A History of Italy » Podcast
1) 200th episode 8th anniversary
NewEditTo celebrate the 200th anniversary episode, which coincided with the 8th anniversary, we decided to hear from you, dear constant listener to create a special episode to celebrate this great mil...Show More
2) 199 – The dying gasp of the Fiorentine Republic and the first duke
Episode SummaryWith Giovanni dalle Bande Nere gone, we return to Florence to witness the dramatic collapse of the centuries-old Florentine Republic and the emergence of Medici princely rule. Against t...Show More
3) 198 - Giovanni dalle Bande Nere part 3: Pietro Aretino and shot down in a blaze of glory
In this episode, we trace the final chapters in the life of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere, the last great condottiero of Renaissance Italy, and his unlikely, enduring friendship with the scandalous writer...Show More
4) 197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy
Episode SummaryPicking up where we left off, Giovanni de’ Medici, son of Caterina Sforza and known to history as Giovanni of the Black Bands, continues his meteoric rise through the bloody a...Show More
197 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part II - The invincible very naughty boy
14:29 | Nov 11th, 2025
5) Call for contributions: episode 200 and 8th anniversary
Hello You! for our 220th and 8th anniversary episode I thought I would invite contributions from the most VIP I could think of... YOU!So please send in a sound file or, if you don't feel like it, writ...Show More
6) 196 - Giovanni of the Black Bands part 1: birth of a legend
In this episode, we reunite with an old friend of the show — Caterina Sforza, the indomitable “Tigress of Forlì.” From her, we follow the turbulent and violent early life of her son, Giovann...Show More
7) 195 - Italian Wars 12 - The sack of Rome (again) and the end of the Sforza
In this episode, we pick up with Emperor Charles V consolidating his power over Italy after the Battle of Pavia (1525), where the French king Francis I was captured. The uneas...Show More
8) 194 - The Italian Wars 11 - Medici pope to Medici pope - Battle of Pavia and Cognac
After three episodes exploring the life of Leonardo da Vinci, we return to the turbulent stage of the Italian Wars. In this episode, we pick up in the early 1520s, a period shaped by papal politics, d...Show More
194 - The Italian Wars 11 - Medici pope to Medici pope - Battle of Pavia and Cognac
16:58 | Sep 16th, 2025
9) What has the printing press ever done for us? - Guest episode by the History of the Germans
This is a guest episode by Dirk Hoffmann of the history of the German podcast, in which he tells us all about the impact of one of the most important inventions in human history, Gutenberg printing pr...Show More
10) Summer update
Just to let you know I haven’t disappeared!