Western Civ

Beginning in the early Fourteenth Century, the Papacy went through a period of protracted exile from Rome. The Popes changed the seat of the Papal Government to Avignon, on the Rhone River in modern-day France. This period of exile coincided with the further decline and secularization of the Roman Catholic Church in ways that would hurt the overall reputation of the church in the decades to come. ...

Here's a super quick review of about one thousand years of church history. This will take us up to the tragic years of the Avignon Papacy.  Check out the Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Get Ad-Free Versions of the Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Try Western Civ 2.0 for Free: www.glow.fm/westernciv

I sit down with Virginia Postrel and talk about her new book: "The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made The World". We discuss how the development of textiles has often been overlooked in historical study and why that is such a crucial mistake. Check out the Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Get Ad-Free Versions of the Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Try Western Civ 2.0 for Free: www...

Today we examine the ways in which Roman Catholicism impacted the lives of everyday European in the Late Middle Ages and early Renaissance period to better understand the impact that the Reformation will have on normal early modern Europeans. Check out the Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Get Ad-Free Versions of the Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Try Western Civ 2.0 for Free: www.glow.f...

In this bonus episode, I sit down with historian Jeremy Popkin and talk about his latest book: "A New World Begins". In this exhaustive and excellent history of the French Revolution, you get a complete sense of just how complicated was this all-important event in world history.  Check out the Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Get Ad-Free Versions of the Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Tr...

I have a bonus preview of one of my Patron Deep-Dives this week: It's All Greek To Me. This is a several-hour-long look at the Greek civilization and Greek cultural influences on the world at large. In this part, I take the Hellenes from Minoan Domination through the Persian Wars.  Check out the Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Get Ad-Free Versions of the Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast...

Here is a sneak peek of some of what goes on in our Patron's feed, available for $2 per month at patreon.com/westerncivdpodcast This is the first of four episodes detailing the lives of two of history's most important women: Cleopatra of Egypt and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In total, this four-part series covers their lives and the tumultuous times in which they lived in around six hours of total conte...

Today I sit down with Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman and talk about their most recent book: Hitler's American Gamble. It is an hour-by-hour breakdown of one of most the crucial thirty-six-hour periods in world history.  Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/westernciv

Today I sit down with scholar Roderick Denton to discuss his new book: The Greeks. Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/westernciv

Today I sit down with renowned expert Michael Foley as we talk all things Johnny Cash in his new book: Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash.  This was definitely something different from me but who doesn't love a little "Ring of Fire" now and again? Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/wester...

Pilgrims, turkey, and United States Presidents. What do these three things have in common? Thanksgiving.  Interested to know more? Listen to find out the real history behind Thanksgiving. Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/westernciv

It has been a bit since we've done one of these but I wanted to step back and cover broadly everything we have covered in the last six months or more. We'll go over Henry the Navigator, Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, and more.  Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/westernciv

Today I sit down with historian and author Jay Cost and talk about his new book: James Madison: America's First Politician. Madison to me tends to be the forgotten Founding Father - at least since the epic revitalization of interest into Hamilton. But, as we talk about in this interview, Madison is so much more than just the "Father of the Constitution", as if that were not enough. Website: www.we...

Ponce de Leon and the fountain of youth... right? Not so much. Today we discuss the historical reality of Juan Ponce de Leon, which has nothing to do with fountains and much to do with Florida. Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Western Civ 2.0 Free Trial: www.glow.fm/westernciv

Tis the season of bonus author interviews on Western Civ! This time, I sit down with Andrew Petegree and Arthur Der Weduwen to talk about a subject near and dear to us all: books. Specifically, the library. Their new book: The Library: A Fragile History, covers the history of the library from the Great Library of Alexandria all the way to our modern children's section.  Website: www.westerncivpodc...

Without Magellan, the remaining three ships still must find a way to get to the Spice Islands and back to Spain if they are to complete their mission. Under normal circumstances, this would be difficult, but a storm, a betrayal, and an angry Portuguese fleet make the prospect even more difficult.  Check out our website for more content at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron today for bonus conte...

Today I sit down with scholar Peniel Joseph and talk about his latest book, The Sword and the Shield, a new history of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X. Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron and Support the Show: www.patreon.com/westerncivpodcast Try Western Civ 2.0 for Free: www.glow.fm/westernciv

Now that Magellan has passed through the Dragon's Tail, he still has to cross the Pacific Ocean, which proves to be much larger than anyone in Europe believed. Arriving in the Philippines, Magellan's early success goes to his head and he begins to believe God will not allow him to lose. He puts this theory to the test on the island of Mactan.  Website: www.westerncivpodcast.com Ad-Free Shows: www....

Today I sit down with author Paul Lockhart and discuss his latest book: Firepower: How Weapons Shaped Warfare. It is a brilliant book that covers the evolution of warfare from pikes and longbows to heavy bombers and tanks. You can purchase the book HERE For my own abbreviated coverage of parts of the work check out our members feed at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast 

Magellan had made it through several mutinies. But he had yet to defeat his most intractable foe: the strait. But where was this mysterious strait around South America? To find it, Magellan would need to pass through the Dragon's Tail.  Find more content at westerncivpodcast.com. Become a Patron today at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

I sit down for an interview with historian and author Edward Shawcross to discuss his new book, The Last Emperor of Mexico. Did you know that in the 1860's Emperor Napoleon III of France tried to put an Austrian Archduke on the throne of Mexico? Did you know this is where we get the origin of Cinco de Mayo? Find out all this and more here and BUY THE BOOK. Check out more about the show at westernc...

While many different explorers discovered new lands, only Magellan tried to circumnavigate the globe. In our first of three Magellan episodes, we discuss not only how the voyage began but the various reasons it almost did not.  Check out westerncivpodcast.com for more episodes! Become a Patron for exclusive bonus content at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

A short bonus episode covering the, totally gross, life at sea during the early Age of Discovery. Hygiene? Not much. Stench? You got it!  Check out westerncivpodcast.com for more! Become a Patron at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast and for only $2 per month support the show and gain access to over fifty hours of bonus content and growing!

*** NOTE: I changed the order of the episodes, so this is the correct episode 173. While Spain and Portugal were sailing the southern seas, England took a chance on a different explorer promising to find a northern route to Asia. We know little even today about the voyages of John Cabot (Anglified version) but what we do know offers a tantalizing view of early exploration in the northern Atlantic....

Vasco da Gama returns to India one last time. Portugal builds an empire in the Indian Ocean but before long its glory fades like the setting sun.  Check out more content at westerncivpodcast.com Become a Patron at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast