Episode 106 – Making a Mark in Brandenburg
The story of how the state that would later became Prussia came about – featuring Albrecht, called the Bear, and not for nothing.
Episode 105 – The Foundation of Lübeck
Episode 105 is out! today we look at how a small settlement on a minor river became the second largest city in the empire north of the Alps
EPISODE 104 – The Making of Holstein
In today’s episode we finally get closer to the history of the Hanseatic League. We will take a closer look at some of the fundamental changes in the Saxon policy towards the east that were ushered in during the reign of Lothar of Supplinburg and shaped events for a long period thereafter. It is in these decades that the Saxon magnates will realise that raiding and plundering of the lands east of the Elbe is no longer the financially most attractive option. A great organised migration from the overpopulated Rhineland, Holland and Flanders into Northern Germany begins. What we…
EPISODE 103 – All the Duke’s Men
This week we talk about what happens after the fight for independence is won. As had happened countless times before in history, precious freedoms gained in bloody struggles can be lost easily in the subsequent peace, not to the old adversary, but to new, homegrown usurpers. That is at least one way of telling the story, the other being, that every major political upheaval is followed by a period of consolidation that embeds the gains made and truncates the excesses that appeared during the revolutionary period. Something like that happened following the Saxon wars when Lothar of Supplinburg, a…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
About Me
I am Dirk, a history geek with a love for books and stories. I do this for fun and my personal self-aggrandisement.
I have been born, raised and educated in Germany but live in the UK for now over 20 years with my wife and two children. My professional background is in law, management consulting and banking. History has always been a hobby as are sailing, travelling, art, skiing and exercise (go BMF!).
My view of history is best summarised by Gregory of Tours (539-594): “A great many things keep happening, some good, some bad”. History has no beginning and no end and more importantly, it has no logic, no pattern and no purpose . But that does not mean there isn’t progress and sometimes we humans realise that doing the same thing again and again hoping for a different outcome is indeed madness. The great moments in history are those where we realise that we cannot go on as we were and things need to change. German history – as you will hopefully see – is full of these turning points, some good, some bad!
Subscribe to My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.