Thanks again for the podcast. I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying. It feels like a great odyssey. One which I am really enjoying and strapped into, with life jacket on and whistle at the ready 😊

Got lazy? First you use the thugs and miracles (for what I am immensely greatfull as I have no idea how would I find a so stupidly named podcast, i was looking for a history of France like a week before your anouncment about t&m) and then no episode next week. When will you get to work?
Ps. My comment i obviously (partially) a joke. Great work, if you d like to give even more details it would be great (never to much). I have a suggestion to, would you be willing to make special episodes about the medieval times in German context? Like about architecture, weapons, metalurgy, industry, food, clothing, German city law etc. If you know that some this has been made and you don t want to repeat could you direct the listeners to it?
Pps. Good work with the prononciation of polish names.

Excellent podcast!

Very German and yet still a sense of humor lurks inside this intelligent, thoroughly researched, well organized and professional production.

For now, Ottos, Conrads, Henrys, warfare, religion and backroom politics supply enough entertainment, but please cover Metropolis when you reach the 1920s!

There is a saga about the two emperors Henry IV and V, telling that in the cathedral of Speyer the bells magically started ringing by themselves on the days when these emperors died: For Henry IV it was the biggest one, called the imperial bell; and for Henry V, it was the small “bell of the poor sinners”.
The saga is obviously somewhat biased, from the point of view of the 19th century. This was the era when those sagas were written down, when after the demise of the Holy Roman Empire, the Germans were seeking to find a new identity, and therefore searching for their roots in history. The protestant majority in Prussia felt sympathy with Henry IV and his struggle against the pope and the catholic church.
This saga has been made into a poem and song by Maximilian von Oër and Carl Loewe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXZai1aGT4g
Another song about this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4JpCz19BOU

Thanks! Aaaah that explains it, the trumpet completely threw me. I’ll search for the full piece now! Keep up the great work

I love this podcast. I’ve been listening to it using my waterproof ipod nano while I swim laps. The time flies by. Dirk is a wonderful History geek. I appreciate the research and big shout out for the delivery. I envy Dirk’s mastery of my mother tongue and impeccable timing with the jokes! Sometimes I get water up my nose! Thank you for this labor of love!

Dirk, just a quick note to say thank you for your efforts at creating and presenting this superb podcast. You and your fellow history podcasters have added mightily to my knowledge of world history. I am truly grateful.

You recently asked for feedback on the new webpages for individual episodes. I have only quickly glanced at these, but the embedded images and maps are wonderful. This is essentially what Doug Metzger of the outstanding Literature and History podcast does. At least for some time, you should remember to remind listeners of these pages and what they have available. Thank you!!

Best regards,

Spencer

Dirk, The History of the Germans podcast quickly rose to the top tier of the 35+ history podcasts I listen to regularly. Thank you for your efforts at putting together this excellent history podcast.
I have one complaint. In the most recent episode, #73, and in another fairly recent episode (I don’t recall which one), you apparently felt the need to use an expletive. From my vantage, there was absolutely no justification for this low-class word usage. English has more than 100,000 words and yet you could not select a word other than an expletive! I expect better from someone presenting an educational podcast. Rather, this is what I expect from middle school or high school boys who are trying to show how tough they are and have a limited vocabulary. If I want to hear expletive-laced content, I’ll simply watch most any Netflix or HBO show, as the script writers for those shows also seem to select words from George Carlin’s “Seven Words” category continuously.

I see Episode #73 is marked as “clean” on iTunes, which is not accurate or truthful.

Unless you are quoting content that contains expletives, there is no reason to dive into that sewer.

I would have written an email to you, but cannot find an email for you. I do not use social media. I do not understand why all history podcaster do not set up and make available a podcast-specific email.

I have in the past recommended The History of the Germans to others. If expletive use continues, I will not only retract those recommendations but will cease to listen myself.

I hope you can find suitable alternative words so that I can continue to listen happily.

Best regards,

Spencer

I never listen to podcasts, and hardly ever lectures. I also don’t watch movies, documentaries, or television–I really only like reading. This is the first podcast I’ve managed to listen to, because it’s like a good book: information-dense, clear, and entertaining, in a way surpassed only by Robert Sapolsky.

Things I appreciate about this podcast:
– The rate at which new information keeps coming.
– The selection of interesting information. He makes it so you can tell apart an endless stream of historical figures with the same 5 names. Well done.
– The Middle Ages are not my period (that would be the 18th century), so I can’t speak to the quality of the scholarship, but the fact that he keeps refering to chroniclers and pointing out that they can’t be trusted blindly inspires some confidence. Some biases are emerging, but nothing that’s interfered too much with my enjoyment.
– The clear diction.
– The neutral tone of voice, no trying to jazz things up with breathless excitement (the other reason I can’t stand to listen to a lot of audio media). The material itself is interesting enough, or I wouldn’t be here.
– The sprinkling of humorous observations.
– The fact that the humor is deadpan, see above.

There are podcasts I would listen to if Dirk were the one reading the script aloud. Thugs and Miracles, I’m looking at you.

Dirk, you asked at one point early on if you were striking a good balance when it comes to callbacks. It’s perfect as far as I’m concerned: I especially appreciate the way you can remind me of who someone is with only one or two words, at most a sentence. I also appreciate that by the time you give me the reminder, it’s been long enough that I could use one, and also that the reminders frequently serve the purpose of linking historical events together and showing trends through time.

In conclusion, I’m about halfway through, all paid up on Patreon, and looking forward to more episodes! I’ve been recommending this podcast to all and sundry, now with one caveat:

Listeners, be warned that my wife found the trigger warnings in episode 38 inadequate. When I got there, I wasn’t triggered myself, but I have to agree “extreme violence, religiously motivated crimes, and suicide” doesn’t cover it. I’ve been trying to come up with a warning that won’t actually describe what happens in enough detail to be triggering itself, and the best I can come up with is, “Child harm and death, and if you find first-person Holocaust survivor narratives emotionally distressing, this will be very similar.” Maybe someone else can do better.

So excited about the focus on the North now! I honestly had a hard time getting into the earlier seasons due to the focus on the South and Italy. Thanks for doing this!

I wake up early every morning looking forward to hearing Flute Sonata in E-flat major, and another episode of History of the Germans Podcast on my commute to work. Thank you for that.

This is still the only podcast I listen to! I’m delighted with the shift to the north and east. I did enjoy the focus of earlier episodes, but I was mildly disappointed at these parts being left out (but I wasn’t about to complain that one podcast wasn’t trying to be everything to everyone). Imagine my surprise when we got to a new season and they were being covered in depth after all!

If I could have one wish now, it would be a per-episode bibliography. I’ve read a number of the books in the Recommended Books section, but something that gave me a “readalong” experience, and told me where to look for more on the content of specific episodes, would be very valuable.

Keep up the good work! My wife and I are particularly looking forward to the 14th century.

Kirk,

Great podcast! Thank you for all of your efforts. In addition to the podcast, I appreciate the separate webpages for each episode, especially those that include the transcripts, maps, and images.

I am curious if there are separate pages for Episodes 107 – 112? I just found the pages for episodes 113-115 (at bottom of home page, not available in drop-down menu), but do not see separate pages for 107 to 112.

The only piece of “constructive criticism” I have for you is to help those whose grasp of German geography is not excellent. I’ve been to Germany twice, but the first time was 1981 and the second time 1999, and look over maps while I listen to episodes, but any additional assistance you can provide in context would be appreciated.

Again, thank you for this outstanding podcast.

Best regards,

Spencer

As an academic historian, I can’t commend ‘The History of the Germans’ highly enough. The research and technical effort put into it make it one of the most pleasurable listening experiences to be found anywhere. I am now on episode 102, and look forward to every remaining instalment.

Can I make a special request, though? When you get to the eighteenth century, can you include coverage of the Russlandeutschen? They tend to get short schrift both from the German side and from the Russian (broadly understood). I would love to hear something about their migration across Germany into Russian lands, and then to the New World. I realise it is a long way off chronologically, but there are many of us out here with a vested interest.

Regardless, keep up the superb work, and thank you for all you have done so far!