In this episode, we begin our series on the High Medieval Empire by focusing first on its northeastern frontier, where many factors would coalesce into a sudden, and permanent, push to the east by Saxons and Danes into the lands of the Slavic Wends. The whole phenomenon has been summarized into the "Wendish Crusade", despite the crusade only lasting a single season of a many decades long process. Over the course of these momentous decades, warring forest tribes would transfer into a vast amount of pluralistic, though German, identities, including the rising Hanseatic League.

New episodes every Thursday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Christiansen, Eric. The Northern Crusades: Second Edition. Penguin Books, 1998.

Haverkamp, Alfred. Medieval Germany 1056-1273. Oxford University Press, 1988.

Davies, Norman. Europe: A History. Oxford Press, 1996.

Schildhauer, Johannes. The Hansa: History and Culture. Dorset Press, 1988.

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

In this series, we discuss how the Holy Roman Empire will change in the long term from its warrior foundings, to a transpersonal and permanent institution of Inner Europe. This process would be personified by the Staufer dynasty, who would work to pick up the fragments of the investiture struggle and rebuild a new society.

New episodes every Thursday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Wilson, Peter H. Heart of Europe. Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University, 2020.

Berend, Nora. Urbanczyk, Przemyslaw. Wiszewski, Przemyslaw. Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland, C.900-C.1300. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Obolensky, Dimitri. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500-1453. Praeger Publishers, 1971.

Christiansen, Eric. The Northern Crusades: Second Edition. Penguin Books, 1998.

Haverkamp, Alfred. Medieval Germany 1056-1273. Oxford University Press, 1988.

In this episode, we continue our survey of Inner Europe during the Investiture Struggles by examining the rules and administrations of many consolidating duchies and kingdoms, including Swabia, Bavaria, Austria, Carantania, Hungary, Croatia, and Duklja. As survival becomes less of a concern, confirming the co-rule of a region's traditions takes the top priority.

New episodes every Thursday!

Have a question or comment? Contact me at BetweentheSeas@zohomail.com

Sources

Intro: Zachary Wheeler and Nathaniel Scarborough, "Hej, Sokoły" folk tune

Outro: Antonín Dvořák, Serenade for Strings, Op. 22 (London Symphony Orchestra 1960)

Fine, John VA Jr. The Early Medieval Balkans. University of Michigan Press, 1991.

Berend, Nora. Urbanczyk, Przemyslaw. Wiszewski, Przemyslaw. Central Europe in the High Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary, and Poland, C.900-C.1300. Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Obolensky, Dimitri. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe 500-1453. Praeger Publishers, 1971.

Vernadsky, George. Kievan Russia. Yale University Press, 1948.