Richard III murders his nephews and seizes power. Yet, before he gets too comfortable, Henry Tudor crosses the Channel and the final War of the Roses begins. Check out our website for more content: westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today to support the show and for tons of bonus content: patreon.com/westerncivpodcastTry a free trial of Western Civ 2.0: www.glow.fm/westernciv

After the Battle of Towton, Edward IV became the first Yorkist King of England. But, the Wars of the Roses know no boundaries and soon Edward found the crown easier to win than hold.  Check out our website at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

York takes over with Henry VI in tow. But, how long can he keep the masses happy as the power behind the throne? Check out our website at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast  

St. Patrick's Day today is synonymous with drinking, the color green, and parades. But, it was not always that way. Learn about how the holiday developed and, over time, became a way for the Irish diaspora to celebrate their heritage.  Become a Patron today at Patreon.com/westerncivpodcast for bonus episodes and full-length audiobooks. 

As the 1440's come to a close, those around Henry VI begin to come to terms with his ineptitude. First, the Duke of Suffolk and then the Duke of Somerset tries to control the government from behind the scenes. Both lose their heads. Ultimately, one man steps into power: Richard, Duke of York.  Check out our website for more content at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today for as little as $1.00 per month at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast 

We begin our Wars of the Roses story arc by looking at the death of Henry V and the minority of his son, Henry VI. The Dukes of Bedford and Gloucester vie for power as England desperately tries to stabilize the situation in France.  Check out our website for more content: westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today for tons of bonus content plus every episode early at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

Today we catch up on early modern France after the Hundred Years' War. Then we do a quick run through the medieval Low Countries, Scandinavia, and Ireland to catch everyone up to 1492.  Check out our website for images and more: westerncivpodcast.com Become a patron today and support the show for as little as $1 per month at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

In this episode, we cover the Rus as they do battle with the Mongol's Golden Horde and medieval Russia begins to emerge around Moscow. Then, we turn back to the Holy Roman Empire for the first time since 1250 and see how developments within the empire lead to economic growth but also political decentralization.  Check out our website for more content at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today! For only $2.00 per month, you'll get access to over six hours of new content with new bonus content monthly. 

Valentine's Day has not always been all flowers and heart-shaped cards. Our eighth most popular holiday today, St. Valentine's Day is the product of a combination of ancient, medieval, and Victorian traditions, not all of which are pleasant or even relate to love. In this bonus episode, we cover the history of the holiday.

Leonardo da Vinci. Everyone knows the name. But how much do you really know about the great man? The Mona Lisa? Sure. The Last Supper? Of course. But, Lady with Ermine? Probably not. Groundbreaking medical discoveries? Nope. In this mega-episode, we cover all this and more. WebsitePatreon SupportWestern Civ 2.0

Today we wheel east and bring our narrative up to date for several regions we have not discussed in some time: Bohemia, Hungary, the Balkans, and Poland. We cover the early modern/renaissance history of each region.  Check out our website for more! westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today! patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

In this bonus episode, we do cover the basics of Renaissance painting, sculpture, writing, and architecture. I highly recommend looking at the images on our website, westerncivpodcast.com, while listening so you can follow along.  Become a Patron today and support the show for $1 per month at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

In our last look at the Italian Renaissance, we turn to Florence and the Medici, the name that is almost synonymous with the Renaissance.  Check out our website for the images referenced in the show: [email protected] Want more content? Become a patron today for as little as $1 per month at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast  

In this episode, we turn to Milan and its contributions to the Renaissance as well as doing a quick overview of the city's history during this early-modern period. Then, we shift south to Rome and catch up with the Papacy as well as reviewing the history of the Sistine Chapel.  Check out our website at westerncivpodcast.com Support the podcast now on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast?fan_landing=true 

Inspired by my interview with Historian Robin Lane Fox, I put together a brief overview of Classical Greek medical thought and practice. If you want much more information, check out Robin's book here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/robin-lane-fox/the-invention-of-medicine/9780465093458/ Become a patron today at: patreon.com/westerncivpodcast  Check out our website at: westerncivpodcast.com

In our first Renaissance episode, we cover the traditional "Fathers" of the Renaissance: Petrarch and Boccaccio. We discuss Humanism. Then, finally, we end with an examination of early-modern Venice.  Don't forget to follow us on Instagram (@westerncivpodcast) and on our website: westerncivpodcast.com for the most up to date information and bonus content. 

In this very quick supplemental, we take a short tour of Europe around the year 1450 (well, really 1453). There is a map posted on the website, westerncivpodcast.com, for those interested in following along. Then, next time, we start the Italian Renaissance! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @westerncivpodcast. 

A bonus episode covering the history of the western world's most popular holiday. From Santa Claus to December 25 and the origins of the Christmas tree, we cover it all.  Check out our website for more content:  westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today to support the show and for hours of bonus content: patreon.com/westerncivpodcast  

The entire "Alexander Redux" series is complete and now available for purchase at the website: westerncivpodcast.com. For only two dollars you get four hours of audio content. Enjoy a free preview here!  As always, the content is free to my patrons. To become a patron for as little as one dollar per month check out patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

The battle for Constantinople comes to a head. Mehmet and Constantine fight for the future of Europe outside the great Theodosian Walls. Nearly sixty days of siege come down to five short hours. Giustiniani suffers a severe injury that sidelines him at the last moment, just when he was needed the most. When the sun set over Constantinople on May 28, 1453, it would set over the greatest city in Christendom for the last time.  Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcastWestern Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/westernciv

Now months into the siege, Mehmet and Constantine trade blows to determine the fate of Constantinople. Mehmet launches several new attacks, which the Byzantines hold off, but just barely. Then, with his army becoming increasingly disgruntled, Mehmet settles on one last attack.  

The lost city of Atlantis. Is there any more romantic archeological find remaining? Is it real? Or, does Atlantis continue to reside merely in Plato's imagination? In a three-part series, I take a look and answer those questions and more.  Full episode available at:  westerncivpodcast.com patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

The battle for Constantinople continues as Constantine and Mehmet punch and counter-punch before the Theodosian Walls. This time, the battle extends to the Golden Horn for the first time as both sides look to the sea to score a key victory. 

Today, on Veterans Day, we take a look at why we celebrate veterans when we do and how the holiday developed. And do not forget to thank any veterans you see today and every day!  More at westerncivpodcast.com

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. 

After the death of Bedford, things begin to unravel quickly for English interests in France. Gunpowder has now replaced the longbow as the preeminent weapon on the field and Charles VII takes full advantage. By the end of 1453, the English have been driven from all but Calais, effectively ending the Hundred Years War. 

Led by Bedford, the English in France attempt to snuff out the remaining resistance under the Dauphin. Suddenly, an unexpected challenge rides to the future French King's rescue: a young peasant girl that history will come to know as Joan of Arc. Together, Joan and Charles VII push back the English as Bedford struggles to hold Lancastrian France together as the Hundred Years War reaches its final stages. 

Henry V returns to England after his victory at Agincourt to a jubilant population. Parliament quickly votes the king the money to continue the war and now Henry joins forces with the Duke of Burgundy to fight the Dauphin. Henry's early death in 1422 denies him the right to rule both kingdoms, but his son, Henry VI becomes King of both England and France that same year. In the years after the death of Henry VI, a fractured France allows John, Duke of Bedford to nearly complete the Lancastrian conquest of the realm. 

The Hundred Years War continues in this episode as Charles VI descends into madness, France into a quasi-civil war, and Henry IV deals with issues at home, granting France a brief reprieve. That reprieve then comes to a crashing end then as Henry V takes the helm at the Battle of Agincourt. 

All good things must come to an end. In this episode, we are back in late Medieval England as the two-hundred-year reign of the Plantagenets finally comes crashing down. Henry Bolingbroke sizes the throne from Richard II and the House of Lancaster rules England. 

After Poitiers, Edward III, and his son, the Black Prince were flying high. They had the French King, John II, in captivity, and France was in turmoil. But, the fortunes of the Hundred Years War are fickle. This time, we follow Charles V, the new French King, as he rolls back English gains. Then, after the deaths of the Black Prince and Edward III, Richard II takes the throne and faces the Peasants Revolt of 1381. 

I have fifty copies of my novel, If It Were Done, free to give away on Audible. Please send me an email at [email protected] for the promo code if interested. Or go to the website, westerncivpodcast.com. If you are not a member of Audible and are thinking about joining, here is a link you can use to access Audible and help out the show:https://www.audible.com/pd/B089MYT9H3/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-199604&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_199604_rh_us

In this episode, we pick up the Hundred Years War where we left off after the English victory at Crecy. Now, Edward III and his son, Edward the Black Prince, press the English forces once more into France, resulting in the English victory at Poitiers. 

In this bonus episode, we take a quick look at how the Black Death altered medieval European medical practices, including changes in medical education, practice, hospitals, and the development of the public health system. 

Three quick announcements: A new website coming! New (Totally Free) Book Available  Call for Educational Experiences Related to the Hundred Years War

In this episode, I provide a complete recap of the Black Plague story arc from beginning to end in a highly condensed format. This episode covers the scientific nature of Yersinia Pestis, the spread of the Black Death through Europe in the mid Fourteenth Century, and the consequences of the plague, both long and short term. 

In this episode we examine in more detail the short and long-term consequences of the plague. The Black Death has been credited with bringing about the end of the Middle Ages, which, as we will see, is both true and false.  Here are the links to my books available for purchase on Amazon: The Agency: Crisis at Kadesh The Agency: A Whole New Kind of Marathon If It Were Done: A Shakespeare Mystery Series Novel As always, I appreciate the support.

In this bonus episode we look at games, sports and tournaments in the Middle Ages.  Check my newest historical fiction novel on Alexander the Great: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087PJ5S9N 

In this episode we finish our historical story arc for the Black Death. Last time, we watched as the first cycle of plague died out on the Russian Steppe. But, this time we cover the Flagellants - one of the most memorable groups to come out of the plague. For all their hilarity though, the Flagellants remain an example of militant anti-semitism and apoplectic overreaction that we would do well to remember today.  If you have not, please check out my historical fiction novel: The Agency: Crisis at Kadesh here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0859LCJ4M