Western Civ

Bonus episode! A sneak peek inside my new deep-dive series: Alexander Redux! In this ten-part series, we look at the lives of two of the most important people in western history: Philip of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. Each episode is available to patrons at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast and for fifty cents each at westerncivpodcast.com. In part five we follow Alexander as he finally encounters Darius at the Battle of Issus.

Today's bonus episode is a very scary (not really) history of the third most popular holiday in America: Halloween. From Jack-o-Lanterns to Trick-or-Treat, our modern holiday of Halloween owes more to our ancient Celtic roots than anything in American history.  Check out more at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast for more content!

Last time, we reviewed the Theodosian Land Walls and covered the opening moves made by Constantine XI and Mehmet II upon the latter's ascension to power in 1451. Now, we get into the gritty world of medieval cannons and how those were going to change the game completely as the siege of Constantinople truly begins.  Don't forget to check out our website, westerncivpodcast.com, for extra content!

A conversation with Adrian Goldsworthy about his latest book: Philip and Alexander is available HERE. We talk all things Greek and Macedonian. Tons on Alexander the Great and his father, Philip. Plus, a little fun on a historical what-if between Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great.  Check out our new (Goldsworthy-inspired) episodes on Alexander the Great at westerncivpodcast.com Available for free for patrons at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

Constantine XI and Mehmet II make their opening moves for the battle for Constantinople. Constantine begs for aid, which is slow to come from a medieval Europe inching ever closer to modernity. Mehmet is more proactive, constructing a massive new fort only six miles north of Constantinople itself. But, in the end, let's face it, this is all window dressing. The true conflict will be decided at the Theodosian Walls, which we here review.

This is a bonus preview of the complete episode I did on the history of western thought covering Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These three Greek thinkers form the cornerstone of western philosophy in many ways until this very day. The entire episode, which clocks in in just under two hours is available for purchase at our website: westerncivpodcast.com. Of course, the entire episode is available for free for Patrons. Become a Patron today for loads of bonus content at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

In this episode, we get the other half of the story. This time from the perspective of the Ottomans, occasionally known to history as the Turks. We cover Ottoman history from roughly the time the Ottomans became a state until the rise of Mehmet II in 1451.

In a new Patrons-only (also available for purchase at the website) series, I am covering the history of western civilization but from the perspective of thought and philosophy. This first deep dive episode covers western thought from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to the early Greek thinkers that predate Socrates.  The full hour and fifteen-minute long episode is available at westerncivpodcast.com  And, this plus all the episodes, are available to Patrons at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast for only $2 per month! Plus, it supports the show.

This time, we bring ourselves up to speed on Byzantium before we take that final plunge towards its final demise. This episode covers late medieval Byzantine history from roughly the Fourth Crusade until 1450.

A quick reap of the Hundred Years War including my analysis of why we should all DEFINITELY study this incredible conflict that straddles the line between medieval and early modern European history. If you enjoy this episode, check out all our other, much more detailed, episodes on the intricacies of the war.