103. Pino III Ordelaffi Poisons a Whole Lot of People, Forli, Northern Italy, 1463-1480
Pino III Ordelaffi (1436-80) is suspected of having poisoned his brother, his first wife, his second wife, and his mother. You’d think, wouldn’t you, that there would be some in-depth research about him? Lol. No, at least not in English or translated into English.
In this episode, we discuss this audacious poisoner and his equally aggressive family, vying for control of the city of Forli. We also consider the legal perspective on poisoning in Renaissance Italy.
SOURCES
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ordelaffi-family
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pino_III_Ordelaffi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Ordelaffi
https://castrocarotermeterradelsole.travel/en/cities-of-art-and-villages-of-interest
https://www.diogene.news/mentelocale/1602/la-misteriosa-morte-di-barbara-manfredi-.html
“Poison and Poisoning in Renaissance Italy” by Alessandro Pastore in Murder in Renaissance Italy ed Trevor Dean and KJP Lowe. Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
102. William de Burgh Starves his Cousin Walter to Death, Greencastle, Ulster 1332
Sometimes you try so hard and you get nowhere. But sometimes, you succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
It’s unlikely that Gylle de Burgh, when she plotted the murder of her cousin William in revenge for his throwing her brother Walter into Northburgh Castle and leaving him to die, intended for the murder to lead to the collapse of the mighty de Burgh family and indeed Anglo-Norman control of Ireland for three hundred years.
But it did.
In this episode, we discuss Walter’s imprisonment and death, the murder of William, and how the entire edifice of Anglo-Norman Ireland imploded. Maybe the lesson here is not to kill your relatives? Not colonize your neighbors? Also, why are there no movies about this?
SOURCES
Duffy, Sean. Ireland in the Middle Ages. St Martin’s Press, 1997.
Otway-Ruthven, A.J. A History of Medieval Ireland. St. Martin’s Press, 1968, 1980.
Simms, Katherine. “The Norman Invasion and the Gaelic Recovery.” In The Oxford Illustrated History of Ireland, ed Roy Foster. Oxford UP, 1989.
Underhill, Frances A. For Her Own Good Estate: The Life of Elizabeth de Burgh. The New Middle Age series. Ed. Bonnie Wheeler. St Martin’s Press, 1999.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Liath_de_Burgh#
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Donn_de_Burgh,_3rd_Earl_of_Ulster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gylle_de_Burgh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_Civil_War
https://www.coleslane.com/newpage2b88dcae
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_de_Burgos
https://www.britainirelandcastles.com/Ireland/County-Donegal/Northburgh-Castle.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northburgh_Castle
https://discovernorthernireland.com/things-to-do/carrickfergus-castle-p674971
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrickfergus_Castle
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5181284
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
101. Defenestrations of Prague, Prague, Bohemia 1419, 1483, 1618
It’s the plural that gets me.
Three times—three times—crowds tossed politicians they were displeased with out of windows in Prague. Twice in the fifteenth century, one in the seventeenth. I’m all for community spirit, but hmm. It’s fascinating. Not just to me. The internet has a lot to say about the Defenestrations, ranging from fairly accurate YouTube videos to memes about having a specific word for tossing people out of windows.
In this episode, we discuss the Defenestrations of Prague. You might be wondering, as we were, what precise set of circumstances ends (THREE TIMES) in chucking people from windows. Anne explains this all, while Michelle attempts to find historical fiction but with limited success.
SOURCES
History
https://www.artpotmagazine.com/post/defenestration-the-art-of-chucking-folk-out-windows
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defenestrations_of_Prague
https://www.britannica.com/event/Defenestration-of-Prague-1618
https://www.czechcenter.org/blog/2019/11/15/the-defenestrations-of-prague
https://joshwest63.medium.com/the-strange-and-disturbing-history-of-defenestration-f7dcd7497004
Literature
https://praguenoise.bandcamp.com/album/the-walls-were-made-from-fire
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/medieval/medieval-jan-zizka.html
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/06/10/defenestration-of-prague
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/susan-howe
Tourism
https://www.lucytours.com/the-defenestrations-of-prague
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g274707-d283773-r465663936-Hradcany-Prague_Bohemia.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/pragues-window-on-history
https://www.newstatesman.com/uncategorized/2017/10/bohemian-rhapsody-two-defenstrations-prague
https://magicbohemia.com/a-fateful-tale-of-false-measurements-at-new-town-hall
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
99. Juliane de Fontevrault Tries to Kill Her Father (Henry I) With a Crossbow, Normandy 1110
In 1119, Juliane of Fontevrault tries to kill King Henry I of England with a crossbow. An attempt to assassinate a king would be interesting on its own, but this case is particularly intriguing, since Juliane was Henry’s natural daughter. It’s true that fighting amongst themselves is a family sport among the Normans, but a) Henry was known to have treated his natural children well, and b) the in-fighting tends to be more property disputes that sneaky murder plots. So what led up to Juliane agreeing to parley with Henry and instead taking a shot at him? In this episode, we find out. As often with the Normans, Orderic Vitalis is a crucial source, and this being the Normans, we get to talk about a castle. Fun was had by all, and we hope you do too.
SOURCES
Orderic Vitalis. The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy. Translated, with notes, and the introduction of Guizot by Thomas Forester. London: Bohn, 1853.
https://archive.org/details/ecclesiasticalhi03orde/page/466/mode/2up
Ellis, Gorman, Stuart. The Medieval Crossbow. Philadelphia: Pen and Sword Military, 2022.
Gravett, Christopher and David Nicolle. The Normans: Warrior Knights and their Castles. Osprey Publishing, 2006.
Thompson, Kathleen. “Affairs of State: The Illegitimate Children of Henry I.” Journal of Medieval History. Vol 29, 129-151.
https://plantagenesta.livejournal.com/56472.html
http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/France/Normandy/Ivry.html
https://historytheinterestingbits.com/tag/lovells
http://www.normanconnections.com/en/norman-sites/important-norman-buildings/chateau-of-ivry/
http://www.castles99.ukprint.com/Essays/France/Normandy/Ivry.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Ivry-la-Bataille#cite_ref-Gravett_1-1
98. April Fool’s Episode: Debunking the Chastity BeltCredits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
Everybody knows that in the Middle Ages, jealous husbands could and often did lock their wives into chastity belts when they had to be away from home for a long time.
In this April Fool’s episode, we examine chastity belts. Did medieval men actually lock up their wives’ private parts to keep them from committing the crime, or at least sin, of adultery?
From context clues, the astute reader (and listener) can probably work out that the answer is no. So how the heck did this myth come into being? We discuss, and also what people are doing with chastity belts nowadays. Yes, really.
SOURCES
Classen, Albrecht. The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process. The New Middle Ages. Bonnie Wheeler, series editor. Palgrave, 2007.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chastity_belt.
https://www.livescience.com/55390-what-are-chastity-belts.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/everything-youve-heard-about-chastity-belts-is-a-lie
https://allthatsinteresting.com/chastity-belt
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/medieval-chastity-belts-are-myth-180956341
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chastity_belt_(BDSM)
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/chastity-belt-cage-sex-toy
Book: The Medieval Chastity Belt: A Myth-Making Process. Albrecht Classen. Volume in Palgrave’s The New Middle Ages series ed by Bonnie Wheeler. 2007.
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
96. Leszek the White, High Duke of Poland, is Assassinated, Morcinkowo, Poland 1227
Kings want to be remembered. They endow universities, build cathedrals, sponsor painters, and commission impressive tombs, all in an effort to make sure their memory lives on after them.
Leszeg the White is remembered, but possibly not the way he’d have liked to be.
In November of 1227, Leszeg attended a gathering of Polish dukes. Someone, it’s not certain who, saw an opportunity and sent killers. Henry the Bearded was saved by a faithful retainer but Leszeg was caught in the bath. Impressively, he managed to free himself and get to his horse, but the murderers caught up with him a couple of miles away.
It’s a little difficult to ride a horse effectively and fast while naked.
In this episode, we discuss the assassination of Leszeg the White, his attempted escape, and what led up to the killing. We also consider the ways in which pop culture has treated the subject because really, a nekkid duke on horseback, fleeing assassins, is a pretty compelling subject. There’s statues. There’s paintings. An opera. And Leszeg didn’t have to commission any of them. We also discuss Leszeg’s excuse to the Pope for skipping a crusade, for which he is also remembered.
SOURCES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leszek_the_White
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B3zef_Elsner
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micha%C5%82_Dymitr_Krajewski
https://ruj.uj.edu.pl/xmlui/handle/item/295359
https://archive.org/details/leszekbialyxiaz00krajgoog/page/n6/mode/2up
https://www.ebay.com/itm/393785586500
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Korski
https://yadda.icm.edu.pl/baztech/element/bwmeta1.element.baztech-article-BSW1-0061-0007
http://www.wirtualnakatedra.pl/sw-jadwiga-2/altar/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Matejko
https://forkingaroundwithhistory.pl/index.php?title=Evading_Crusading
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
95. Henry d’Almain is Murdered, Viterbo, Italy 1271
On March 13, 1271, Henry de Almain was murdered in the city of Vitero, Italy by his cousins (!) while attending mass (!!).
I know by this point I really shouldn’t be shocked. But I’m kinda shocked.
In my defense, so were thirteenth-century contemporaries, and the scandal remained current for years.
In this episode, we discuss what on earth led to Simon de Montfort’s sons killing their cousin far away from home in revenge for dreadful events that took place in a battle Henry wasn’t present at. Background is an absolute necessity to make any sense out of this case at all. We also consider how the murder reverberated through literature, starting with Dante. Oh, and there’s a nineteenth-century scholar/forger because why not.
SOURCES
Morris, Marc. A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain. Pegasus Books, 2009.
https://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_53.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_of_Almain
https://battleoflewes.blogspot.com/2010/08/born-in-1244-guy-de-montfort-was.html
https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/henry-of-almayne
https://thehistoryjar.com/tag/henry-of-almain
https://simon2014.com/the-murder-of-evesham-continues
http://dantelab.dartmouth.edu/reader?reader%5Bcantica%5D=1&reader%5Bcanto%5D=12
https://hensloweasablog.blogspot.com/2016/02/25-february-1592-harry-of-cornwall.html
https://lostplays.folger.edu/Harry_of_Cornwall
https://henslowe-alleyn.org.uk
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Silvestro_(Viterbo)
?uselang=it#/media/File:Targa_san_silvestro_viterbo.jpg){kind=link}
https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/22613
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
94. Maddelena, a Circassian, is Bought in Crimea and Sold in Italy, Venice, Italy c. 1428
In the early fifteenth century, a young Circassian woman who came to be known as Maddalena was enslaved in the household of Cosimo di Medici, having been purchased in Venice. She became the mother of Cosimo’s illegitimate son Carlo. Raised with Cosimo’s other children, Carlo did well in life, becoming a priest and cultured man. Little is known about his mother except that she was his mother, and that she came to the household via the Black Sea slave trade.
Maddalena’s experience is all too common. The Black Sea slave trade is striking in its scope and longevity, as we discover in this episode. Some were children sold into slavery by their parents; some were captured in raids; some ended up enslaved after being unable to repay debt; some were prisoners of war; some were paying passengers sold by unscrupulous sailors. There was a myriad of ways to end up in slavery around the Black Sea, but most people who did went through the city of Kaffa, where the main slave market was.
SOURCES
Barker, H. (2023). Slavery in the Black Sea Region. In: Pargas, D.A., Schiel, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Global Slavery throughout History. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13260-5_9.
Barker, Hannah. That Most Precious Merchandise: The Mediterranean Trade in Black Sea Slaves, 1260-1500. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019.
Eurasian Slavery, Ransom and Abolition in World History, 1200–1860. Ed. Christoph Witzenrath. Routledge, 2015.
Kizilov, Mikhail. “The Black Sea and the Slave Trade: The Role of Crimean Maritime Towns in the Trade in Slaves and Captives in the Fifteenth to Eighteenth Centuries.” International Journal of Maritime History, 17(1) (2005): 211–235.
Slavery in the Black Sea Region, c.900–1900: Forms of Unfreedom at the Intersection between Christianity and Islam. Ed. Felicia Roşu. Brill, 2022.
Medievalslavery.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea_slave_trade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean%E2%80%93Nogai_slave_raids_in_Eastern_Europe
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.
93. Michael Servetus is Murdered, Geneva, Republic of Geneva 1553
On October 27, 1553, Michael Servetus was led to a pile of green wood—and copies of his book—and burned to death, with a representative copy of his book tied to him.
You might ask yourself, as I did, what he could possibly have done to merit such a sentence? What had he written in that book that not only the man but the book had to be removed from the face of the earth?
In this episode, we find out.
Along the way, we encounter theological disputes, personal animosity, theological disputes that become personal animosity, polymaths with poor social skills, questionable travel choices, rare books, and of course opera. Because this case is most definitely operatic.
SOURCES
Gladstone, Lawrence and Nancy. Out of the Flames: The Remarkable Story of a Fearless Scholar, A Fatal Heresy, and One of the Rarest Books in the World. Broadway Books, 2002.
Zagorin, Perez. How the Idea of Religious Toleration Came to the West. Princeton UP, 2003.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Servetus
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Servetus
https://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/ngier/servetus.htm
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/217637
2008 Play: https://archive.org/details/GalileoGalileivesaliusAndServetus/page/n105/mode/2up
2011 Opera: https://web.archive.org/web/20120319011752/http://www.genevox.net/le-procegraves-de-michel-servet.html
Credits:
Many thanks to Thomas Stobierski, who wrote our music, “Calisia Carnival,” provided by Lynne Music, through NEO Sounds; and to Zencaster, for our ability to double record; and to Audacity, our sound editing software; and to Buzzsprout, for hosting the podcast, and to Bluehost, for hosting our website, and WordPress, for the website software.