History of Venice Podcast

• 035. Cheques and Balances

  This week we’re looking at how all the political shenanigans affected regular Venetian merchants. What were they buying and selling, where were they doing all this general “business”, and how did the rising merchant class affect the city’s political structures? From cashing cheques to imposing checks on political power; from weighing goods on balance scales to creating balance between different family factions at home – every aspect of Venetian life was in some way affected by both checks and balances.  Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

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• 034. Friends Reunited

  In 1124, the Venetians were the heroes of the crusading movement. They’d destroyed the Saracen fleet and captured one of the two remaining Muslim ports in the area. But this fleet always had a second target in mind, and Domenico Michiel was determined to show the Byzantines why it had been a mistake to end their Special Relationship. Venice isn’t just Constantinople’s junior partner, to be discarded at will. She’s playing in the big leagues now and she can take on anyone. Also, obviously, the Venetians are going to steal a few more Holy Bones while they’re in the area, because that’s just their Thing. Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

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• 033. Raiders of the Lost Crusade

  With a new Doxe in Venice and a new Emperor in Constantinople, it’s all change in 1118. As the two friends and allies struggle to redefine their relationship and the Byzantines start saying that they were never really exclusive and they’d like to start seeing other people, the Venetians bet the house on a naval expedition that could bankrupt the city if it goes wrong, but could drive even more prosperity to the lagoon if it goes right. This week we find out what happens when the Doxe becomes a crusader. Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

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• RH02B. Cause Without a Rebel - Anna Comnena (2/2)

  We conclude our investigation into the life of historian Anna Comnena. This week, we look at what The Alexiad is like as a book of history, and we discuss her alleged plot to overthrow her brother and take the crown for herself. Did that really happen, or is it pure slander? Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

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• RH02A. Writing History While Female - Anna Comnena (1/2).

  We’ve quoted at length from The Alexiad in the past few narrative episodes. But who was its author, Anna Comnena, and how did she come to write this 500-page history? We look into the life of this extraordinarily talented polymath to understand more about the background to one of the most important contemporary historical sources for the era that we’ve recently been talking about. And we look at some of the obstacles that she faced as a woman working in a world that was dominated by men. The book by Professor Leonora Neville that we mention during these episodes is "Anna Komnene: The life and work of a medieval historian", first published in 2016. Email us at [email protected], or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

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