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
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
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
195 - Italian Wars 12 - The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza (1526 - 1530)
In this episode, we pick up with Emperor Charles V consolidating his power over Italy after the Battle of Pavia (1525), where the French king Francis I was captured. The uneasy Italian states, includi...
7 Okt 202518min
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, d...
16 Sep 202516min
What has the printing press ever done for us? - Guest episode by the History of the Germans
This is a guest episode by Dirk Hoffmann of the history of the German podcast, in which he tells us all about the impact of one of the most important inventions in human history, Gutenberg printing pr...
2 Sep 202538min
Summer update
Just to let you know I haven’t disappeared!
16 Aug 20251min
