We're Not So Different

• Mystery Plays (feat The Worst of All Possible Worlds)

  folks, we love the weird side of Medieval life and one of the weirdest was the mystery play. these were living tableaux depictions of biblical stories that became huge, elaborate stage productions, which were performed during mass before the popes got mad and forbade the clergy from participating, at which point they became secularized by the guilds. but even better, we have guests to share in this weird Medieval fun with us as we welcome Josh, Brian, and AJ from The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast to the show. The fellas specifically asked to come on and discuss this topic due to personal involvement with mystery plays and we simply couldn't say no. it's a lot of fun!link to a review of the stage production mentioned: https://newyorktheater.me/2014/04/03/the-mysteries-the-flea-takes-on-the-bible-epically-irreverently/https://www.worstpossible.world

  --------  

  1:14:32
• Constantinople 5: The Fall

  folks, we've made it 209 episodes into the show and we still haven't done one on the end of the Middle Ages, well that stops now. we conclude out series on Constantinople with The Fall. and this one really lives up to the name, unlike the Western Roman Empire. we say goodbye to Constantinople, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Theodosian Walls, and all the rest as the Ottomans wash it away in a tide of gunpowder, olive oil, and so many soldiers. enjoy the spectacle as we talk the Fall of Constantinople.

  --------  

  1:23:18
• Constantinople 4: ...and there's DECLINE

  folks, we continue the series on Constantinople with the real decline hours. last week, we started looking at the long, slow decline of the Queen of Cities and the Byzantine Empire but that pales in comparison to the final 400 years. after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, it's all downhill as the Byzantines step on rakes, shoot themselves in the foot, and are the victims of just plain bad luck and historical circumstance. from Manzikert to the Fourth Crusade to the Black Death to the final, bleak years before 1453, it's nothing but true, unmitigated decline leading to the inevitable fall next time.artwork is The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople, Gustave Dore

  --------  

  1:08:10
• Constantinople 3: There's Decline...

  folks, we're back after a brief hiatus, and back into our series on Constantinople. this time, we take a look at the beginning of the decline of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, which started in 567 after Justinian I's death. but, as civilizational declines go, it wasn't so bad for the first 500 years or so. however, the myriad factors that would lead to the fall of Constantinople were beginning to pile up even before Justinian's reign and they would only get worse as things went along. factors such as the city's propensity for riots and civil wars, the rise of Islam, Iconoclasm, the East-West Schism, and more! so this time, we talk about these factors and follow the gradual decline through the first five Medieval Byzantine dynasties. then next time, we will talk about real DECLINE.

  --------  

  1:16:32
• Patreon Ep Unlocked: Habsburg News You Can Use

  we decided to take a look at some Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg news that has come up in the past month. first, and more seriously, we look at a study of how Holy Roman Emperors governed from the road through a practice known as itinerant rule and it can be used to trace the rise and decline of the power of the imperial office. then, we move onto the real fun: an article about the recent Habsburg convention in Plano, Texas that occurred in April 2024. and folks, if the first part seems a little dry, this article is nothing but schadenfreude and the chance to point and laugh at some of the worst people alive, which we all use from time-to-time. links:Rulers on the Road: Itinerant Rule in the Holy Roman Empire, AD 919-1519 by Carl Muller-Crepon, Clara Neupert-Wentz, Andrej Kokkonen, and Jorgen Moller, dated April 24, 2024: https://www.carlmueller-crepon.org/publication/itinerant_rule/MNKM_itin_rulers_20240424.pdfFeeling Blessed: At the Habsburg Convention in Plano by Christopher Hooks for The Baffler, published May 8, 2024: https://thebaffler.com/latest/feeling-blessed-hooks

  --------  

  1:14:36

More History podcasts

Trending History podcasts

About We're Not So Different