Today

Encore: Jakob Fugger: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived?

At the end of the fifteenth century, the center of European banking suddenly swung from its birthplace in Italy to south Germany. The key figure in that transition was Jakob Fugger of Augsburg, maybe the richest man who ever lived.Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: R ... Show More

52m 48s

Jul 8

Encore: 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 19s

Jul 3

The Roman Conquest of the Hellenistic World

For most of its history, Rome barely bothered with the Greek east. Then, quite suddenly, Rome exploded onto the scene, laying low the two most powerful Hellenistic warrior-kings of the past century. Within ten years, Rome became the undisputed hegemonic power of the Mediterranean ... Show More

43m 35s

Oct 2022

Vlad the Impaler

Vlad the Impaler - Vlad Dracula - is one of history’s most brutal figures, who has enjoyed a bizarre afterlife as a cult character. Although a hero to his Romanian countrymen, the name Dracula has since become a global byword for horror. In this Hallowe’en edition of Gone Medieva ... Show More

51m 58s

Aug 2008

Vlad Tepes: Who was the real Count Dracula?

Vlad Tepes, a 15th-century Wallachian prince, was the notoriously blood-thirsty basis for Dracula, Bram Stoker's classic gothic horror character. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more about Vlad Tepes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo ... Show More

10m 2s

Jun 2023

Vlad the Impaler is the (Partial) Inspiration for Count Dracula

Vampire lore goes back to the ancient world (revenant legends abound from Rome to China) but vampire mythology doesn't come into its own until at least the Renaissance period. Was the inspiration for it all the bloodthirsty Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes, the ruler who impaled tens ... Show More

54m 39s

Mar 2022

Hurrem Sultan ( Empress Roxelana )

Kidnapped as a young girl and sold into slavery in a foreign land, Hurrem Sultan captured the heart of a king... and transformed the course of an empire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

1h 3m

Oct 2020

The Beast Within | Ep 25

This episode gets kind of beastly, as we go through the history of the werewolf from prehistoric times. We follow the wolf man through tales written by Bram Stoker, through the medieval werewolf trials, the lunacy of lycanthropy, and so much more. See Privacy Policy at https://ar ... Show More

43m 20s

Oct 2023

The True Story of Dracula

Robert sits down with Jack O'Brien to talk about how the life of a Transylvanian prince turned into the story of Dracula. (1 part) Sources: https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/the-origins-of-dracula-vlad-the-impaler/ https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/history-andcivilisat ... Show More

1h 44m

Dec 2021

Vlad, el Empalador. El príncipe que inspiró un mito

Vlad III, señor de Valaquia en el siglo XV, pasó a la historia tanto por su resistencia a ultranza contra los turcos en la actual Rumania como por sus cruentos castigos; cuatro siglos después, su nombre quedaría asociado a una de las grandes obras de la literatura universal, la n ... Show More

13m 14s

Vlad the Impaler and the Legend of Dracu...