A History Of Europe, Key Battles

When crusaders arrived at Constantinople in 1203 they gazed in wonder, having never imagined that there could be so fine a place in the world. The 'Queen of Cities', founded by Constantine The Great in the early fourth century, had become imbued over the centuries with legends and Christian myths that gave the place a spiritual aura to match its physical grandeur. Yet in 1204 the city would be violently sacked and the once mighty Empire brought to its knees. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the year 1204, Constantinople, the largest and most splendid city by far in Europe was sacked, not by Muslims but by fellow Christians - and not only sacked but gutted by fire and indiscriminate violence. Part 1 describes the build-up and first steps of the crusade, including a history of early Venice. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After the disaster at Hattin in 1187 Saladin appeared on the verge of completely wiping out the Crusader States from the Middle East. Instead he was met by stubborn resistance at Tyre, and the Acre. And when the kings of France and England arrived at Acre the tide began to turn in favour of the Christians, who now set the sights on recapturing Jerusalem. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Battle of Hattin fought on 4th July between Saladin and a considerable Christian army was a major turning point in the history of the Crusader States www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The emergence of Saladin as preeminent Muslim ruler of the Levant, and the struggle for Egypt between Saladin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Second Crusade (1145-1449), triggered by the Fall of Edessa. Conrad III of Germany and Louis VII of France lead the military campaign to boost the Crusader States in the Levant www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The first years of the Crusaders States between the First and Second Crusades. The Fall of Edessa in 1144 www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The army of the First Crusade arrives at the Holy City of Jerusalem www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Christian warriors from around Europe converge on the Holy Land to fight the First Crusade. Despite many challenges the campaign starts well at the siege of Nicaea before reaching Antioch. One group, led by Baldwin of Flanders splits off from the main army and captures Edessa www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Build-up to the First Crusade from the perspective of the Byzantine Empire, the Turks in Asia Minor and the Levant, the area about to be invaded. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Build-up to the First Crusade. The Investiture Controversy between Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII, plus the growing influence of the Normans under Robert Guiscard, and the reasons behind the call to crusade by Pope Urban II www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The capture of Toledo, the capital of the old Visigothic kingdom, by Alfonso VI The Brave from the Muslims. Also the final days of El Cid www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The early Medieval Spain of El Cid. The story of King Ferdinand I of Leon and Castile and his sons Sancho and Alfonso, as depicted in the epic Hollywood film. Plus, the conflict between Aragon and Muslim Zaragoza, the arrival of crusaders from across the Pyrenees, and the Siege of Barbastro www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The golden age of Muslim Spain, the military dictatorship of Almanzor, the collapse of the caliphate into petty kingdoms (taifas), Sancho III El Mayor of Navarre, and the rise of Castile and Aragon www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The History of early medieval Spain from the Islamic conquest in 711 to the establishment of the magnificent Caliphate of Cordoba, and the first successful Christian resistance which will ultimately lead to the reconquest, or Reconquista, of the Iberian peninsula www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 1071 the Byzantine Empire, weakened by the mismanagement of a series of weak emperors, suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Seljuk Turks, newly arrived in the region. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The newly crowned King of England, Harold Godwinson faced two invasions within days, firstly from the viking Harold Hardrada in the north, and then William Duke of Normandy on the south coast. This is the story of probably the most important battle ever fought on English soil. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The most famous battle on English soil in 1066, between the Normans and Anglo-Saxons. Part 1 gives a summary of English and Norman history leading up to that fateful year www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first half of the eleventh century, the Normans gained much territory in Italy but in so doing had made many enemies. In 1054 Pope Leo IX brought together a force of Lombards, Germans and Byzantines to confront them. The Normans won an overwhelming victory and effectively conquered the southern half of the peninsula www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Normans arrive in Italy first as pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, then as mercenaries. It is not long before they begin to acquire territories and titles on the peninsula in their own right. www.historyeurope.net Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/ahistoryofeurope.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.