From long-lost Viking ships and kings buried in unexpected places to tales of murder,

power, faith, and the lives of ordinary people across medieval Europe and beyond.

Join me, Matt Lewis, Dr. Eleanor Jarniger and some of the world's leading historians,

as we bring history's most fascinating stories to life only on

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Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanorianica and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit,

the podcast that delves into the greatest millennium in human history.

We uncover the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking details, and the latest

groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the Normans, from kings to popes, to the crusades.

We delve into the rebellions, plots, and murders that tell us who we really were. And how we got here.

I am standing in front of Charing Cross Station in the technical official center of London.

I'm trying to dodge commuters that are pouring off of the trains,

and the reason that I'm here risking my life is to take a closer look at a remarkable structure

that rises majestically just in front of the station,

and this towering 70-foot-tall monument marks the climax of a story

that began on a November night in 1290, when a broken-hearted king resolved to make sure his beloved

and newly departed queen would never be forgotten.

This is the Eleanor Cross.

It's made of honey-colored Portland stone and rich red manfield stone, as well as granite from Scotland.

And it's carved in intricate medieval detail, commemorating a queen who died more than 700 years ago. I kind of have to crane my neck to look up at these serene figures gazing down from their gothic canopies.

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