Pope Clement tries once more to loosen Emperor Charles V's grip on Italy, another revolution in Florence is narrowly avoided through one man's incompetence, and the stage is set for one of modern history's most notorious war-time atrocities.
May 17, 2023
32 min
Clement VII brings back the artistic glories of Renaissance Rome, but disaster for himself, his family, and for Rome looms overhead.
The theme music is "La Disperata", composed by Vincenzo Ruffo (ca. 1510-1587) and performed by Jon Sayles.
Check out pictures, bibliographies, and more at http://www.medicipodcast.com.
Support us at Patreon.
Apr 6, 2023
20 min
After Leo X's sudden death, the Medici are briefly out of power in the papacy. In the meantime, Emperor Charles V changes the landscape of European politics by getting elected as Holy Roman Emperor, and the fate of the Medici family is put in the hands of an orphaned, illegitimate son.
Check out images, maps, genealogies, and more at medicipodcast.com.
Support me on Patreon
Mar 20, 2023
22 min
While Pope Leo works with the artist Raphael toward the preservation of Roman antiquities and tries to steer Italy between the deadly rocks of France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, a little problem crops up to demand his attention. And that little problem had a name: Martin Luther.
The theme music is "La Disperata", composed by Vincenzo Ruffo (ca. 1510-1587) and performed by Jon Sayles.
Check out pictures, bibliographies, and more at the Medici Podcast website.
Support us at Patreon.
Mar 6, 2023
45 min
A new Medici is born amidst tragedy, Pope Leo struggles with the threats posed by France, Spain, and the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires and a deadly conspiracy close to home, and an obscure monk and university lecturer in Germany starts to inspire a bit of controversy.
Jan 27, 2023
22 min
Pope Leo X goes through his own "annus mirabilis." Meanwhile the next generation of Medici men come into their own: the wannabe aristocrat, Lorenzo "the Younger", and the juvenile delinquent turned freelance mercenary, Giovanni of the Black Bands.
Jan 9, 2023
22 min
We look at Pope Leo X's reign, from how he got an edition of a pivotal Jewish text dedicated to him to the elaborate practical joke he engineered involving his pet elephant and an old-fashioned Roman triumph. But Leo also has to face the fact that the fate of Europe, especially Italy, now lays in the hands of three young, ambitious, and powerful monarchs.
Dec 12, 2022
21 min
The unlikely partnership between the bookish, affable Giovanni de' Medici and the rough-and-tumble Pope Julius II will finally bring the Medici back to power and set the stage for Giovanni's turn as Pope Leo X, which would prove to be one of the most consequential papal reigns in history for reasons no one could have predicted.
Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/medicipodcast
Nov 26, 2022
31 min
The Catholic Church was once the most important, omnipresent institution in Europe. Before we meet the Medici Popes, we'll delve into what exactly the Church did for the people, from providing early nursing homes to giving people one of the few shots at social mobility, and how powerful the Popes really were.
Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/medicipodcast
Prof. Alec Ryrie on atheism in the Middle Ages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb5mYqnKFlI
Nov 14, 2022
20 min
Still in exile, Piero de' Medici throws himself on the mercy of the new king of France and Cesare Borgia. But will they prove to be reliable friends?
Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/medicipodcast
Oct 21, 2022
17 min
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