King John prepares to invade France and recover his lost territories. In the meantime King Philip Augustus of France consolidates his gains on the continent, provoking resistance among local rulers, especially in Flanders
All posts by carlrylett
Bouvines 1214, Part 1
In the year 1204, Philip Augustus of France wrested control of the duchy of Normandy from King John of England. The long Capetian-Plantagenet struggle for power, however, was not yet over and would reach another decisive point a decade later at the Battle of Bouvines, 1214. This time the leaders of the other main power of the western Europe, Germany, would be brought into the conflict, and so also have important consequences for central Europe and Italy. And so for this episode I will get us up to date with the political situation in Germany.
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Las Navas de Tolosa 1212, Part 5
Caliph al-Nasir, also known as Miramamolin invades Spain with a huge Muslim army which is met in the Sierra Nevada mountains by a Christian army, including King Alfonso VIII of Castile, Pedro/Peter II of Aragon and Sancho VII of Navarre. Pictured – King Sancho VII of Navarre breaks through the Caliph’s bodyguards of black African slave-warriors. Tapestry by Vicente Pascual, 1950
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Las Navas de Tolosa 1212, Part 4
The Almohads invade Spain from North Africa while the Christian kings bicker among themselves. Alfonso VIII suffers a heavy defeat at the Battle of Alarcos in 1195
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Las Navas de Tolosa 1212, Part 3
The Almohads arrive in Spain from North Africa and threaten to overwhelm the peninsula. The greatest resistance comes not from the Christian kingdoms, but from a fellow Muslim known as ‘El Rey Lobo’ (The Wolf King), head of a kingdom based in Murcia, a city in its golden age
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Host Switch
This is a brief message to advise that I am changing the company who hosts my podcast.
If you experience problems streaming episodes via this blog then please subscribe either via iTunes or via my new host at www.cast.com/ahistoryofeurope.
Sorry for any inconvenience. If you have any questions or problems, please write to me at
ca**@hi***********.net
and I will try to help
Thanks,
Carl
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Las Navas de Tolosa 1212, Part 2
The birth of the kingdom of Portugal, the Siege of Lisbon, and the Union of Aragon and Catalonia – the political map of the peninsula begins to form. Pictured: King Afonso I of Portugal, nicknamed “the Conqueror”, “the Founder” or “the Great”
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Las Navas de Tolosa 1212, Part 1
Before 1085 in Spain there was little question that it was the Muslims who had the upper hand in the balance of power. But after King Alfonso VI captured the city of Toledo in 1085, the Christians became much more confident and threatened to rapidly take over the whole peninsula. Why this didn’t happen can be explained for two reasons – firstly, the infighting between Christian rulers, and secondly, the influx of Muslim peoples from north Africa, firstly the Almoravids
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End of the Hundred Years War 1449-1453
A recent guest episode for the History of England podcast on the End of the Hundred Years War, in brief the years after Agincourt 1415, but focusing on the last four years from 1449-1453 and the Battles of Formigny and Castillon. In England the victories at Agincourt, Crecy and Poitiers are well known, but less so, the events around the end of the war, and how the French eventually drove the English from all the continent, except for Calais. 
Maps courtesy of http://xenophongroup.com
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Siege of Chateau Gaillard 1203-1204, Part 4
King John of England in his first year or two of rule achieved some successes, but his lack of tact and diplomacy, plus poor decision-making lost him many allies in France. The focus of the escalating conflict between the Plantagenets and Capetians became Chateau Gaillard, a magnificent fortress in the key borderlands between Normandy and the French royal demesne around Paris.
The Inner Bailey today of Chateau Gaillard
Location of Chateau Gaillard in France
Reconstruction of how the castle looked
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