Medieval historians are faced with the daunting task of having to piece together around a thousand years of history without all that many written sources to speak of. But what happens if it turns out that some of the most important sources we’ve been using have been let’s say touched up a little? This week, Danièle speaks with Thomas Smith about letters from the First Crusade, which ones are either partially or completely invented, and what this discovery means to our understanding of the Crusades.

Thomas W. Smith is Keeper of the Scholars and Head of Oxbridge (Arts and Humanities) at Rugby School. A historian of the Crusades and the Papacy, Thomas’ latest book is Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages.

The creator and host of The Medieval Podcast is Danièle Cybulskie.

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