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(296)

164 - The rise of the Borgias

164 - The rise of the Borgias

After seeing Charles VIII though Rome with an uncertain deal with pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, we go back to see how the Borgias came to Italy from Spain with Alphonse of Aragon, rose to the pap...

23 Jan 202416min

6th Anniversary episode - Best of the sketches

6th Anniversary episode - Best of the sketches

To celebrate our 6th anniversary on 3rd January, we look back on some of the most memorable sketches that have accompanied the regular episodes. From the first appearance of the Great Turnip, through ...

3 Jan 202445min

Interview on the Aldo Moro Affair with Simon Gaul, Author of "White Suicide"

Interview on the Aldo Moro Affair with Simon Gaul, Author of "White Suicide"

We spoke to Travel book author, adventurer and novelist Simon Gaul about his new book "White Suicide" which covers a dark period of Italian history in which Christian Democrat Party leader Aldo Moro w...

19 Des 202343min

163 - The rise and Fall of Gerolamo Savonarola

163 - The rise and Fall of Gerolamo Savonarola

We follow the life of mystic, prophet and monk, Gerolamo Savonarola, who came to have a great moral influence over Florence, particularly after the expulsion of the Medici. His increasing fiery denunc...

12 Des 202324min

162 - The Italian wars 2- opening hostilities and the Medici get kicked out

162 - The Italian wars 2- opening hostilities and the Medici get kicked out

Charles VIII of France starts to head into Italy, beginning with the lands of Savoy where a 2-year-old duke leaves things to his mum to deal with the expensive guest who also asks her for a loan.Meanw...

28 Nov 202323min

161 - The Italian wars 1: setting up and setting off

161 - The Italian wars 1: setting up and setting off

We look at the background to the expedition by King Charles VIII of France into Italy to claim the throne of Naples. This takes us to explore the situation i Milan, with Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza and ...

14 Nov 202316min

Recap 07 - Episodes 139 to 160

Recap 07 - Episodes 139 to 160

Before charging into the modern age, we take our usual look back on past episodes for a recap. In this case we look at the middle to late 15th century as the "big five" Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence...

26 Okt 202328min

Special: 9th October 1963 - Vajont, a man-made natural disaster

Special: 9th October 1963 - Vajont, a man-made natural disaster

We go back to a quiet mountain valley of north-eastern Italy where the peace was forever broken by one of the country's most ambitious architerctural and engineering projects that ended in one of the ...

10 Okt 202334min

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