Sometime before the dawn of the fourteenth century, a family named the Medici moved from a small village in the Mugello Valley in the Apennines to the bustling city of Florence. Eventually, they…
With Florence free of foreign interference (for once), a medieval "class traitor" spearheaded reforms that severely weakened the nobility's grip on the government and gave a lot of formal power to the…
Starting out as an ill-advised prank at a party, the feud between the Guelfs and the Ghibellines in Florence forever changed the city's history. It would wrap Florence up in the struggle between the…
In our first tangent episode, we spend some time with Liutprand of Cremona, everyone's favorite caustic bishop from the Early Middle Ages. Join us for his account of Queen Willa's disastrous love…
Matilda of Tuscany, also known as "The Grand Countess", helped weaken the Holy Roman Empire's grip on northern Italy even further. However, it would be the plucky, self-governing cities of northern…
In our inaugural episode and the first part of our prelude season, we look at how northern Italy went from being a single kingdom to a region full of small, rival states, a cutthroat environment in…
In this no-frills introductory episode, I explain why I want to do a podcast on a family, rather than a nation, a time period, or topic. Also, I explain why the Medici undoubtedly played a role in the…
We leave the Medici papacy behind and look at the life and times of Alessandro de' Medici, the first Medici de facto ruler of Florence and (possibly) a black head of state in Renaissance Europe. The…
Pope Clement VII sells his soul to Emperor Charles V to get back Florence. Part of the bargain includes Clement essentially signing off on the death warrant of the Republic of Florence.
Lorenzo the Magnificent's granddaughter Clarice triggers a coup in Florence just by berating the man in charge. Meanwhile Pope Clement is driven to hide in a derelict palace in the mountains and…
