Society & Culture

Norman Centuries | A Norman History Podcast by Lars Brownworth

by Lars Brownworth

Claiming needs an RSS feed. Contact us.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Recently ranked · United States

Last recorded placements from this show’s chart history. These are not current rankings.

Not on the United States charts we track today.

If you like Norman Centuries | A Norman History…, try…

Irish History Tales - A Chronological History of Ireland from the years 1169 to 1923

Latest episodes

Episode 20 - The Norman Achievement

October 25, 2014 · 12 min

The Principality of Antioch outlasted the Norman Kingdom of Sicily by a century, and its founder by nearly two. This unlikely survivor was a testament to the restless Norman Spirit which had carried their arms triumphantly to the borders…
Episode 19 - Bohemond - Part 2 - Bohemond in the East

July 10, 2013 · 21 min

The First Crusade fell like a present into Bohemond's lap. Italy wasn't big enough for his ambitions (especially with his uncle blocking him at every turn) and now here was an opportunity to win fame and wealth in the east, and to look…
Episode 18 - Bohemond - Part 1

April 16, 2013 · 16 min

A great father can be both a blessing and a curse, and no one was more aware of that than Bohemond de Hauteville. The first-born son of the adventurer Robert Guiscard, Bohemond spent most of his formative years trying to both prove himself…
Episode 17 - Stupor Mundi

February 26, 2013 · 24 min

Frederick II was the most polarizing figure to rule as king of Sicily. To some he was the antichrist - a heretical monster whose harem and open contempt of Christianity was the scandal of civilized Europe. To others, however, he was Stupor…
Episode 16 - Tancred of Lecce

August 29, 2012 · 21 min

Tancred of Lecce came to the throne of Sicily in its darkest hour. Mocked by his critics as the 'Monkey King', he was weakened by civil and religious unrest, and faced invasion by the mighty German Empire. But he never gave up, and through…

Show 7 more episodesShow fewer episodes

Episode 15 - William the Good

August 15, 2012 · 24 min

William II presided over a golden age of internal peace and prosperity, and when he died suddenly in the flower of his youth, he was mourned as no other king of Sicily. Yet, while he may have been outwardly splendid, he wasn't a good…
Episode 14 - William the Bad

June 2, 2012 · 21 min

If Roger II had been the 'baptized Sultan', his son William forgot the water. Despised by his legendary father and never intended for the throne, William the Bad dedicated his life to the comforts of the palace, stirring only to lead his…
Episode 13 - Rogerios Rex

December 7, 2011 · 19 min

In the Spring of 1133 the new Norman Kingdom of Sicily seemed about to be shattered. Roger II, its creator and first king had backed the anti-Pope Anacletus II to gain his crown and in the process earned the hostility of most of Europe…
Episode 12 - Rise of a King

May 15, 2011 · 26 min

Roger II was never supposed to inherit his father's possessions. He was the youngest of 18 children, and only five when the Great Count died. The nobility dutifully pledged their allegiance but there seemed little chance that his mother…
Episode 11 - The Great Count

December 18, 2010 · 23 min

Roger de Hauteville was a strange conqueror. The youngest of twelve sons he was the last to come to Italy and treated as the least capable of the siblings by a jealous Guiscard. His first raid in Sicily was a disaster that seemed to…
Episode 10 - The Byzantine Wars

October 15, 2010 · 17 min

By 1071 Robert Guiscard had risen to the height of power in Italy. The grumbling Lombards had been forced to grovel before him, the proud Norman barons recognized him as their unquestioned lord, and one of the greatest medieval popes…
Episode 9 - The Rise of Robert Guiscard

July 22, 2010 · 17 min

Robert Guiscard arrived in Italy as a simple knight, hoping to benefit from his brother's wealth and power. Instead he found his path blocked at every turn by petty jealousy and was sent off to rot in the most inhospitable place his…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

Lars Brownworth, author of "Lost to the West" and creator of the "12 Byzantine Rulers" podcast presents "Norman Centuries", a podcast on the Normans. While popular Norman history focuses on the regions of France and England, Norman Centuries covers the lesser known Italian Normans as well. Visit us at http://NormanCenturies.com/