Pirate, privateer, defender of the nation, scourge of the seas. Britain’s rise to naval dominance was built on the backs of pirates, some who were sanctioned by the crown, and others who the crown could no longer control. This episode gives a snapshot of Britain’s struggle against the Spanish Empire, and her seesawing attitude about the cut-throats who once sailed in her fleet.

A Greek soldier at the edge of the known world struggles to reconcile his duty as a soldier with his belief that one should do no harm.

Part of why I podcast is to get people excited about history. Thankfully, I’m not alone in my cause. Jesika Arseneau and her team at Museum Musings are getting people excited about going to museums to come face-to-face with history. Jesika likes what I’m doing with my podcast, and the next thing I new, she was interviewing me for her site.

An Arab trader ventures into the chaos of the north, hoping to make his fortune in the Rus city of Kiev before the Mongol hordes arrive. The city is under lockdown as everyone prepares for what many believe to be the legions of hell.

Special thanks to Shane Bhunnoo for the intro music!

North of the Black Sea, a powerful nation drew inspiration, wealth, and power from the four corners of its world. The origins of the people who came to be known as “the Rus” are hazy, but the legacy they left behind is crystal clear.

In this episode, you’ll get a sense for who the Rus were, how their civilization grew and flourished, and how it all came to a bloody end when the Mongol tide came rolling in.

On this special Christmas in the year 800 AD, a certain King of the Franks receives a gift he wasn’t expecting and, with the help of a plucky Roman farmer, learns that he just might have the greatest gift of all to give.

If you thought the 18th century was stuffy, you need to think again! Under those powdered wigs were people engaging in all sorts of debauched and hilarious episodes. While Mozart was conquering Europe with his musical masterpieces, Casanova was prowling about, making conquests of a different kind… It was an age of romance, a time of frivolity, and as one Venetian noble is about to find out, there is no such thing as “too bizarre…”

Cities rise, cities fall; such is the course of human history. In this episode, we find ourselves shifting through the current of time, witnessing the final hours of two great cities in the cradle of civilization. Destruction can be wrought by the sword, or by artillery fire; in the end, the result is the same. You will follow a a refugee as he flees his burning city, and you will shadow an invader as he comes to grips with the consequences of conquest. Listen now as Baghdad burns and Babylon falls..