Here, we move away from Carpathia and on to the plateau, in order to introduce the story since the dissolution of the Roman Empire in the West. Many tribal super-confederations finally settle, and begin to permanently influence the land around them. One particular confederation of the west meanwhile, the Franks, will come to find unique ways to blend the Latin and Germanic populations, through the actions of Clovis and the merging of the old and new elites in Gaul.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

Clovis. Salic Law. 5th century

Apostolic Majesty. The Empire of the Franks from Clovis to Charlemagne, YouTube 2022.

In this series introduction, we catch up with the story of Christianity since its founding, and talk about the state of the church going into the "long 8th century". In particular, we'll look at what characterized the Latin Church, Celtic/Anglo-Saxon Church, and Byzantine Church, and how they would each aim to influence Inner Europe differently through their shared efforts of converting the pagans. We'll also introduce some context for the world of Inner Europe following the dissolution of Roman presence there.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

In this episode, we contract from the sweeping dramas that encompassed the migration periods, to focus on a few fundamental things: What was the village life that now encompassed the majority of Inner Europe like? How did these entities structure themselves? What were the rural roles of villagers in the early medieval ages? How had the institution of slavery changed from the Fall of Rome and the Rise of the Caliphate? In addition to these questions, we also attempt to answer some difficult questions about the nature of warfare, and what made a force effective in the Early Medieval Ages, looking at some case studies from our narrative.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Demetrios, John. Translation by Lemerle, Paul. The Miracles of Saint Demetrius, Book 1. 600s. https://www.jassa.org/?p=9987

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

In this episode, we begin to explore the Germanic order left behind in the ashes of the Roman Dominion, introducing aspects which enabled this change to take place. We also introduce monumental challengers to the stage of the Inner European story - the Slavs. Together with the Avars, they will bookmark the migration periods, and open the door to a new age for Inner Europe.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Davies, Norman. God’s Playground: A History of Poland Volume 1: Origins to 1795. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Iorga, Nicolae. A History of Romania. Center for Romanian Studies, 2018.

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

M Laser History. The Slavic Venetic Connection. Youtube. 2020.

In this episode, we will refocus our scope on Inner Europe, and Carpathia in particular, as we witness the clash of worlds across the Danube. The Romans will take the south, while the Germanic tribes will take the north. With the ebb and flows of the Roman state, its only a matter of time before a major shift occurs...

New episodes every Monday! We will return in January from the Christmas break.

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Davies, Norman. God’s Playground: A History of Poland Volume 1: Origins to 1795. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Iorga, Nicolae. A History of Romania. Center for Romanian Studies, 2018.

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

In this series introduction, we return to the depths of Inner Europe to go over the fate of the Celts during and after the Roman Conquests, and introduce the groups of people who will form their successors and launch the plots of the Migration Period, the Germans.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

In this episode, we narrow our focus specifically to the Italo-Celts, and their legacy on Inner Europe and the wider world. The Celts would create a decentralized system that would come to lay foundations for many Inner European identities, while Rome would lay the foundations for what was seen as civilization in Europe for millennia to come. Here, we dissect them both.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Davies, Norman. God’s Playground: A History of Poland Volume 1: Origins to 1795. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Iorga, Nicolae. A History of Romania. Center for Romanian Studies, 2018.

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

Arrow of Time. How Italian Allies built the Roman Empire. 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TujGoQjrn3Y&t=1s. (I highly recommend this video for learning more about the Roman confederal system)

In this episode, we rewind our story to talk about the introduction of agriculture to Inner Europe, looking at how agriculture works and how it affects societies based on their surroundings. We then combine the two stories into one, going over the melding of steppe and agrarian influences on early cultural formation in Inner Europe, looking at the convoluted processes that spring the more well known identities of antiquity.

New episodes every Monday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at [email protected]

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Davies, Norman. God’s Playground: A History of Poland Volume 1: Origins to 1795. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Iorga, Nicolae. A History of Romania. Center for Romanian Studies, 2018.

Fort, Joaquim. Demic and Cultural Diffusion Propagated the Neolithic Transition across Different Areas of Europe. PMC, 2015. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4424695/

Linderholm, Anna et al. Corded Ware Cultural Complexity uncovered using genomic and isotopic analysis from SE Poland. Nature, 2020. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63138-w

Varying reports of Germanic/Baltic/Celtic origins and traditions

In this episode, we introduce the stories of Inner Europe with a look at development on the Eurasian Steppe from initial human settlement to the beginning of the Early Medieval Period. We'll learn what made these societies unique, the profound impact they would have on Inner Europe, and why they were so terrifying to the settled societies around them

New episodes every Monday!

Have questions or comments? Contact me at [email protected]

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Main Sources for Episode:

Rady, Martyn. The Middle Kingdoms. Basic Books, 2023.

Davies, Norman. God’s Playground: A History of Poland Volume 1: Origins to 1795. Columbia University Press, 2005.

Iorga, Nicolae. A History of Romania. Center for Romanian Studies, 2018.

Gawell, Donna. Our Galician Ancestors. 2024.

Various Online Archaeological Studies for prehistoric steppe peoples.

This introduction will provide an overview of the podcast and its goals, as well as introduce what we are calling "Inner Europe" and its 3 constituent regions: "The Riverlands", "Carpathia", and "the Plateau". We'll also introduce the first series of episodes, which will introduce key players and set the scene for the Migration Period.

New episodes every Monday!

Have questions or comments? Contact me at [email protected]

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)