Dr Lucy Allen presents a new episode of Four Thought, a BBC Radio 4 series of thought-provoking talks in which speakers air their thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect culture and society.

In  Positively Medieval, Dr Allen argues that the way in which medieval society is often presented – as indifferent to sexual violence against women – is wrong. Dr Allen recounts a disagreement with a colleague about the realism of violence depicted in the TV show Game of Thrones. In fact, she says, medieval monarchs were passing laws against sexual violence in wartime, and some medieval literature reflects a nuanced understanding of trauma caused by rape.