12th century
20 episodes
Abelard and Heloise
Melvyn Bragg discusses the story of Abelard and Heloise, a medieval tale of literature and philosophy, love and scandal in the high Middle Ages.
5 May 2005
Featuring: A. C. Grayling, Henrietta Leyser, Michael Clanchy
Al-Ghazali
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Islamic scholar Al-Ghazali, one of the most significant and influential philosophers of the Middle Ages.
19 March 2015
Featuring: Peter Adamson, Carole Hillenbrand, Robert Gleave
Philosophy12th-century Muslim theologiansMetaphysiciansIslamic philosophersPsychology in the medieval Islamic worldEconomists of the medieval Islamic world, MujaddidIranian ethicists, Iranian logiciansEpistemologistsAsharis, Muslim critics of atheismAutobiographers11th century12th centuryEconomicsIslamMedicinePsychologyTheologyAngkor Wat
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the astonishing and massive Cambodian temple commissioned by Suryavarman II in the 12th century, a centre for Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism.
23 June 2022
Featuring: Piphal Heng, Ashley Thompson, Simon Warrack
Averroes
Melvyn Bragg discusses the philosopher Averroes who worked to reconcile the theology of Islam with the rationality of Aristotle, achieving both fame and infamy.
5 October 2006
Featuring: Amira Bennison, Peter Adamson, Anthony Kenny
PhilosophyPhilosophers from al-AndalusPeople from Córdoba, SpainPhilosophers of culturePhilosophers of mindPhilosophers of religionCritics of deismPhilosophers of logicPhilosophers of languageCritics of atheismIslamic philosophersAristotelian philosophersEpistemologistsPhilosophers of psychology12th-century Muslim theologiansPolitical philosophersCritics of ChristianityPhilosophers of sciencePhilosophers of historyLogiciansArabic-language commentators on AristotleOntologistsSocial philosophersPhilosophers of literature12th centuryIslamLanguagePsychologyTheologyBaltic Crusades
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the fight, led by orders such as the Teutonic Knights and supported by the popes, to convert pagans in what became known as the Baltic Crusades.
24 November 2016
Featuring: Aleks Pluskowski, Nora Berend, Martin Palmer
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Eleanor of Aquitaine (c1122-1204), who was a ruler in her own right as well as married to the king of France and then to the king of England.
28 January 2016
Featuring: Lindy Grant, Nicholas Vincent, Julie Barrau
Genghis Khan
Melvyn Bragg discusses Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire, one of the largest contiguous empires the world has ever seen.
1 February 2007
Featuring: Peter Jackson, Naomi Standen, George Lane
Gerald of Wales
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the medieval scholar Gerald of Wales, the author of colourful and influential works about his journeys around Ireland and Wales.
4 October 2012
Featuring: Henrietta Leyser, Michelle Brown, Huw Pryce
Hildegard of Bingen
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the medieval mystic, composer and writer Hildegard of Bingen.
26 June 2014
Featuring: Miri Rubin, William Flynn, Almut Suerbaum
HistoryGerman women philosophersManuscript illuminatorsAnglican saintsRoman Catholic mysticsPre-Reformation Anglican saintsHerbalistsCatholic philosophersGerman classical composersWomen religious writersWomen mystics12th-century writers in LatinMystic poetsMedieval Latin-language poets12th-century Christian saintsBenedictine philosophersAngelic visionariesCreators of writing systemsDoctors of the Church12th centuryLanguageMusicLawrence of Arabia
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Lawrence of Arabia, the legend and its context, an idea drawn from over 1200 suggested by listeners this autumn
5 December 2019
Featuring: Hussein Omar, Catriona Pennell, Neil Faulkner
Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most powerful queen in the Kingdom of Jerusalem in C12th, after the First Crusade, ruling with her husband Fulk and then their son Baldwin III
21 November 2019
Featuring: Natasha Hodgson, Katherine Lewis, Danielle Park
Nizami Ganjavi
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 12th-century Persian writer of epic romantic poetry whose fame spread from his hometown of Ganja across the Persian-speaking world and beyond.
5 December 2024
Featuring: Christine van Ruymbeke, Narguess Farzad, Dominic Parviz Brookshaw
The 12th Century Renaissance
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and impact of the philosophical, scientific, religious and architectural changes of the 12th century in western Europe.
20 October 2016
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Elisabeth van Houts, Giles Gasper
The Anarchy
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss The Anarchy, the period of bloody civil war that took place in 12th-century England.
1 November 2012
Featuring: John Gillingham, Louise Wilkinson, David Carpenter
The Bronze Age Collapse
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Bronze Age collapse, the term used to describe what many perceive as sudden, chaotic change around 1200 BC, mainly in the eastern Mediterranean.
16 June 2016
Featuring: Linda Hulin, Simon Stoddart
The Concordat of Worms
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Concordat of Worms of 1122, a negotiation which marked a temporary lull in the power struggle between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire.
15 December 2011
Featuring: Henrietta Leyser, Kate Cushing, John Gillingham
The Fisher King
Melvyn Bragg and guests will be delving into the world of medieval myth and legend in pursuit of the powerful and enigmatic Fisher King.
17 January 2008
Featuring: Carolyne Larrington, Stephen Knight, Juliette Wood
The Song of Roland
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the epic reimagining of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778AD when Charlemagne's rearguard was ambushed and his knight Roland fought and died.
4 November 2021
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Miranda Griffin, Luke Sunderland
Thomas Becket
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Thomas Becket, chancellor turned archbishop, who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral and whose tomb became a centre of pilgrimage across Europe.
14 December 2017
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Michael Staunton, Danica Summerlin
Tristan and Iseult
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Tristan and Iseult, as told by Thomas of Britain and Beroul in the 12th century and reworked by Gottfried of Strasbourg and others, including Wagner.
31 December 2015
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Juliette Wood, Mark Chinca
