A History of Italy16 Syys 2025

194 - The Italian Wars 11 - Medici pope to Medici pope - Battle of Pavia and Cognac

After three episodes exploring the life of Leonardo da Vinci, we return to the turbulent stage of the Italian Wars. In this episode, we pick up in the early 1520s, a period shaped by papal politics, dynastic rivalries, and the shifting fortunes of France and Spain.

Highlights include:

The succession of popes after Leo X: Hadrian VI and Clement VII, and their struggles with reform, neutrality, and survival.
The tug-of-war between France and Spain over Milan and Naples, with Spain ultimately gaining the upper hand.
The dramatic Battle of Pavia (1525) — where Francis I of France was captured, changing the balance of power in Italy.
Local legend and culinary history: the devil’s bridge of Pavia and the birth of zuppa alla pavese.
The curious origin of the word lapalisiano (and its English cousin lapalissade), born from the death of French commander Jacques de La Palice.
The rise of the League of Cognac (1526), a desperate coalition including France, the Papacy, Florence, and Venice against Charles V’s growing dominance.

Along the way, we balance high politics with folklore, language quirks, and even a recipe or two — showing how wars, words, and food can be unexpectedly intertwined.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(301)

Special: The 2018 Italian election

An explanation and recap of the 2018 Italian election

7 Maalis 201824min

010 – Getting tired of living with the Lombards

712 - 744 Liutprand, one of the top 3 Lombard kings and his successors, Ratchis and Aistulf with the pope becoming more of a player and the Franks looming as ever

28 Helmi 201820min

009 – A crazy confusing conundrum of kings

652-712 From the death of Rothari through a series of kings to the reign of Ansprand in 712 as usual with some Franks and Byzantines thrown in

21 Helmi 201817min

008 – The Lombards get comfy and some laws

590 - 643 The end of the reign of Agilulf, through Adaloald and Airport through to Rothari and his historical edict

14 Helmi 201820min

007 – Living with the Lombards

575-589 The Lombards start to settle down and get to know the neighbourhood and the troublesome neighbours as they go through an interregnum of the Dukes before they get back to electing a king and ba...

7 Helmi 201820min

006 – Here come the Lombards

555-574 A quick look at the brief period of Byzantine rule before the arrival of the Lombards in 568 and then we look at their invasion of Italy and hear a bit of juicy royal gossip

31 Tammi 201819min

005 – The Gothic War continues

540-554 The war between the Ostrogoths in Italy and the imperial forces of Byzantium continues from 540 and reaches it's end in 552

24 Tammi 201820min

004 – Queen Amalasuntha and Byztantium gets annoyed

526-540 From the death of Theodoric the great in 526, through the regency of his daughter Amalasuntha, to the end of the first phase of the Gothic war in 540

17 Tammi 201818min