Episodes

We have a look at the system that Charlemagne set up in Italy, the administration, the economy and the educational reform

A recap of the first thirteen episodes that acts as a refresher before we move on to the Carolingian reign in Italy and the growing power of the papcy and the Holy Roman Empire

We take a look back at the Catholic church as it's role in Italy increases with the arrival of the Franks.

An interview with Dario Pedrazzini on the daily lives of the Lombards at the time of king Rothari from his book on the topic

771-774 The Franks make their definitive entrance into Italy and the existence of the Lombard kingdom hangs in the balance. We take a look at how the events really went and then go back, following the story of Alessandro Manzoni's "Adlechi" to see a juicier version of the events.

744 - 770 From the endow the reign of Aistulf in 756 to the hight of power of king Desiderius, who by 770 gad taken the Lombards to their maximum expansion and influence

An explanation and recap of the 2018 Italian election

712 - 744 Liutprand, one of the top 3 Lombard kings and his successors, Ratchis and Aistulf with the pope becoming more of a player and the Franks looming as ever

652-712 From the death of Rothari through a series of kings to the reign of Ansprand in 712 as usual with some Franks and Byzantines thrown in

590 - 643 The end of the reign of Agilulf, through Adaloald and Airport through to Rothari and his historical edict

575-589 The Lombards start to settle down and get to know the neighbourhood and the troublesome neighbours as they go through an interregnum of the Dukes before they get back to electing a king and bashing the Byzantines

555-574 A quick look at the brief period of Byzantine rule before the arrival of the Lombards in 568 and then we look at their invasion of Italy and hear a bit of juicy royal gossip

540-554 The war between the Ostrogoths in Italy and the imperial forces of Byzantium continues from 540 and reaches it's end in 552

526-540 From the death of Theodoric the great in 526, through the regency of his daughter Amalasuntha, to the end of the first phase of the Gothic war in 540

493-526 From 493 when Theodoric the Great took contro of the Italian peninsula to his death in 526

476-493 The Italian kingdom of Odoacer (476 – 493) and the takeover by the Goths of Theodoric the Great

410-476 We go back before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 to focus on three key events and names: Alaric, Attila and Odoacer.

This is our launch episode in which we outline the content and intentions foe the podcast

A short presentation of the show