Western Civ

When we last left off, Henry of Normandy and Aquitaine had just become King Henry II of England. Now, in this episode, we will follow the reign of one of England's strongest kings as he navigates conflicts with Louis VII of France and his own Archbishop of Canterbury: Thomas Becket. This episode will take us to the succession of King Richard I (the Lionheart) and will be as far as we go in western European Medieval history before turning back to the Holy Land and Third Crusade.

In this episode we return to our narrative though not to the Crusades. We will head back to the year 1095 when the First Crusade was launched and set about catching the rest of Europe back up to speed. Then, we spend the bulk of the second half of the episode tackling Norman England. The realm of William the Conqueror is once again fractured by civil war and it is going to take Geoffrey Plantagenet and his son, the future King Henry II, to put it all back together again. (Years: 1095-1154)

In this supplemental episode we examine music in the Early Middle Ages. Essentially, this comes down to Gregorian Chanting (Religious) and secular music.

In this episode, I cover some of the major architectural trends of the early to mid-Middle Ages. So, yeah, castles and churches.

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The West kicks into gear in a last-ditch effort to save the crusader states.

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In this episode we take a look at the Counties of Edessa and Tripoli and give a quick overview of life in the Near East during the Crusades. Finally, the Crusader States are dealt a series of crushing blows in the 1140's setting the stage for the Second Crusade.

In this episode we follow the development of the four key Crusader States after the unexpected success of the First Crusade. King Baldwin I leads the Kingdom of Jerusalem to new heights while Tancred is forced to clean up a royal mess in Antioch.

In this episode the First Crusade finally reaches Jerusalem. Once again, it turns into a make-or-break for the European invaders.

In this episode, we follow the First Crusader as the crusader army swings south into Asia Minor and approaches the formidable city of Antioch. At Antioch, the First Crusade will nearly meet its premature end as the crusaders quickly go from besiegers to besieged.

In 1095 Pope Urban declared a "pilgrimage" to the Holy Land. In this episode we start with his declaration and then follow the First Crusade as it moves through Byzantine territory and faces its first challenge: Nicaea.