Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of the Late Middle Ages

Today, we take on Normandy’s inferiority complex, sneak a peek at feudalism in its most basic form, and follow a young boy through his first seven years of training to be his father’s heir to the Duchy of Normandy. That’s right! We’re back to William the Illegitimate and we’re here for a just a little while as we continue Season Two’s theme of “Here Come the Normans!” Oh, and we go off on a couple tangents and learn about last names and horses, too, so...there’s that.

Please keep sharing the podcast with those you know and on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to tag us, too, if you share us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), or drop a quick line about the latest episode on Facebook (Search: Wheel Podcast). I would love to hear from you, so email the show at [email protected]. Also, if you are so inclined, please consider supporting the show on Patreon.

Today, we deviate from the original plan and find ourselves following another Norman family not to southern Italy, per se; rather, we introduce another part of Europe we haven’t taken a look at yet in the hopes of enriching the Norman impact on the Middle Ages. Today, we learn about al-Andalus and follow Roger of Tosny! I hope you like the show.

Please keep sharing the podcast with those you know and on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to tag us, too, if you share us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), or drop a quick line about the latest episode on Facebook (Search: Wheel Podcast). I would love to hear from you, so email the show at [email protected]. Also, if you are so inclined, please consider supporting the show on Patreon.

Today, we talk William de Hauteville, George Maniakes, and the fate of southern Italy with sprinkling in of some political intrigue.

I hope you enjoy the show.

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Please keep sharing the podcast with those you know and on your social media accounts. Don’t forget to tag us, too, if you share us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), or drop a quick line about the latest episode on Facebook (Search: Wheel Podcast). I would love to hear from you, so email the show at [email protected].

Also, if you are so inclined, please consider supporting the show on Patreon.

Welcome to Italy! Well, almost, but we will get to Italy in this episode. I'll be honest - I'm crazy excited about this season and I hope you are, too! Have a listen and, please, be sure to share the show with all you know and on social media! Tag us when you do!

@WheelPodcast (Twitter)

Contact: [email protected]

And, if you are able and willing, please consider supporting the show on Patreon.

We're heading south today! Heading south toward Normandy, where the second chapter of our story begins. This season - Season 2 - will be called "Here Comes the Normans" because, well, here they come. And they will arrive with a burning passion for wealth, fame...and land. One family, in particular, will head this new adventure that will span the breadth of medieval Europe. Have a listen and enjoy!

And, please, consider what you hear at the top of the show. I appreciate any and all of the support you are giving the show! Thank you.

Twitter: @WheelPodcast

Thank you so much, everybody, for your support in the podcast so far! This is our fourth and final episode in our short series focusing on the weirder side of medieval life and I've got something for you today that I had a lot of fun putting together. We take a look at Bishop Thietmar's account reporting from the borderlands between the Holy Roman Empire and pre-Poland Slavic territories as the Holy Roman Empire was on the move. It was a brutal time and the Slavs put up a good fight...even in death. I gave Thietmar's tale my own spin. I hope you enjoy it for what it is: a spooky ghost story two days before Halloween!

(WARNING: Listener discretion is advised due to some graphic content in the episode.)

If you like what you hear, please share us on social media, and don't forget to tag us! You can reach us on Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast) and Twitter (@WheelPodcast). You can also email the show at [email protected]. And, if you wouldn't mind, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcasting platform you use!

Thank you, everyone! These are already crazy times, so please be extra careful on Halloween, whether you're here in the States or not! Every one of us should have a place at the table, so please take care of one another, too! Stay tuned for a NEW EPISODE on Monday, November 2, 2020!

This latest decade-long fad of zombie shows and novels is hardly the beginning of our obsession with the undead reanimating and coming back to pay a nefarious visit. No, those hollowed-out eyes, that drooling lethargy, the blood thirst driving these inhuman abominations to feast upon the life force of the living...see, this wasn't even a new idea when the legendary George Romero filmed "Night of the Living Dead." The idea of zombies goes back centuries, if not millennia, and on today's episode we take a dive back and learn about how they fit into the medieval set of fears and belief. 

WARNING: This episode contains information that may be unsuitable for younger and more squeamish listeners. 

I hope you enjoy the show.

Please keep sharing the show! You can tag us on social media like Twitter (@WheelPodcast) and Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast). You can also write the show at [email protected].

Sincerely, thank you for all of your support! 

What. can a 12th-century English monk teach us about ghosts? Well, for one, they exist. They exist right alongside the goings-on of the kingdom. Also, they cannot be separated from everyday life. A 12-century monk can teach us that, to the medieval mind, the secular and the spiritual realms coexist and those ethereal entities who visit us in the dead of night are just as real as the person sleeping next to you. Enjoy these tales of ghostly encounters from the 12th century!

WARNING: This show may have a few moments that our more squeamish or sensitive listeners may want to consider avoiding.

Please keep sharing the show! And be sure to tag us on your social media. You can find the show on Twitter (@WheelPodcast) and Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast). In addition, you can email the show at fortuneswheelpodcast.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

And...Happy Halloween!

Welcome to the first episode in a short series about the stranger side of the Middle Ages. In this series, we will explore the culture and events that were everyday parts of a person's life throughout Europe during this medieval period of history. This was a time in which the world was still full of magic and mystery and, yes, terror.

Today, we climb into the minds of those intrepid and hardy folks who peopled the unbelievably hard lands in the north and who feared, in the bleakest hours of the night during the bleakest time of the year, their ancestor's return as part of the retinue of Odin's Army. Myths and legends appear in everything from collections of folklore to historical texts, such as The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. These stories simply cannot be discounted in any study of the time period, because the people who told these stories were shaped by these stories. Their behaviors were results of this belief and, after today's episode, one can see why one toiled the fields during the warmer months so that leaving the house and venturing out into the icy forests was an absolute last resort.

I hope you enjoy the show.

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Since the days of Rollo, Normandy fought tooth and nail to be a legitimate presence within the Frankish kingdom. For a large part of the previous century, regardless of the headway the Normans made in shedding their Viking attachments and settling down to both a mainland Christian lifestyle as well as morphing their language to be closer to the nobility they were now a part of, Normandy was still derided as "less than" amongst the Frankish duchies. Even with the likes of Richard the Fearless and Richard II, not to mention their daughters whom they married off to various royalty around Europe - the most prominent being Emma, of course - Normans still did not enjoy a respectable place among the duchies. Well, no more. One Norman had had enough. His name is Robert and he would usher in a whole new era for Normandy.

I hope you enjoy the show.

Please keep sharing the show, too! You can find us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast) and Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast), and you can email the show at [email protected]. Thank you for all the support!

P.S...keep checking back this week, too! I've been working very hard on a little extra something for everyone!