The Mamluk Armada appears in the Indian Ocean! It is deployed against the son of the Viceroy, Lourenço de Almeida. However, the young Almeida is determined for redemption in his father's eyes for his prior failure at the battle of Dabhol. His need to regain his father's favor leds him to make serious mistakes. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: h…

With the battle of Cochin over, the Portuguese enter into a phase of conquest in 1505. This is spearheaded by the first Portuguese Viceroy, Francisco de Almeida. However his story is not just about a man committed to his king and country, but also of a father and his only son. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT…

1504 The Zamorin of Calicut is on the warpath and about to hit the city of Cochin with a sledgehammer force of over 60,000 soldiers. The Portuguese have 150 men - but one very capable commander. The fate of the Portugeuse Empire in India now hangs in the balace. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYmTYuan0fSGccYX…

1503 The Portuguese Empire in India faces major head winds. Vasco da Gama underestimates his old rival, the Samudri Raja of Calicut, and nearly pays for it with his life. Yet despite Portuguese resilience, the Samudri and his men prove that they are in it for a fight. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYmTYuan0f…

1502 Vasco da Gama is placed in charge of the Fourth Portuguese Armada and returns to the Indian Ocean. In his last voyage he came as an explorer - this time he comes as a crusader and brings holy war with him Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYmTYuan0fSGccYXBxc8cA Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com…

Dec 1500 The Portuguese trading outpost in Calicut has been destroyed. In the night a vast mob attacked, razed it, and killed nearly everyone inside. Pedro Cabral orders his ships to bring their canons to bear on the city. Diplomacy has ended and now there is only need for revenge. The Portuguese commander looks back at his men and then shouts the …

August 1498 Vasco Da Gama makes his way north along the Malabar Coast of India. He is on the run. Negotiations have broken down with the King of Calicut - who has deployed a fleet to hunt down the Portuguese. On August 30th the King's men intercepts Vasco's ships. 70 small ships approch and fight is inevitable. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: …

1498 - a Portuguese Fleet of four ships has travelled for nearly a year and now is in the middle of a vast ocean. It has covered a distance of 12,000 miles (half the circumfrence of the Earth). Its crew has suffered malnutition, disease, and hosital encounters. Was it worth it? Suddenly on the eastern horizon something massive is seen. Not just lan…

Its 1487 and Bartolomeu Dias has traveled further than any European. He takes a gamble, subjecting his fleet to the will of nature. For 30 days he and his men are adrift on the open ocean at the pity of the winds and currents. But then they spot land. Was this just another bay on the endless coastline of Africa? Or had they discovered the passage t…

We begin the new series in the Age of Discovery with Henry the Navigator. He was warrior, a prince, and a businessman with an eye for seeing opportunity. His exploits in terms of ship building, the caravel, mapmaking, and being a sponsor on several expeditions, gave Portugal an easly lead. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.co…

Combined all parts of the Reconquista: Isabella series into one long format. We look at the life of the Queen Isabella of Castile. To some a saint, to others a demon, to history a Legend. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYmTYuan0fSGccYXBxc8cA Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FPHx Leave some feedb…

The Reconquista is over and Spain is on the fast track to becoming a global superpower. But do the ends justify the means? We look back now and ask, was Isabella a Saint? Or was she a Demon? Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYmTYuan0fSGccYXBxc8cA Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FPHx Leave some fe…

The grinding war in the Kingdom of Granda continues. However, its days are numbered. Infighting amongst the Nasrid cripple its offensive power and Ferdianand and Isabella are more determined than ever to complete the Reconquista. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYmTYuan0fSGccYXBxc8cA Contribute on Patreon: htt…

We now enter into the final stage of the Reconquista 1481 - The treaty that has held the unease peace between Castile and Nasrid Granada is broken. The Sultan Abu Al-Hasan takes advantage of Castilian weakness and launches an attack on the Castilian city of Alhama. The last war of the Reconquista has begun. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: http…

The Reconquista continues as Isabella becomes Queen! On Dec 13, 1474 Isabella crossed her own Rubicon - she staged a coup and became the Queen of Castile. No woman had sole power over the kingdom in over 250 years. Immediatly she would come into conflict with her neighbors and her own husband. Her ascendancy would only be settled with bloodshed Fla…

The Reconquista continues into the life of Queen Isabella of Castile! Isabella's life as a young adult is filled with danger. There are many that would be happy to see her married off, placed in exile, or simply killed. However, she proves her resolve. Despite massive adversity, she holds her composure. Flash Point History YouTube Channel: https://…

The Reconquista continues into the life of Queen Isabella of Castile! We begin with her early life. Isabella was born into a kingdom that was a far cry from its glory days. Improvished and on the brink of civil war, Castile had descended into a dark age under the weak rule of her older half brother, King Henry IV. Big thanks to Claudie Mackula and …

We continue the story of The Eastern Roman empire into the time of the Fourth Crusade. What began with the greatest of intentions became one of the more destested chapters in history. Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FPHx Leave some feedback: flashpointhistory@gmail.com Follow along on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLASHPOINTHX/ …

Richard the Lionheart and Saladin were military masterminds. The Third crusade pit each man against the other. The prize was the city of Jerusalem. Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FPHx Leave some feedback: flashpointhistory@gmail.com Follow along on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLASHPOINTHX/ Engage on Twitter: https://twitter.c…

The First Crusade was a spectacular success for the Christian armies. During this time the Byzantine Empire entered a golden age known as the Komnenian Restoration. However, with the fall of Edessa in 1144, the Islamic world begins to coalesce. Zengi and his son Nur ad Din create a powerful state. But despite their successes, they would be overshad…

The story of Byzantium continues through the high point of the reign of Basil II and then into the nightmare that followed the battle of Manzikert only to enter the time of the crusades. Contribute on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FPHx Leave some feedback: flashpointhistory@gmail.com Follow along on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLASHPOINTH…

We take a break from the Reconquista to describe a cataclysmic event that occurred on the other end of the Mediterranean. A titanic struggle between Islam and Christianity was occurring for control of the greatest city in Christendom - Constantinople. We start at the beginning as the Byzantine Empire first encounters the Caliphate. Note the Videos …

The story of the Reconquista continues into the time of Muhammad V who ruled over Nasrid Granada during her Golden Age. However, just to the north, Muhammad's friend and ally, Peter I of Castile, would be engaged in a series of wars that would affect nearly all the major contestants of Western Europe. While Granada enjoyed prosperity, Castile would…

The Black Death was the greatest pandemic in history. While it was estimated that 30-40% of Europe perished, world wide the death toll came to over 200 million. The story of the Plague is the story of a perfect storm where just the right developments in history met one the fiercest of killers with an equally powerful vector of transmission. Very li…

In the early 13th Century, the Reconquista has advanced as never before. Under the warrior King of Castile, Ferdinand III, Al Andalus has been diminished to a fragment of her former glory. But her legacy is not over yet. A new kingdom arises in Granada and led by a skilled and resourceful line of Emirs, she makes her mark on the world stage. Contri…