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2905 Charlemagne - The Father of Europe Part 2 Nov 08, 2020

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The machinery of war which Charlemagne inherited from his father. Pepin the Short, and grandfather (Charles Martel, 'the hammer') was singularly well tuned to wage war. All of Charlemagne's vassals were expected to serve militarily and all free men were expected to serve if needed. This service included bishops, abbots and abbesses; they too could be called upon to provide armed men or other provisions of war according to the wealth of their estates. Dur: 17mins. File: .mp3

2904 Charlemagne - The Father of Eurpope Part1 Oct 18, 2020

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Charles the Great, known as Charlemagne and the father of Europe, created an empire which would last 1,000 years. To secure it he fought continuously, on multiple fronts, throughout his long reign. Charlemagne came to power at a time when Europe was made up of many small kingdoms and principalities. Since the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, it had also faced invasion from various peoples who had established kingdoms of their own, such as the Visigoths and Muslims in Spain. Dur: 19mins File: .mp3

2903 The 2500th Anniversary of The Battles of Thermopylae, Artemisium and Salamis - Part 2 Oct 04, 2020

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Thermopylae and Artemisium were never intended to be decisive stands even though the defeat of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae has gone down in history as just such a stand. There were also 700 Thespians and 400 Thebans at that defeat but their sacrifice has been all but been ignored. (indeed the historian Herodotus goes out of his way to show the Thebans to be perfidious traitors). The other cities' soldiers had already withdrawn, and fierce debate ensued to keep the alliance together. Dur: 23mins. File: .mp3

2902 The 2500th Anniversary of The Battles of Thermopylae, Artemisium and Salamis - Part 1 Sep 20, 2020

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The year 2020 represents the 2,500th anniversary of three battles which played a major part in shaping the future of the western Mediterranean world: the battles of Thermopylae, Artemisum, and Salamis. Dur: 19mins. File: .mp3

2901 The Lewis and Clark Air Rifle Sep 06, 2020

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The American West contains many epic tales and stories, perhaps the most astounding is the story of Lewis and Clark and the Corp of Discovery. Over the course of seventeen months a group of over forty individuals traveled seven thousand miles through hostile native tribes from the middle of America through previously unexplored mountain ranges to the Pacific Ocean and returned healthy and well with only one casualty. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3

2810 The Battle of Stony Point Jul 12, 2020

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July 15th 1779. The night was dark, the soldiers were ordered to fix bayonets and unload their rifles. Men exhausted, a 14 mile road march in the dead of summer that started at noon got them to this point. Anxiety filled the air as Washington's men set to take back Stony Point. What took 20 minutes left the southern and western and northern flanks of the point covered in blood. Dur: 16mins File: .mp3

2809 John Hawkwood - The Greatest Mercenary of His Age - Part 2 Jun 28, 2020

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The greatest mercenary commander of the 14th century, inspiration for historians, poets, novelists and playwrights, John Hawkwood is a name everyone should know. 14th century Europe was a plagued with incessant warfare. The Hundred Years' War began between France and England in 1337 and would last until the middle of the next century. Other conflicts engulfed various parts of Europe as well, especially in Italy where Sir John Hawkwood would make and maintain his name. Dur: 20mins File: .mp3

2808 John Hawkwood - The Greatest Mercenary of His Age - Part1 Jun 14, 2020

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2807 The Battle of Stamford Bridge May 31, 2020

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By the beginning of September 1066, King Harold II was in a quandary. Expecting Duke William of Normandy to invade, he had summoned the fyrd (what passed for the army in Anglo-Saxon times; made up of a proportion of the freemen of each shire who were required to perform military service in defence of the land) back in April and they had long since passed the usual two to three months' service. And now they were starting to grumble... Dur: 17mins File: .mp3

2806 Sir Jeffrey Amherst and the Conquest of New France May 17, 2020

Show notes

The Seven Years War, fought from 1756 to 1763, pitted the alliance of France, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia and Spain; against Great Britain, Prussia and Hanover. The first truly world war, campaigns in the war were fought in Europe, India, North America, and on the oceans throughout the world. Dur: 27mins File: .mp3

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