208: A Crusade Divided

208: A Crusade Divided

Author: Jonathon LaRosa April 15, 2026 Duration: 33:12

SEASON 8: The First Crusade

EPISODE 208: A Crusade Divided

Antioch had fallen—and with it, unity. Bohemond of Taranto claimed the city as his prize, but the greater question lingered: who, if anyone, could command the Crusade itself? Raymond of Toulouse would test that claim, pressing southward with visions not merely of victory, but of purpose. Yet between Antioch and Jerusalem lay more than distance—it was a road darkened by hunger, ambition, and fracture.

At Ma'arrat al-Numan, desperation reached its most harrowing depths, as starvation drove crusaders to acts that would haunt the memory of Christendom. What began as a holy expedition now strained under the weight of human weakness, competing loyalties, and the terrible cost of survival.

The path to Jerusalem remained—but the Crusade itself stood divided.


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Jonathon LaRosa hosts Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of Our Medieval Story, a series dedicated to pulling the medieval period out of the shadows of misconception. It’s an exploration of how the brutal power struggles, explosive changes, and surprising alliances of that distant time directly shaped the borders, cultures, and traditions we navigate in the present. Each episode is built on a foundation of relentless research, but it’s delivered as gripping narrative, letting you hear the clash of swords and the whispers in royal courts as if you were there. This isn't just a dry recounting of dates and kings; it's about resurrecting the lived experience of our ancestors, the forgotten people whose decisions and dramas set our world in motion. By untangling the intricate web of stories that span continents and centuries, the podcast reveals the medieval era for what it truly was: the essential, volatile crucible of modernity. Tune in to discover how the turning of fortune’s wheel in the past still echoes in our politics, our conflicts, and our identities today.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of Our Medieval Story
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