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Episodes from A History of Italy
203 - Piedmont and the Savoy in the early 1500's - How to lose a duchy
Episode OverviewContinuing our tour of the Italian peninsula in the early 1500s, we move north from the Kingdom of Naples, through the Papal States and Tuscany, across the Apennines, past Genoa, and into what is today the region of Piedmont.In this episode we explore the key political players in the region — the Marquisate of Saluzzo, the Marquisate of Monferrato, and above all the Duchy of Savoy.Once an expanding Alpine power controlling vital mountain passes, Savoy would find itself caught between the ambitions of France and the Habsburg Empire during the It...
202 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500's -The Kingdom of Naples
Episode OverviewHaving toured Spanish Sardinia and turbulent Sicily, we now complete our circuit of southern Italy by turning to the Kingdom of Naples.Once secured for Spain by the legendary Gonzalo de Córdoba, Naples became one of the crown jewels of the Spanish Empire — wealthy, strategic, and politically delicate.In this episode, we follow the kingdom from consolidation under Spanish rule through internal tensions, shifting viceroys, the Battle of Ravenna, and finally to the dramatic French siege of Naples in 1528 — a moment when the city came dangerously close to slipping from Spani...
201 - Spanish Italy in the early 1500’s - Sardinia and Sicily
Episode OverviewHaving raced through the early 1500s following the Italian Wars, the Medici popes, Leonardo da Vinci, and the creation of the Medici duchy in Florence, it’s time to slow down and look at the parts of Italy we’ve left slightly out of focus.In this episode, we take a tour of the Italian peninsula’s two great islands — Sardinia and Sicily — and the Kingdom of Naples’ wider Mediterranean context. Though often treated as peripheral, these territories were central to Spanish power in Italy and deeply affected by war, rebellion, piracy, and imperial amb...
200th episode 8th anniversary
To celebrate the 200th anniversary episode, which coincided with the 8th anniversary, we decided to hear from you, dear constant listener to create a special episode to celebrate this great milestone with many more hopefully to come.As well as greetings, we'll hear about:Sieges vs BattlesMoving Michelangelo artworkAn influential writer at the court of pope Leo XThe legend of the heart of bricks hidden among the alleyways of VeniceA warning from the lovely town of CarpiThe story of the...
199 – The dying gasp of the Fiorentine Republic and the first duke
Episode SummaryWith Giovanni dalle Bande Nere gone, we return to Florence to witness the dramatic collapse of the centuries-old Florentine Republic and the emergence of Medici princely rule. Against the backdrop of the Sack of Rome, religious extremism, political infighting, and imperial intervention, this episode follows Florence’s final republican experiment and introduces one of its most controversial rulers: Alessandro de’ Medici, the first Duke of Florence.Key Topics CoveredThe Aftermath of the Sack of Rome (1527)Pope Clement VII’s humiliation after the Sack of Rome by mutinous imperial landsknechts and th...
198 - Giovanni dalle Bande Nere part 3: Pietro Aretino and shot down in a blaze of glory
In this episode, we trace the final chapters in the life of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the last great condottiero of Renaissance Italy, and his unlikely, enduring friendship with the scandalous writer Pietro Aretino. From political satire in Rome to blood-soaked battlefields in Lombardy and Umbria, this story intertwines art, warfare, ambition, and the sweeping changes that transformed European conflict forever.Key Topics CoveredPietro Aretino: Scandal, Satire & SurvivalEarly life in Arezzo, his refusal of his father’s name, and his rise as a sharp-tongued writer and showman in the papal court of Le...
197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy
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 loyalty to his men, Giovanni’s legend as a mercenary commander — and his troubles with the powerful Medici family — only grow.Host Mike Corradi unpacks the dangerous charisma, discipline, and contradictions of this larger-than-life condottiero: a man both feared and admired, ruthless yet loyal, reckless yet revered. From duels a...
Call for contributions: episode 200 and 8th anniversary
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 mention or talk about enough.Please send by 31st December at the very latest.
196 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part 1: birth of a legend
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, and excesses would shape the future of both the Sforza and Medicidynasties.We go through the tangled lineage and fiery temperament of one of Renaissance Italy’s most fascinating figures, tracing his path from rebellious youth to feared mercenary captain — and father to the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.What You’ll Hear i...
195 - Italian Wars 12 - The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza (1526 - 1530)
In this episode, we pick up with Emperor Charles V consolidating his power over Italy after the Battle of Pavia (1525), where the French king Francis I was captured. The uneasy Italian states, including Pope Clement VII (Giulio de’ Medici), soon realized they had traded one master for another and formed the League of Cognac (1526) — an anti-imperial alliance including France, Venice, Florence, the Papal States, Milan, and under English protection, Henry VIII.The league’s formation was steeped in intrigue, false pretenses, and even secret dealings with the Turks. One of Charles’s own commanders, the Marquis of Pescara, pretended...
194 - The Italian Wars 11 - Medici pope to Medici pope - Battle of Pavia and Cognac
After three episodes exploring the life of Leonardo da Vinci, we return to the turbulent stage of the Italian Wars. In this episode, we pick up in the early 1520s, a period shaped by papal politics, dynastic rivalries, and the shifting fortunes of France and Spain.Highlights include:The succession of popes after Leo X: Hadrian VI and Clement VII, and their struggles with reform, neutrality, and survival.The tug-of-war between France and Spain over Milan and Naples, with Spain ultimately gaining the upper hand.The dramatic Battle of Pavia (1525) — where Francis I of France was capt...
What has the printing press ever done for us? - Guest episode by the History of the Germans
This is a guest episode by Dirk Hoffmann of the history of the German podcast, in which he tells us all about the impact of one of the most important inventions in human history, Gutenberg printing press.