Western Civ

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...

Today we take a look at food, cooking, and baking in the Middle Ages. We are going to focus on England and France because the types of food available would have varied so much by region that it would be impossible to give an effective overview if we did all of Europe. We will cover Medieval foods commonly eaten, the banquet, cooking techniques, and I even try my hand at a few Medieval European rec...

In this episode, we continue to follow the Black Death as it ravages medieval Europe. In 1348 the Black Plague hits London and devastates its population.  From their the plague moves to Scotland and Ireland, Scandinavia, and Central Europe, before dying out somewhere in the wilds of the Russian steppe.  If you have not, don't forget to check out, The Agency: Crisis at Kadesh, a young adult histori...

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While we all shelter in place, I thought I would put out a few fun supplemental episodes on cultural topics that I have not been able to fit into the narrative. This first episode in the series looks at the mechanics of cathedral building: finances, plans, workers, and the basic structure.  If there are other cultural topics you want immediate episodes on, email me at westerncivpodcast@gmail.com ....

We return to the plague narrative proper in this episode. Edward III sits victorious upon the medieval English throne fresh from victories in France. However, the Black Death cares not for kings or victories and marches towards England in the summer in 1348. In England, we get some of our best statistics for the plague due to the English tendency towards record-keeping.  If you are interested in a...

We back the narrative up a little bit this time to catch up with England and France before continuing with the Black Death. In this episode, Edward III becomes King of England in his own right and the Hundred Years War begins. We explore the Battle of Crećy as well as the King's son, also a rising start: Edward the Black Prince. Finally, we look at how the longbow revolutionized combat in the Late...

We continue tracking the Black Death as it moves from Italy to France in this episode. First we follow the plague to Marseilles and see our first anti-semitic response to the mounting death toll. Then the plague chases the Pope out of Avignon. Finally, we follow the plague across the medieval French countryside before it descends on Paris. 

In this episode, we continue our Black Death narrative. Last time we considered the impact of the plague on medieval Genoa and Venice. This time we turn to Florence, Siena, and Rome.  From Florence we get our greatest plague chronicler: Giovanni Boccaccio. 

In this episode, we follow the Black Death as it moves from Sicily to Italy - striking the Italian cities of Genoa and Venice. 

We resume our narrative proper and take up the story of the Black Death in this episode. Now, the Black Death finally arrives in Europe in 1347 via, according to some truth and a lot of legend, the Genoese traders of Caffa on the Black Sea. 

In this final introductory episode to the Black Death, we consider the ecological factors that made Europe especially susceptible to plague in the Fourteenth Century. 

In this episode, we begin our Black Death narrative arc with a look at the plague itself. We will cover what causes the plague and what made the Black Death so destructive in Medieval Europe. 

In this supplemental episode, we take a whirlwind tour of Europe at roughly the year 1350, when the plague will begin to hit Europe. We cover quickly which kingdoms were where and who was rising or declining. Then, we take stock of the huge period of history we have covered since the fall of the Western Roman Empire before moving on to the Late Middle Ages. 

In this episode we follow the hapless reign of King Edward II of England. King Edward would find himself dominated by one court favorite after another starting with the infamous Piers Gaveston until finally he is simply removed from power in favor of his son, Edward III. In France, things are no better. The death of of Philip IV would led to three kings in the better part of two decades with no pr...

In this episode we continue our look at the High Medieval period in France and England. When we last left off, the deaths of two Kings, Henry II in England and Louis IX in France, left new kings in power. In this episode we will watch as Philip of France and Edward I of England led their kingdoms increasing toward nationhood.  

As the title suggests, we are heading back to western Europe for this episode. When we last left England, King John had died in the midst of a civil war. Now, the young Henry III was King of England. In this episode we follow his turbulent reign as England moves from the brink of civil war, to civil war, and back again. Meanwhile, in France, the death of Philip II will, ultimately, bring Louis IX...

In this episode we head back to 1204 and pick up the narrative of the Byzantine Empire after the sack of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade. The sack of Constantinople leads to a crusader/Venetian coalition in charge of what had once been the greatest Christian city in the world. True to their style, the crusaders waste no time in fighting amongst themselves. Meanwhile, in Nicaea and Epiros, two...

In this episode we see the Mamluks bring the crusader states to their final end and the end of the crusading epoch in Europe. Then, I do my level best to break down the importance of the crusades to European history and Western Civ. 

In this episode we conclude our brief Mongol storyline. We cover how the Mongol Empire transitions from one global empire to several, massive nation-states. We will also see how the Mongols successfully transition from warriors to managers. Finally, we will begin to discuss the Mongol Peace (Pax Mongolica) and how that will usher the Black Death to Europe.

In this episode, the newly titled, Genghis Khan, sees the Mongol horde explode out of the steppe against China. Then, a chance event leads the Mongols to seek out new plunder from the Middle East as a caravan raid gone bad changes world history. Then, when Genghis Khan dies, a disputed succession leaves the lovable, but drunk, Ogedei Khan in control and badly in need of new conquests. The only que...

For the first time on this podcast, we really leave Europe and the Near East. Genghis Khan has had a greater impact on the world than perhaps any other person in world history. His impact and the impact of the Mongol conquests are undeniable. So, in this episode we begin to look at the man who would become Genghis Khan and his rise to power. Multiple people had emailed about resources that I use f...

This episode covers the crusade of King Louis IX of France which started out with a lot of promise and ends... well, I guess the title kind of gives this one away. This is our last episode before we take a HUGE divergence from the narrative to introduce the Mongols because of the massive impact they will have on our narrative. 

This episode covers the second half of Frederick II's reign as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Southern Italy, and King of Sicily. I try to answer the question: why is Frederick II considered to be one of Europe's greatest Medieval Monarchs? 

This episode covers roughly the first half of Frederick II's reign from his regency through his crusade to recover Jerusalem. We will also discuss Cardinal Pelagius and his pathetic efforts to invade Egypt.