Going Medieval

Mike Loades has spent his life exploring history. He is a historian who believes that when you get your hands on the past, you discover what a surprising place it was - a place with familiar challenges but very different solutions. Now historian and weapons expert Mike Loades presents this program on the Middle Ages, from the 5th to the 15th centuries. It is a distinct period in time that conjures up images of knights on horseback, castles, combat and chainmail, and which has played host to countless fictional adventures, from tales of King Arthur and Merlin to Robin Hood and many more. With such well known stories so fresh in our minds, it can be hard to know for sure what is truth and what is fiction. By 'going medieval' Mike hopes to explore and expose some of the misconceptions about the period. Diving deep into the life and times of the Middle Ages he hosts the two-hour high-energy, action filled, fact-rich rampage through the medieval world, delivering fun-filled facts such as how to keep a knight's armor shiny using sand, vinegar and urine. Loades battles the myths vs. the realities of work and home during this extraordinary time. He looks at castle building techniques, knights, medieval travel on sea and land, town life, trades and taverns, the arms race between armour and the longbow, hunting, falconry, cooking and feasting, agriculture (including ploughing with oxen), laundry, leeching, the plague, siege warfare and medieval artillery. From kings to peasants, explore the reality of life in the Middle Ages. Filmed in the UK, France and Denmark, Going Medieval is an expert account of life during medieval times.