Western Civ

In this episode, we cover the Rus as they do battle with the Mongol's Golden Horde and medieval Russia begins to emerge around Moscow. Then, we turn back to the Holy Roman Empire for the first time si...

19 Feb 202141min

Valentine's Day has not always been all flowers and heart-shaped cards. Our eighth most popular holiday today, St. Valentine's Day is the product of a combination of ancient, medieval, and Victorian t...

14 Feb 202113min

Leonardo da Vinci. Everyone knows the name. But how much do you really know about the great man? The Mona Lisa? Sure. The Last Supper? Of course. But, Lady with Ermine? Probably not. Groundbreaking me...

10 Feb 20212h 44min

Today we wheel east and bring our narrative up to date for several regions we have not discussed in some time: Bohemia, Hungary, the Balkans, and Poland. We cover the early modern/renaissance history ...

5 Feb 202145min

In this bonus episode, we do cover the basics of Renaissance painting, sculpture, writing, and architecture. I highly recommend looking at the images on our website, westerncivpodcast.com, while liste...

31 Jan 202115min

In our last look at the Italian Renaissance, we turn to Florence and the Medici, the name that is almost synonymous with the Renaissance.  Check out our website for the images referenced in the show: ...

29 Jan 202153min

In this episode, we turn to Milan and its contributions to the Renaissance as well as doing a quick overview of the city's history during this early-modern period. Then, we shift south to Rome and cat...

15 Jan 202139min

Inspired by my interview with Historian Robin Lane Fox, I put together a brief overview of Classical Greek medical thought and practice. If you want much more information, check out Robin's book here:...

10 Jan 202145min