Episodes
Aug. 26, 2020
096 – Florence goes black and white and Dante gets involved
After definitively defeating the Ghibellines, the Florentine Guelphs need new enemies so they split into White and Black Guelphs, catching Dante Alighieri, who had entered politics just a few years before, in a crossfire that...
Aug. 19, 2020
095 – Young Dante Alighieri and Florence
We start to take a look at the life and times of the great poet Dante Alighieri, taking the opportunity to look more closely at the history of his city, Florence.
Aug. 2, 2020
094 – Naples vs Sicily
We see how the descent of Emperor Henry VII reignites the conflict between Frederick of Sicily and the new king of Naples, Robert. The animosity will last as long as the two men live.
July 18, 2020
093 – A change of scenery for the papacy and an anachronistic emperor
The papacy, under Clement V heads off for its long exile to Avignone and then Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII tries to move back the clock on the Italian scene.
June 26, 2020
092 – Boniface VIII peaks and crashes
1298- 1303 Boniface VIII crushes the internal opposition of the Colonna, organises the first Jubilee, dabble in Italian politics including Florence and then clashes once again with Philipp IV of France, which seals his fate.
June 21, 2020
091 – Boniface VIII on the scene
1295 - 1297 We go back to the abdication of pope Celestine V in 1295 and see the rise to power of one of the most controverstial popes in history, Boniface VIII in this first of two episodes on the man and his time.
June 12, 2020
090 – Twilight of the Sardinian Judicates
Before finally getting on to the 14th century, we see how the end of the 13th marked the beginning of the end of the Sardinian Judicates, before of course going back to look at what they actually were.
June 4, 2020
089 – The "cannibal" count – an example of late 13th century Italian politics
the politics of late 13th century Pisa as an example of the general situation in the communes as well as touching on Sardinia.
May 16, 2020
088 – Twilight of the communes
Before saying goodbye to the 13th century, we take a quick tour of the peninsula to tie up some loose ends, such as the maritime, republics, Piedmont and the situation with the communes.
May 9, 2020
087 – Marco Polo part 2
Marco Polo finally leaves on his great voyage which will take him to the ends of the known earth to meet a whole series of different cultures to then come back to Venice and live though one of the republic's most dangerous mo...
April 30, 2020
086 – Marco Polo part 1
In this first episode on the 13th century explorer Marco Polo we look at some background on Venice at his time and his family as well as introducing the figure of the Great Khan Kublai.
April 25, 2020
Special: 25th April Liberation
A special episode for the 75th anniversary of the liberation from Nazi and Fascist occupation
April 17, 2020
085 – The war of the Sicilian Vespers gets confusing
1285 - 1302 The War of the Italian Vespers gets quite confusing, but in the end finally leads to the Peace of Calbelotta in 1302 in which the island of Sicily is separated from the rest of the kingdom.
April 10, 2020
084 – The war of the Sicilian Vespers
1282 - 1285 The start of the War of the Sicilian Vespers and a strange duel to attempt to put an end to it.
April 2, 2020
083 – Who are these Aragonese anyway? With David Cot of "The History of Spain"
Before going into the war of the Italian Vespers, we get some help from David Cot of "The History of Spain" podcast to bring us u to date on the kingdom of Aragon and Peter III and his sons.
March 27, 2020
082 – Charles in charge and the Sicilian Vespers
1266-1282 Charles of Anjou settles down to govern his new kingdom... and make a mess if it, provoking the rebellion of the Sicilian Vespers.
March 19, 2020
081 – The last stand of the house of Staufen with guest host Marco Cappelli
Marco Cappelli tells us about the last stand of Conradine of Hohenstauen at the battle that took place near Marco's home town Tagliacozzo.
March 13, 2020
080 – Frederick II's boys and here come the French
1250 - 1266 We take a look at what happened to the sons of Frederick II, Conrad, Henry and Manfredi. In the case of Manfredi we see his rise to influence over almost all of Italy before it all came crashing down with the inva...
March 5, 2020
079 – The Prisoner King and the rest of Frederick II's boys
1248 -1272 We start taking a look at how things progressed after the death of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, starting with his son Enzo, who fell prisoner to the Coomune of Bologna, giving rise to a whole series of legends
Feb. 27, 2020
078 – The Golden age of communes
We take a look at some of the factors that made the 13th century the golden age of the communes such as trade and finance as the consular communes transformed into popular communes as early signs of the coming era of the "sig...
Feb. 20, 2020
077 – The situation in the 13th century and revenge in Florence
We take a look at how our communes are evolving in the 13th century with the whole messy Guelphs and Ghibellines business and have a look at the legend of how the factions were formed in Florence with the tragic tale of Buon...
Feb. 11, 2020
Recap 04: Episodes 051 – 076 from the Concordat of Worms to the death of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II
We stop for our usual recap to look back over episodes 051 to 076 going from the Concordat of Worms in 1122 to the death of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, with a look at the rise of the Commune city states and the maritime ...
Feb. 6, 2020
076 – St. Francis of Assisi
We look at the life and ideas of one of the most famous and influential figures in religious and non religious history, a young man who deemed of being a great soldier, who became one of the greatest champions of peace.
Jan. 21, 2020
075 – Heresies and the Inquisition
We take a break to look at the increase in heretical ideas and movement in the 12th and 13th centuries such as the Cathars and Waldensians and how the church decided to dea with the rising tide of critical opposition to it.