History of Venice Podcast

034. Friends Reunited

In 1124, the Venetians were the heroes of the crusading movement. They’d destroyed the Saracen fleet and captured one of the two remaining Muslim ports in the area. But this fleet always had a second target in mind, and Domenico Michiel was determined to show the Byzantines why it had been a mistake to end their Special Relationship. Venice isn’t just Constantinople’s junior partner, to be discarded at will. She’s playing in the big leagues now and she can take on anyone. Also, obviously, the Venetians are going to steal a few more Holy Bones while they’re in the area, because that’s just their Thing.
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Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

033. Raiders of the Lost Crusade

With a new Doxe in Venice and a new Emperor in Constantinople, it’s all change in 1118. As the two friends and allies struggle to redefine their relationship and the Byzantines start saying that they were never really exclusive and they’d like to start seeing other people, the Venetians bet the house on a naval expedition that could bankrupt the city if it goes wrong, but could drive even more prosperity to the lagoon if it goes right. This week we find out what happens when the Doxe becomes a crusader.
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Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

RH02B. Cause Without a Rebel - Anna Comnena (2/2)

We conclude our investigation into the life of historian Anna Comnena. This week, we look at what The Alexiad is like as a book of history, and we discuss her alleged plot to overthrow her brother and take the crown for herself. Did that really happen, or is it pure slander?
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Intro and outro music is Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

RH02A. Writing History While Female - Anna Comnena (1/2).

We’ve quoted at length from The Alexiad in the past few narrative episodes. But who was its author, Anna Comnena, and how did she come to write this 500-page history? We look into the life of this extraordinarily talented polymath to understand more about the background to one of the most important contemporary historical sources for the era that we’ve recently been talking about. And we look at some of the obstacles that she faced as a woman working in a world that was dominated by men.
The book by Professor Leonora Neville that we mention during these episodes is "Anna Komnene: The life and work of a medieval historian", first published in 2016.
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Intro and outro music is Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

First Birthday Special

It's our first Podcast Anniversary, so we tried summarising the past year's worth of content in three minutes and then chatted about our favourite stories so far and what we're looking forward to most in the future of the show. Also, Simon was confused about how Venice's (arguably) most famous son became a swimming pool game in the US. What is that all about, anyway?
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Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
 

Casanova Part 6. Punching Gift Horses in the Mouth

We’re back with Casanova this week, as he finishes his teenage years and reaches his early 20s. For this mercurial young man, every risk is an opportunity, and every opportunity is a chance to make a complete mess of things. Within two years, he has screwed up two potential careers, lost a couple of small fortunes, and ended up right back where he started. Find out how as we follow his life and get beneath the legend.
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Intro and outro music is “Estate” (Summer) from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

032. The Palindrome Doxe

Ordelaf Faledro is an unusual name, whether you're reading it forwards or backwards. He was Doxe of Venice for about 16 years in the early 1100s, when the city suffered a series of devastating natural disasters. With neighbours looking to exploit this moment of weakness, the city had to get back on its feet quickly. This week we look at how they managed.
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Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org
 

031. Bird's Eye View

This week the Venetian lagoon is the star of the show. These muddy, marshy islands are the home of something extraordinary. It’s easy to assume that Venice has always looked the way it does now, or at least as it did in the many splendid Renaissance maps that you can find. But as we head into the 12th century, the city is only just starting to take on an appearance that we would recognise today. Join us as we fly over Venice’s amphibious territory as it might have looked in 1100.
Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.
Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org