Western Civ

As the title suggests, we are heading back to western Europe for this episode. When we last left England, King John had died in the midst of a civil war. Now, the young Henry III was King of England. In this episode we follow his turbulent reign as England moves from the brink of civil war, to civil war, and back again. Meanwhile, in France, the death of Philip II will, ultimately, bring Louis IX to power. We have already met Louis during our episodes on the crusade but will get deeper into his reign during this episode.

In this episode we head back to 1204 and pick up the narrative of the Byzantine Empire after the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade. The sack of Constantinople leads to a crusader/Venetian coalition in charge of what had once been the greatest Christian city in the world. True to their style, the crusaders waste no time in fighting amongst themselves. Meanwhile, in Nicaea and Epiros, two rival successor states to the Byzantines work to restore all that remains.

In this episode we see the Mamluks bring the crusader states to their final end and the end of the crusading epoch in Europe. Then, I do my level best to break down the importance of the crusades to European history and Western Civ.

In this episode we conclude our brief Mongol storyline. We cover how the Mongol Empire transitions from one global empire to several, massive nation-states. We will also see how the Mongols successfully transition from warriors to managers. Finally, we will begin to discuss the Mongol Peace (Pax Mongolica) and how that will usher the Black Death to Europe.

In this episode, the newly titled, Genghis Khan, sees the Mongol horde explode out of the steppe against China. Then, a chance event leads the Mongols to seek out new plunder from the Middle East as a caravan raid gone bad changes world history. Then, when Genghis Khan dies, a disputed succession leaves the lovable, but drunk, Ogedei Khan in control and badly in need of new conquests. The only question is, which direction should the horde go?

For the first time on this podcast, we really leave Europe and the Near East. Genghis Khan has had a greater impact on the world than perhaps any other person in world history. His impact and the impact of the Mongol conquests are undeniable. So, in this episode we begin to look at the man who would become Genghis Khan and his rise to power. Multiple people had emailed about resources that I use for the podcast. So I am going to start listing the major sources here for those who want more information. I highly recommend them all.  Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Jack Weatherford. The Secret History of the Mongols. Translation. Multiple Versions Available.  The Mongol Empire. Michael Prawdin. The History of the Mongol Conquests. John Joseph Saunders.

This episode covers the crusade of King Louis IX of France which started out with a lot of promise and ends... well, I guess the title kind of gives this one away. This is our last episode before we take a HUGE divergence from the narrative to introduce the Mongols because of the massive impact they will have on our narrative.

This episode covers the second half of Frederick II's reign as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Southern Italy, and King of Sicily. I try to answer the question: why is Frederick II considered to be one of Europe's greatest Medieval Monarchs?

This episode covers roughly the first half of Frederick II's reign from his regency through his crusade to recover Jerusalem. We will also discuss Cardinal Pelagius and his pathetic efforts to invade Egypt.

In this episode we cover the Norman conquests of Southern Italy and Sicily between roughly 1025 and 1100. A series of brothers from the house Hauteville in Normandy personally begin the expansion as the demand for mercenaries spikes in Apulia. The conquest proceeds apace until finally Sicily and Southern Italy are united under Roger II.