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(288)

097 – Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy

097 – Dante Alighieri and the Divine Comedy

We have a look at the opus magna of Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy, before seeing him off to the end of his days and beyond, with the adventures of his corpse

8 Sep 202023min

Anti-mafia martyrs: Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa

Anti-mafia martyrs: Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa

On 3rd September, the anniversary of his death, we look at the struggle against organised crime of Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, general of the Italian Carabinieri police force who dedicated his life to the fight against terrorism and the Sicilian Mafia.

3 Sep 202035min

Anti-mafia martyrs series launch

Anti-mafia martyrs series launch

We are going to take a look at some of the brave men and women who have given their lives to fight organised crime in Italy. known as "Le Mafie", the mafias, which include Cosa Nostra, the 'Ndrangheta, the Stidda, the Sacra Corona Unita and the Camorra. On the anniversary of their deaths, we will look at the lives and struggle of people such as General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, Peppino Impastato, Pio La Torre, Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino and Don Pino Puglisi just to nae a few.

1 Sep 20206min

096 – Florence goes black and white and Dante gets involved

096 – Florence goes black and white and Dante gets involved

After definitively defeating the Ghibellines, the Florentine Guelphs need new enemies so they split into White and Black Guelphs, catching Dante Alighieri, who had entered politics just a few years before, in a crossfire that will have dire consequences. On a literary level, he starts to get the idea of a sort od mid life crisis travel book...

26 Aug 202018min

095 – Young Dante Alighieri and Florence

095 – Young Dante Alighieri and Florence

We start to take a look at the life and times of the great poet Dante Alighieri, taking the opportunity to look more closely at the history of his city, Florence.

19 Aug 202026min

094 – Naples vs Sicily

094 – Naples vs Sicily

We see how the descent of Emperor Henry VII reignites the conflict between Frederick of Sicily and the new king of Naples, Robert. The animosity will last as long as the two men live.

2 Aug 202021min

093 – A change of scenery for the papacy and an anachronistic emperor

093 – A change of scenery for the papacy and an anachronistic emperor

The papacy, under Clement V heads off for its long exile to Avignone and then Holy Roman Emperor Henry VII tries to move back the clock on the Italian scene.

18 Jul 202024min

092 – Boniface VIII peaks and crashes

092 – Boniface VIII peaks and crashes

1298- 1303 Boniface VIII crushes the internal opposition of the Colonna, organises the first Jubilee, dabble in Italian politics including Florence and then clashes once again with Philipp IV of France, which seals his fate.

26 Jun 202023min

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