In this bonus episode, I sit down with historian Jeremy Popkin and talk about his latest book: "A New World Begins". In this exhaustive and excellent history of the French Revolution, you get a complete sense of just how complicated was this all-important event in world history. 

You can purchase the book here: A New World Begins

I have a bonus preview of one of my Patron Deep-Dives this week: It's All Greek To Me. This is a several-hour-long look at the Greek civilization and Greek cultural influences on the world at large. In this part, I take the Hellenes from Minoan Domination through the Persian Wars. 

To check out the entire thing, consider becoming a Patron at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast and for $2 per month support the show.

Buy the Book: The Greeks

Here is a sneak peek of some of what goes on in our Patron's feed, available for $2 per month at patreon.com/westerncivdpodcast

This is the first of four episodes detailing the lives of two of history's most important women: Cleopatra of Egypt and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In total, this four-part series covers their lives and the tumultuous times in which they lived in around six hours of total content. 

This is episode one of four. Check out more at westerncivpodcast.com or patreon.com/westerncivpodcast

Today I sit down with Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman and talk about their most recent book: Hitler's American Gamble. It is an hour-by-hour breakdown of one of most the crucial thirty-six-hour periods in world history. 

Enjoyed the interview? You'll love the book, check it out here: Hitler's American Gamble

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Today I sit down with scholar Roderick Denton to discuss his new book: The Greeks. The book is available now at all the usual places, but if you buy it HERE you get the same book for the same price AND the show gets a kickback. 

The book covers everything from Mycenae to the more recent economic collapse in Greece during the early 2000s. In the interest of time, we focused our interview on the period of Greek history from Mycenae to the death of Constantine the Great in 337 CE. 

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Today I sit down with renowned expert Michael Foley as we talk all things Johnny Cash in his new book: Citizen Cash: The Political Life and Times of Johnny Cash. 

This was definitely something different from me but who doesn't love a little "Ring of Fire" now and again?

Buy the book HERE

Pilgrims, turkey, and United States Presidents. What do these three things have in common? Thanksgiving. 

Interested to know more? Listen to find out the real history behind Thanksgiving.

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It has been a bit since we've done one of these but I wanted to step back and cover broadly everything we have covered in the last six months or more. We'll go over Henry the Navigator, Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, and more. 

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Today I sit down with historian and author Jay Cost and talk about his new book: James Madison: America's First Politician. Madison to me tends to be the forgotten Founding Father - at least since the epic revitalization of interest into Hamilton. But, as we talk about in this interview, Madison is so much more than just the "Father of the Constitution", as if that were not enough.

You can get the book HERE

Ponce de Leon and the fountain of youth... right? Not so much. Today we discuss the historical reality of Juan Ponce de Leon, which has nothing to do with fountains and much to do with Florida.

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Tis the season of bonus author interviews on Western Civ! This time, I sit down with Andrew Petegree and Arthur Der Weduwen to talk about a subject near and dear to us all: books. Specifically, the library. Their new book: The Library: A Fragile History, covers the history of the library from the Great Library of Alexandria all the way to our modern children's section. 

Buy the book HERE

Without Magellan, the remaining three ships still must find a way to get to the Spice Islands and back to Spain if they are to complete their mission. Under normal circumstances, this would be difficult, but a storm, a betrayal, and an angry Portuguese fleet make the prospect even more difficult. 

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Today I sit down with scholar Peniel Joseph and talk about his latest book, The Sword and the Shield, a new history of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X.

Buy the book HERE

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Now that Magellan has passed through the Dragon's Tail, he still has to cross the Pacific Ocean, which proves to be much larger than anyone in Europe believed. Arriving in the Philippines, Magellan's early success goes to his head and he begins to believe God will not allow him to lose. He puts this theory to the test on the island of Mactan. 

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Today I sit down with author Paul Lockhart and discuss his latest book: Firepower: How Weapons Shaped Warfare.

It is a brilliant book that covers the evolution of warfare from pikes and longbows to heavy bombers and tanks. You can purchase the book HERE

For my own abbreviated coverage of parts of the work check out our members feed at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast 

Magellan had made it through several mutinies. But he had yet to defeat his most intractable foe: the strait. But where was this mysterious strait around South America? To find it, Magellan would need to pass through the Dragon's Tail. 

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I sit down for an interview with historian and author Edward Shawcross to discuss his new book, The Last Emperor of Mexico. Did you know that in the 1860's Emperor Napoleon III of France tried to put an Austrian Archduke on the throne of Mexico? Did you know this is where we get the origin of Cinco de Mayo? Find out all this and more here and BUY THE BOOK.

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While many different explorers discovered new lands, only Magellan tried to circumnavigate the globe. In our first of three Magellan episodes, we discuss not only how the voyage began but the various reasons it almost did not. 

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A short bonus episode covering the, totally gross, life at sea during the early Age of Discovery. Hygiene? Not much. Stench? You got it! 

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*** NOTE: I changed the order of the episodes, so this is the correct episode 173.

While Spain and Portugal were sailing the southern seas, England took a chance on a different explorer promising to find a northern route to Asia. We know little even today about the voyages of John Cabot (Anglified version) but what we do know offers a tantalizing view of early exploration in the northern Atlantic.

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Vasco da Gama returns to India one last time. Portugal builds an empire in the Indian Ocean but before long its glory fades like the setting sun. 

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Vasco da Gama's voyages to India revolutionize the Portuguese Overseas Empire. By the end of his second voyage to India, Portugal (and Europe) has effectively replaced the Muslim trading cities of Arabia and Egypt as the dominant force in the Indian Ocean.

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Vasco da Gama returns to India intent upon enforcing Portuguese authority and will. This requires him to deal with the Zamorin and Calicut. And he decides there is only one way to do that... violence. 

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Vasco da Gama gives up on Calicut and sails for Portugal. News of his successful voyage infuriates the Spanish and Venetians in equal parts. Before long, Vasco da Gama finds himself once more forced into service. 

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Vasco da Gama reaches India but quickly finds out that it is not the paradise he expected. Faced with the intractable Zamorin of Calicut, eventually, de Gama realizes he has to resort to force to deliver the spices he so badly must.

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Vasco de Gama rounds the Cape of Good Hope and moves up the Eastern Coast of Africa - a first for Europeans. The Age of Exploration hits several new firsts as, among other things, Christians and Muslims come to blows on the waves of the Indian Ocean for the first time in recorded history. 

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Vasco de Gama eventually became famous as the first European explorer to sail into the Indian Ocean. But, in reality, his selection for the job was a surprise to everyone at the time. In this episode, we cover the basics of the man and the beginnings of his first voyage.

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Today we begin our Vasco de Gama story arc. Vasco de Gama did what Columbus could not: he found a sea route to India. But, In this episode, we explore how it was SO much more than a commercial endeavor. It was a crusade.

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Columbus's voyaging comes to end marooned in Jamaica. He makes it back to Spain, but... where did his body end up?

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Columbus returns to Spain in chains only to have his fortunes reverse once more and set sail on his third voyage.

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Christopher Columbus's shaky hold on Hispaniola finally breaks apart. Now, with India still nowhere to be found and with ever-dwindling supplies of gold, Columbus has to deal with a revolt by the very mayor of Santo Domingo. 

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Columbus's efforts to capitalize on the New World quickly turns exploitive, disgusting Las Casas. When an Inquisitor from Spain arrives to investigate his conduct, Columbus finds he has no choice but to return to Spain and defend himself.

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Columbus crosses the Atlantic Ocean a second time, this time intent upon founding a series of colonies to build the wealth of Spain (and himself) in the New World. He quickly determines that is much more difficult than it seems. 

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After a shipwreck destroys the Santa Maria, Columbus must somehow figure out how to get back to Spain with only two ships remaining. 

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In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Well, we made it. In this episode the Northern and Southern Americas enter our story as Columbus lands in the Bahamas, changing the world forever. 

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Christopher Columbus. The name itself conjures up so many different images. But how much of this son of Genoa do you really know? When the Spanish monarchs agreed to send three caravels across the Atlantic, did they have any idea what they had begun? We begin to answer all those questions and more here in this first part of our Columbus narrative.

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There is perhaps no person who is less known today but more important to the Age of Discovery than Henry the Navigator. In thirty years he took an un-sailable ocean and turned it into a thoroughfare. His exploits gave Portugal unfettered access to the Western Coast of Africa and, sadly, brought Europe firmly into the slave trade. 

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A quick preview of my second installment to our Atlantis series: The Search For Atlantis: What We Know. In this episode, we cover Plato's dialogues and the Bronze Age Eastern Mediterranean. For those interested in purchasing the full episode, it is available for $.99 at westerncivpodcast.com or free to all Patrons at patreon.com/westerncivpodcast. For only $2 per month, become a Patron and enjoy access to over 50 bonus episodes.   

A quick preview of my Russian Revolution deep-dive for those who cannot wait for the podcast to get there (in approximately 2045). 

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Today I sit down with Professor Sean McMeekin and discuss his latest book: The Russian Revolution. In this excellent and fast-paced work, McMeekin studiously details the revolution, explaining what it was, debunking what it was not. 

Purchase a copy HERE. 

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In this overview episode, I cover the Reconquista through three broad lenses: military, financial, and liturgical. 

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After the Battle of Las Navas, the Christian Kingdoms of Spain drive out what remains of the caliphate until only the rump state of Grenada survives. 

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Continuing where we left off, in this episode, we cover the transition of the Reconquista from small-scale raids to full-blown crusades. As the Almoravid Caliphate collapses the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon begin pushing south with purpose. 

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This time we begin our series covering the Reconquista. The Reconquista was the long and sometimes confusing process whereby the small Christian Kingdoms of Northern Spain slowly wrested control of the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim caliphates that ruled it after defeating the Visigoths in 722 CE. In this episode, we cover the beginning of the struggle up to the pivotal 11th Century. 

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A quick bonus preview of our "History of Western Thought" series. In Part Four, we cover early Catholic thought between St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. 

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An interview with author and translator Robin Waterfield whose new translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius became available on April 9. Buy a copy of the book HERE.

For those interested in stoicism, check out our bonus episode on the History of Western Thought at westerncivpodcast.com. 

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A quick bonus look at my recently-recorded Shakespeare murder mystery novel: If It Were Done. 

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Richard III murders his nephews and seizes power. Yet, before he gets too comfortable, Henry Tudor crosses the Channel and the final War of the Roses begins.

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After the Battle of Towton, Edward IV became the first Yorkist King of England. But, the Wars of the Roses know no boundaries and soon Edward found the crown easier to win than hold. 

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York takes over with Henry VI in tow. But, how long can he keep the masses happy as the power behind the throne?

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St. Patrick's Day today is synonymous with drinking, the color green, and parades. But, it was not always that way. Learn about how the holiday developed and, over time, became a way for the Irish diaspora to celebrate their heritage. 

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As the 1440's come to a close, those around Henry VI begin to come to terms with his ineptitude. First, the Duke of Suffolk and then the Duke of Somerset tries to control the government from behind the scenes. Both lose their heads. Ultimately, one man steps into power: Richard, Duke of York. 

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We begin our Wars of the Roses story arc by looking at the death of Henry V and the minority of his son, Henry VI. The Dukes of Bedford and Gloucester vie for power as England desperately tries to stabilize the situation in France. 

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Today we catch up on early modern France after the Hundred Years' War. Then we do a quick run through the medieval Low Countries, Scandinavia, and Ireland to catch everyone up to 1492. 

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In this episode, we cover the Rus as they do battle with the Mongol's Golden Horde and medieval Russia begins to emerge around Moscow. Then, we turn back to the Holy Roman Empire for the first time since 1250 and see how developments within the empire lead to economic growth but also political decentralization. 

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Valentine's Day has not always been all flowers and heart-shaped cards. Our eighth most popular holiday today, St. Valentine's Day is the product of a combination of ancient, medieval, and Victorian traditions, not all of which are pleasant or even relate to love. In this bonus episode, we cover the history of the holiday.

Leonardo da Vinci. Everyone knows the name. But how much do you really know about the great man? The Mona Lisa? Sure. The Last Supper? Of course. But, Lady with Ermine? Probably not. Groundbreaking medical discoveries? Nope. In this mega-episode, we cover all this and more. 

Check out Walter Isaacson's amazing book HERE.

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Today we wheel east and bring our narrative up to date for several regions we have not discussed in some time: Bohemia, Hungary, the Balkans, and Poland. We cover the early modern/renaissance history of each region. 

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In this bonus episode, we do cover the basics of Renaissance painting, sculpture, writing, and architecture. I highly recommend looking at the images on our website, westerncivpodcast.com, while listening so you can follow along. 

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In our last look at the Italian Renaissance, we turn to Florence and the Medici, the name that is almost synonymous with the Renaissance. 

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In this episode, we turn to Milan and its contributions to the Renaissance as well as doing a quick overview of the city's history during this early-modern period. Then, we shift south to Rome and catch up with the Papacy as well as reviewing the history of the Sistine Chapel. 

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Inspired by my interview with Historian Robin Lane Fox, I put together a brief overview of Classical Greek medical thought and practice. If you want much more information, check out Robin's book here: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/robin-lane-fox/the-invention-of-medicine/9780465093458/

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In our first Renaissance episode, we cover the traditional "Fathers" of the Renaissance: Petrarch and Boccaccio. We discuss Humanism. Then, finally, we end with an examination of early-modern Venice. 

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