040 – Half-time in the investiture controversy
1077 - 1085 The investiture controversy heats up with an anti-king elected in Germany and an anti-pope elected by Henry IV who then take the fight against Gregory and Matilde down into Italy with the ...
3 Jan 201917min
Christmas 2018 – Italian Christmas past and present and a Christmas witch
We have a look at important events in Italy on and around Christmas as well as explore the traditions, including that of the Christmas witch.
26 Dec 201820min
039 – A sticky end and the humiliation of Canossa
1076 - 1077 Godfrey the Hunchback meets a sticky end and the investiture controversy reaches a high point and slips towards war
19 Dec 201818min
038 – Gregory VII and marriage counselling
1073 - 1076 We follow the marital problems of Matilde of Canossa and Godfrey the Hunchback of Lorain while pope Gregory VII rolled up his sleeves and get's down to some serious posing and reforming.
12 Dec 201819min
037 – The Normans run out of room and the papacy out of patience
1061 - 1073 The Normand, having conquered as much as they could in Southern Italy, head for Sicily while the struggle between the papacy and the empire heats up.
5 Dec 201818min
036 – Introducing a beard, a hunchback and Matilda
1052 - 1061 Bonifacio Attone of Canossa dies leaving his wife Beatrice and stepdaughter to first look to the pope and then marry Godfrey the Bearded while in the backgrounds a couple of popes come and...
28 Nov 201818min
035 – The lion, the fox and the Great Schism
1047 - 1054 Once pope Leo IX takes power, we follow his rather disastrous decision to challenge the Normans and Robert Guiscard. After that, we have a quick look at the start of the Great East- West S...
22 Nov 201820min
034 – Another Henry, too many popes and naughtiness in the church
1039-1046 We follow the descent of Henry III into Italy and see how he deals with the church as a reform takes route
11 Nov 201822min
