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A History of Europe Key Battles — History
A History of Europe Key Battles

A podcast on European conflicts from the perspective of each side to provide an alternative to the traditional national narratives. Going chronologically from the Ancient Greeks onwards I described to some extent how each battle was won or lost by particular decisions, tactics, technology or fortune. But the aim of each main narrative will be to place each battle in the context of the overall history of Europe.

New series on the Interwar Years 1918-1945 begins 18th July 2025

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

48.1 Interview with Jacob F. Field Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

Something different this week - an interview with historian and author Jacob F. Field, whose works include:

One Bloody Thing After Another: The World's Gruesome History

We Shall Fight on the Beaches: The Speeches That Inspired History

And more recently - A History of Europe in Bite Sized Chunks

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47.4 French Wars of Religion - Conclusion Apr 19, 2019

Show notes

Conclusion of the French Wars of Religion. On the death of all four sons of Catherine de Medici, the Valois dynasty dies out, leaving a committed Protestant, Henry of Navarre, as heir to the throne. He would go on to become Henry IV, founder of the Bourbon dynasty and one of France's greatest kings.

https://aca.st/370288

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47.3 St Bartholomew's Day Massacre Apr 12, 2019

Show notes

Fighting breaks out in France between Protestants and Catholics in a series of conflicts known as the French Wars of Religion. The most infamous event of all is the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre 1572

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47.2 French Wars of Religion - Background Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

The Protestant Faith is spreading fast when Henry II (pictured) ascends to the throne of France in 1574. His early death destabilizes the French Crown

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47.1 Martin Luther, the Reformation and the Printing Press Mar 29, 2019

Show notes

Beginnings of the Reformation, triggered in 1517 by Martin Luther, whose ideas spread quickly thanks to the recent invention of the printing press. Also the economy of France flourishes during the reign of Francis I (1515-1547)

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46.4 Livonian Wars 1558-1583 Feb 22, 2019

Show notes

The final years of Livonia Wars, the struggle for control of the southern Baltic coastline between Sweden, Denmark, Poland-Lithuania and Russia. King Stephan Bathory of Poland leads a campaign into Muscovite territory and besieges the city of Pskov (pictured). Also, the legacy of Ivan IV the Terrible

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46.3 Ivan the Terrible and the Oprichnina Feb 15, 2019

Show notes

Ivan the Terrible, convinced of treachery all around him, orders the execution of anyone he suspects of disloyalty. He then creates the Oprichnina, a state within a state in Muscovy, and subjects his people to successive waves of terror, including the massacre of Novogord 1569. Moscow comes under threat in 1571 from an immense army of Crimean Tatars leading to the Battle of Molodi. Meanwhile Denmark and Sweden fight the Seven Years War.

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46.2 History of Medieval Scandinavia and Hanseatic League Feb 08, 2019

Show notes

The History of Medieval Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, and rivalries between the Hanseatic League (a naval merchant alliance), Denmark, Sweden and Poland-Lithuania

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46.1 Battle of Ermes 1560, Fall of the Livonian Order Feb 01, 2019

Show notes

The Livonian Order, in decline for years, suffers defeat at the Battle of Ermes 1560 against an army of Ivan the Terrible, triggering a conflict to fill the power vacuum; the Northern Wars

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45.5 Battle of Lepanto 1571 Jan 04, 2019

Show notes

The Battle of Lepanto - the largest naval battle in Western history since classical antiquity. A clash for supremacy of the Mediterranean between the Ottomans and a Christian Holy League

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