The Murder of Thomas Becket

Today we’re continuing on with the Táin Bó Cúailnge (the Cattle Raid of Cooley), using the Penguin Classics translation by Ciaran Carson. The pair follow Queen Medb and Ailill's army as it marches for the prized brown bull, encounter prophetic signs and curses, and introduce the unstoppable young hero Cúchulainn. Between battlefield omens, brutal skirmishes, and Cúchulainn's violent boyhood exploits, the episode blends mythology, geography, and grisly action.

Today we are talking about the Táin Bó Cúailnge, also known as the Cattle Raid of Cooley, which is an Irish Saga from the Ulster Cycle of Sagas. The Ulster Cycle includes around 80 stories about the people of Ireland beginning around the 1st century. The Tain itself was first written down in around the 12th century. The translation of the Tain that I’m using is by Ciaran Carson created for Penguin Classics. Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.

Today we are talking about Jeanne de Clisson, otherwise known as the Lionness of Brittany. Jeanne’s story features war, love, piracy, and of course murder.  Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.

Today we have a very special guest on the podcast, M.T. Anderson who is the New York Times best-selling author of Feed, a National Book Award finalist and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize; The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, winner of the 2006 National Book Award; and Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, a Boston Globe–Horn Book Prize winner, among many other books for children and young adults. We are going to be talking about his latest novel, Nicked, which follows the story of a medieval heist for a saint's body. Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.

Today we are talking about a very popular, if you can call it that, murder from the 1500s that features a love triangle, a failed poisoning and much more - it's the murder of Thomas Arden! Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.  

Today we are talking about the murder of Marguerite Porete, who, while little known to most people, is a fascinating woman whose life ended terribly - featuring the inquisition and the Beguin movement! Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.

Today we are discussing the Sack of Rome of 1527, along with all of the political components that came along with it, with a special emphasis on the Swiss Guard! Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website www.medievalmurder.org.

Today we are talking about one of my favorite stories in medieval history, Pope Formosus and what led to what is now known as the Cadaver Synod where they put a deceased pope on trial for his supposed crimes but it backfires. Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website www.medievalmurder.org.

Today we are talking about Kett's Rebellion which took place in Norfolk, England in the 16th century. Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.

Today we are talking about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 which has been labeled by historians as the first great popular rebellion in English History. Thank you for listening to Medieval Murder! If you have any listener questions, comments, or topic suggestions please feel free to reach out via our instagram account @MedievalMurder or via email at [email protected]. Also, check out our merch available on our website medievalmurder.org.