129 – Catherine of Siena – Medieval UN ambassador
In this episode we follow the last part of the life of St Catherine of Siena as her fame and influence grows to International levels and she deals with princes and popes alike, going through the war of the eight saints, the Ciompi revolt and the Great Western Schism, all the while battling against her own body.
21 Dec 202121min
128 – Caterina of Siena: God's teenage rebel
We look at the early life of Catherine of Siena (Caterina da Siena) as she has her first visions and sets off at a very young age open her life as a mystic, religious and political activist in mid 14th century
14 Dec 202120min
127 – Milan vs Florence: fight to the death (1395 – 1402)
unstoppable expansion of the newly formed Duchy of Milan. Will they manage? Or will Gian Galeazzo Visconti complete his vision of including Florence in his dominions.
7 Dec 202127min
126 – Visconti family feud and a new duchy is born (1378 – 1395)
We see how the power-sharing solution for the government of Milan comes crashing down with power once again in the hands of a single man: Gian Galeazzo Visconti, who, after inheriting the holdings of his father and uncle, will create a Duchy that will last for centuries. meanwhile we also try and keep up with Florence and the other Tuscan cities as well as those of Piedmont Lombardi and benedetto as they do their best to counter the expansion of the new Duchy.
1 Dec 202127min
The Great Q & A session
To celebrate reaching episode 125, we have a special episode with questions from our wonderful listenersWe get to talk about Latin, Lombards, Normans, noble houses, strange surnames, the mafia, fascism and much, much more.
23 Nov 202134min
125 – War and rebellion in Tuscany (1348 to 1382)
After seeing the gruesome spectacle of the plague in Florence through the eyes of Giovani bocaccio we follow the rising tension in the city and all over Tuscany that would eventually erupt in the rebellion known as the "Revolt of the Ciompi".In the meantime, Florence also finds time to participate in the war of the eight Saints. Lots of fun in the 14th century for Tuscany!
16 Nov 202118min
124 – Troubled Tuscan times and Boccaccio's Decameron
After following Florence and Tuscany through a mini golden age from the 1280's to the 1330's we see things really start to go downhill with social tensions between the Arti Maggiori, the greater guilds, and the arti minori, the lesser guilds, exacerbated also by the very brief dominion over Florence by Walter of Brienne.We then take a brief look at the life of Giovani bocaccio and see the plague through his eyes with his great work the Decameron.
9 Nov 202119min
Halloween Special: The Ghost of Bardi Castle
In this special Halloween episode we explore the castle of Bardi in the Apennines of Parma. The ghost is supposedly that of Moroello, the captain of the castle garrison who is said to have died along with his beloved Soleste in the late 15th century.
31 Okt 202135min
