Why Medieval Sieges Were a Living Nightmare

Get early episodes & bonus perks on Patreon: https://patreon.com/DrowsyHistorian

Welcome to Drowsy Historian, where history is slow, grim, and weirdly relaxing. In this episode, we take you inside a medieval siege — not the heroic, armor-clashing nonsense you see in movies, but the slow-motion disaster of real life behind crumbling walls. You’ll live it: the rumors, the lockdown, the rot, the rats, and the final, brutal breach.

It’s a second-person descent into paranoia, despair, and the quiet horror of waiting to die behind a gate that won’t open. There are no grand victories here. Just mud, soup, and a siege economy where furniture becomes a weapon.

Dim the lights. Settle into your sheets. And prepare to be calmly traumatized by the real reason castles had moats and peasants had nightmares.

🛏️ 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.