108. April Fool's Episode: Pope Joan, Rome 855-857

108. April Fool's Episode: Pope Joan, Rome 855-857

Author: Anne Brannen and Michelle Butler April 30, 2025 Duration: 33:11
For all of the middle ages, almost everybody believed that earlier in church history, there had been a pope who was, instead of being male, a woman, who met, alas, a Bad End. She wasn't there, as some people suspected then, and as we know now, but the story is so damn good it's hard to let go of. Whichever version of the story you're dealing with. Anne explains the different versions of Pope Joan and how we know she wasn't there, and Michelle is delighted by the vast amount of pop...

Ever wonder if human nature has really changed all that much over the centuries? True Crime Medieval, hosted by historians Anne Brannen and Michelle Butler, digs into a thousand years of historical mischief, mayhem, and outright villainy. This isn't just a dry recounting of dates and battles; it's a deep dive into the dark alleyways of the past, where greed, passion, and power led to deeds that would feel right at home in a modern headline. Each episode focuses on a specific case, unraveling the motives, the methods, and the often-surprising social contexts that shaped crime and punishment from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance. You'll hear about poisoned chalices, treacherous plots, shocking betrayals, and the long, messy struggle for justice in eras without forensic science. Brannen and Butler blend rigorous historical research with engaging storytelling, treating these ancient scandals with the detailed scrutiny of a true crime investigation. The result is a fascinating podcast that reveals how people have always been capable of astonishingly bad behavior, proving that the drive for wealth, revenge, or love is truly timeless. Tune in for stories where the stakes are life and death, the suspects wear crowns or cowls, and every mystery is a window into the complex world of our medieval ancestors.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

True Crime Medieval
Podcast Episodes
53. St. Brice's Day Massacre, England November 13, 1002 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:38
King Æthelred of England really did not have the wherewithal to successfully deal with the Danish/English tension that he had inherited with the throne, which had been caused by Viking raids for about 100 years, notably…
51. Pope Stephen VI is Murdered, Rome, Italy 897 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:19
In 897, in Rome, Pope Stephen VI was strangled, in prison. There. That's the True Crime. We don't know who did it -- a representative of the people of Rome, we suppose. The interesting part of this crime is not that he g…
50.  Charlemagne Massacres the Saxons, Verden, Lower Saxony 782 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:24
One day, after the Saxons won one of the many battles in the Saxon Wars, Charlemagne, who was pretty annoyed, ordered the mass execution of 4,500 warriors. This didn't really tarnish his golden reputation until the 18th…
49.Edward I Steals the Stone of Scone, Scone, Scotland 1296 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:16
Edward I invaded Scotland in 1296, on account of (he said) their broken feudal obligations. Amongst the usual spoils of war -- prisoners, horses, weapons, nice gold stuff -- he took a rock. Weighing about 335 pounds. We…
48. Viking Child Murdered, Dublin, Ireland 9th-10th C. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:55
As a true crime subject, our Viking child is problematic: who is he? We don't know. How did he die? We don't know. Why did he get thrown in the tidal pool that's now the back gardens of Dublin Castle? We don't know. When…
St. Olga Massacres the Drevlians, Ukraine, 945 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:28
The Primary Russian Chronicle tells us much about the revenge that Olga of of the Kievan Rus took on the Drevlians after they killed her husband. And most of it is surely mythological. Entire boatloads of ambassadors bei…
In Which We Explain a Brief Hiatus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:45
We interrupt our regular programming to explain that COVID hijacked our schedule. Don't worry, all is well; it's just busy around here. We will be back in two weeks for our usual discussion of the bad behaviour of long d…
46. Battle Abbey Forges Charters, Sussex, England mid 12th Century [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:09
After the Normans conquered England, the pope sanctioned them, on account of how much slaughtering had gone on. So, being sanctioned, they were very sorry. Which is why William the Conqueror founded Battle Abbey, where t…
45. The Sack of Constantinople, April 8-13, 1204 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:35
From the middle of the 5th century until 1204, Constantinople was the largest, the wealthiest, the most sophisticated, the most important city in Europe. Then the 4th Crusade, which had intended to go retake Jerusalem, w…