A History of Europe, Key Battles

In April 1877, two Russian armies invaded the Ottoman empire. The focus of the war became the siege of Plevna in Bulgaria. The strong resistance there gave the Turks real hope for a final victory, or at least holding off the enemy and forcing a more favourable diplomatic solution. 

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Rimsky-Korsakov: Polonaise, and Russian Easter Festival Overture

Picture - The defeat of Shipka_Peak, Bulgarian War of Independence

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In April 1876 news spread across Europe of appalling atrocities being committed in Bulgaria, by Turks against local uprisings. These occurred soon after similar events elsewhere in the Balkans region – in Bosnia and Serbia. The strongest reaction came from Russia where widespread sympathy for their fellow Slavs led to a nationwide surge in patriotism

A new sultan in Constantinople, Abdul Hamid II, rejects any concessions, leading to war

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Frederic Chopin - Mazurkas in C sharp minor

Picture - The Batak massacre carried out by Ottoman irregular troops in Bulgaria in 1876

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1875, the Balkans entered a period of turmoil as various nationalities (Serbians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Albanians and Romanians) struggled for independence from the Ottoman Turks. Uprisings quickly spread across the region and resulted in a major war between the Ottomans and Russians from 1877 to 1878.

Meanwhile, Constantinople was suffering a renewed period of political instability which led to the overthrow of Sultan Abdülaziz in May 1876

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Bedrich Smetana - Ma Vlast (My Fatherland), and Frederic Chopin- Nocturne in C sharp minor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philippa has written novels set in several different historical periods, especially the Tudor period. We discussed the period around the Glorious Revolution 1688 when the Prince of Orange invaded England from Holland and replaced James II as king, and the Battle of Sedgemoor 1685 three years before.

Some of Philippa's novels have won awards and have been adapted into television dramas. The most successful of her novels has been The Other Boleyn Girl, published in 2001. Philippa has also published a series of books about the Plantagenets, the ruling houses that preceded the Tudors, and the Wars of the Roses.

Her new book is called Dawnlands, the third in a series named Fairmile.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For centuries, Europe’s German centre had been politically fragmented and weak. The continent had been dominated by states on the periphery, whose interest was to maintain the power vacuum at the centre. Now, however, for the first time, the Germans were united under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck and launched a major invasion into France, which ended up destroying the balance of power on the continent.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Frederic Chopin - Mazurkas in C sharp minor, Poloniase nr 7 and Predule nr 10

Picture - Bismarck and Napoleon III

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following Prussia's victory at Königgrätz in 1866, the North German Confederation became an instrument for Prussian dominance. All northern German states not directly annexed by Prussia were put in the new Confederation in which Berlin assumed control of their foreign and military affairs, and most of their internal ones as well. A solid block of Prussian territory stretched now between France and Belgium in the west to Russian Lithuania in the east.

Tensions rise between Paris and Berlin, and Napoleon III of France blunders into a war against Germany for which he is not prepared

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Brahms Symphony nr 3, parts of the 2nd and 3rd movements

Picture - German troops at Torcy, in September 1870

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 was brief, yet its consequences were profound. It was the culminating event in a rivalry that began with the rise of the house of Brandenburg-Prussia, most notably Frederick the Great’s unprovoked attack upon the Habsburg province of Silesia in 1740. From that time Austria and Prussia were involved in a long struggle for supremacy in Germany.

In 1866 Prussian armies invades Saxony and then the Austrian Empire with the main battle occurring on 3rd July 1866 at Königgrätz with immense armies on both sides.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, movements 3 and 4. Also Waltz nr. 15 in A flat major. Courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Any list of decisive battles of European history would be incomplete without a battle which occurred on 3 July 1866 near the town of Königgrätz, in the north of the today’s Czech Republic.

The victorious allies of the Schleswig War of 1864, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, soon after fall out with each other and go to war.

Austria faces great challenges - in the centre of Europe and facing in two directions – north and west to Germany, and south and east to a number of various ethnicities in eastern Europe and the Balkans

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Camille Saint-saens: The Carnival of the Animals - Aquarium and Swan

Picture - Map of Central Europe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When in November 1863 King Frederick VII of Denmark died, a dispute arose over who had a legitimate claim to rule over the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. Otto von Bismarck saw this as a great opportunity to increase Prussian power in the region and decided, together with the Austrians, to invade Denmark.

The key battle in the war was the siege of Dybbøl in April 1864

This month, August 2022, I'm doing a cycling challenge to raise money for Brain Tumour Research. More info at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carl-rylett-cycle274

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Anton Bruckner (Erinnerung) and Sergei Rachmaninoff (Preludes, number 10, Lento in B minor)

Picture - Siege of Dybbol 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A border dispute between the German Confederation and the Kingdom of Denmark in the regions of Schleswig and Holstein breaks out into an inconclusive war in 1848-1850, and tensions remain into the 1860's.

Meanwhile, a common culture was developing across the German population of Europe, with the literary works of Goethe and Schiller, and philosophers Kant and Hegel. On the political scene, Otto von Bismarck rises to power as the Prussian chief minister. He urges the need for the king’s military reforms, famously stating that the great questions of the time would not be resolved by speeches or parliamentary votes but by ‘iron and blood’.

This month, August 2022, I'm doing a cycling challenge to raise money for Brain Tumour Research. More info at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carl-rylett-cycle274

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Edvard Grieg (Peer Gynt Suite - Aase's Death, Anitra's Dance)

Picture - Otto von Bismarck

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Napoleon III of France and Cavour, chief minister of Piedmont come to an agreement to try to remove Austrian influence from the Italian peninsula, and provoke Vienna into war. One of the largest battles was at Solferino where there were three monarchs - Franz Joseph of Austria, Victor Emanuel of Piedmont and Napoleon III. The ensuing conflict lasted until 1861 when finally emerged the brand new nation of Italy

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Giuseppe Verdi - Overture, Iphigenia In Aulis; La Traviata - Conclusion - Ah, fors' e lui. Courtesy of musopen.org.

Picture - Entry of Garibaldi to Napoli, by Franz Wenzel Schwarz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Napoleonic Wars had a dramatic impact on Italy, completing redrawing boundaries. Even though the French were defeated, many of their political reforms were to be both profound and long-lasting. And the temporary unification of parts of the peninsula encouraged Italians to be aware of a common nationality. Yet only decades afterwards would there be real change. Some of the protagonists were Giuseppe Garibaldi, Giuseppe Mazzini and Camillo Cavour, the Prime Minister of Piedmont

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Franz Liszt - Die Loreley, S. 532 (Piano Solo)

and Mikhail Glinka - Trio Pathétique

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An allied army of British, French and Italians besiege the Crimean port of Sevastopol in late 1854. Fighting also took place in the Baltic Sea and in the Far East, and in the Caucasus mountains at the siege of the fortress of Kars. The main event at Sevastopol was particularly protracted and bloody as the allies attempted to break through into the city

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Frederich Chopin: Preludes No. 7 'The Polish dancer'; Nocturne in F sharp major

Picture - Battle of Malakoff

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Russians invade Moldavia and Wallachia (in modern day Romania) and destroy the Ottoman Black Sea fleet at Sinop. Under public pressure, the French and British governments, concerned about growing Russian power, decide to send in troops to force the invaders to retreat. Seeking to neutralise the Russian threat in the Black Sea and Mediterranean, the Allies decide to invade Crimea. One of several early skirmishes was the famous 'charge of the light brigade'

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Frederich Chopin

Picture - British cavalry charging against Russian forces at Balaclava

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Ottoman Sultans attempt to reform their army and state, under pressure from outside powers, most notably Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, who lays claim to protecting Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire. The Crimean War begins when Russia invades the Orthodox territories of Moldavia and Wallachia in modern day Romania.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Frederich Chopin: Nocturne in B flat minor, no. 1, and Polonaise no. 1

Picture - The First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813) against the Ottoman Empire

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The powers of Europe, especially Britain and France are concerned by the decline of the Ottoman Empire and growing power and ambition of Russia. This episode focuses on the problems of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, who descendants once ruled a mighty empire that threatened Christendom, but in the 1800's was struggling under the pressures of modernity and the threat of regions breaking away e.g. in Egypt, Arabia and the Balkans. 

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Chopin's Mazurka in C sharp minor, and Etude no. 3 in E major - 'Tristesse'; Mikhail Glinka - Trio Pathétique

Picture - Portrait of Sultan Mahmud II

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Revolutionary breaks out across Europe continent from France to Romania, Denmark to Italy. Slowly the authorities regained control but were unable to reverse all of the changes. Most governments, for example, kept some form of constitution, and liberals worked hard to defend what was left of their achievements. The events of 1848 gave millions of Europeans their first taste of politics, and remained an inspiration for later generations. 

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Robert Schumann - Kinderszenen, courtesy of musopen.org

Picture: The revolutionary barricades in Vienna in May 1848

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first months of 1848, a tidal wave of revolution shook the political establishment of Europe to its foundations Events began with an uprising in Sicily in January, and by the end of the year the entire continent had been affected to some degree, including the overthrow of leaders in France, Austria, Italy and Germany

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini, courtesy of musopen.org

Picture: Revolutionaries in Berlin in March 1848, waving the revolutionary flags

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

King Charles X of France is overthrown and replaced by his cousin Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans. 

Meanwhile a 10 month long insurrection in Poland is crushed by the Russians. In the retribution which followed, eighty-thousand Poles are dragged off in chains to Siberia. 

The year 1830 also witnessed the formal independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire after a war which had begun nine years before.

And the Industrial Revolution gathers steam across western Europe

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Feliox Mendelssohn, Italian Symphony, courtesy of musopen.org

Picture - Eugène_Delacroix (Liberty Leading the People)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Congress of Vienna 1814 at the end of the long Napoleonic Wars led to a period of relative peace on the continent of Europe. A network of institutions was established known as the ‘Concert of Europe’ where differences could be thrashed out before leading to war.

After the French Revolution, the basis of sovereignty shifted from individuals and families as leaders to nations and states. Throughout Europe a generation of individuals from the educated elite took the lead in developing movements of national liberation and liberal reform. But for more than thirty years the leaders of the Great Powers of the continent successfully managed to suppress these movements and clamped down on any signs of internal unrest or revolution

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Frederich Chopin - Polonaise in A Flat Major; Franz Schubert's Symphony no.5

Picture: Congress of Vienna watercolour etching by August Friedrich Andreas

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French army invades Russia. The Russians retreat deep into their own territory then confront the French at the inconclusive Battle of Borodino of September 1812. Napoleon leads his men into Moscow but is forced to abandon the city and return westwards in the middle of winter, resulting in devastating losses. The anti-French coalition regain the initiative at the huge Battle of the Nations and finally at the Battle of Waterloo.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Beethoven; Moonlight Sonata and Symphony No.6 in F major. Courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Napoleon leads the French into Egypt but is defeated at the Battle of the Nile by the British. Afterwards the Russians and Austrians push back against the French in Italy, but then suffer a reverse at the Battle of Marengo. Marengo turned out arguably to be the most important victory of Napoleon’s career. Had he lost the battle, he would have lost the war and probably the consulship. Instead his narrow win secured his job and won him Italy.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Mozart - March in D major; Violin Concerto no. 3 in G major, II. Adagio, courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Jacques-Louis David - Napoleon Crossing the Alps

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French invade Belgium in 1794 and the Netherlands in 1795. The coalition against them starts to fall apart as individual members came to terms. Russia, Prussia and Austria are distracted by their partitioning of Poland, which is wiped off the map.

Next the French invade Austria and Italy, the Italian campaign led by a promising young commander Napoleon Bonaparte.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Mozart (Symphony no. 40 'Prague'), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Louis-François, Baron Lejeune - The Battle of Lodi 1796

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A French military victory at Valmy in 1792 and the execution of Louis XVI in January 1793 focused the growing concern across Europe about the radical new regime in Paris. The true revolutionary nature of events in France was dawning on everyone, including the possibility of the export of the revolutionary principles. In France, there was further political turmoil in 1793 with the coming to power of Maximilien Robespierre, who embarked on a fully fledged reign of Terror

Music - Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major, I. Allegro

Picture - Battle of Jemmapes, by Raymond Desvarraux

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French king from 1774, Louis XVI, was poorly equipped for the role of national leader at a difficult time. His tragedy was that he had good intentions and a strong sense of responsibility. But he was shy and awkward and lacked the required political skills and charisma. Decades of failure for the French in foreign and domestic affairs, resulted in a profound crisis of legitimacy for the monarchy, resulting in the famous revolution of 1789

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Jean-Pierre Houël - The storming of the Bastille, July 14, 1789

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Origins of the French Revolutionary Wars can be dated to 17th August 1787, when in Constantinople the Ottomans arrested the Russian ambassador Count Bulgakov in the Topkapi palace, and declared war on St Petersburg. Catherine the Great had deliberately provoked the Turks and now dragged in the reluctant Austrians into the war. The Austrian Emperor was Joseph II, the archetypal enlightened despot, who worked hard to reform his empire but from the top down. His reforms provoked the so-called Brabantine Revolution 1789-90 in the Netherlands which was similar in some ways to the contemporary French Revolution. 

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Joseph Haydn (Symphony 94, 'Surpise'), Christoph Gluck (the opera 'Iphigenie En Tauride') and Mozart (the Turkish March), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - January Suchodolski - the Siege of Ochakov 1788

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last years of the 19th century the continent of Europe was turned on its head. France erupted into revolution in the middle of what was already a volatile situation, with various tensions between the Great Powers (Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, Austria, Ottomans as well as France). The storming of the Bastille is an iconic moment, not just for French, but world history. It came at a time when French prestige was in decline and her foreign policy seemed adrift. The French support of the British colonies in America helped them gain independence but did little for France herself. Meanwhile the Austrian Empire faced its own challenges, led by Joseph I after the death of Maria Theresa, and the Dutch Republic also appeared on the verge of revolt

https://www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music from Hector Berlioz (Symphonie Fantastique) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Serenade in G Major or Eine Kleine Nachtmusik), courtesy of www.musopen.org

Picture - Jacques Bertaux_-_Prise du palais desTuileries

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russo-Turkish War 1768-74, Catherine the Great

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seven Years War 1756-1763, Part 2

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Joseph Haydn, courtesy of musopen.org 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seven Years War 1756-63, Part 1

Pictured - Frederick the Great

www.historyeurope.net

Music - Joseph Haydn, Symphony 49 'The Passion', courtesy of www.musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War of Austrian Succession Concludes

Pictured - Battle of Fontenoy

www.historyeurope.net

Music - Winter by Antonio Vivaldi, courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prussian Invasion of Habsburg Silesia by Frederick the Great

Pictured - Maria Theresa - ruler of the Habsburg dominions

www.historyeurope.net

Music composed by Domenico Scarlatti, courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Background to the War of Austrian Succession 1740-48

War of Polish Succession 1733–35, Russo-Turkish War 1735–1739, War of Jenkins Ear 1739-1748

Pictured - Augustus II the Strong,  Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania until his death in 1733, which triggered the War of Polish Succession

Music composed by Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto for Bassoon in A minor, Concerto 11 in c minor, courtesy of musopen.org 

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introduction to the War of Austrian Succession 1740-1748; the rise of Prussia and beginning of the European Enlightenment. Pictured - Frederick William I, the king in Prussia and elector of Brandenburg (reigned 1713-40), known as the "Soldier King" for building up the military of his state.

Music composed by Georg Philipp Telemann, courtesy of musopen.org

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles XII of Sweden launches an audacious campaign towards Moscow through Poland, linking up with the Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa (pictured)

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Northern War - Charles XII, the young new king of Sweden, defends himself from attacks from his neighbours Russia, Denmark and Poland

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French army of Louis XIV was on the ropes, but fought hard against the British, Dutch, Austrians and Prussians at the Battle of Malplaquet 1709. Peace was finally agreed in with the Treaties of Utrecht 1713 and Rastadt 1714, establishing a new balance of power on the continent.

Composer - George Friedrich Handel, Water Music

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War of Spanish Succession - Heavy fighting across Western Europe, including in Italy and the Iberian peninsula between troops loyal to Philip V and the French on the one side and Austrians, Dutch and British on the other. Meanwhile the Duke of Marlborough leads the British and their allies against the French at the battles of Ramillies and Oudenaarde

Music: composer Giuseppe Torelli, Tumpet Concerto in D 'Estienne Roger - 1. Allegro moderato

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of Blenheim was a major turning point in the War of the Spanish Succession. A British and Allied army, led by the Earl of Marlborough, marched rapidly southwards from the Netherlands to confront a Franco-Bavarian army

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music composed by Jean-Philippe Rameau

Intro music by Nico Vettese (wetalkofdreams.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carlos II, the King of Spain, was dying. He had become king at the age of four in 1665 and throughout his life had suffered appalling physical ill-health. As the only surviving son of Philip IV of Spain and with expectations low that he would produce a heir, the question of succession was for a long time prominent in European politics. War indeed erupted in 1701 on his death

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nine Years' War (1688–1697) was a conflict between France and a European coalition which included the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic, England, Spain, Savoy and Portugal. It was fought in Europe and the surrounding seas, in North America, and in India. The war encompassed the Williamite war in Ireland and Jacobite risings in Scotland, where William III and James II struggled for control of England and Ireland

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music composed by Louis de Caix d'Hervelois

Intro music by Nico Vettese (wetalkofdreams.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Louis XIV has become the historical embodiment of the style of absolutist government where the monarch personally directs all matters of state as he or she sees fit, with authority given as a divine right. When he ascended to the throne, France was the most populous country in western Europe, and he intended to use its resources to pursue glory for his dynasty and kingdom at the expense of his neighbours.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music composed by Francois Couperin

Intro music by Nico Vettese (wetalkofdreams.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the battles of the Boyne and of Aughrim 1690, a force of Irish Catholics, supported by Louis XIV of France, fought against a multi-national army commanded by William of Orange, head of the Dutch Republic, who was also the newly crowned King of England following a successful coup known as the Glorious Revolution 1688. The battles paved the way for English domination of the British Isles through the military suppression of the Irish, and in time Britain became more politically united.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Intro music by Nico Vettese (wetalkofdreams.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soon after William of Orange took control of England in the Glorious Revolution 1688 and became King William III of England, he found it necessary to confront a rebellion in Ireland. With the support of King Louis XIV of France, the deposed King James arrives in Ireland to support Catholic resistance to William and to reclaim his crown

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Intro music by Nico Vettese (wetalkofdreams.com)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 1688 a large invasion arrived in England from the Dutch Republic, led by William of Orange. It was a risky move, driven partly out of fear of the English allying with Louis XIV of France, who was threatening to attack his country. King James II of England was fast losing popular support for his Catholic sympathies, a fact exploited in William's propaganda to the English.

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music: Henry Purcell (Overture in G minor, Gordion Knot Untied)

Intro by Nico Vettese (wetalkofdreams.com)

Picture: William III Landing at Brixham, Torbay

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Siege of Vienna 1683

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music: Palestrina (Adoramus te Christe); Elgar (March of the Mogul Emperors)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Build-up to Siege of Vienna 1683

Picture: Jan Sobieksi

Music by composer Johann Jospeh Fux - Symphony in F Major, Partita in G Minor

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Habsburg Emperor Leopold I (1658-1705) faces the twin challenge of the France of Louis XIV in the west and the Ottoman Empire in the East

Music: Christmas Concert by composer Arcangelo Corelli

Picture: Leopoldine Wing of the Hofburg Palace, Vienna

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 1660's and 1670's the British (after the Restoration of the Monarchy led by King Charles II) and the Dutch fight a second and third naval war for control of the seas. It includes the audacious Dutch Attack on the Medway of June 1667

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Henry Purcell - Chacony in G minor, The Gordion Knot Untied . Courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The death of Oliver Cromwell in September 1658 left the republican government in disarray. The mood of the country favoured the return of monarchy, and so King Charles II was invited to the restored English throne in May 1660. Soon after conflict with the Dutch Republic renewed with the Second Anglo Dutch War

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Alessandro Scarlatti - Sinfonie di concerto grosso No 12 in c minor, La Geniale; Concerti Grossi No 5 in d minor, courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Anglo Dutch wars were not only important events in their own right, but also the earliest in a sequence of naval wars which continued into the nineteenth century. At first sight the British Commonwealth government under Oliver Cromwell and the Dutch Republic had much in common and should have been allies, but trade and shipping disputes between them led to a conflict for control of the seas.

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Henry Purcell - The Fairy Queen; Abdelazer (or The Moor's Revenge) courtesy of musopen.org

Art: Reinier Nooms - The Battle of Leghorn

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the execution of Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and his Commonwealth government asserted their authority over Ireland and Scotland. They fought off an invasion from Charles's son, which was defeated at the Battle of Worcester 1651 and then attacked the remaining Royalist forces in the Scilly Isles, Channel Islands and the Americas. Meanwhile, tensions grew with the neighbouring Dutch Republic

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music: Jean-Baptiste Lully - Le bourgeois gentilhomme, courtesy of musopen.org

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turmoil in northern and eastern Europe continues with war involving Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Poland-Lithuania and the Ottoman Empire. The Cossacks of Ukraine lose their last hopes for autonomy. The Russians take a big step forwards to establishing themselves permanently upon the Black Sea and also in a position where they can take a closer interest in Central Europe 

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

www.historyeurope.net

Music courtesy of musopen.org. Frederic Chopin, Nocturne in E flat major, Op. 9 no. 2; Etude Op. 10, no. 3 in E major - 'Tristesse'

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Cossack uprising breaks out in 1648 partly a response to local grievances but also an attempt to retain a degree of autonomy. However, by appealing to Moscow for help, Bohadan Khmelnitsky triggers the invasion of Sweden as well as Russia, which ultimately caused devastation, and the beginning of the end of Poland as a major power. The events are known as the Swedish Deluge, or just the Deluge in Poland, and as ‘the Ruin’ in Ukrainian history

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music Courtesy of musopen.org

Mazurka in C sharp minor

Polonaise in A flat major

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First Part of a series 'The Ruin and the Deluge' on the turbulent late 17th century of eastern Europe. In 1648 the Cossacks start a major rebellion against their Polish overlords. In an attempt to retain autonomy for his people, the Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnitsky (pictured) appeals to Tsar Alexis of Moscow for help

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Music courtesy of musopen.org. Composer: Frederic Chopin

Nocturne in B flat minor, Op.9 no.1

Mazurka in C sharp minor, Op.6 no.2

Polonaise, Op. 71 no.1

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Build-up to the English Civil War, with growing tensions between King Charles I and the Parliament

Music: John Dowland - Lachrimae, or Seven Tears; Lassus - Susanne un jour (piano); Thoinot Arbeau - Orchésographie - Pavane: Belle qui tiens ma vie

Picture: Attempted Arrest of the Five members, by Charles West Cope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 1 on the English Civil War. The reign of the first Stuart king of England, James I (James VI of Scotland) was relatively calm, but there were religious tensions, including the Gunpowder Plot 1605, and disagreements with parliament, which presaged the later troubles of his son Charles I

Music: Orlando Gibbons, Silver Swan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last decade of the Thirty Years War - French, Swedish, Spanish, German, and imperial armies fight to gain strategic advantage in a central Europe already devastated by many years of conflict and pillaging. Finally in 1648 the sides agree to the Peace of Westphalia.

Music: Claudio Monteverdi - Lamento della ninfa, 1638, dedicated to Emperor Ferdinand III

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The French, her foreign policy led by Cardinal Richelieu, enter the Thirty Years War after the Battle of Lutzen 1632

Music: Giovanni Paolo Cima - O Dulcedo Meliflua, 1610

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Origins of the Dutch Revolt (1568–1648). Philip II of Spain inherits the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples and the newly discovered Americas as well as the Iberian Peninsula. Unrest breaks out in the Netherlands, and resistance grows against Philip's rule. Meanwhile, Anglo-Spanish relations are further strained by the discovery of a Spanish plot to kill Queen Elizabeth, the Ridolfi plot

Pictured: Philip of Spain and William of Orange, leader of the revolt

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Something different this week - an interview with historian and author Jacob F. Field, whose works include:

One Bloody Thing After Another: The World's Gruesome History

We Shall Fight on the Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History

And more recently - A History of Europe in Bite Sized Chunks

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conclusion of the French Wars of Religion. On the death of all four sons of Catherine de Medici, the Valois dynasty dies out, leaving a committed Protestant, Henry of Navarre, as heir to the throne. He would go on to become Henry IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty and one of France's greatest kings.

https://aca.st/370288

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fighting breaks out in France between Protestants and Catholics in a series of conflicts known as the French Wars of Religion. The most infamous event of all is the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre 1572

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of Lepanto - the largest naval battle in Western history since classical antiquity. A clash for supremacy of the Mediterranean between the Ottomans and a Christian Holy League

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Suleiman the Magnificent leads a huge army across the Balkans to confront the leadership of the Kingdom of Hungary. The Battle of Mohacs proved to be a key event in the history of eastern Europe

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the early 1500's. Conquest of the Balkans and Mamluk-controlled Egypt, and rivalry with Shia Persia. Also, the story of the kingdom of Hungary in the same period, leading up to the Battle of Mohacs 1526. Pictured - the coat of arms of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary 1458-1490

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fight for naval supremacy of the lucrative spice trade of the Indian Ocean between the Mamluk Sultanate based in Cairo and the Portuguese.

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Portuguese begin to seize control of the spice trade of the Indian Ocean, by a mixture of diplomacy and brute force. For King Manuel of Portugal, his new maritime empire becomes not just an end in itself but a possible opportunity to weaken the Mamluk Sultanate, and perhaps even a means to recover the Holy Land for Christianity. Pictured: the Zamorin of Calicut.

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The epic voyage of Vasco Da Gama 1497-1499, who sailed from Portugal, around the southern tip of Africa, along the eastern coast of Africa and then onto India. The discovery of a sea route from Europe to India began the European age of exploration, with huge consequences for both Europe and the rest of the world

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/privacy for more information.

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 artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo da Vinci. However, towards the end of his reign, the people of Florence grow increasingly resentful about economic disruptions and turn to the radical preacher Savonarola

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Florence and helps organise the Peace of Lodi, which brings a period of relative peace and stability to the Italian peninsula

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

King Edward III of England declares war on France to begin The Hundred Years War

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: King Edward III of England

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Background to The Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Thirteenth century France thrives; King Philip IV the Fair of France; Avignon Papacy begins

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Philip IV of France

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Battle of Rio Salado 1340 and the subsequent Siege of Algeciras were the key moments in the struggle for the Straits of Gibraltar between Christian Spain, Muslim North Africa and the Sultanate of Granada, the last remaining Muslim state in Iberia

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Battle of Rio Salado

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Gibraltar Crusades is the name given to the struggle for control of the Straits between Spain and Morocco in the 13th and 14th centuries. Castile and the Marinid dynasty of Morocco fought each other and Granada, the last Muslim state in Iberia.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Remnants of the city of al-Mansoura, constructed by the Marinids during their siege of Tlemcen

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa 1212 the Christians of Iberia, especially the Castillians, are able to conquer much territory from the Muslims. Plus an overview of thirteenth century Spain

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Fernando III of Castille

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The princes of Kievan Rus gather an army to confront a Mongol force which has invaded the Pontic Steppe. The two sides meet at the Battle of The Kalka River 1223

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Mongol cavalrymen

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After conquering northern China the Mongols of Genghis Khan launch a campaign westwards through Persia and the Caucasus Mountains and into Europe

www.histyoryeurope.net

Picture: Genghis Khan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For two centuries after Vladimir the Great's conversion to Christianity Kievan Rus enjoyed a golden age. A common culture and sense of identity formed in the lands of the Rus' despite political turmoil. The three main centres of power, each different in character, were Vladimir Suzdal, Novgorod and Volynia-Galicia

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: St Olga by Nesterov

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vladimir the Great is credited with transforming Kievan Rus into a true medieval state with Christianity at the heart of its sense of identity. The story is linked to the siege of the Crimean city of Cherson in 988 and the Byzantine Emperor Basil II The Bulgar Slayer

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Baptism of Saint Prince Vladimir in Kherson (Viktor Vasnetsov)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dynasty of Rurik builds the foundations of a new power in eastern Europe - Kievan Rus. Princess Olga takes vengeance on a rebel town by burning it down, but after converting to Christianity was later sainted. Her son, Syvatoslav defeats the Khazars and then tries to resettle his people in Bulgaria before his early death.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Rurik on the Monument 'Millennium of Russia' in Veliky Novgorod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The origins of the Slavs are shrouded in uncertainty. We rely on scraps of contemporary writings and later writings such as The Primary Chronicle of Kievan Rus. They tell us of the unification by Vikings of scattered tribes in the region of the Baltic - Black Sea waterways

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: The Invitation of the Varangians: Rurik and his brothers arrive in Staraya Ladoga (Viktor Vasnetsov)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brief history of Crimea and North Black Sea region 500BC-800 AD, during which time many different peoples having left their mark, including Greeks, Scythians, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Khazars

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Crimea

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Intro is the Russian Presidential Address of 2014. Then an outline of different perspectives on Ukrainian and Russian History, and next a description of the geography and early history of the Black Sea region from the time of the Ancient Greeks

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon de Montfort probably hoped to quickly finish off the last pockets of resistance after the Battle of Muret. Instead conflict continued for another one and a half decades. What would happen to Simon, to Count Raymond and the people of Languedoc at this critical period for the region?

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Fortress of Montsegur

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In September 1213 in southwestern France two Christian armies faced each other off. One was led by King Peter II of Aragon, who after his glorious victory against a Muslim army at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa the previous year, was not only one of the most respected monarchs of Christendom but a favoured son of the Church. The other army was composed of crusaders, mainly from northern France, fighting on behalf of the Pope to root out heresy from the French region of Languedoc

www.historyeurope.net

The Battle of Muret: illustration from the Grandes Chroniques de France, c. 1375–1380

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon de Montfort becomes leader of the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars of Languedoc. He meets resistance from Count Raymond VI of Toulouse and the general population of the region.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Carcassonne

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Background to the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade in Languedoc, southern France

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: The Albigensian massacre, chronicle of Saint-Denis, 14th century, London, British Library

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A powerful league unites against Philip II Augustus of France, including King John of England, Emperor Otto IV, and numerous counts of France. Historians are pretty unanimous, that this was a decisive battle which helped shape western Europe.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: A detail of one of the stained-glass windows installed in the parish church of Bouvines in 1914

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

King John prepares to invade France and recover his lost territories. In the meantime King Philip Augustus of France consolidates his gains on the continent, provoking resistance among local rulers, especially in Flanders.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: King John's tomb

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year 1204, Philip Augustus of France wrested control of the duchy of Normandy from King John of England. The long Capetian-Plantagenet struggle for power, however, was not yet over and would reach another decisive point a decade later at the Battle of Bouvines, 1214. This time the leaders of the other main power of the western Europe, Germany, would be brought into the conflict, and so also have important consequences for central Europe and Italy. And so for this episode I will get us up to date with the political situation in Germany.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Emperor Frederick Barbarossa

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Caliph al-Nasir, also known as Miramamolin invades Spain with a huge Muslim army which is met in the Sierra Nevada mountains by a Christian army, including King Alfonso VIII of Castile, Pedro/Peter II of Aragon and Sancho VII of Navarre

www.historyeurope.net

Portrayal of the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa by Francisco de Paula Van Halen (1864)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Almohads invade Spain from North Africa while the Christian kings bicker among themselves. Alfonso VIII suffers a heavy defeat at the Battle of Alarcos in 1195

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Hassan Tower in Rabat (Morocco)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Almohads arrive in Spain from North Africa and threaten to overwhelm the peninsula. The greatest resistance comes not from the Christian kingdoms, but from a fellow Muslim known as 'El Rey Lobo' (The Wolf King), head of a kingdom based in Murcia, a city in its golden age

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Muhammad ibn Mardanish. El Rey Lobo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The birth of the kingdom of Portugal, the Siege of Lisbon, and the Union of Aragon and Catalonia - the political map of the peninsula begins to form

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Spanish town of Tortosa

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A recent guest episode for the History of England podcast on the End of the Hundred Years War, in brief the years after Agincourt 1415, but focusing on the last four years from 1449-1453 and the Battles of Formigny and Castillon. In England the victories at Agincourt, Crecy and Poitiers are well known, but less so, the events around the end of the war, and how the French eventually drove the English from all the continent, except for Calais. www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Battle of Formigny

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

King John of England in his first year or two of rule achieved some successes, but his lack of tact and diplomacy, plus poor decision-making lost him many allies in France. The focus of the escalating conflict between the Plantagenets and Capetians became Chateau Gaillard, a magnificent fortress in the key borderlands between Normandy and the French royal demesne around Paris.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Ruins of Chateau Gaillard

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sons of King Henry II of England, impatient for power of their own and encouraged by Louis VII and then Philip II Augustus of France, rebel against their father and end up damaging the cause of their dynasty, the Plantagenets.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Effigy of Richard I Lionheart, Church of Fontevraud Abbey

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of France in the High Middle Ages, the reigns of Louis VI and Louis VII. As the twelfth century opened the kings of France barely controlled much land beyond Paris, but these two monarchs began to build the foundations for the French kings' great rise in power and prestige.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: King Louis VII of France, coin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

William the Conqueror's conquest of England in 1066 and the division of his lands between England and Normandy sowed the seeds for centuries of Anglo-French conflict. This episode covers the reigns of Henry I of England, the Anarchy (civil war over Henry's succession) and the formation of the Angevin Empire of France and England under Henry II

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: King Henry II of England

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When crusaders arrived at Constantinople in 1203 they gazed in wonder, having never imagined that there could be so fine a place in the world. The 'Queen of Cities', founded by Constantine The Great in the early fourth century, had become imbued over the centuries with legends and Christian myths that gave the place a spiritual aura to match its physical grandeur. Yet in 1204 the city would be violently sacked and the once mighty Empire brought to its knees.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders in1204

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year 1204, Constantinople, the largest and most splendid city by far in Europe was sacked, not by Muslims but by fellow Christians - and not only sacked but gutted by fire and indiscriminate violence. Part 1 describes the build-up and first steps of the crusade, including a history of early Venice.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Pope Innocen III. Fresco mid 13th century - Monastery of Sacro Speco of Saint Benedict

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the disaster at Hattin in 1187 Saladin appeared on the verge of completely wiping out the Crusader States from the Middle East. Instead he was met by stubborn resistance at Tyre, and the Acre. And when the kings of France and England arrived at Acre the tide began to turn in favour of the Christians, who now set the sights on recapturing Jerusalem.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Siege of Acre

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The emergence of Saladin as preeminent Muslim ruler of the Levant, and the struggle for Egypt between Saladin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Saladin coin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Second Crusade (1145-1449), triggered by the Fall of Edessa. Conrad III of Germany and Louis VII of France lead the military campaign to boost the Crusader States in the Levant

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Raymond of Poitiers welcoming Louis VII in Antioch

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The army of the First Crusade arrives at the Holy City of Jerusalem

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, 15th July 1099

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christian warriors from around Europe converge on the Holy Land to fight the First Crusade. Despite many challenges the campaign starts well at the siege of Nicaea before reaching Antioch. One group, led by Baldwin of Flanders splits off from the main army and captures Edessa

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeuope

Picture: Baldwin of Boulogne entering Edessa in Feb 1098

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Build-up to the First Crusade from the perspective of the Byzantine Empire, the Turks in Asia Minor and the Levant, the area about to be invaded

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Build-up to the First Crusade. The Investiture Controversy between Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII, plus the growing influence of the Normans under Robert Guiscard, and the reasons behind the call to crusade by Pope Urban II

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: Henry IV begging forgiveness of Pope Gregory VII at Canossa

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The capture of Toledo, the capital of the old Visigothic kingdom, by Alfonso VI The Brave from the Muslims. Also the final days of El Cid

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: Alfonso VI conquers Toledo, May 1085

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The early Medieval Spain of El Cid. The story of King Ferdinand I of Leon and Castile and his sons Sancho and Alfonso, as depicted in the epic Hollywood film. Plus, the conflict between Aragon and Muslim Zaragoza, the arrival of crusaders from across the Pyrenees, and the Siege of Barbastro

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: Monument to El Cid in Burgos, Spain

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The golden age of Muslim Spain, the military dictatorship of Almanzor, the collapse of the caliphate into petty kingdoms (taifas), Sancho III El Mayor of Navarre, and the rise of Castile and Aragon

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Almanzor, military leader and statesman

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The newly crowned King of England, Harold Godwinson faced two invasions within days, firstly from the viking Harold Hardrada in the north, and then William Duke of Normandy on the south coast. This is the story of probably the most important battle ever fought on English soil.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Harold Godwinson, Bayeux Tapestry

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first half of the eleventh century, the Normans gained much territory in Italy but in so doing had made many enemies. In 1054 Pope Leo IX brought together a force of Lombards, Germans and Byzantines to confront them. The Normans won an overwhelming victory and effectively conquered the southern half of the peninsula

www.historyeurope.net

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The popes of the eleventh and early twelfth century were hardly living by the standards set by their religion. In spite of this this they still enjoyed considerable reverence among the leaders of Christendom. A papal alliance with the German Emperors, which proved highly valuable but sometimes very difficult, became a key element of medieval Italian history.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: 12th-century stained glass depiction of Otto I, Strasbourg Cathedral

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A focus on southeastern Europe. The history of early Bulgaria and its relationship with the Byzantine Empire, often one of peace and cultural exchange, but also involving military conflict including the Battle of Kleidion in 1014 AD

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Boris I of Bulgaria

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Rise of Islam in the 630’s threatened the existence of two ancient superpowers - the Persian and Roman Empires. In 636 AD the decisive battle took place between the Arabs led by Khalid ibn al-Walid and the Byzantine/Roman Empire of Heraklius- the Battle of Yarmouk.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Syria toward end of Muslim conquest, c. 638

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the 620's the Eastern Roman Empire faced several threats, most notably the Persian Empire. Part 1 focuses on the conflict between Constantinople and Persia. This provides the context for the Rise of Islam in the 630's leading to the decisive Battle of Yarmouk in 636 AD between the Roman Emperor Heraclius and the Arab invaders.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Solidus of Heraclius, minted 610-613

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attila and the Huns vs Aetius and the Roman Empire, with their respective allies

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: A painting of Attila riding a pale horse, by French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rise of the Roman army commander Aetius who would face Attila and the Huns in the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields in the twilight of Empire

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: Possible relief of Aetius

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The western Roman Empire was about to fall. But in 451 AD her soldiers had one last great victory on the battlefield, At the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields the destructive armies of Attila and the Huns were kept at bay and prevented from overrunning Western Europe

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: The Monza Cathedral Diptych, which may have been commissioned on Aetius' first consulship

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year AD 312, Constantine the Great defeated his main rival for the title of emperor in Western Europe. He is one of the most significant people in history, as the first Christian Emperor, who vigorously promoted the religion

www.historyeurope.net

Picture:m A coin struck in 313, depicting Constantine as the companion of a solar deity

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hannibal of Carthage v Scipio Africanus of Rome. In the third century BC the Roman faced its biggest challenge to date - The Punic Wars against the Phoenicians of Carthage. The two sides fought for decades. This podcast describes the build up to the Battle of Zama, the culmination of the Second Punic War.

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: marble bust, reputedly of Hannibal, originally found at the ancient city-state of Capua, Italy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 1 of 2 on the Battle of Gaugamela, 331 BC. Describes the build up to the invasion of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great, with an army of Greeks and Macedonians

www.historyeurope.net

Picture: A Hellinistic bust of a young Alexander the Great, possibly from Ptolemaic Egypt, 2nd–1st century BC, now in the British Museum

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of 2 on the Battle of Marathon, between the Ancient Greeks and the Persian Empire

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: Greek hoplite and Persian warrior depicted fighting. 5th century BC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 490 BC the Ancient Greeks of Athens fought for their very survival and for their way of life against the Persian Empire. It is important because the Greeks were to help build the foundations of European civilisation

www.historyeurope.net

www.patreon.com/historyeurope

Picture: The relief stone of Darius the Great in the Behistun Inscription

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.