Villains and Virgins History Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Normans in Sicily EP 2: Roger II Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

Roger II inherits his father's position as ruler of Sicily and begins to take over parts of Southern Italy as well. Along the way a daring plan leads Norman knights out of a desperate situation, and a Crusader king proposes marriage. Norman state-building in Sicily takes on a unique character, and Norman knights fight armies led by the Pope. When two popes are elected on the same day, Roger II must choose which Pope he will support in exchange for a crown.

Norman Sicily EP 1: When the Vikings Invaded Italy Mar 03, 2025

Show notes

The Vikings terrorised coastal Europe in their longboats, plundering and killing as they went. Some of them were offered a deal: they could accept land and settle in France, in exchange for defending the area from other raiders. These Vikings became known as Normans, and while the name changed, the game remained the same. They begin arriving in Italy, and soon become the most coveted military muscle for hire. The Pope himself becomes their hostage and the daughter of a Norman almost becomes the Byzantine Empress. This is a tale of the high Middle Ages, full of pilgrims and pillagers, popes, kings, battles and emperors.

This is the first episode in a series on the Normans in Sicily.

Join me for live conversations after every episode as a Patreon supporter at www.patreon.com/evaschubert

The Peasant' War Part 2: Bloodbath Jan 14, 2025

Show notes

The Peasants' War was the largest peasant uprising prior to the French Revolution. Hundreds of thousands of ordinary people organise a labour strike and dare to demand a measure of fairness. They use the ideas of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation to do it. Luther wants nothing to do with the rebels, and supports the German nobles in killing these "mad dogs". The heavy cavalry and the landsknecht armies of the Swabian League are on the march, and this rebellion is about to turn into a war.

The Peasants' War Part 1: Before the Bloodbath Dec 26, 2024

Show notes

This is the story of the biggest peasant uprising prior to the French Revolution. Inspired by the writing of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, it was a shocking challenge to the social order. Serfs occupied castles, executed nobles, and plundered monasteries. Events that lasted less than a year would result in thousands of peasant deaths, and change the direction of the Reformation itself. This episode is the first in a two part series.

You can support this podcast on Patreon at: patreon.com/evaschubert

The video version of this episode is available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4UK4CtYihQc

The Reformation Episode 5: Wars of Religion Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

The Wars of Religion are the bloody outcome of the religious fracturing of Europe. They reshaped political identity and redefined the balance of power among countries. But what actually happened and why does it matter? This episode is a wild ride through three different countries, as scheming French cardinals send funds to Protestant rebels abroad, and the king of Spain institutes bloody punishments for religious deviance in the Netherlands. Cities under siege and a terrifying "red wedding" are part of the story. From Hugenots to Anabaptists, Calvinists, and Lutherans, this episode will answer questions you didn't know you had.

The Reformation: EP 4- England Kills a King Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

In this episode we watch England execute a king. This is the strange tale of how England became a Protestant country, and why the Church of England is the way it is. Along the way we watch militant Scottish Reformers challenge the power of the monarch, and uncover the roots of the Covenanters and Presbyterian churches. The episode culminates in the English Civil War, as competing versions of church and state vie for the future of the nation. Monarchy in Europe will never be the same again!

The Reformation Episode 3: John Calvin and Theocracy Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

John Calvin is one of the major figures of the Protestant Reformation, famous for his doctrine of pre-destination. This episode covers his time in Geneva, and how he turned that city into a grim and terrifying experiment in theocracy. It is also the story of Protestants burning a heretic at the stake, in a bizarre moment of borrowing the very punishments that had been used to suppress them. This episode captures a dramatic moment as reformers struggle to redefine the roles of church and state.

Reformation Episode 2: Martin Luther, The Man Who Split Europe Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

In this episode we cover the unlikely journey of one young man from earnest Augustinian monk to rebel reformer. Martin Luther ignited a firestorm of existing anti-clerical sentiment across Europe, with results that would change Europe and the Western Christian Church forever.

The Reformation Episode 1: John Wycliffe and the Middle Ages Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

What is the Protestant Reformation and why does it matter? To begin to understand how thoroughly it has shaped Western Europe and North America we must travel back in time to see the world as it was before the Reformation. This episode is all about the Middle Ages, when an emperor braved the Alps in winter to appeal to a Pope, and thousands of people in Southern France were slaughtered by Crusaders. It is a world of towering cathedrals, in which the power of the Church rivaled that of the Crown. In this medieval world a poor boy from Yorkshire earned a doctoral degree at Oxford University, and began developing ideas that would shake this world to its foundations. His name was John Wycliffe.

Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 5- Christopher Columbus and 1492 Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

1492 was a year that changed everything. In Castile, it was the end of the Reconquista, as Isabella and Ferdinand ended a decade long war with a triumphant ride through the streets of Granada. It was also the year they signed the Alhambra Decree, which banished all Jews from Castile, and it was the beginning of the end of Moorish presence as well. The connection between these two events and the Spanish Inquisition was a drive for religious purity that would forever change the history of Spain. This is also the year that Christopher Columbus obtained royal support for his expedition, opening the door to Spain's colonial empire in the New World.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Villains and Virgins History Podcast

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected