History Pondered and Explored

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and later Queen of England. Let's see: consanguinity (marrying your cousin), yup, that comes up a lot. Excommunication (getting thrown out of the church), that too is pretty common in this story. Is Eleanor a sorceress, messing around with the dark arts and causing all sorts of trouble? Or is she the Golden Legend, who is all powerful despite all the kings and...

After the Battle of Leipzig and Napoleon's defeat, he is exiled. He comes back of course but he meets the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo. This is really the end for Napoleon. Wellington joins the British pantheon of national heroes The battle itself...the five phases of the battle primarily all go Wellington's way although there are definitely some dicey moments. There is also a French gen...

There were real world consequences to this plot, but likely not what you would expect. It reminds one how cultural hysteria, and the reasons for it, can lead to disastrous consequences. The plot twist is one for the ages! Unfortunate and absurd, although still understandable given the relatively recent Gunpowder Plot in England, this story is a fascinating look at the culture of England during the...

If his sobriquet does not give it away, this episode sure will! Charles the Bad is the very opposite of chivalry and while he is bad and does bad things, he is the comic book super villain of the 100 years war. . He is the kind whose schemes and shenanigans never work out! Worst still, a King of England and a King of France fall for his same scheme... more than once! In a strange and comical way,...

Two women, in Littlehampton UK in the 1920s, have a battle. One of the women starts to send anonymous, obscene libelous letters, which are unintentionally hilarious. for some. Yet serious consequences occur, and Scotland Yard is called in to investigate. One of the women is Edith Swan. She is said to "have a good reputation." The other woman, Rose Gooding, well she is not thought about i...

Mists of Time, the romance of Camelot, the kingdoms of Mercia, Wessex, Northumbria and so on. Well, that is a clue regarding the question - English Kings? Warlords or kings or warlord kings....does sound not quite Camelot does it? Fear not however. Do to the Mists of Time...and the lack of much in the way of contemporary sources for a portion of the Anglo-Saxon kings, leaves us with mystery, with...

Coming on the defeat and loss of the Grand Armee in Russia, Napoleon's invincibiliy and his PR machine took a big hit. Closing following on the heels of this defeat, Napoleon put together another Grand Armee, but perhaps this one was more of an "Just Okay" Armee...many young and untested soldiers made up the ranks. At the Battle of Leipzig, this Okay Armee was roundly defeated and soon after, Napo...

This battle lasted nearly all of 1916. France versus Germany. Verdun with its many forts was a symbolic place for France. General Falkenhayn of Germany thought he could end the western front at Verdun. Was he mistaken? Tune in and find out

Did the murder of Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire the event that started the Great War, WW1? That is a question even today 101 years and one week after the armistice that ended the war was signed. This episode, the second of the series, discusses the Victims (Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie), the Conspiracy, which included many more than the killer, the Crime itself, a...

The murders of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire is often considered the event that sparked the Great War- World War 1. But did it? This question remains even after the armistice was signed, 101 years ago today In this first episode Gavrilo Princip (the killer) and the empire are put into frame. Was there more to it than that. Well, on June 28th, 1914, Gavrilo Princip was not th...

The first month of the war, the Germans swept through Belgium and ran roughshod over the French Army in all battles to date. That was about to change. The leaders of the French, German and British troops were all very fascinating, a bit odd and most quite old. Their character, both good and bad, and how they "attended" to the war, had great impact on what happened not only in the first W...

So many to choose from. The stories, in turn, may be tragic, horrifying, and kind of funny. Most of the stories are very, very strange. Some of the historical figures - the Oracle of Delphi, Alexander the Great, Richard Nixon and many more...7 more actually. This is an episode to dive into

Are vampires real? Well, lets start with the literary and film history? Where did those ideas come from? Are the graves with stakes in the heart? Yeah. But really, how did this whole thing get started? There are different versions of the undead....mummies, zombies, vampires. But vampires are different. But why? Tune in and find out. Happy October and Halloween

Modernized the horror story. Brought the psychological dread into it. Credited with writing the first detective story with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself admitting he as inspired by Poe's detective But who was Edgar Allan Poe? Was it his life experiences that inspired his poems and stories. Did the first biography written about him sully his reputation forever? Nevermore! Tune in and find out....

A rollercoaster of a story in Part 3 of this series. Unfortunately for Joan, she was not around for the Trial of Rehabilitation. However, her beliefs were so strong and her conviction only really faltering once, Joan likely understood what was going to happen and perhaps remaining true to her beliefs was a better end then being chained to a wall in a men's prison for the rest of her life

Okay! In this second Episode of the epic series, the Siege of Orleans is discussed and Joan of Arc's efforts in the matter. We discuss her getting a full suit of armor, her two banners, and her efforts, due to what her angels tell her to do- to get the Dauphin crowned King of France, in the Cathedral of Reims. Is she successful? If so, why is she later burned at the stake? That question and more i...

This is a new release of Part 1 on Joan of Arc. Where did she come from? What did she hear and see? What was her mission and was she successful? At about age 13, Joan hears voices and visions. Joan says it is St. Michael and later, St. Catherine and St. Margaret. Were these visions real and what did they tell her? Tune in and find out on History Pondered

Here is the battle. The English army, starving, exhausted and greatly outnumbered by the French. What is the result? There is a slaughter but by whom? Tune in and find out

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers- Henry V- part of his speech courtesy of Shakespeare. This first episode of a two part series provides a brief overview of the 100 Years War, Henry V decision to do a siege on Harfleur....successful but at a cost, his march to Calais, that is interrupted by the French which leads to the Battle of Agincourt We also touch on the question- why did the English...

Is it wise to put a beheaded head on your saddle? How about trying to hug the moon when drunk? Did someone actual laugh to death? How bad was Charles the Bad? Find out on this and more on this episode of History Offhand #middleages #medieval #unusualdeaths

Johnny Appleseed lived a long and interesting life....or was he just another American folktale? Did he really wear a tin soup bowl for a hat? Did he just walk about throwing apple seeds and not worry at all about the bears nearby? Why did this guy have so many stories, poems and songs written about him? #johnnyappleseed #folktales #americanfolktales

The accusations begin to fly and build up steam. Who were the accusers? Who were the accused? Why the hell didn't anybody stop this? #Witch #Salemwitchtrials #witchtrials

What is the Massachusetts Bay Charter Colony? Think of the soundtrack to the movie "Midsommar" A very religious community / business dealing with: Devastation, Salvation, Starvation, Elitism, War, Predestination, Death by Animals and don't forget...Satan walks among you….at all times #dread #Satan #Salemwitchtrials #didIsaydread #witches #evil #salvation #war Devastation, Salvation, Starvation, We...

So what else was TE Lawrence up to? What was he like as a person outside of his well known exploits during the Arab Revolt? How much did PTSD potentially change the rest of his life? Find out this and more with History Offhand #Lawrenceofarabia

No prisoners...the myth, legend and actual person, TE Lawrence... better known as Lawrence of Arabia Strategy, tactics, battles...to what extent was Lawrence involved in the Arab Revolt during World War 1? How much killing did he actually do? This episode lets you in on the real Lawrence during the initial phases of his life and WW1 #Worldwar1 #Lawrenceofarabia