A History Of Europe, Key Battles

The origins of the Slavs are shrouded in uncertainty. We rely on scraps of contemporary writings and later writings such as The Primary Chronicle of Kievan Rus. They tell us of the unification by Vikings of scattered tribes in the region of the Baltic - Black Sea waterways Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brief history of Crimea and North Black Sea region 500BC-800 AD, during which time many different peoples having left their mark, including Greeks, Scythians, Romans, Goths, Byzantines, Bulgarians and Khazars Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Intro is the Russian Presidential Address of 2014. Then an outline of different perspectives on Ukrainian and Russian History, and next a description of the geography and early history of the Black Sea region from the time of the Ancient Greeks Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon de Montfort probably hoped to quickly finish off the last pockets of resistance after the Battle of Muret. Instead conflict continued for another one and a half decades. What would happen to Simon, to Count Raymond and the people of Languedoc at this critical period for the region? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In September 1213 in southwestern France two Christian armies faced each other off. One was led by King Peter II of Aragon, who after his glorious victory against a Muslim army at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa the previous year, was not only one of the most respected monarchs of Christendom but a favoured son of the Church. The other army was composed of crusaders, mainly from northern France, fighting on behalf of the Pope to root out heresy from the French region of Languedoc Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon de Montfort becomes leader of the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars of Languedoc. He meets resistance from Count Raymond VI of Toulouse and the general population of the region Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Background to the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade in Languedoc, southern France Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A powerful league unites against Philip II Augustus of France, including King John of England, Emperor Otto IV, and numerous counts of France. Historians are pretty unanimous, that this was a decisive battle which helped shape western Europe Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

King John prepares to invade France and recover his lost territories. In the meantime King Philip Augustus of France consolidates his gains on the continent, provoking resistance among local rulers, especially in Flanders. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the year 1204, Philip Augustus of France wrested control of the duchy of Normandy from King John of England. The long Capetian-Plantagenet struggle for power, however, was not yet over and would reach another decisive point a decade later at the Battle of Bouvines, 1214. This time the leaders of the other main power of the western Europe, Germany, would be brought into the conflict, and so also have important consequences for central Europe and Italy. And so for this episode I will get us up to date with the political situation in Germany. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Caliph al-Nasir, also known as Miramamolin invades Spain with a huge Muslim army which is met in the Sierra Nevada mountains by a Christian army, including King Alfonso VIII of Castile, Pedro/Peter II of Aragon and Sancho VII of Navarre Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Almohads invade Spain from North Africa while the Christian kings bicker among themselves. Alfonso VIII suffers a heavy defeat at the Battle of Alarcos in 1195 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Almohads arrive in Spain from North Africa and threaten to overwhelm the peninsula. The greatest resistance comes not from the Christian kingdoms, but from a fellow Muslim known as 'El Rey Lobo' (The Wolf King), head of a kingdom based in Murcia, a city in its golden age Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The birth of the kingdom of Portugal, the Siege of Lisbon, and the Union of Aragon and Catalonia - the political map of the peninsula begins to form Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Before 1085 in Spain there was little question that it was the Muslims who had the upper hand in the balance of power. But after King Alfonso VI captured the city of Toledo in 1085, the Christians became much more confident and threatened to rapidly take over the whole peninsula. Why this didn’t happen can be explained for two reasons – firstly, the infighting between Christian rulers, and secondly, the influx of Muslim peoples from north Africa, firstly the Almoravids Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A recent guest episode for the History of England podcast on the End of the Hundred Years War, in brief the years after Agincourt 1415, but focusing on the last four years from 1449-1453 and the Battles of Formigny and Castillon. In England the victories at Agincourt, Crecy and Poitiers are well known, but less so, the events around the end of the war, and how the French eventually drove the English from all the continent, except for Calais. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

King John of England in his first year or two of rule achieved some successes, but his lack of tact and diplomacy, plus poor decision-making lost him many allies in France. The focus of the escalating conflict between the Plantagenets and Capetians became Chateau Gaillard, a magnificent fortress in the key borderlands between Normandy and the French royal demesne around Paris. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The sons of King Henry II of England, impatient for power of their own and encouraged by Louis VII and then Philip II Augustus of France, rebel against their father and end up damaging the cause of their dynasty, the Plantagenets. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The story of France in the High Middle Ages, the reigns of Louis VI and Louis VII. As the twelfth century opened the kings of France barely controlled much land beyond Paris, but these two monarchs began to build the foundations for the French kings' great rise in power and prestige. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

William the Conqueror's conquest of England in 1066 and the division of his lands between England and Normandy sowed the seeds for centuries of Anglo-French conflict. This episode covers the reigns of Henry I of England, the Anarchy (civil war over Henry's succession) and the formation of the Angevin Empire of France and England under Henry II www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.