We're Not So Different

folks, we kinda got carried away talking about current events and, whoops, wouldn't you know it, we just decided to do a whole current events episode. we will dive back into the Middle Ages next time but this week we're more concerned with the contemporary politics of the failed states of America and England as the two old friends compete to see who can fuck up and kill the golden goose the fastest. while things are bleak, they are also darkly and undeniably funny, so there's that!

folks, our 2025 quest to visit places in the Medieval world we haven't tackle yet takes us to Bohemia. now, before you pillory me because we've spent so much time there already, we're going back to the old Bohemia, the Bohemia before it was famous as a center of religious heterodoxy and throwing guys out windows. the Bohemia back before it became a kingdom and got Daddy's Specialist Boy status from the Holy Roman Empire. that's right, we're talk Bohemia from the start of the Middle Ages to the end of the Premyslid Dynasty c. 1305. we talk about the real paucity of sources we have before the 860s, the great Slav migrations, Christianization of the region, Great Moravia, Old Church Slavonic, the rise of the Premyslids, Prague becoming a big deal, and how this place morphed from a total backwater to one of the most important regions in the entire world in under 500 years.

folks, we're back with more patron questions, this time for the month of July. we talk everything from which weapon we'd want in a Medieval battle, Hanseatic League piracy, Medieval Futurism, the connections between Lollards and Hussites, throat singing, and more!

folks, we're back in our ongoing quest to catch up on Patron questions and so we've got 10 more to discuss for the month of June. we talk about what Medieval people smelled like, bi kings, Medieval footwear, gambling, animal welfare, and the King Asleep in the Mountain trope! it's so much fun, check it out!

folks, what you'll hear today are two episodes from a brand new, limited edition podcast series that we did with Daniel Bessner and Derek Davison from American Prestige called Welcome to the Crusades: The First Crusade. it's a ten-episode deep dive into the famous and infamous First Crusade, undertaken by Catholic Europe at the instigation of the Byzantines in 1095 to retake Anatolia and Jerusalem. given it is one of the most fascinating and important events in human history, we thought it would be perfect to discuss, especially given its continuing contemporary relevance with Christian Nationalists in power across the globe. Episode 1: Rome details the background and lead up to the preaching of the First Crusade. Further, episode 2: Taranto, will show up in your podcast feed shortly after this one, so you can get a feel for the whole series. if you enjoy them, and we know you will, you can unlock the final 8 episodes, plus a bonus reading list mini-episode for just $8. after two weeks, the price will go up to $10 but we think it's worth it regardless, clocking in at well over 10 hours of history on the First Crusade. if you're interested in listening to the whole series, please visit https://americanprestige.supportingcast.fm/welcome-to-the-crusades-the-first-crusade

Derek Davison, co-host of the American Prestige podcast, dives into the historical roots of the First Crusade. He highlights the pivotal role of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I and Pope Urban II in uniting for this significant movement. They discuss the ongoing relevance of the Crusades in contemporary politics and the complex dynamics of church-state relations during the medieval era. The conversation also explores the cultural perceptions of the Crusades and the enduring impacts they had on Christianity and Islam, providing a nuanced view of this critical historical event.

folks, we tried to stay out of the game but they keep pulling us back in. we don't want to do episodes where we solely focus on misconceptions about the Middle Ages but the new crop of Christian Nationalists and reactionaries make it unavoidable. there's little they love more than coming up with bullshit narratives about the Middle Ages and, specifically, Medieval Europe. so we take a look at 6 of the these new misconceptions, which are actually just ones that have been around forever but are being reheated. we talk about China's level of technological advancement, whether the Crusades were bad, retvrn, and much more! enjoy!

folks, we're gathered here today to pay respects to Al-Andalus. All good things must come to an end and this is no different. so we trace how it all came apart for Muslim Iberia as the disunified, quarreling Christian states of Iberia began working together and the Christian reconquest effort became a reality. but there's also some rays of sunshine here as we get to talk about the staying power of the Emirate of Granada, Alhambra, the lasting legacy of Al-Andalus, and much more.

folks, we're back with part 3 of our series on Al-Andalus, aka Muslim Iberia from 711-1492. this time, we trace the history of Al-Andalus up through the rise of the Almoravid dynasty in the late 11th century and how the Christian response coalesced almost from nothing in 1063 with the Siege of Barbastro thanks to a little help from the Pope. we talk about how this is different from the standard Christian Nationalist Reconquista narrative and then a bit about El Cid. then, finally, we talk about the myriad contributions to culture, society, religion, science, and art that Al-Andalus produced as it was a massive contributor to the wider Medieval Islamic Golden Age (768-1260). check us out!

folks, we are back with our series on Al-Andalus, aka Muslim-controlled Medieval Iberia, and it's time to talk about one of the most famous incidents in its 700-year history: the Battle of Tours. though it was a large battle for the time and contemporary accounts give us a decent picture, Tours and Christian leader Charles Martel have been the benefactors of over a millennia of propaganda, painting it as the first salvo in the big, "civilizational conflict" between Christianity and Islam. we discuss what actually happened, why the truth matters, and why contemporary and postmodern scholars agree but everyone in between certainly did not.