Podcast

Overview

On 31^st of October 1517 a hitherto unknown professor at the smallish university of Wittenberg published 95 theses. And by doing so, he unleashed a sequence of events that would fundamentally change the face of Europe and still defines communities and nations.

The interesting question about the 95 theses is not why Luther rote them, but why they had any impact at all. Martin Luther stands at the end of a mile long queue of learned and sometimes less learned men who railed against the decadence of the church, called for a return to the actual text of the bible and demanded that the clergy lives like the apostles. But somehow the message on that fateful day in 1517 gained traction across the Christian world in a way no previous attempt had.

Why? That is a question I believe will be the guiding line through the coming seasons. Something about the social, political, cultural, religious and economic landscape of early modern Germany must have provided the cinder on which protestant ideas could catch fire.

You will now ask, why is Dirk talking about the Reformation. The last season ended on the 14^th century, a good 150 years before “the day that changed western Christianity”. Aren’t we supposed to go through this chronologically.

Oh yes we are. But as we are moving forward at our accustomed pace we will hit the Hussite revolt that started in 1415. This religious uprising has so many common threads with Luther’s reformation, it may be seen as a dress rehearsal for the actual Reformation. Luther himself declared in 1519 “Ich bin ein Hussite” I am a Hussite.

Spoiler alert, the Hussite revolt did not lead to the fraction of the catholic church, but that makes it even more interesting. What were the circumstances that led the people of Bohemia and many other parts of the empire to take up arms to defend their convictions, how come they were successful and by what means could a reconciliation be achieved? Knowing that will help us understand why a 150 years later such a settlement failed to materialize, dividing Europe into Protestants and Catholics and spurning some of the bloodiest civil wars in history.

To explore the causes and impact of this reformation before the reformation we will take a look at the decline of the house of Luxemburg, the emergence of the Ottoman empire, the creation of Burgundy as a political entity separate from France, the defeat of the Teutonic Knights and the great western schism with its resolution at the Council of Constance where amongst other things Jan Hus was convicted and burned at the stake. We will dive into Jan Hus’ and his predecessor’s thoughts and convictions as well as the military innovations of Jan Zizka and probably a lot more things I have not yet thought about.

That is quite a list of very diverse topics, which is why we will have to change the structure of our narrative. So far our storylines had mainly followed along with the lives of kings and emperors. Not necessarily because they were great men driving events, but because events centered around them, making their lives a good crutch to hang the story on. The period we are now entering was different. In the late 14^th and early 15^th century the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire were on many occasions tangential to the overall picture or even completely absent from the stage.

To give a proper account we will therefore have to look at things from multiple viewpoints. Events or people who have taken top billing in one episode may make cameo appearances in others, all in the hope of painting a broad picture of this fascinating period in history. It will be challenging, but also hopefully fun and interesting.

Episodes

Season Opener (Episode 164)

Last season we kicked off with a 10,000 feet overview of where we were, what had happened before and where the tides of history were ebbing and flooding. I think that worked quite well and gives listeners who are coming new to the History of the Germans a chance to catch up. If you are one of them, welcome!

Our starting point for this season is November 1378, most precisely the 29^th of November, the day the emperor, king of the Romans, king of Italy and king of Burgundy, Karl/Charles/Karel IV breathed his last.

Why that date? Because we are at a point of transition from the Middle Ages to the early Modern period and Karl IV and his Golden Bull were in many aspects the end point of some key historical trends that had dominated the Middle Ages. But what does transition from Middle Ages to Early Modern actually mean? In what way is this new epoch different from what went on before? The answer is, in almost every possible aspect, economic, social, political and cultural.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 165 – Wenceslaus the Lazy

The Prince Electors of Cologne, Mainz, Trier and the Palatinate decided on August 20^th 1400 that King Wenceslaus IV, son of the great emperor Karl IV, king of Bohemia and duke of Luxemburg was to be deposed for his “evil deeds and afflictions [that are] are so clearly manifest and well known throughout the land that they can neither be justified nor concealed”

How could that happen. Last time we looked at the house of Luxemburg, they directly held almost a quarter of the German lands, controlled two of the seven electoral votes, had manoeuvred themselves into pole position to gain the Hungarian and the Polish crown, with even a long-term option on Austria, Styria, Carinthia and Tyrol . But now, a mere 22 years later, the great second Carolingian empire lies in tatters. That is what we will look at today.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episodes 166 & 167 – The Great Western Schism (Parts 1&2)

If you are a longstanding listener to the History of the Germans, you will already know that sometime in the late 14^th century the catholic church broke apart into 2 and then 3 different obediences, three popes residing in different places and being recognised by different nations.

But what you may not know is how exactly this had happened. Why did the exact self-same cardinals elect one pope in April 1378 and another one 4 months later? Who was taking the lead in attempts to resolve the crisis and why did all these attempts fail for 40 years? How far did they go in forcing the various papal contenders to come to the negotiation table. How ridiculous were the popes’ attempts to wiggle out of that.

When the Great Western Schism was finally resolved at Pisa and Constance, Christendom rejoiced.

Or so we have been told. But was it really such a devastating, catastrophic event that left the papacy mortally wounded, so impaired that it crumbled when next the power of the pope “to bind and to loosen” was questioned?  Or was it just an affair, a temporary misunderstanding created by some drafting error in canon law that prevented the removal of an incapacitated pope?

Me thinks that is worth investigating even if it means diving deep into theology and canon law. But do not worry we will also do a spot of fiscal policy just to lighten things up a bit.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 168 – From Osman to Nicopolis: The Rise of the Ottoman Empire

This week we delve into the transformative period of the Ottomans from Osman to the Battle of Nicopolis. It highlights how Osman, the son of an Anatolian warlord, laid the foundations for what would become one of the world’s greatest empires, despite starting as just one of many Turkic beys in a tumultuous landscape. The narrative explores the cultural and military strategies that enabled the Ottomans to expand, emphasizing their approach of gradual assimilation and religious tolerance as they conquered predominantly Christian lands.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 169 – Sigismund, not yet Emperor

The late 14^th and early 15^th century was a period of upheaval, the certainties of the Middle Ages, that the pope ruled the world and that knights were invincible were crumbling away, the long period of economic growth, of eastward expansion and conversion of the pagans made way for war, plague and famine. The church was split in half and the Ottomans were coming.

This was an age that called forth larger-than-life characters: Joan of Arc, fierce and holy; Henry Bolingbroke, seizing a throne; Jadwiga and Jogaila, uniting kingdoms; the audacious Gian Galeazzo Visconti and fiery Cola di Rienzo; the ever-scheming John the Fearless and Jacob van Artevelde; the tragic Ines de Castro and the unflinching Jan Žižka.

Into this glittering and turbulent lineup steps a man whose reputation has not exactly been polished by time. Despised in his kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia and even Constance, the city that owes him so much, decided to remember him as a fat naked crowned guy with skinny arms and legs, worn-out face, forked beard and disproportionate genitalia balancing on the hand of a nine-meter-tall sex worker. No, I am not making this up.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 170 – Jan Hus, Reformer and Rebel?

an Hus emerges as a pivotal figure in the early Reformation, representing the clash between the burgeoning calls for reform and the entrenched power of the Catholic Church. Born around 1372 in what is now the Czech Republic, Hus began his journey as a humble student at the University of Prague, eventually becoming a prominent preacher at the Bethlehem Chapel. His growing influence was fueled by his criticisms of clerical corruption, particularly the practice of simony and the Church’s exploitation through indulgences. As tensions escalated between the Czech reformers and the German-speaking clergy, Hus found himself increasingly at odds with both the Church and the monarchy, leading to his eventual excommunication. The episode delves into how Hus’s teachings and the socio-political climate of Bohemia set the stage for a rebellion that would reverberate through the subsequent centuries, culminating in his fateful summons to the Council of Constance.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 171 – The Council of Constance Part 1 – Cleaning House

The Council of Constance marked a pivotal moment in the history of the Catholic Church and the history of Europe in general.

One issue on the agenda was the ongoing schism that the council of Pisa had failed to resolve. Another the reform of the increasingly corrupt clergy all the way up to the pope himself. And then there were a number of individual questions this gathering of thousands had to address.

Whilst all these were crucial questions, the way the council constituted itself foreshadowed a fundamental change in the way European saw themselves.

This part 1 deals with the establishment of the council and the removal of the popes, most importantly the pope who had convened the council on the first place, John XXIII and his counterpart, the emperor Sigismund.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 172 – A World Event – The Council of Constance Part 2

The Council of Constance, which took place from November 1414 to April 1418, became a monumental event in history, not just for its pivotal decisions like the election of Pope Martin V and the execution of Jan Hus, but for the dynamic and often chaotic atmosphere it fostered among its diverse attendees.

Over the course of three and a half years, the city transformed into a melting pot of intellectual exchange, as leading minds from across Europe converged to debate pressing issues of the time, including the rights of indigenous groups and the justification of tyrannicide.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 173 – The End of the Schism – The Council of Constance Part 3

We have talked about church reform for almost four years, the council of Constance talked about church reform for about the same amount of time and Luther will talk and write about church reform until he did no longer believe that the church could be reformed.

But what is church reform. Or more specifically, what did the delegates in Constance mean when they debated church reform, why did they fail to implement much even though they held off electing a pope and the voting system was set up to favour of the national churches and against central papal authority.

All this we will discuss in this episode plus we will hear some angelic voices that made even the most hardnosed church politician kneel in prayer.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 174 – The Trial of Jan Hus

“They will roast a goose now, but after one hundred years they will hear a swan sing, and him they will have to endure.” These were allegedly the last words of a certain Jan Hus whose surname meant goose and who was burned at the stake on July 6, 1415.

Almost exactly one hundred years later a spiritually tormented monk, frightened by a vengeful God who sought to damn him, was assigned to teach the book of Romans at the new university of Wittenberg. And 2 years later this monk by the name of Martin Luther did (or probably did not) nail his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church of that same town. As far as prophecies go, this must be one of the most accurate, assuming it was indeed true. But it wasn’t just the foretelling of the next reformer that makes the trial of Jan Hus such a fascinating account. So much is foreshadowed in this tale, it is almost uncanny. The railing against indulgences, the wealth of the clergy, the pope, a promise of safe conduct, a trial, villains and archvillains, accusations upon accusations, defiance in the face of certain death and then the big difference to the diet of Worms, actual death.

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 175 – Death and Defenestration

The burning of Jan Hus and the ban on Utraquist communion brings the Bohemian’s blood to boil – and at the end of this episode 13 royal councillors fall out of the windows of the city council of Prague’s new Town

For episode webpage and transcript, click here

Episode 176 – A Great Idiot of History?

You have heard about the “Great Man” view of History, but have you heard about the “Great Idiot” theory? To turn a revolt into a revolution you need more than just a trigger event like the storm of the Bastille or a the Boston Tea Party, you also need a great idiot at the levers of power who responds so badly to the event, an escalation become inevitable.

For the Hussite Revolution this “great idiot” may be Sigismund the king of Hungary, King of the Romans and heir to the Bohemian crown – but was he really?

For episode webpage and transcript, click here