The Second Crusade would be a disaster, but why did it happen and how did it get started? The call to arms was preached by a closet dwelling ascetic who happened to be the leading churchman of his generation– none other than Bernard of Clairveaux. In this episode we meet Eleanor of Aquitaine, the queen…
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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 in Spain. It is a war that will last a decade, and inflict a terrible fate…
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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 drama gone wild, as the warriors of Charlemagne’s family compete for land and status. Blindings, treachery…
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The Crusaders have taken Jerusalem but they face one final battle. When the men start to head home, the legend of the First Crusade is born, and a massive new wave of Crusaders heads east. Not everyone wants to go home however; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes ruler of Jerusalem. His brother Baldwin manages to take…
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