On July 9th, 1386 in a field near the Sempach the armies of archduke Leopold of Austria line up against the forces of the city of Lucerne and the men of Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden….and the rest is some very interesting history - even without Tell & Winkelried

Ever wondered where the title of archduke comes from? Meet Rudolf the Founder who forged the Habsburgs into the premier league of imperial princes - complete with letters from Julius Caesar and Nero and a walk-on by Hercules’ son Nordic. Hear all about it here: open.spotify.com/episode/0cNH...

The chronicle describes the Council of Constance = turning three popes into one…

Three pretzels, three pies….me thinks there is a subtle message here.

Bin ich der einzige dem das Wort “Biodeutsche” sauer aufstößt? Ich habe das Wort jetzt schon mehrmals in Podcasts gehört die ansonsten nicht AfD-lasting sind. Gibt es da etwas was ich nicht verstehe?

Here is what I would suggest: The last season (186-201)does take you through Southern Germany, specifically Nürnberg, Augsburg, Mainz and Rothenburg. As for Bamberg, there are 3 episodes on emperor Henry II who was crucial for Bamberg (17-19). Maybe also have look at episode 50. Have a lovely time!

I always had my suspicions about the Medici, and that was before I realised they liked stepping on dolphins.

We are between seasons, so a great opportunity to showcase podcasts I like and listen to, like Paul Bavill’s History rage. Check out this episode where Roger Moorhouse let rip about Stauffenberg, or more precisely the way we remember the July 20th assassination attempt. www.historyrage.com

They say you should never meet your heroes in the flesh. However, I can recommend meeting them in bronze…

That is some full armour! Armour was the most expensive things. 15th century nobleman possessed. The makers were treated like rockstars. The dominant centres for the making of armour were Augsburg, Nürnberg, Innsbruck and Milan. These were the Silicon Valleys and Shenzhens of its time.

When in Strasbourg - do not miss the Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame. That is where they keep the originals of the sculptures of the facade. Amazing!

I published a new trailer for the show to help you to shoose which of te 200 episodes and 10 seasons you want to listen to: youtu.be/bMt70Jcd0IQ

Fellow History podcasters - listen to this!! Some absolute gems about storytelling and deconstructing history….from three of my favourite people

🚨 THIS WEEK FOR SUBSCRIBERS 🚨 People love to mock the Holy Roman Empire—but look closer. It held Europe together for centuries. Dirk Hoffmann-Becking of the @hotgpod.bsky.social explains. #HistoryPodcast #HolyRomanEmpire Listen now 🎧 www.patreon.com/post...#HistoryPodcast#HolyRomanEmpire#Mediveal #History #Podcast

Oh the RAGE….

🚨 NEXT WEEK FOR SUBSCRIBERS🚨 Dive into the fascinating yet often misunderstood history of the Holy Roman Empire! Join us as historian Dirk Hoffman Beckin of the @hotgpod.bsky.social challenges the lazy quip that 'the Holy Roman Empire is neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.'

@hotgpod.bsky.social Congratulations on episode 200! That's an achievement that very few have accomplished (e.g. History of Rome was only 179) and I don't think anyone has done it better. And thanks again for the rabbit holes--glad to hear I wasn't alone in that.

It is so hot in Pisa, even the sculptures try to take their clothes off…

The death of emperor Henry VII - never heard of him? You should have. Lots of drama… full episodes here: historyofthegermans.com/heinrich-vii...

Whoever made the playlist for this maternity ward was clearly having too much fun: ▫️ "All Night Long" – Lionel Richie ▫️ "I'm Coming Out" – Diana Ross ▫️ "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" – Stevie Wonder

Enjoying the solstice on the Isle of Wight..

How did the Low Countries, once one of the heartlands of the Holy Roman Empire, gradually slip out of the political entity it had belonged for centuries... historyofthegermans.com/2025/06/19/1... #belgium #holland #lowcountries #jacqueline #johnthefearless #HotGPod

The most spectacular wedding of the 15th century took place in 1475 in Landshut – how could a duke of half of Bavaria pull that off? historyofthegermans.com/2025/06/12/l...

14 hours - and they did not mention the tobogganing option (empress Bertha, 1077)!

You should be thinking about the Holy Roman Empire instead @hotgpod.bsky.social

@hotgpod.bsky.social 😉⚠️

Oh man, I'm really looking forward to listening to this one.

Unfortunately I have been felled by Manflu. So there is no normal episode today - just some tomfoolery about Berliner - not the people - the doughnuts. Here are some links: Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/5WhN... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...

The unique contribution the German lands made to the art of the Renaissance was less about large scale buildings, frescoes or oil paintings (though we have a few of those), it was in these smaller, oftenn mass reproduced artworks, the woodcuts and engravings. ⬇️⬇️

OTD in 1249 the city of Bologna defeated the imperial army under Enzio, the illegitimate son of the emperor Frederick II. Enzio spent the rest of his life as an honoured prisoner of the city, wooing the ladies with his golden locks...which came to be his undoing… historyofthegermans.com/90-2/

Today in 1231 Heinrich (VII) granted the valley of Uri immediacy, meaning that the people of Uri have only one feudal lord, the emperor himself. Uri came onto the radar screen was the opening of the Gotthard pass that rapidly gained economic importance. historyofthegermans.com/2024/03/14/d...

OTD in 961, emperor Otto II is crowned King of East Francia alongside his father Otto the Great. If you believe in balance in the Force, notice that that Otto the Great had sucked in all the luck granted by the fates, and when it came to Otto II, it was payday… historyofthegermans.com/10-2/

Beautiful Hamburg yesterday

Last year I went to an exhibition at the Städel Museum in Frankfurt that was entitled Holbein and the Renaissance in the North. This exhibition has now ended, but there is still a great summary available on the Städel website. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjo6...

Spent some time last week re-listening to different seasons of @hotgpod.bsky.social and I cannot overemphasize how great this podcast is. Everyone interested in german history should listen to it. And people should know there is always space in the Hermann-Billung-Fanclub.

One of the hazards of medieval banking was that borrowers had a habit of running into halberds and other sharp objects at the most inopportune times. Such an event was the battle of Nancy, January 5, 1477 when the Medici Bank lost another one of its customers, Charles "le Temeraire" duke of Burgundy

This week we look at why in the late 15th century the centre of European banking moved from Florence to the Swabian city of Augsburg, why the Medici bank and other Italian houses failed and how Jakob Fugger becam (not really) the richest man who ever lived. historyofthegermans.com/2025/05/15/f...

Thursday is never complete without listening to Dirk's / @hotgpod.bsky.social dulcet tones This week an insight into medieval banking with the Fuggers #historysky historyofthegermans.com/2025/05/15/f...

Today is emperor Karl IV‘s birthday - one of my absolute favourite late medieval rulers, mainly because he found war to be simply too expensive…

Alexander Nevsky, prince of Novgorod and hero of Sergej Eisenstein‘s great propaganda movie „The Battle on the Ice“ was born #OTD in 1221. Was this really a decisive battle? Were the Teutonic Knights indeed brutal murderers and what did Nevsky achieve? ⬇️⬇️

#OTD in 919 the duke of Saxony, Henry the Fowler was elected King of East Francia. This "elevation" was more of a hospital pass. The kingdom was on the point of total fragmentation. The previous king urged his brother not to take up the mantle of kingship, which is why Henry was offered the crown.⬇️⬇️

Anne of Bohemia, the daughter of Emperor Karl IV and wife of the English King Richard II was born #OTD in 1366. She is credited with introducing the ideas of John Wycliff to Prague which in turn contributed to the Hussite revolt, a religious movement that predated the Reformation by a century.

Having grown up in a Germany where city states were in the north and east (Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin) it is surprising to see that the highest density of Free Imperial Cities of the HRE was in the South and West.

#OTD in 569 the bishop Maximianus of Ravenna consecrated the church of St. Apollinaris in Classe (Ravenna). It has nothing to do with German history, but as you know I am a fan of Byzantine mosaics, specifically when they have sheep on them...

In 1911 an archivist found the almost complete accounts of the largest late medieval trading company in Germany, giving us a unique insights into the world of Free Imperial Cities, cities like Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, etc.

@hotgpod.bsky.social lore hot take: Dirk's secretly being funded by the notorious German Vineyard-Industrial Complex!

🎙️A riot of an episode with @hotgpod.bsky.social IT WAS HOLY, IT WAS ROMAN, AND IT WAS AN EMPIRE 👑⛪ Dirk Hoffman-Becking unpacks how the Holy Roman Empire might be the most successful institution in Western Europe. Also: bribed popes and emperors on sleds. 🛷💰 Drops in July on Patreon & Apple!

How about some really #EarlyArchaeology 🏺? Among the colourful frescos in #Zöbingen chapel (Baden-Württemberg, Germany), one is particularly fascinating: It is depicting the 13th century discovery of an even then old (i.e. 6th century) #Germanic burial.