Beyond Sad Gruel: Food and Diet in Medieval Europe

(Host: Samantha)  Games are amazing. They teach us how to engage with the world through play. They’ve also been used to train some of the greatest military minds. Chess is notoriously the game of the aristocracy, used to teach strategy and forward thinking. In the 19th century, a Prussian father and son, George Leopold von Reisswitz and Georg Heinrich Rudolf Johann von Reisswitz, brought strategic gaming to a whole new level with profound results.   For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com    

(Host: Christine) One of Napoleon Bonaparte’s favorite methods of expanding control was to place his siblings in positions of power. Here, Christine takes a look at the lives of Napoleon’s three dynamic sisters (Elisa, Pauline, and Caroline), their rise to imperial prominence, and how they were impacted by the fall of their brother. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Christine) In the 13th century, nobleman Simon de Montfort led an infamous and bloody rebellion against his brother-in-law, King Henry III of England. Simon’s fight against royal power (and controversial life!) caused him to be a focus of one of Footnoting History’s earliest episodes. Now, over a decade later, we are revisiting his story for listeners both new and old –and incorporating more details, newer research, and better audio performance.    For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Samantha)  Ladies, do you ever feel frustrated by the lack of pockets in your clothes? Gentlemen, have you ever heard a woman friend complain about her pockets or been asked to stow a phone or a wallet for a companion? This phenomenon isn’t new. Since the introduction of the three-piece suit in the seventeenth century, men have had a near monopoly on pockets. Tune in this week to learn more about the origin of the pocket in western dress and to consider why women’s pocket game is so limited. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com  

(Host: Lucy) Seasonal eating and regional eating were the variables responsible for the most widespread differences in what people ate, although then as now, wealth and class played a significant role in what was available to and prized by diners. Contrary to Hollywood myth, though, sad gruel was not the norm. This episode explores cooking, eating, and thinking about food in medieval Europe. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Christine) In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, siblings William and Caroline Herschel dedicated their lives to studying the stars. Among their accomplishments were discovering a planet (William) and comets (Caroline), causing them to leave their marks on the field of astronomy forever. This episode of Footnoting History explores their fascinating lives from their surprisingly musical beginnings to their astronomical achievements. ​ For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Kristin) Medieval clothing was much more than simply a way to keep warm and decent: it was a statement about social class, wealth, and increasingly personal taste. Clothing meant something – and what people wore could change with a mood or the day or the family they were born into. Find out what medieval people were wearing, this week on Footnoting History! For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Lucy)  The second through fourth centuries C.E. saw a profound transformation, and profound upheavals, in the Roman world as a result of the rise of Christianity as a universal religion. Religion, flexible and syncretic, was a powerful source of identity for the Romans, from the temples of misty Britain to the mystery cults of the Middle East. The growing numbers of Christians, as a minority incapable of assimilation, were a disturbing anomaly… and a useful scapegoat. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Josh)  In the 14th century, Pope Clement V sent several missionary friars to Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing) to consecrate fellow missionary Franciscan John of Montecorvino the new archbishop of a new archdiocese that included most of China and India. Who was John of Montecorvino and why did the Latin Church feel an archdiocese was necessary in a place so far from Europe? Find out on this episode of Footnoting History. For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com

(Host: Kristin)  Both feared and respected, the executioner was indispensable to the premodern system of justice in the West.  The skill and the service he provided were essential to keeping order but: who were they, how did one become an executioner, and did he wear a mask? Find out this week on Footnoting History!  For further reading suggestions and more, please visit: https://www.footnotinghistory.com