It's that time of the week in which we discuss that time of the month. Join Jess and Philippa as they look at the mysteries of the medieval womb, and the monstrous ways in which women were misunderstood.

Sources:

Hartnell, J. (2019) Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages. London: Wellcome Collection.

Miller, S. (2010) Medieval Monstrosity and the Female Body. New York, London: Routledge.

Ever wished that you could be a royal? Who doesn'tt? Well, sign up to our three-step Rags to Royalty program, inspired by Madame de Maintenon, that will 100% absolutely take you to queenhood in no time.

Sources:

Françoise d’Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon (1635—1719) - John J. Conley – 9-(2021) https://iep.utm.edu/mainteno/

Madame de Maintenon – Louis XIV’s secret wife -Moniek (2018) https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/the-royal-mistresses-series/madame-de-maintenon-louis-xivs-secret-wife/

Undercover Queen - Caroline Weber - 2009 https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/books/review/Weber-t.html

Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon - The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica –(2021) https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francoise-dAubigne-marquise-de-Maintenon

Pocahontas. John Smith. The love. The colours. The wind. You've seen the movie. Now bear witness to the journal ramblings of the hero himself.

John Smith, British explorer (2021) https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Smith-British-explorer
First Prison in Colonial Virginia (2017) http://www.virginiaplaces.org/government/firstprison.html
Pocahontas: Her Life and Legend (2015) https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/pocahontas-her-life-and-legend.htm
John Smith of Jamestown: Facts & Biography (2013) https://www.livescience.com/40898-captain-john-smith.html
John Smith (2020) https://historicjamestowne.org/history/pocahontas/john-smith/
The True Story of Pocahontas (2017) https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-pocahontas-180962649/
Following John Smith - Stingray Point and another shallop (2006) https://cbf.typepad.com/johnsmith/2006/07/following_john__2.html

If there's one thing you've come to expect from our history podcast it's that we look at the very bluntest edge technology available. And where else to look other than the operating theatre? Join Jess and Philippa as they look at two surgeons: one, the paragon of his age just before the advent of anaesthesia; the other, a French surgeon who got up close and personal with the dark side of the Sun King.

Sources:

Fitzharris, L. (2017) The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine. New York: Scientific American / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Porter, R. (2004) Blood and Guts: A Short History of Medicine. New York, London: W. W. Norton & Company.

Snow, S. (2006) Operations Without Pain: The Practice and Science of Anaesthesia in Victorian Britain. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Van de Laar, A. (2018) Under the Knife: A History of Surgery in 28 Remarkable Operations. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Artichokes! Church brawls! Bounties! Tennis matches to the death, fought beneath the cold gaze of the indifferent stars. Pimp knights. Join Jess and Philippa for one last look at the life of the walking catastrophe also known as Caravaggio.

We've looked at demonic possession in Demoniac and Double Demons, but how exactly does one get rid of them once they've invaded your home, made a mess, and insulted your mother-in-law? In this episode, Jess and Philippa look at some of the ways in which both Catholic and Protestant authorities have tried to politely suggest that it might be time for everyone to get on home. So join us for tales of possession, faith, and potatoes.

Sources:

Levack, B. (2013) The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
Sands, K. (2004) Demon Possession in Elizabethan England. Westport, Connecticut, London: Praeger.
Young, F. (2016) A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity.Cambridge: Palgrave MacMillan.

Art! Betrayal! Stabbing! Also, what rhymes with testicle? Join Jess and Philippa as they continue with the Blood and Butter epic tale of one artist testing the limits of just how many people he can stab. Caravaggio can get away with murder...but what about a mean poem?

We had one demon, yes. But what about second demons? Another turn of the screw, so to speak. In addition being possessed by paraphrase, Jess and Philippa are obsessed (possessed) by the case of June and Jennifer Gibbons. Join us as we look at this peculiar case that has so much in common with historical cases of alleged demonic possession.

We've always known that Jess might not be quite right, and Philippa suspects that she might finally understand why. Join the demonic duo as they weigh up the pros and cons of possession, as well as two common modern explanations for this phenomenon.

Sources:

Almond, P. (2004) Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern England: Contemporary Texts and their Cultural Contexts. Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo: Cambridge University Press.
Levack, B. (2013) The Devil Within: Possession and Exorcism in the Christian West. New Haven, London: Yale University Press.
Young, F. (2016) A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity.Cambridge: Palgrave MacMillan.

We've covered the temptations of butter. But have you considered the essential eroticism of fruit? This week, Jess and Philippa talk about the early life of Caravaggio (aka the human dumpster fire) and his fetish for shoulders, lizards, and the fruits to be plucked in the Garden of Evil