Join us as we time travel back through history, exploring the lives and stories of ladies of the past, from the everyday to the extraordinary, imagining what it might have been like to be them.
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The history of the rise and fall of the states founded by medieval Latin Christian crusaders. Discover the tales of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Counties of Edessa and Tripoli, and the Principality of Antioch as well as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Assassins, the Byzantine Roman Empire, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, the Republic of Venice, and more!
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Bathing Beauties: Annette Kellerman & The History of Women's Swimwear
36:33
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Let's celebrate the North American summer with a dive (see what I did there?) into the history of women's bathing suits. It's as fascinating, and sometimes as absurd, as you'd imagine. I have a book coming out in August! FYREBIRDS, the sequel and conclusion to NIGHTBIRDS, is hitting shelves on August 27th, and I would love it if you'd pick up a cop…
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A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part IV: Off to Battle with Samurai Warrior Women
40:41
40:41
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In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…
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A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part III: Fashion & Fun with the Glamorous Geisha
55:22
55:22
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In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…
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1
A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part II: Home, Duty, Marriage, and Tea
50:35
50:35
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In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…
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1
A Lady's Life in Tokugawa Japan, Part I: Welcome to the Edo Era
34:17
34:17
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In this four-part series, we're time traveling back to Tokugawa Japan (1603-1868) to find out what life was like there for the ladies. If you've been binging Shogun lately, then this one's for you! For show notes, including a list of sources and some cool images, go to The Exploress website (If you're dying for a full transcript, you'll find it ove…
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1
Crusader Queens: The Royal Women of Medieval Outremer, Part II
29:09
29:09
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Once upon a time, back in the Middle Ages, four sisters would come to shape the Crusader States called Outremer. One would rebel (several times) against their father; another would come to rule more or less in her own right. All would see a healthy heaping of conflict while living in a chaotic time and place. In Part 2, we'll rejoin our royal siste…
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Crusader Queens: The Royal Women of Medieval Outremer, Part I
36:16
36:16
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Once upon a time, back in the Middle Ages, four sisters would come to shape the Crusader States called Outremer. One would rebel (several times) against their father; another would come to rule more or less in her own right. All would see a healthy heaping of conflict while living in a chaotic time and place. In Part 1, we'll explore the many roles…
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Queens with Swords: Teuta, Amanirenas, and Mavia (Mawiyya)
19:53
19:53
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There’s something stirring about a warrior woman: one who refuses to bow down to the forces against her, no matter how vast they may be. And when they win out? Even better. Let’s talk about three sword-wielding females who went up against the Romans, terrifying all who looked on: Teuta, Amanirenas, and Mavia (Mawiyya). Want more Exploress bonus epi…
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Ladies Sing the Blues: The Black Entertainers Who Dazzled the 1920s
46:53
46:53
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In this last episode of Season 4, we're going to find out more about the Black female entertainers who lit up the stages of 1920s America: who they were, the (many) struggles they faced, and all the ways they absolutely slayed. We'll meet blues singers like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Mamie Smith, as well as dancers like Josephine Ba…
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Screen Queens: Movies in the 1920s and the Women Who Made Them Sparkle
52:12
52:12
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Today, we’re going to the film industry of the 1920s and the ladies who came to define them. We’ll find out more about the movies of the era, their young female stars, and just how they influenced so many. Grab your girlfriends, your favorite fan mag, and your ticket…It's movie night. You can buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at th…
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The Good Fight: America's Fight for Women's Rights with Elizabeth Cobbs
56:00
56:00
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By Kate J. Armstrong
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A Lady's Life in 1920s America, Part 4: A Friday Night
44:26
44:26
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Last time, we found out what stay-at-home wife life was like in the 1920s. Now we're going to go out on the town. Let's explore all the fun we were getting up to: dancing, nightclubs, amusement parks, swimming, and girls in automobiles. We'll even dive into the world on 1920s dating. You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at…
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Lady Killers: The Women of Chicago's Murderess Row
46:32
46:32
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Settle in for a tale of passion, jealousy, corruption, and the lady killers who entranced 1920s America. Grab your gun, your best fur coat, and a flask of bootleg gin. Let’s go traveling. You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know I’ve got a novel out? NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantas…
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She-Wolves: Writing the Women of Pompeii with Elodie Harper (Part 2)
53:42
53:42
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Remember back in 2021 when the amazing Elodie Harper told us all about the sex workers of ancient Rome, and also her novel The Wolf Den? She's back to talk to us about The Temple of Fortuna, the epic conclusion to her immersive trilogy about a woman just trying to survive in ancient Pompeii. Join us as we talk about courtesans, an ancient queen, fe…
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Toxic Charm: Giulia Tofana, Italy's Poison Queen
18:07
18:07
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I hope you enjoy this spooky minisode bonus from the dark days of 2020! Let's meet one of history's most prolific female poisoners. You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted fantasy about girls who will gift their magic with a kiss...f…
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A Lady's Life in 1920s America, Part 3: A Thursday at Home
36:56
36:56
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Last time, we headed to the office as 1920s working women; now let's give the stay-at-home wife life a spin. Grab your brand new vaccuum and your fave home economics book: let's go traveling. You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at the Exploress shop. Also, did you know: I’ve got a novel out! NIGHTBIRDS is a 1920s-tinted f…
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A Lady's Life in 1920s America, Part 2: A Wednesday at Work
42:56
42:56
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It's time to grab our sensible heels and head to the office to find out about a woman's work in the 1920s. Let's find out about college life, then dive into some of our trials, triumphs, and tribulations in the workplace. Nothing's going to hold us down! Let’s go traveling. You can now buy my ladycentric timelines, maps, and art prints at my Printa…
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A Lady’s Life in 1920s America, Part 1: A Summer Saturday
41:04
41:04
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Rise and shine! It’s time to get up and start our day in the life of a 1920s American gal. Let’s find out some things about life in the period, from what we’re wearing on a casual Saturday to what we’re eating for breakfast, where we’re getting our food from, and (of course) how we’re dealing with that time of the month. Pull up your stockings and …
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Unsinkable: The Titanic Story, Told By Some of the Women Aboard
1:11:27
1:11:27
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Let's revisit the tragic story the Titanic, but focus on the women aboard. Who were they? What was it like, to ride on this infamous luxury liner? What did they see and feel, that fateful night? As always, you'll find show notes for this episode, includng images and a list of my research sources, at my Exploress website. If you want to support the …
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Celebrating Women of Myth with Ancient History Fangirl
59:46
59:46
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Season 4 is taking an intermission for the moment; I hope to have us traveling back to the 1920s soon. Until then, I’ve got something fun for you: a chat with the wonderful Genn McMenemy and Jenny Williamson of Ancient History Fangirl about their new book, Women of Myth. It’s a beautiful compendium of stories from all around the world about a diver…
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Bold, Beautiful, and Black: Writing Black Women Back into History with Krystal Marquis
34:30
34:30
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In this episode, we’re jumping back to 1910s Chicago, which is the setting for my friend Krystal Marquis’s New York Times and Indie bestselling novel The Davenports. This heartwarming historical romance introduces us to four young Black women navigating life at the turn of the century, falling in love, taking risks, and carving their own paths thro…
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Lady Scofflaws: 1920s Prohibition and the Women Who Defied It
1:02:17
1:02:17
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Last episode, we learned about drinking culture in the leadup to America's Prohibition and met some of the women who helped shove the law into being and enforce it. Now we're shimmying into our most scandalous dresses and going out on the town to meet the ladies who defied it. My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, is out now wherever good books (or audiobooks) are…
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Lady Drys: 1920s Prohibition and the Women Who Supported It
49:38
49:38
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Lots of women fought to make America dry. They stood at the forefront of the temperance movement, campaigning to get rid of alcohol. They were a big reason why Prohibition became a Constitutional Amendment. They fought for it in speeches and marches and helped police it as law enforcement agents. What was it about the cause that called to so many w…
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The 1920s, But Make It Magic: Historically Inspired Fiction with Lyssa Mia Smith
46:50
46:50
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Join me for a fun-filled interview with my friend and fellow debut author, Lyssa Mia Smith, whose novel, REVELLE, came out last month. Described as MOULIN ROUGE meets THE GREAT GATSBY, it’s one the fantasy-romance fans amongst you don’t want to miss. Much like my novel, NIGHTBIRDS, it takes a lot of inspiration from history, and I loved this chat a…
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I am thrilled to share a juicy snippet of the NIGHTBIRDS audiobook with you, listeners! Please enjoy the prologue and first chapter, brought to life by the incredibly talented Saskia Maarleveld. You can buy the full audiobook wherever they're sold. My novel, NIGHTBIRDS, comes out TODAY! It is a 1920s-tinted YA Fantasy about a world with a prohibiti…
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1920s Inspired: Weaving Fact into Fantastical Fiction with Amie Kaufman
1:01:37
1:01:37
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I'm thrilled to be in conversation with Amie Kaufman, fellow author, friend, and co-host of my other podcast, Pub Dates, about taking inspiration from history and weaving it into fantasical worlds. Her novel, The Isles of the Gods, and my own both take certain aspects of the 1920s and use them as springboards into fictional exploration, but we've u…
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A Flapper Walks Into a Bar: The Iconic (and Fabulous) Woman of the 1920s
51:23
51:23
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This is the Roaring Twenties: an era full of glamor and shimmer, petting parties and transgression, secret passwords and wild nights on the town. So we’re going to start by spending time with the most iconic lady of her age: the flapper. Bold, fun loving, independent, daring, shocking, the flapper might just be the most enduring icon of the 1920s. …
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Silent No More: American Women Win the Vote (The 2023 Edition)
1:00:57
1:00:57
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Let's time travel back to the 1920s! But first, we're going to revisit a vintage Exploress episode that explores something momentous that happened in the year 1920, when American women finally won the right to vote. You can pre-order my novel, NIGHTBIRDS, wherever print, ebook, or audiobooks are sold! If you do, make sure to claim the exclusive Nig…
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Let's wrap up Season 3 by sitting down to tea with Elizabeth I and explore some of her tips for successful Tudor queenship.By Kate J. Armstrong
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Let's join Henry VIII's final queen, Katherine Parr, as we explore what education looked like for women in Tudor England. We'll discover how much they learned, what kinds of things they studied, and all the ways her education got Katherine in - and out - of trouble. For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and tons of images, go to The…
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The siege of Antioch gets underway. As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=EPV66V5KYPQR2By History of the Outremer
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In this episode, Queen Catherine Howard is going to be our guide as we explore all things sex for Tudor women. We’ll walk through the era’s expectations and understanding of a woman’s virtue, how a lady might keep from getting pregnant should she choose to risk her reputation, and what happens if a woman gets pregnant out of wedlock. It’s bound to …
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A Poisonous Affair: Magic, Sex, and Scandal in the Court of the French Sun King
30:44
30:44
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What connects a sorceress, a murderess, a mistress and a French king? Let's find out in this special Halloween bonus. For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and tons of images, go to The Exploress website. To support the show, become a patron. To find out more about Elizabeton Norton's fanstastic work, check out her website.…
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Murder, mystery, and WWII code girls: oh my! Join me as I chat with Ellie Marney, the New York Times bestselling author of the new YA historical novel The Killing Code. Atmospheric, compulsive, and deliciously dark, it’s the perfect book to kick off the spooky season, and it’ll introduce you to a slice of women’s history you might not know that muc…
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The army of the cross surrounds Antioch as summer comes to an end. As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=EPV66V5KYPQR2By History of the Outremer
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Like most royal women, Anne didn’t have much of a choice when it came to whom she married. It was considered her “duty” to honor the needs of her family and her kingdom over whatever her own might be. But what about everyone else - non-royals. Did they get to pursue their hearts a little more freely? Let’s take a walk with Anne of Cleves, who’ll sh…
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While the bulk of the army heads north, two contingents head through the Cilician Gates and into the lowlands, where they'll begin to insert themselves in the complicated morass of Armenian statelets. As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my …
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Where My Ladies At?: The Women Who Served a Tudor Queen with Sylvia Barbara Soberton
48:14
48:14
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Join me as I sit down with author Sylvia Barbara Soberton to talk about a Tudor queen's ladies-in-waiting: who they were, what they did, and what kind of impact they had on the women they served and the court at large. As always, there are lots of ways to support the Exploress: tell a friend about the show, leave a review wherever you listen, becom…
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2.23 Of Diverse Tongues and One Mind
1:12:09
1:12:09
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The languages of the army! How did Latin become the Romance languages? What was going on with the Germanic languages, Breton, Greek, and Armenian? As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_…
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Henry VIII's third wife will take us on a journey through all things fertility and childbirth during the Tudor period: getting pregnant, staying pregnant, and getting through the delivery ordeal in (we hope) one piece. For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and tons of images, go to The Exploress website. To support the show, become …
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The army of the cross sets off across Anatolia, but Kılıç Arslan is out there, waiting. As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=EPV66V5KYPQR2…
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Shakespeare is one of the most famous English writers of all time, and yet some people still debate who the Bard truly was. Some even ask the rather tantalizing question: was Shakespeare actually a woman? Was his Dark Lady the genius behind his pen after all? Thanks to my lovely supporters over on Patreon for bringing us this special bonus episode.…
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Kılıç Arslan kinda forgot about the crusaders, but they didn't forget about him or the city of Nicaea. As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=EPV66V5KYPQR2…
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A Tale of Two Queens: Reimagining Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn for The King's Wife Musical
49:36
49:36
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I had the privilege of interviewing Jennifer Kranz, the producer of The King's Wife, a musical that reimagines the relationship between Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Come behind the scenes with me on this still-developing musical, which gives us a heartfelt, feminist version of the story of two of Tudor England's most infamous queens, and fi…
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All Things Anne Boleyn with Natalie Grueninger
1:20:46
1:20:46
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I enjoyed my chat with our special guest from Fashion with Anne Boleyn so much that I've decided to publish it in full. Natalie gives us such an interesting glimpse into what life was like for Anne Boleyn at the Tudor court, and into her ultimate downfall. So let's dive in. Find out more about Natalie's work and her upcoming book at her website, or…
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2.20 Every Sort of People of Christian Faith (Indeed, Even the Feminine Sex)
1:39:58
1:39:58
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We dive into the social structure of the crusading army in June of 1097 at the outset of the Siege of Nicaea. Knights, the juventus, the clergy, and even (gasp) women! As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.payp…
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Let Henry VIII's most fabulously fashionable queen be your guide as we glide through the halls of the Tudor court, exploring why fashion was so important in Tudor England, especially for members of the royal family, and how women could use dress to achieve some of their most important aims. For this episode's show notes, including a transcript and …
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A recap of the start of the first crusade, from the Council of Piacenza in 1094 to the beginning of the siege of Nicaea in 1097. And some questions! As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks into my digital tin can- https://www.paypal.com/donate?hoste…
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2.18 Άνθρωποι τοῦ βᾰσῐλέως (Or in English, "The Emperor's Men")
1:21:22
1:21:22
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The noble pilgrims have arrived in Constantinople and now, the Emperor of the Romans Alexios I Komnenos has asked them to swear the customary Latin oath. The only question is...what the heck does that mean??? As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and new episodes every other week. Feel feel to drop a few bucks …
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2.17 In the Court of the Purple King
1:20:14
1:20:14
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After the total breakdown of the Peasant's Crusade, the purple-clad Emperor of the Romans Alexios I Komnenos is once again forced to deal with crusader hordes as Hugh of Vermandois, Godfrey of Bouillon, and his old friend Bohemond of Tarento arrive at Constantinople. As always, maps and sources available at historyoftheoutremer.wordpress.com and ne…
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