communities in medieval Europe, to how Putin uses the Middle Ages politically in contemporary Russia. Plus we righteously hate on Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations.”GuestEugene Smelyansky is an Assistant Professor of History at Washingt
Medieval Islam (and Race) with Rachel Schine
This episode focuses mostly on medieval Islam, including a cool medieval epic about a warrior woman and her son. But also we talk about why theory is good (it is), and how medievals - not just in the Islamicate world - thought about enslaved peoples and race difference. It’s different, but kind of similar, to how we do today.GuestRachel Schine is an assistant professor of Arabic and Histo
American Holy War with Thomas Lecaque
Prof. Gabriele and Thomas talk about holy war and the end of the world and why early white Americans were kind of like medieval Europeans. GuestThomas Lecaque is an Associate Professor of History and the Director of the First Year Experience at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, located on Baxoje, Meskwaki and Sauk lands. His primary research area is on religious violence and
Spectrum of Desire with Nancy Thebaut and Melanie Holcomb
Prof. Gabriele and guests today are talking about sex, baby. About you and me. About all the good things and the bad things that may be. Sorry. But we are talking about medieval sex and desire with Nancy Thebaut and Melanie Holcomb, who have co-curated the great exhibition “Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages” at the Cloisters Museum in NYC.GuestsNancy Thebaut is
Wow if True / American Medieval on Medieval Memes and Other Internet Stuff
Enjoy this special collab episode with "Wow if True," a podcast on internet culture and sibling in the Multitude Collective. Prof. Gabriele, Isabel J. Kim, and Amanda Silberling talk about your most favorite (and least favorite) medieval memes and various other internet stuff.GuestsSee more about Amanda and Isabel at this link. You already know about Prof. Gabriele.CreditsHost &
Vikings with Daniel Melleno
Vikings. We talk about Vikings. It’s great. Traders and raiders, but no horned helmets. GuestDaniel Melleno is Associate Professor of pre-modern history at the University of Denver. His recently published book, Franks and Northmen: From Stangers to Neighbors, and his research more broadly, looks at the impact of cross-cultural encounters in the early medieval world. In the classroom
Space Opera and Byzantine History with Arkady Martine
We go on a journey in this episode. Arkady Martine (AnnaLinden Weller) and Prof. Gabriele talk here about telling stories, about getting at complicated lives, and about the allure of empires (even when viewed from the margins). History and fiction? Thicker than thieves, those two. GuestArkady Martine is the author of the Teixcalaan series, a multitude of short stories, and various ot
Medieval Africa and K12 Education with John Terry
John and Matt talk about not liking time machines (generally) but also about how the “medieval” can mean more than Europe, and why we should always talk about Africa. Plus a lot on teaching the Middle Ages, and how K-12 teaching compares with college. GuestJohn Terry is an award-winning world history teacher at the Paideia School in Atlanta, and has taught history from the ancient wo
Medieval Penguins with Ellen Arnold
In this episode there are dead mules, dead asses, and penguins. These are all sort of related to one another in the conversation Prof. Gabriele has with Ellen Arnold, but mostly we talk about how the Middle Ages had much more science than the 0% they supposedly did. People really cared about the natural world! They investigated it! It’s neat! GuestEllen Arnold is a senior lecturer at
Dirtbag Medievalism with Megan L. Cook
Everybody loves Wheatus, right? Wait, you don’t know who Wheatus is? Nevermind, we’ll get there in this episode. Megan and Prof. Gabriele talk about book history, how medieval people could indeed read - and engage with books in all sorts of interesting ways. Plus, we talk about dirtbag medievalism, a grungy vibes-based way of thinking about the Middle Ages.GuestMegan L. Cook is the Arthur
St. Nicholas (Santa?) with Rutger Kramer
Prof. Gabriele and Rutger Kramer talk about jolly old St. Nicholas - who, in part, became a saint because he was a rich guy who was also nice. Then he became Santa Claus.GuestRutger Kramer is assistant professor of Medieval History at Utrecht University (The Netherlands). He works mostly on Carolingian history, monasticism, and hagiographies – topics which are tied together by his interes
Carolingian Oathbreakers with David M. Perry
Prof. Gabriele and David Perry talk about their recent book, Oathbreakers, about an early medieval civil war that remade Europe. Plus we talk about how we can understand what happened in the past when the sources want to stay silent.GuestDavid M. Perry is a journalist and historian, who currently works as the associate director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Minnesota. He’s
Medieval Jesus with Brett Whalen
In this episode, Prof. Gabriele and Brett talk about Jesus through the years. Defying our assumptions, that Christian figure hasn’t stayed the same and his image was very different through the Middle Ages. Plus we talk a bit about Led Zeppelin.GuestBrett Whalen is the Zachary Smith Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He generally resea
Disney and Byzantium with Roland Betancourt
In this episode, Roland and Matt talk about Disney and the Byzantine Empire (not in that order). Plus we talk about how the process of studying the past can lead you down interesting rabbit holes and connect, for example, the Byzantine Empire and Disney.GuestRoland Betancourt is currently the Andrew W Mellon Professor in the Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts at the National
The “Fall of Rome” with Sarah Bond
SummaryIn this episode, we spend our time thinking about the Roman Empire. Cliche, but fun. Anyway, Sarah and Prof. Gabriele discuss how we can hear from the 98.5% of Rome that wasn’t an emperor (or a dude), and then try to unpack why Americans are so freaking obsessed with comparing themselves to Romans and why it always seems like the “Fall of Rome” (which isn’t really a thing) is just
Medieval Eels with John Wyatt Greenlee
Eels. Prof. Gabriele and John Wyatt talk about eels. And maps. We also talk about maps, but mainly medieval eels. GuestJohn Wyatt Greenlee is a cartographic historian, as well as a historian of roads and pathways and pilgrimage. He’s best known on social media though as the Surprised Eel Historian, and he’s been profiled in TIME, The Guardian, Atlas Obscura, Hakai Magazine, and
Public Medievalism with Eleanor Janega
In this very first episode of American Medieval, Prof. Gabriele and Dr Janega talk about what got us interested in the Middle Ages, what it’s like to do public-facing history, why Czech history is super cool, and why Dan Brown drives medievalists nuts.GuestDr Eleanor Janega is a medieval historian, whose work aims to highlight the ways that our society has been influenced by the past, and
Welcome to American Medieval
American Medieval is a podcast about the Middle Ages, but with an American twist. Each week, your host Prof. Matthew Gabriele is joined by expert guests to explore not just the Middle Ages themselves, but how and why they have such a hold on our collective imagination. After all, if America has never been modern, it’s because we’ve always been slightly medieval.New episodes released every
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