Thugs and Miracles: A History of France Podcast
1) When Interest Comes Due (S3: E10)
This week we’re going to take a look at what happened with Duke Tassilo III of Bavaria. This relatively minor-sounding player in the midst of Charlemagne’s dynastic growth may sound unimportant, but h...Show More
2) The Spanish March (S3: E9)
This week, we’re going to take a look at Charlemagne's 778 campaign into Spain. Since the most memorable part of the campaign is an epic poem entitled The Song of Roland - a poem focused on the tragic...Show More
3) Baptism or Death (S3: E8)
This week, we’re going to take a look at one of the great resistance leaders from the age of Charlemagne: Widukind. Because - news flash! - lots of people did not like Charlemagne. Before we get into ...Show More
4) An Interview with… #4: Shelley Puhak, Author of The Dark Queens
Today on the show, we interview Shelley Puhak, the author of the soon-to-be-released book The Dark Queens! It is all about Fredegunda and Brunhilda, the rival Merovingian Queens who ran Kingdoms and f...Show More
5) The Fire of Paganism (S3: E7)
This week we’re going to take a look at what may be one of the great military miscalculations of all time. Charles was a solid tactician and an excellent logistician, and clearly very successful in mo...Show More
6) The Iron Crown (S3: E6)
This week we’re going to take a look at how, for the third time in less than two decades, the Franks and the Lombards came to blows. However, the Franks would be under new management for the fight thi...Show More
7) Little Brother (S3: E5)
This week we’re going to take a look at what exactly happened between Charles and his brother Carloman. The two are referred to in all of the histories as having had a troubled relationship, and this ...Show More
8) The Best Laid Plans (S3: E4)
This week we’re going to take a look at the first few years of Charles and Carloman’s reign as seen through the eyes of their mother, Queen Bertrada. Honestly, she’s a tremendous woman who took her sh...Show More
9) Pépin the Underrated (S3: E3)
This week we’re going to look back one last time at the life and times of one of the most horribly underrated Kings in all of French history, a guy who may have done more to establish the foundations ...Show More
10) An Interview with… #3: History of the Germans
Hello everybody, and welcome to 2022! We here at Thugs and Miracles hope you had an enjoyable New Year’s Eve, and if you’re traveling home today or tomorrow, well, we’re here to keep you company! And ...Show More