In the 15th century, the Medicis were the most powerful banking family in Italy. Members of a rival banking family known as the Pazzi attempted to overthrow them but failed. What would the world look like today if the Medici line had ended in 1478?
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Jul 9
The (Faked?) Death of an Argentine Tycoon
“Power is having impunity.” In January 1997, a photojournalist is found murdered on the side of the road in General Madariaga, Argentina. The investigation into his death becomes a cultural flashpoint, exposing a sprawling conspiracy with ties to some of the most powerful forces ... Show More
45m 57s
Jul 2
Who Shot Vincent Van Gogh?
For over a century, common belief was that Vincent Van Gogh died by suicide. But in 2011, two Pulitzer Prize-winning biographers suggested the art world had it all wrong, and Vincent covered up his own homicide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
42m 43s
Jun 25
Untraceable Poison? The Bogle-Chandler Mystery
On New Year’s Day in Sydney, Australia, two dead bodies are discovered near a river. Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Margaret Chandler are married – but not to each other. And both of their spouses have strong alibis.They’re found just hours after dying, and yet experts can’t determine wha ... Show More
37m 6s
May 2019
The Rise and Fall of the Medici Bank
The Medici name still carries echoes of power and labyrinthine politics. But the Medici got their start as bankers, and built a financial empire that spanned fifteenth-century Europe. Popes, kings, and merchants all did business with the Medici, and the family's power over Floren ... Show More
54m 45s
Jul 2022
The Death of "God's Banker", the Vatican, a Pope's Murder, Mafia Plots and a Secret Masonic Coup
When Roberto Calvi's body was found swinging from a London bridge in 1982 it sent shockwaves through the religious, financial and criminal worlds. But who killed him? And how are the Vatican, Italy's powerful Mafia, a secret society called P2 and a Pope's death all linked in this ... Show More
56m 43s
Aug 2021
Tyrannical Popes: Leo X Pt. 1
Giovanni de' Medici was a shrewd strategist who became pope before the age of 40. As a cardinal, he ended the Medicis’ exile in Florence, returning the dynasty to their seat of power. As pope, he would nearly bankrupt the Vatican — and upend the Christian world. Learn more about ... Show More
50m 34s
Sep 2020
“Lord High Executioner” Pt. 2: Albert Anastasia
During the 1930s, Albert Anastasia was the leader of Murder Inc., the mafia’s crew of contract killers. But after World War II, he shot his way to the top to become the boss of one of New York’s Five Families. Unfortunately for him, the Feds were more determined than ever to keep ... Show More
45m 4s