128 – Caterina of Siena: God's teenage r...

Early Life & EducationBorn illegitimate, Leonardo spent his youth sketching and observing nature.After moving to Florence, he entered the prestigious workshop of Andrea Verrocchio, where he learned not only painting but also the chemistry behind pigments and the mechanics of scul ... Show More

Starting from reasons to have a good cry, particularly concerning hair, we then head to Vinci, outside Florence in the mid 1400's to witness the birth and early childhood of Leonardo to see the start of some of the characteristics that will accompany him for the rest of his life. ... Show More

Of course! Here's the revised version of the summary show notes with key words and phrases bolded for emphasis:In this episode, we explore the turbulent political and religious landscape of Italy and Europe in the late 1510s—a pivotal prelude to the Protestant Reformation.🔹 Powe ... Show More

She's sometimes called the patron saint of cats, and the story of Gertrude's religious devotion starts when she was just a young child. Her family's history is important, because they formed the roots of the Carolingian dynasty. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihe ... Show More

May 16, 1920. Tens of thousands of people surround St. Peter’s Basilica to honor Joan of Arc, a French peasant girl who died nearly five hundred years before. Joan’s feats in battle—and her visions of God—have become legendary since her heyday during The Hundred Years War. And to ... Show More

In the early 15th century, a French village girl became a heroine for her role in the French victory during the Lancastrian phase of the 100 Years War. But it took 600 years before Joan of Arc was canonised as a Roman Catholic Saint. How did she become such a famous name in histo ... Show More

The oldest daughter of Henry VIII, Mary Tudor, is commonly known today as "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants in England during her reign as queen. But as a young woman, she was a girl whose life was ripped out from under her when her father declared that she was no ... Show More

La Foi prise au mot vous propose d’évoquer une très belle figure de mystique, de femme et de théologienne : Catherine de Sienne. Première femme docteur de l’Église, patronne de l’Europe, cette religieuse dominicaine du 14e siècle fut aussi bien une femme de prière qu’une femme d’ ... Show More

This 2019 episode covers Julian of Norwich, a medieval mystic who wrote down her visions, which she called showings. In this episode, we talk about her life in context of mysticism and how it fit into the context of Christianity in medieval Europe.See omnystudio.com/listener for ... Show More

Today we're revisiting a 2010 episode from Katie and Sarah about Catherine de' Medici, who remains the most famous female member of the Medici clan. Orphaned at a young age, Catherine survived struggles with childhood illness and eventually became the queen consort of France.  Le ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how artists from the Middle Ages onwards have been inspired by the Bible story of the widow who killed an Assyrian general who was besieging her village, and so saved her people from his army and from his master Nebuchadnezzar. A symbol of a woman' ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the changes in the intellectual world of Western Europe in the 12th Century, and their origins. This was a time of Crusades, the formation of states, the start of Gothic architecture, a reconnection with Roman and Greek learning and their Arabic de ... Show More