002 – The new Italian kingdom from Odoac...

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 world of Renaissance warfare. Backed by a Medici pope and driven by his fierce ... Show More

Hello You! for our 220th and 8th anniversary episode I thought I would invite contributions from the most VIP I could think of... YOU!So please send in a sound file or, if you don't feel like it, written message with a contribution, consideration, question, something i didn't men ... Show More

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’ Medici, known as Il Gran Diavolo — the Great Devil — a man whose passions, battles, ... Show More

Theodoros Doukas the leader of the Roman state of Epirus leads his people to ever greater heights in the 1220s. He captures Thessalonica and drives towards Constantinople itself. Doukas declares himself Emperor but does he have the resources necessary to reach the Hagia Sophia? P ... Show More

King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, Holy Roman Emperor - where did it all go wrong? 

Claudius Gothicus became Emperor in 268 and promptly lead the legions to victories against the Goths and the Alamanni. Unfortunately he died before he was able to reunify the Empire. 

Placed by her mother into a brothel when she was just a child, Theodora was born into the most brutal of worlds. It was a Constantinople riven with division, whether due to theology or circus factions it was always ready to boil over. As befitting a Christian saint, Theodora mana ... Show More

<p>In 1453, after more than 60 years of trying, the Ottomans finally besieged and captured the city of Constantinople. This marked the end of one phase of Ottoman expansion and the beginning of another as the dominant power of the region. It was also the end of the Byzantines, th ... Show More

<p>After Belisarius&apos; triumph in North Africa, Justinian turned his gaze to Italy and the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths. But what was that Kingdom like? Find out here.<br/>For a free ebook, maps, blogs check out my website <a href='https://www.nickholmesauthor.com/'>nickholmesaut ... Show More

<p>1280 - 1453 - The story of how one of the great second millennium empires of Eurasia rose to significance and put the Christian world of south east Europe on notice with its military expertise and diplomatic guile.</p> 

In the first episode of a three part series, Tom and Dominic dive into the incredible story of Justinian and Theodora. Tune in for an incredible (and racy) introduction to the powerful Byzantine empress, the collapse of the Western half of the Roman Empire, and a deep-dive into ... Show More

In 972AD a princess of the Byzantine Empire was sent by her uncle, the Roman emperor in Constantinople, to marry the son of Otto the Great - Emperor of the Latin West. A tantalising and formidable figure, Theophanu became a major player in one of the most tumultuous and mysteriou ... Show More