Villains and Virgins History Podcast
Recent Episodes
Reformation Episode 2: Martin Luther, The Man Who Split Europe
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
The Reformation Episode 2: Martin Luther, The Man Who Split Europe
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...
The Reformation Episode 1: John Wycliffe and the Middle Ages
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
The Reformation Episode 1: John Wycliffe and the Middle Ages
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...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 5- Christopher Columbus and 1492
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 5- Christopher Columbus and 1492
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...
Ferdinand and Isabelle: EP4- The Spanish Inquisition
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP4- The Spanish Inquisition
You have probably heard of the Spanish Inquisition, even if only from a certain Monty Python sketch. The truth about why it was started and for what purpose will probably surprise you. In this episode we take a close...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 3- Slavery, Slaughter and Stake-burning in the Reconquista
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 3- Slavery, Slaughter and Stake-burning in the Reconquista
In this episode, our plucky and determined heroine discovers the mantle of religious warfare. Isabella and Ferdinand respond to an attack on a Castilian city from Moorish forces. This becomes the first skirmish in a “Holy War” against Muslims...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 2- Queen at Last
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 2- Queen at Last
After a high risk secret marriage to Prince Ferdinand of Aragon, Isabella finds there is no easy path to gaining the crown of Castile. An evil uncle, a civil war, and a heroic Portuguese flag bearer appear in this...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 1- The Crown of Castile
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Ferdinand and Isabella: EP 1- The Crown of Castile
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain are figures you may have heard of in passing, as the sponsors of Christopher Columbus. The fact that Isabella’s name is remembered in the same breath with Ferdinand’s is remarkable in an age when...
Operation Pied Piper: England’s Darkest Hour
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Operation Pied Piper: England’s Darkest Hour
The remarkable story of the mass evacuation of Britain’s children in the darkest days of WWII. Britain, under Winston Churchill, faces aerial assault and imminent collapse. The Blitz puts unprecedented pressure on everyday people. This is a moment when...
Henry VIII: Ep 5- A Tale of Two Queens
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
Henry VIII: Ep 5- A Tale of Two Queens
Henry VIII is dead, but he leaves behind an England that is forever changed by his Church of England legacy. Two of his daughters, from very different mothers, will inherit the throne. These two queens, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth...
Henry VIII: Ep 4- Fast and Furious, the Wives Edition
Both the Germans and the French trace their origins to Charlemagne and the Franks. But who were the Franks, and how did they have such a powerful effect on the shape of Western Europe? This episode is a family...
The Reformation Episode 3: John Calvin and Theocracy
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....