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

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.

Episoder(297)

202 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500's -The Kingdom of Naples

202 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500's -The Kingdom of Naples

Episode OverviewHaving toured Spanish Sardinia and turbulent Sicily, we now complete our circuit of southern Italy by turning to the Kingdom of Naples.Once secured for Spain by the legendary Gonzalo d...

24 Feb 19min

201 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500’s - Sardinia and Sicily

201 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500’s - Sardinia and Sicily

Episode OverviewHaving raced through the early 1500s following the Italian Wars, the Medici popes, Leonardo da Vinci, and the creation of the Medici duchy in Florence, it’s time to slow down and look ...

3 Feb 17min

200th episode 8th anniversary

200th episode 8th anniversary

To celebrate the 200th anniversary episode, which coincided with the 8th anniversary, we decided to hear from you, dear constant listener to create a special episode to celebrate this great milestone ...

3 Jan 29min

199 – The dying gasp of the Fiorentine Republic and the first duke

199 – The dying gasp of the Fiorentine Republic and the first duke

Episode SummaryWith Giovanni dalle Bande Nere gone, we return to Florence to witness the dramatic collapse of the centuries-old Florentine Republic and the emergence of Medici princely rule. Against t...

26 Des 202521min

198 - Giovanni dalle Bande Nere part 3: Pietro Aretino and shot down in a blaze of glory

198 - Giovanni dalle Bande Nere part 3: Pietro Aretino and shot down in a blaze of glory

In this episode, we trace the final chapters in the life of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the last great condottiero of Renaissance Italy, and his unlikely, enduring friendship with the scandalous writer...

9 Des 202519min

197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy

197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy

Episode SummaryPicking up where we left off, Giovanni de’ Medici, son of Caterina Sforza and known to history as Giovanni of the Black Bands, continues his meteoric rise through the bloody and chaotic...

11 Nov 202514min

Call for contributions: episode 200 and 8th anniversary

Call for contributions: episode 200 and 8th anniversary

Hello You! for our 220th and 8th anniversary episode I thought I would invite contributions from the most VIP I could think of... YOU!So please send in a sound file or, if you don't feel like it, writ...

1 Nov 20251min

196 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part 1: birth of a legend

196 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part 1: birth of a legend

In this episode, we reunite with an old friend of the show — Caterina Sforza, the indomitable “Tigress of Forlì.” From her, we follow the turbulent and violent early life of her son, Giovanni de’ Medi...

21 Okt 202517min

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