History of the World podcast

1290 - 1314 - A series of tragedies left the comparatively stable Scottish monarchy in disarray leading to the opportunistic King Edward I of England attempting to enforce overlordship on the Scots.  William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in particular looked to oppose this action.

1166 - 1216 - The events and actions of the reign of King John of England brought about the circumstances from which the highest members of English society sought to challenge the king's authority and lay down some legal terms that would limit the power of the monarch.

1230 - 1492 - The story of the last nation of Al-Andalus is the story of the Emirate of Granada. We determine how it was formed and the sequence of events that led to its destruction.

1340 - The Muslim taifas of the Iberian peninsula had all been reconquered apart from Granada.  A new threat now emerged from North Africa with ambitions of creating a foothold in the peninsula and taking control of the Strait of Gibraltar.

News about the next proper episode of the podcast and a catch up with some of the e-mails and reviews.

Another festive catch up and an opportunity to discuss the notion of Boxing Day and a bit about its traditional history.

A long awaited catch up with Chris on Christmas Day, with a little look into the whole tradition of Christmas Day and why it even exists as it does.

In this week's unscripted episode, we'll be discussing why there are unscripted episodes at all, we'll be answering History of the World podcast illuminati member, Corben Havener's question about when prehistoric tribes became big enough that not all individual members could know all others, and we'll be looking ahead at the final episodes of our journey through medieval Europe.

1212 - A new wave of powerful Berber Muslims called the Almohads controlled southern Spain.  Castilian raids into Almohad territory brought the Almohad army from Africa, and their aggression caused the Pope to call for a crusade which climaxed with this pivotal battle.

711 - 1102 - The Christianised Visigothic Kingdom was invaded and conquered by the Islamic Caliphate.  The remnants of the Visigoths went north into the mountains and began the process of reconquest (reconquista), to bring the Iberian Peninsula back under Christian rule again.

1176 - Since the days of the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto the Great, during the tenth century, Italy was the poorer brother of Germany.  A key factor within this relationship was the Papacy, and by the latter half of the eleventh century, with the support of the Pope, the Italians had had enough of being the Holy Roman Empire's whipping boys.

1191 - The Battle of Arsuf was the conflict between two of the most celebrated military leaders, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin of the Ayyubids.  The challenges of maintaining discipline in testing circumstances for both armies are highlighted well in this particular showdown.

1187 - After the situation settled down after the Second Crusade, the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt collapsed making way for the Muslim icon, Saladin, to become a national leader and an imperial warlord.  After bringing together a number of Muslim realms, the next target would be the infidels of Christian Outremer.

1099 - 1302 - After the conclusion of the First Crusade, four Christian nation states were established in the Levant.  These Crusader States would have to battle for their survival over the next two hundred years, and this episode focuses on that protracted battle.

1099 - The climax of the First Crusade sees the remainder of the Crusader armies attempt to take control of the Holy City from its newest owners, the Isma'ili Shia Islamic Fatimid Caliphate, with devastating consequences.

1095 - 1098 - The Crusade to the Holy Land was an ambitious undertaking when considering the distance to travel to fight enemies on their own soil.  We look at the motivating factors and the politics of the age to discover why so many people decided to make this dangerous pilgrimage.

768 - 1453 - Unpacking the true meaning of feudalism by examining the different relationships between classes of people living in Western Europe during the medieval period.

739 - 1392 - After an introduction to the Papacy, we concentrate on the period from when the Pope approached the Franks for protection, through to the battles between the peoples of northern Italy who traditionally either supported the Pope or the Holy Roman Emperor.

251 - 1221 - From the isolated hermit lifestyle of Saint Anthony in Egypt through to the medicant style of monasticism of Saint Dominic, we explore the diverse and ever changing fortunes and faces of the first millennium of Christian monasticism.

500 - 1500 - Attackers and defenders evolved in parallel to each other, so we can examine the relationship of archers against armour, and siege engines against defensive walls, as well as the melee weapons of the age and the differences around the world.

300000 BCE - 1492 CE - To understand how communication was possible over long distances in medieval times, we delve into the history of travel from the ancient age, right through to the eve of the Age of Exploration.

1607 - 1674 - The turbulent story of the 17th Century Dutch colony in North America which signified the birth of the modern city of New York, and saw the difficulties faced between European nations and Native American peoples.

5330000 BCE - today - We condense the history of the Mediterranean island of Crete into one episode, plotting the ages of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Etocretans, Romans, Aghlabids, Venetians, Ottomans and Nazi Germans, as well as the ultimate mother culture of Greece itself.

150000 BCE - today - Who are the Khoisan people and why are they so different to all other human life on the planet?  How has their lifestyle been affected by the many waves of migrations into their lands?  What traditions of their culture have they carried into today's world and where do they fit into today's society?

The final unscripted episode before resuming full episodes next week.  We provide you with a summary of the upcoming episodes and then catch up with all of the latest listener messages and reviews.