Medieval Morsels —Medieval Cheaters

In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we continue our exploration of medieval games by turning to one of the most controversial forms of play in the Middle Ages: dice. Small enough to fit in a pouch but powerful enough to provoke sermons, laws, debts, fights, and moral panic, dice games occupied a strange place in medieval society.

Part 2B examines why dice were so popular across taverns, courts, military camps, and city streets—and why churchmen and rulers so often condemned them. We look at games of chance such as hazard, the relationship between gambling and sin, and the way medieval writers connected dice with greed, blasphemy, drunkenness, and disorder.

Along the way, we consider voices from medieval literature and law, including Chaucer’s Pardoner’s Tale, royal attempts to regulate gambling, and the fascinating tension between recreation and moral danger. Were dice merely harmless entertainment, or did they reveal something deeper about medieval fears of fortune, fate, and human weakness?

Grab your cup, pull up a chair, and join us as we roll the bones in the medieval world.

Topics in this episode include:

Medieval dice games and gambling culture The game of hazard and its reputation Dice in taverns, streets, courts, and military life Church criticism of gambling and idleness Chaucer’s Pardoner’s Tale and moral corruption Royal laws against dice-playing Fortune, chance, sin, and medieval theology Why games of chance fascinated and frightened medieval people

Primary and historical sources discussed include:

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, especially “The Pardoner’s Tale” Jean de Joinville, Life of Saint Louis Alfonso X of Castile, Libro de los juegos / Book of Games Medieval legal and moral writings on gambling and dice

Listen in and discover how a simple throw of the dice could reveal the medieval struggle between pleasure, danger, chance, and the soul.

The Medieval Craftsman: Making the Dice

A pair of medieval dice may seem like a simple object—but each one tells a remarkable story.

In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we step inside the workshop of the medieval craftsman to explore how dice were made from bone, antler, ivory, and other materials. Discover the skill required to create a perfectly balanced gaming die and learn why these tiny objects have become invaluable to archaeologists studying everyday life in the Middle Ages.

We'll examine fascinating discoveries from excavations in London, York, and Novgorod, revealing how dice were used by merchants, knights, sailors, students, and nobles alike. Along the way, we'll uncover what the materials, craftsmanship, and wear patterns of surviving dice reveal about medieval trade, social status, and recreation.

Far more than children's toys or gambling accessories, medieval dice provide an extraordinary window into craftsmanship, leisure, and daily life across medieval Europe.

In This Episode

• How medieval craftsmen carved dice from bone, antler, ivory, and jet
• Why opposite sides of a die always total seven
• Archaeological discoveries from medieval London, York, and Novgorod
• What gaming artifacts reveal about everyday medieval society
• How craftsmanship and material reflected wealth and social status
• Why dice remain one of the most important artifacts for understanding medieval leisure

Featured Historians & Sources

• David Parlett
• Irving Finkel
• Barbara Hanawalt
• Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)
• York Archaeological Trust

Join me as we continue our journey through the fascinating world of medieval gaming—one roll of the dice at a time.

What did a pair of dice mean to someone living in the Middle Ages?

Far more than simple entertainment.

In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we journey into the lively taverns, bustling marketplaces, noble courts, and monastery cloisters of medieval Europe to uncover the surprising history of dice, gambling, and games of chance. From bone dice discovered by archaeologists to the thrilling game of Hazard—the medieval ancestor of modern craps—we explore how games shaped everyday life across every level of society.

Along the way, we'll examine fascinating primary sources from Tacitus, Geoffrey Chaucer, Thomas Aquinas, and medieval church councils, while drawing on the work of leading historians and archaeologists to understand why gambling was both wildly popular and fiercely condemned. We'll also uncover evidence of loaded dice, medieval cheating scandals, and the Church's struggle to reconcile chance, providence, and morality.

Whether you're a tabletop gamer, a history enthusiast, or simply curious about how medieval people spent their leisure time, this episode reveals that the roll of the dice could change fortunes—and sometimes even lives.

Join me as we discover how one of humanity's oldest games offers an extraordinary window into the beliefs, culture, and daily life of the medieval world.

Welcome back to Medieval Morsels! We are pausing our usual historical deep-dives for a quick housekeeping update as we roll through Season 1.

Tune in for a brief status report on the podcast, upcoming guest announcements, and a teaser of the historical mysteries we'll be breaking down in the coming weeks. Thank you for listening and being part of the journey!

Alchemy was one of the most mysterious and intellectually rich pursuits of the medieval world. Far from simple superstition, medieval alchemy blended experimental science, spiritual philosophy, and symbolic language in an effort to understand transformation itself.

In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we explore the goals and methods of medieval alchemists, the search for the Philosopher’s Stone, and the symbolic system sometimes called the Green Language. Drawing from primary sources like the Emerald Tablet and medieval alchemical manuscripts, alongside modern historical scholarship, we examine how alchemists understood matter, perfection, and the structure of the universe.

We also uncover how alchemy contributed to early scientific discovery while remaining deeply connected to religious and philosophical ideas. This episode reveals alchemy not as pseudoscience, but as a complex intellectual tradition that shaped medieval thought and laid foundations for modern chemistry.

Follow Medieval Morsels for engaging, research-driven explorations into the strange and fascinating world of the Middle Ages.

Medieval Morsels Podcast

In the 12th century, two mysterious children reportedly emerged from a pit near the village of Woolpit in Suffolk. Their skin was green, their language unintelligible, and their story unlike anything the villagers had ever heard. Recorded by medieval chroniclers William of Newburgh and Ralph of Coggeshall, the account of the Green Children has endured as one of the most fascinating and debated mysteries of the Middle Ages.

In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we examine the original primary sources, explore the children’s strange claims of coming from “St. Martin’s Land,” and analyze the historical, medical, and cultural explanations scholars have proposed. Were they malnourished immigrants? Survivors of social displacement? A story shaped by medieval folklore? Or something else entirely?

Through close reading of medieval texts and modern historical scholarship, this episode investigates how medieval people understood difference, identity, and the unknown. The mystery of Woolpit reveals as much about the medieval imagination as it does about the limits of historical evidence.

Follow Medieval Morsels for research-driven, engaging explorations into the strange, complex, and deeply human world of the Middle Ages.

Medieval Morsels Podcast

Saint Patrick is one of the most recognized figures of the medieval world, yet his true historical significance extends far beyond legend. In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we explore Patrick’s life through his own writings, including the Confessio and the Letter to Coroticus, alongside modern historical scholarship.

We examine Patrick’s early life in Roman Britain, his captivity in Ireland, his spiritual transformation, and his extraordinary decision to return as a missionary. This episode also explores how Patrick’s work helped integrate Ireland into the intellectual and religious structures of medieval Christendom, contributing to the rise of Irish monasteries as major centers of learning.

Through primary sources and historical analysis, this episode reveals how Patrick’s mission reshaped Irish society and influenced the development of medieval Europe.

Follow Medieval Morsels for research-driven explorations into the people, institutions, and ideas that shaped the medieval world.

Hildegard von Bingen: Visions, Authority, and the Medieval Cosmos

Medieval Morsels Podcast

In the 12th century, a Benedictine nun along the Rhine began to record visions she believed were revealed to her by divine light. That woman, Hildegard von Bingen, would go on to become one of the most extraordinary intellectual, spiritual, and creative figures of the Middle Ages.

In this episode of Medieval Morsels, we explore Hildegard’s remarkable life through her visionary theology, her groundbreaking work Scivias, and her extensive correspondence with emperors, bishops, and popes. Drawing from her own writings and modern historical scholarship, we examine how she established authority in a male-dominated religious world—not through institutional rank, but through visionary experience and intellectual force.

We also uncover her contributions to medieval music, medicine, and natural philosophy, revealing a thinker who saw the cosmos itself as a living reflection of divine harmony. Hildegard’s visions reshaped medieval religious thought and expanded the possibilities for female authority in the Middle Ages.

This episode explores the life of a woman who did not simply observe the medieval world—but spoke into it with a voice that still echoes today.

Follow Medieval Morsels for engaging, research-driven explorations into the fascinating and complex world of the Middle Ages.