Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval World
A narrative history podcast following the journeys of medieval travellers and their roles in larger historical events. Telling great stories, showing the interconnected nature of the medieval world, and meeting Mongols, Ottomans, Franciscans, merchants, ambassadors, and adventurers along the way.
140 episodes • 0 archived •
Medieval Lives 11: William Fitz Osbert and the Unrest in London
April 9
April 9
40 mins
Nasir Khusraw 3: Makkah and the Way Home
March 31
March 31
46 mins
Nasir Khusraw 2: Fatimid Egypt
March 18
March 18
42 mins
Nasir Khusraw 1: Wine, Waking, and the Journey to Jerusalem and Elsewhere
Dec 31, 2024
Dec 31, 2024
41 mins
A Medieval Christmas, 2024
Dec 22, 2024
Dec 22, 2024
23 mins
Medieval Lives 10: Pietro d'Abano
Dec 5, 2024
Dec 5, 2024
35 mins
A Medieval Haunting in the Annales Fuldenses
Oct 30, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
33 mins
Medieval Lives 9: John Crabbe
Oct 28, 2024
Oct 28, 2024
36 mins
Pedro Tafur 7: Losing Teeth, Losing Swords
Oct 11, 2024
Oct 11, 2024
36 mins
Pedro Tafur 6: In the Baths and at the Fairs
Oct 2, 2024
Oct 2, 2024
38 mins
Pedro Tafur 5: Doomed Empires and Slavery on the Black Sea
Sep 4, 2024
Sep 4, 2024
42 mins
Pedro Tafur 4: Cyprus, Chios, and Constantinople
Jul 27, 2024
Jul 27, 2024
40 mins
Pedro Tafur 3: From Cyprus to Cairo
Jul 2, 2024
Jul 2, 2024
41 mins
Pedro Tafur 2: Busy Days in the Holy Land
Jun 21, 2024
Jun 21, 2024
37 mins
Pedro Tafur 1: The Mediterranean Tour
May 27, 2024
May 27, 2024
39 mins
Medieval Lives 8: Giovanni Fontana
May 1, 2024
May 1, 2024
36 mins
The Fire at Louvain
Apr 28, 2024
Apr 28, 2024
39 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 10: Lisbon at Last
Mar 26, 2024
Mar 26, 2024
34 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 9: With Francis Xavier in Japan
Mar 13, 2024
Mar 13, 2024
35 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 8: First in Japan
Feb 26, 2024
Feb 26, 2024
37 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 7: A Traveller's Guide to Ming China
Feb 2, 2024
Feb 2, 2024
43 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 6: Grave Robbery and Leeches
Jan 17, 2024
Jan 17, 2024
34 mins
The Medieval Winter and Other Seasons Since
Jan 2, 2024
Jan 2, 2024
26 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 5: Revenge and a Little Piracy Too
Dec 19, 2023
Dec 19, 2023
49 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 4: The Aceh Sultanate and Further Suffering at Sea
Nov 29, 2023
Nov 29, 2023
42 mins
Medieval Halloween: Signs in the Sky, Strange Children, etc
Oct 31, 2023
Oct 31, 2023
36 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 3: Melaka and the Embarrassed Envoy
Oct 22, 2023
Oct 22, 2023
41 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 2: The Red Sea and the Siege of Diu
Aug 4, 2023
Aug 4, 2023
41 mins
Fernao Mendes Pinto 1: From Lisbon, Poverty, and Pirates
Jul 1, 2023
Jul 1, 2023
41 mins
Medieval Lives 7: Long Distance Relationships
May 19, 2023
May 19, 2023
40 mins
The Cairo Geniza
May 2, 2023
May 2, 2023
42 mins
Medieval Lives 6: Wuhsha the Broker
Apr 26, 2023
Apr 26, 2023
40 mins
Brutus of Troy
Mar 30, 2023
Mar 30, 2023
36 mins
Holinshed: The Scottish Source
Mar 1, 2023
Mar 1, 2023
42 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 7: The Romance of Thorstein and Spes
Feb 24, 2023
Feb 24, 2023
29 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 6: Revenge in Constantinople
Feb 20, 2023
Feb 20, 2023
27 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 5: To Live and Die on Drangey
Jan 29, 2023
Jan 29, 2023
39 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 4: The Brothers Asmundarson
Jan 20, 2023
Jan 20, 2023
40 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 3: A Lonely Exile
Jan 2, 2023
Jan 2, 2023
43 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 2: Foul Luck and Feuding
Dec 1, 2022
Dec 1, 2022
40 mins
The Saga of Grettir the Strong 1: Exile, Outlawry, and the Undead
Nov 1, 2022
Nov 1, 2022
45 mins
Medieval Lives 5: The Consorts of the Caliphs
Oct 7, 2022
Oct 7, 2022
38 mins
Medieval Lives 4: Chen Cheng, his Travels, and his Troubles at Work
Sep 16, 2022
Sep 16, 2022
33 mins
Ghiyath al-Din Naqqash 2: AM Feasting & Other Diplomatic Concerns
Sep 1, 2022
Sep 1, 2022
42 mins
Ghiyath al-Dīn Naqqash 1: A Timurid Painter in Ming China
Aug 17, 2022
Aug 17, 2022
46 mins
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 5: The Year 598
Jul 29, 2022
Jul 29, 2022
45 mins
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 4: Consuming the Present
Jul 1, 2022
Jul 1, 2022
42 mins
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 3: Harvesting the Past
May 23, 2022
May 23, 2022
43 mins
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 2: On Egyptian Flora and Fauna
Apr 28, 2022
Apr 28, 2022
38 mins
Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi 1: Scholars, Sultans & Money
Apr 4, 2022
Apr 4, 2022
44 mins
Medieval Lives 3: An Anonymous Journey to Mecca
Mar 19, 2022
Mar 19, 2022
47 mins
Prester John 10: The End is not the End
Feb 23, 2022
Feb 23, 2022
46 mins
The History of Sport - Baseball & The Little Pretty Pocket Book
Feb 8, 2022
Feb 8, 2022
20 mins
Prester John 9: The End Part One
Feb 1, 2022
Feb 1, 2022
33 mins
Prester John 8: Ambassador Mateus and his Many Doubters
Jan 17, 2022
Jan 17, 2022
45 mins
Prester John 7: The Way from Lisbon
Dec 28, 2021
Dec 28, 2021
50 mins
Prester John 6: The Ethiopian Prester John
Nov 24, 2021
Nov 24, 2021
42 mins
Medieval Halloween: Lamias, Devils, and Disembodied Hands
Oct 31, 2021
Oct 31, 2021
35 mins
Prester John 5: The Mongol Priest-King
Oct 18, 2021
Oct 18, 2021
41 mins
Prester John 4: Waiting for David
Sep 17, 2021
Sep 17, 2021
40 mins
Prester John 3: The Fifth Crusade
Sep 1, 2021
Sep 1, 2021
28 mins
Prester John 2.5: Papal Correspondence
Aug 13, 2021
Aug 13, 2021
21 mins
Prester John 2: Where From and What For
Jul 22, 2021
Jul 22, 2021
45 mins
Prester John 1: The Letter
Jun 7, 2021
Jun 7, 2021
43 mins
Medieval Lives 2: Ramon Llull
May 6, 2021
May 6, 2021
38 mins
Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī 3: To Home, to Herat
Apr 16, 2021
Apr 16, 2021
27 mins
Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī 2: City of Victory
Mar 24, 2021
Mar 24, 2021
38 mins
Abd-al-Razzāq Samarqandī 1: The Unwilling Envoy
Mar 2, 2021
Mar 2, 2021
34 mins
Medieval Lives 1: al-Ghazāl
Feb 20, 2021
Feb 20, 2021
15 mins
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 6: There and Back Again
Feb 8, 2021
Feb 8, 2021
46 mins
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 5: A Season of Feasting at Samarkand
Jan 24, 2021
Jan 24, 2021
43 mins
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 4: Sickness & Heat, Melons & Meat
Dec 23, 2020
Dec 23, 2020
42 mins
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 3: Of the Water and the Mountains
Dec 2, 2020
Dec 2, 2020
40 mins
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 2: Sacred Objects in the Imperial City
Nov 17, 2020
Nov 17, 2020
43 mins
Halloween Mini Episode: The Trouble at Froda
Oct 29, 2020
Oct 29, 2020
27 mins
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 1: Byzantine Entanglements
Oct 23, 2020
Oct 23, 2020
44 mins
Ibn Fadlan 4: Communal Hygiene and the Viking Funeral
Sep 19, 2020
Sep 19, 2020
39 mins
Ibn Fadlan 3: Bulgar Discomforts & Jinn Warfare
Aug 29, 2020
Aug 29, 2020
37 mins
Ibn Fadlan 2: A Letter from the Caliph
Aug 13, 2020
Aug 13, 2020
37 mins
Ibn Fadlan 1: From Baghdad with Very Cold Beards
Jul 21, 2020
Jul 21, 2020
39 mins
Eustace the Black Monk
Jun 24, 2020
Jun 24, 2020
35 mins
Brancacci's Mission 2: Already Dismissed
May 21, 2020
May 21, 2020
51 mins
Brancacci's Mission 1: From Florence to Cairo
May 1, 2020
May 1, 2020
41 mins
Sir John Mandeville 5: Mongols, Mountains, and Myths
Apr 11, 2020
Apr 11, 2020
54 mins
Sir John Mandeville 4: Of India and Medieval Monsters
Mar 11, 2020
Mar 11, 2020
41 mins
Sir John Mandeville 3: Mamluk Egypt
Feb 22, 2020
Feb 22, 2020
45 mins
Sir John Mandeville 2: In and Around Jerusalem
Jan 25, 2020
Jan 25, 2020
34 mins
Sir John Mandeville 1: To the Holy Land
Dec 28, 2019
Dec 28, 2019
35 mins
The Book of the Wonders of India
Nov 16, 2019
Nov 16, 2019
36 mins
Halloween Mini Episode: The Stories of Walter Map
Oct 31, 2019
Oct 31, 2019
28 mins
Abu Zayd and the Ways East
Oct 25, 2019
Oct 25, 2019
37 mins
Salah ad-Din 6: The Ayyubids
Sep 28, 2019
Sep 28, 2019
44 mins
Salah ad-Din 5: The End of the End
Aug 15, 2019
Aug 15, 2019
43 mins
Salah ad-Din 4: The Beginning of the End
Jul 28, 2019
Jul 28, 2019
40 mins
Salah ad-Din 3: The Horns of Hattin
Jul 1, 2019
Jul 1, 2019
40 mins
Salah ad-Din 2: A Syrian Election
Jun 19, 2019
Jun 19, 2019
53 mins
Salah ad-Din 1: The City Victorious
May 25, 2019
May 25, 2019
48 mins
The Sons of Maimon 3: From Moses to Moses
Apr 28, 2019
Apr 28, 2019
50 mins
The Sons of Maimon 2: What's Done is Gone
Apr 8, 2019
Apr 8, 2019
51 mins
The Sons of Maimon 1: Exile
Mar 19, 2019
Mar 19, 2019
46 mins
Rabban Bar Sauma 4: Ilkhanid End Times
Feb 22, 2019
Feb 22, 2019
45 mins
Rabban Bar Sauma 3: Barbazoma, Tartarus, Orientalis
Feb 3, 2019
Feb 3, 2019
45 mins
Rabban Bar Sauma 2: Ilkhanid Infighting, Ilkhanid Envoy
Jan 16, 2019
Jan 16, 2019
49 mins
Rabban Bar Sauma 1: The Monks of Kublai Khan
Dec 24, 2018
Dec 24, 2018
48 mins
Geoffrey's Crusade 5: Boniface, Baldwin, and the Bulgarians
Nov 25, 2018
Nov 25, 2018
47 mins
Halloween Special: Medieval Ghost Stories
Oct 29, 2018
Oct 29, 2018
49 mins
Geoffrey's Crusade 4: Simon and the Seven Thieves
Oct 17, 2018
Oct 17, 2018
45 mins
Geoffrey's Crusade 3: One Alexius After Another
Sep 26, 2018
Sep 26, 2018
51 mins
Geoffrey's Crusade 2: Imperial Virtues
Aug 30, 2018
Aug 30, 2018
49 mins
Geoffrey's Crusade 1: Venetian Appointments
Aug 17, 2018
Aug 17, 2018
41 mins
Marco and the Polos 7: Marco Polo Comes Home
Jul 28, 2018
Jul 28, 2018
42 mins
Marco and the Polos 6: The Grand Tour
Jun 30, 2018
Jun 30, 2018
37 mins
Marco and the Polos 5: The Echoes of the Wind
Jun 9, 2018
Jun 9, 2018
51 mins
Marco and the Polos 4: Did You Go to China, Marco?
May 19, 2018
May 19, 2018
44 mins
Marco and the Polos 3: Marco and the Great, Great Khan
Apr 24, 2018
Apr 24, 2018
40 mins
Marco and the Polos 2: Of Assassins and Other Things
Apr 4, 2018
Apr 4, 2018
39 mins
Marco and the Polos 1: From Venice to the World
Mar 10, 2018
Mar 10, 2018
44 mins
To See the Mongols 7: Mongol Civil War
Feb 21, 2018
Feb 21, 2018
41 mins
To See the Mongols 6: The Road from Karakorum
Feb 1, 2018
Feb 1, 2018
35 mins
To See the Mongols 5: The Great Debate
Jan 19, 2018
Jan 19, 2018
48 mins
To See the Mongols 4: A William Leaves Town
Jan 5, 2018
Jan 5, 2018
34 mins
To See the Mongols 3: An Interregnum
Dec 9, 2017
Dec 9, 2017
32 mins
To See the Mongols 2: A New Khan
Nov 16, 2017
Nov 16, 2017
38 mins
To See the Mongols 1: Giovanni Carpine Goes East
Nov 2, 2017
Nov 2, 2017
31 mins
Edward Webbe: His Trials, Travels, and Job Application
Sep 13, 2017
Sep 13, 2017
31 mins
Mini Episode - P.S. Dallam
Sep 1, 2017
Sep 1, 2017
26 mins
Thomas Dallam 7: A Concert for the Sultan
Aug 17, 2017
Aug 17, 2017
39 mins
Thomas Dallam 6: From Algiers to the Hellespont
Jul 29, 2017
Jul 29, 2017
40 mins
Thomas Dallam 5: Dallam Departs
Jul 14, 2017
Jul 14, 2017
33 mins
Thomas Dallam Mini Episode 2: Esperanza Malchi and the Otttoman Harem
Jun 30, 2017
Jun 30, 2017
23 mins
Thomas Dallam 4: Edward Barton in Constantinople
Jun 17, 2017
Jun 17, 2017
37 mins
Thomas Dallam 3: England’s First Ambassador
Jun 7, 2017
Jun 7, 2017
38 mins
The Battle of the Three Kings: The Doomed King Sebastian
May 27, 2017
May 27, 2017
30 mins
Thomas Dallam 2: The Anglo-Moroccan Relationship
May 19, 2017
May 19, 2017
50 mins
Thomas Dallam 1: Jenkinson and the Safavid Shah
Apr 19, 2017
Apr 19, 2017
45 mins
The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 4: The Journey Home and Other Things
Mar 4, 2017
Mar 4, 2017
50 mins
The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 3: Timur the Conqueror
Feb 17, 2017
Feb 17, 2017
52 mins
The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 2: The Battle of Angora aka Ankara
Feb 3, 2017
Feb 3, 2017
56 mins
The Travels of Johann Schiltberger 1: The Battle of Nicopolis
Jan 13, 2017
Jan 13, 2017
48 mins
Welcome to Human Circus
Jan 10, 2017
Jan 10, 2017
7 mins