About this episode
Get early episodes & bonus perks on Patreon: https://patreon.com/DrowsyHistorian Being born a bastard in medieval Europe wasn’t just a social inconvenience — it was a lifelong sentence of exclusion, humiliation, and legal invisibility. In this quietly brutal bedtime tale, we walk the mud-caked path of someone born into the wrong family, at the wrong time, under the wrong circumstances. From cradle to grave, discover how illegitimacy shaped every aspect of life: childhood, love, work, religion, and even death. This isn’t the story of the lucky few who rose to fame. This is the forgotten truth of the many who didn’t — the ones who served, suffered, and vanished. So dim the lights. Settle in. And let the Drowsy Historian guide you through a story that was never supposed to be told — the weary, thankless life of a medieval bastard. 🛏️ Drowsy Historian’s Favorite Sleep Tools Looking to upgrade your nighttime routine? These are a few things I personally use or recommend: • Sleep Earbuds for Enhanced Immersion → https://amzn.to/4pVFoJy • Blanket Soft Enough to Make the Plague Feel Tolerable → https://amzn.to/3GSOq8f • Weighted Blanket for Pretending You’re a Mummified Pharaoh → https://amzn.to/4kVJCgE • Sleep Mask Headphones For Total Historical Escape → https://amzn.to/4nWsNVn • Book Light for Reading About Plagues at 2AM → https://amzn.to/4eSg0iu • White Noise Machine for Blocking Out the 21st Century → https://amzn.to/3GJ9jTw These are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show while staying cozy.