In 1611 a the Hungarian Countess, Elizabeth Bathory, was confined to her castle of Cachtice, never to leave again. This sentence was imposed on her by the Lord Palatine of Hungary. But strangely, even though Bathory had been accused of some truly heinous crimes, she was never formally charged, or given a proper trial. If she was so clearly guilty, then why was she denied due process? Elizabeth's case becomes even more suspicious once you consider that most of the testimony used to incriminate her was either procured through torture, or was riddled with hearsay and inconsistencies. Is it possible that she was actually the victim of a conspiracy? Tune-in and find out how old crones, a fake diary, and the Guinness Book of World Records all play a role in the story.

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Throw the name Elizabeth Bathory into your favourite search engine and you will quickly find superlatives like “history’s most prolific female serial killer” and leading questions like “Was Dracula Woman?” She is a figure with a reputation so terrifying that her name has been endorsed by Black Metal bands as a suitably evil band name. In 1611 the Hungarian Countess was imprisoned for allegedly torturing and killing as many as 600 young maidservants. It was not long before a vampire-like legend grew up around Bathory. But did she really bathe in the blood of virgins to remain forever young? Tune-in and find out how medieval dragon slayers, the elixir of life, and a whole lot of inbreeding play into the story.

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In episode #125 a historical myth about the origins of karate snuck past Sebastian! In this bonus episode the host does his darndest to set the record straight. Many thanks to listener Philipp Surkov for pointing out the error and recommending sources.

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Martial arts myths are have been described as "savvy marketing". But, the most enduring bits of of fake martial arts history also combine Zen tradition, a Confucian veneration of the past, and a healthy dose of nationalism. Schools of martial arts will sometimes bend over backwards to prove that their form is a "pure" expression of their particular national culture. Sebastian is joined by history podcaster, and martial artist, Daniele Bolelli, to help separate the fact from the fiction. Tune-in and find out how Flower Knights, mysterious Buddhist monks, and a violent white crane all play a role in the story.

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Asian martial arts are often coated in a thick layer of of legend. Many fighting styles have elaborate origin stories and mystical founding fathers. These stories often help enhance the prestige of a particular school and inspire new students. However, the "histories" of many of these martial arts disciplines are completely made up. The granddaddy of all of these martial arts myths is the tale of the Zen mystic, Bodhidharma, teaching the monks of the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu. Is any of it true? Tune in and find out how Buddhist philosophy, eyelid tea, and the "Crown Prince of Death" all play a role in the story.

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For this Bonus Episode Sebastian is sharing something he recorded earlier this year for a project curated by Daniele Bolelli, host of History on Fire. Sometime last year Daniele got the idea to pull together a rogues gallery of history podcasters including Sam Davis (Inward Empire), CJ Killmer (Dangerous History), Alexander Rader von Sternberg (History Impossible), Darryl Cooper (Martyrmade), and Sebastian. The idea was that each of these podcasters would explore historical event, or figure, that had a surprising or unexpected historical impact. Daniele dubbed this project Ripples of History. In this bonus you will hear Sebastian laying out his take on the surprising impact of the Trojan War on history. Tune-in and find out how history's greatest scallywag, fake Trojan ancestors, and a giant named Gogmagog all play a role in the story.

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These days Nostradamus is best known for the predictions found in his book The Prophecies. But, surprisingly, that book only became popular after the French seers' death. During his lifetime Nostradamus was better known for his yearly almanacs. Still, there is something about the poetic style of The Prophecies that has kept it evergreen, where his almanacs have faded into obscurity. What is it about The Prophecies that has kept people engaged over the centuries? Is there anything in this book we should take seriously? Tune-in and find out how splinters in the eye, astronomical assurances, and a gouty foot bench all play a role in the story.
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The 16th century French prophet, Nostradamus, has a way of rearing his head anytime humanity finds itself in the midst of a crisis. Anytime there's a collective tragedy, the world is plunged into conflict, or society finds itself on the cusp of painful transition, you will find someone waving a copy of Nostradamus' Prophecies. But how accurate were Nostradamus' predictions? Was a random French pharmacist really able to accurately describe five centuries of history? Tune-in and find out how Nostradamus' jam recipe, apothecary prejudices, and my Dad's last minute Y2K plan all play a role in the story.

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In 1763 twenty indigenous people in the colony of Pennsylvania were murdered by an armed gang. The victims had been a peaceful group of Conestogas, who had been wrongfully accused of aiding in violent raids against the settlers. The infamous attack would go down in history as the Conestoga massacre. However, almost immediately after the murders the meaning of the event became the source of a fierce war in the press. The so-called "pamphlet war" saw two competing groups trying to sell contrasting interpretations of the attack. The perspective that was inevitably left out of these pamphlets, and the "official" historical record, was the indigenous perspective. The new graphic novel Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of Conestoga seeks to remedy that by telling the story with the focus squarely on the Conestoga people. In this episode Sebastian is joined by the creative team behind Ghost River, Weshoyot Alvitre, Lee Francis IV, and Will Fenton, to discuss the graphic novel and how fake news can become fake history. Tune in and find out how hand ground paints, blood memory, and Ben Franklin's biggest political defeat all play a role in the story.Read Ghost River for FREE here: https://read.ghostriver.org/Thank you to our guests!Lee Francis 4 (Author): https://redplanetbooksncomics.com/Weshoyot Alvitre (Illustrator): https://www.weshoyot.com/Will Fenton (Editor): https://www.willfenton.com/Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga is part of Redrawing History: Indigenous Perspectives on Colonial America, a project of the Library Company of Philadelphia supported by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
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What does a Voodoo Queen even do? It turns out that much of it had to do with a ceremony in New Orleans known as St. John's Eve. Much of Marie Laveau's legend is deeply tied to that yearly voodoo ritual. Marie Laveau was said to lead the wild bacchanalian rite, however, there are some who think that the most famous description of Marie Laveau's St. John's Eve misidentified the voodoo priestess. Perhaps Marie Laveau hadn't been there at all. Maybe an imposter had been in her place. Could this have been the mysterious Maria Laveau II? Tune in and find our how out of touch music critics, voodoo purists, and a weird-ass wishing ritual all play a role in the story.
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