How did a nine-year-old boy save England from the brink of collapse? How did he transform a disastrous legacy into a remarkably stable reign?

When King John died in 1216, civil war raged, barons invited a French prince to seize the throne, and the new monarch Henry III was just nine years old. Against all odds, the boy king navigated rebellion, rebuilt royal authority after Magna Carta, and laid the foundations for one of the longest reigns in English history.

Matt Lewis finds out more from renowned Medieval historian David Carpenter.

More:

Rise of The Plantagenets

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

King John: Worst Medieval Monarch?

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

**WARNING: This episode contains explicit language and sexual content

How did prostitution become so visible in medieval towns? How could sex work flourish, sometimes in the very same buildings as schools, churches and markets?

Prostitutes were a familiar presence in medieval cities, raising fascinating questions about morality, religion, law and urban life.

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Kate Lister, host of our sister podcast Betwixt the Sheets, to uncover a surprising world where ideals and reality often sat uneasily side by side.

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editors are Ella Blaxhill and Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Lewis and guest Dr Eleanor Barraclough as they dive into the turbulent world of late 10th-century Scandinavia and the extraordinary life of Olaf Tryggvason. Exiled, enslaved, raider, and eventually king of Norway, Olaf was a force of nature in an age of shifting loyalties, pagan beliefs, and rising Christianity. From Kievan Rus to the British Isles, this episode traces his violent rise and his brutal drive to convert Norway and beyond.

MORE

Erik Bloodaxe

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Leif Erikson

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Norse Mythology: How to Reach Valhalla

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How was folklore woven into the everyday life of medieval Icelanders? How did they make sense of the darkness of their world?

During Iceland's endless nights, tales of trolls, ghosts, elves, hidden people and restless spirits were far more than entertainment: they explained an unpredictable existence, preserved history, and warned against unseen dangers.

Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Dagrún Ósk Jónsdóttir, to explore the extraordinary legends and oral traditions that continue to shape Icelandic culture today.

MORE

Norse Mythology: Creation Myths

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Welsh Folk Tales

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if “High King” in medieval Ireland was less a fixed office than a fiercely contested prize, won through ritual, lineage, and force? On the Hill of Tara, a would-be ruler climbs toward the Stone of Destiny, hoping for the legendary cry that marks him as chosen.

Matt Lewis and Dr Seán Ó Hoireabhárd explore a world of multiple kings, turn-taking dynasties, cattle raiding, and shifting power between church, Norse settlers, and Irish rivals. Along the way, they reveal how Tara, Brian Boru, and the Uí Néill shaped Ireland’s tangled medieval politics.

MORE

Castles and the Conquest of Ireland

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

A Complete History of Medieval Ireland

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Robin McConnell. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Watch Matt and Eleanor's new documentary The Rise of the Plantagenets on History Hit. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was life really like for working peasant women in the Middle Ages? How did family, marriage, work and social class shape their choices, joys and struggles?

Taking a break from the usual queens, noblewomen and saints of the Medieval period, Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Catherine Hanley to explore the unsung experiences of mothers and daughters, wives, widows and women workers across medieval society.

MORE

The Anarchy: Disruptive Women

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

How to Survive the 14th Century

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Jangea. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Watch Eleanor and Matt's new documentary The Rise of the Plantagenets with a History Hit subscription. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week, PLUS early-access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to face a Danish invasion and fight for a kingdom in just 222 days?

In 1016, England is at war as Edmund Ironside meets Cnut for a crown on the line. Matt Lewis and Dr David McDermott trace a young warrior king who fought six battles, won his name for speed and strength, and held the field at Sherston, Brentford, and beyond.

MORE

Æthelstan: First King of the English

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

King Cnut & the End of the Viking Age

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did an empress become the most dangerous claimant to the English throne?

From the Battle of Lincoln to her legendary escape from Oxford Castle, Matilda was a formidable political actor whose legacy shaped the Plantagenet dynasty.

Dr Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Elisabeth van Houts to explore Matilda’s imperial upbringing, her contested claim after Henry I’s death, the infamous White Ship disaster, and the brutal civil war known as the Anarchy.

MORE

The Anarchy: Disruptive Women

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

How to be a Medieval Teenager

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

Watch Eleanor and Matt's new documentary The Rise of the Plantagenets with a History Hit subscription. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS Early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.