A History of Europe Key Battles

Portugal, having established its position in Iberia, begins to make conquests in Morocco. At the same time the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator (pictured) sponsors the beginning of a series of discoveries along the west coast of Africa. In 1487-88 Europeans, led by Bartolomeu Dias , circumnavigate the southern tip of Africa for the first time, and reach the Indian Ocean  www.hi...

Russo-Lithuanian Wars 1500-1503. Ivan III the Great (pictured) continues the expansion of Muscovy by the capture of Lithuanian territories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russia in the 1400's. The Conquest of Novgorod by Ivan III the Great, Grand Prince of Moscow www.historyeurope.net www.patreon.com/historyeurope Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

King Charles VIII of France, following his conquest of Naples, heads back through Italy to France but is attacked on his way back by a combined Venetian-Milanese army. The two sides meet near the village of Fornovo, near Parma. Although ultimately a failure, Charles' expeditions had major repercussions for it triggered the decades long Italian Wars, when the Italian peninsula became the battlegrou...

Charles VII leads his army into Italy to invade the Kingdom of Naples. He is invited into the peninsula by Ludovico Il Moro of Milan, concerned about aggression from Naples. Ludovico had expected the French to to travel to Naples largely by sea, and with a smaller force, not the full deployment of the French crown www.historyeurope.net www.patreon.com/historyeurope Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

Lorenzo il Magnifico, ruler of Florence 1469-1492. In the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy Pope Sixtus IV organises an assassination attempt on Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano. Lorenzo survives and goes on to help negotiate a peace treaty between the five great powers of Italy. For his influence and diplomatic skills he becomes known as 'the needle of the Italian compass'. Lorenzo also sponsored great...

Rise of the Medici dynasty in Florence. Renaissance Italy sees a remarkable flourishing of art and literature, with such writers as Dante, Bocaccio and Petrarch, the architects Brunelleschi and Michelozzo, and the artists Giotto and Pisano. Florence creates a republican system of government, although imperfect, democratic for its time. Cosimo de Medici, a skilled diplomat, rises to power in Floren...

Overview of Italy in the 1400's in the lead-up to the Renaissance and Italian Wars. The 5 main powers were The Papacy, Milan, Florence, Naples and Venice, each with very different characteristics. The Maritime Republic of Venice, its overseas territories threatened by the Ottomans, attempts to expand on the mainland. Also, the turbulent history of Naples in 1300's and 1400's www.historyeurope.net...

The Burgundian Wars 1474-1477. Charles the Bold of Burgundy captures the Duchy of Lorraine. But he faces fierce resistance from his neighbours who form an alliance called the League of Constance, which includes several Swiss towns. The culmination of the wars is the Siege of Nancy 1476-77 www.historyeurope.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles the Bold of Burgundy imposes his will on the citizens of Low Countries but, in so doing, creates resentment. Meanwhile, stoked by Louis XI of France, tensions rise between Charles and the Swiss www.historyeurope.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Survey of Western European powers around 1460's, including England, France, Burgundy, Switzerland, Savoy, and the major antagonists; King Louis XI of France (pictured) and Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy www.historyeurope.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Hussite Wars; a series of crusades in the Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech Republic) against religious dissidents, prepared to go to war to protect their religious freedoms against the Catholic Church www.historyeurope.net Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Early History of Bohemia (approx modern day Czech Republic). The Golden Age of Prague (pictured) under Emperor Charles IV, and execution of Jan Hus for alleged heresy, which triggered the Hussite Wars Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Culmination of the Hundred Years War at the Battle of Castillon 1453. The French rapidly advance into English-held territory in Normandy and Aquitaine Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The English fail to capture Orleans, famously defended by Joan of Arc. Charles the Dauphin makes gains against the English and is crowned at the Cathedral of Reims. Philip the Good, meanwhile, concentrates on building up his Duchy of Burgundy. In 1435 the Treaty of Arras is signed between France and Burgundy - a major diplomatic defeat for the English Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

After the death of Henry V, the English, under the leadership of John Duke of Burgundy, attempt to consolidate their hold on northern France and push into the south. Resistance forms in France around Charles the Dauphin. Also involved is Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy (pictured) although his main focus of attention is in his own lands to the east. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

A History of Burgundy through the centuries. Civil war and the assassination of John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy leaves France vulnerable to invasion by King Henry V of England and helps lead to defeat at Agincourt in 1415 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Agincourt 1415 - the most famous battle of The Hundred Years War. An army led by King Henry V of England achieves a resounding victory over the French Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Relations between England and France after the Battle of Poitiers 1356 and in the lead-up to the Battle of Agincourt 1415. I briefly cover the reigns of Kings Richard II and Henry IV of England, and Charles V and Charles VI of France Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of Grunwald/Tanneberg 1410 - an important battle in the history of Poland and the Baltic Region. Fought between the Teutonic Knights with guest crusaders on one side and on the other, a combined Polish/Lithuanian army. Also discussed is the battle's aftermath and its relevance today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 14th century Lithuania became a major European power under the leadership of Algirdas, his brother Kęstutis, and their respective sons Jogaila and Vytautas (pictured), This episode describes Lithuania and her relations with the Teutonic Knights leading up to the Battle of Grunwald 1410 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Struggle for Pomerania and Danzig/Gdansk between the native population, Teutonic knights and Kingdom of Poland. Teutonic knights move base to Marienberg. King Casimir the Great of Poland. Dynastic union of Poland and Lithuania in 1390's. Includes quotes from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Picture: Marienburg/Malbork fortress (visitmalbork.pl) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

Baltic Region in the 13th Century. Origins of the Teutonic Knights. Expansion of the Duchy of Lithuania as far south as the Black Sea at the expense of the declining Mongol Empire Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In September 1380 Grand Prince Dmitri of Moscow led an army which confronted an invasion force of Mongols on the banks of the River Don. After his victory he became known to history as Dmitri Donskoi, and a great Russian hero. But to what extent is it justified to portray Dmitri as a symbol of Russian resistance against Tatar repression? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Build up to the Battle of Kulikovo, fought between Russian and Mongol armies in 1380. Covers the rise of Muscovy, and Russia under the 'Tatar Yoke' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.