93. Michael Servetus is Murdered, Geneva, Republic of Geneva 1553

93. Michael Servetus is Murdered, Geneva, Republic of Geneva 1553

Author: Anne Brannen and Michelle Butler February 28, 2024 Duration: 51:35
Michael Servetus was one of those brilliant people who can be a bit annoying. He read and/or spoke Spanish and French and Hebrew and Latin and Arabic and Greek and who knows what all. He studied and/or wrote books on theology, medicine, mathematics, law, and some other stuff. He wrote poetry. He had a bunch of degrees. But he had to leave the Studium of Zaragoza because of a fight with the High Master; he nearly got the death penalty in Paris for translating Cicero's De Divinatione (but they ...

Ever wonder if human nature has really changed all that much over the centuries? True Crime Medieval, hosted by historians Anne Brannen and Michelle Butler, digs into a thousand years of historical mischief, mayhem, and outright villainy. This isn't just a dry recounting of dates and battles; it's a deep dive into the dark alleyways of the past, where greed, passion, and power led to deeds that would feel right at home in a modern headline. Each episode focuses on a specific case, unraveling the motives, the methods, and the often-surprising social contexts that shaped crime and punishment from the fall of Rome to the dawn of the Renaissance. You'll hear about poisoned chalices, treacherous plots, shocking betrayals, and the long, messy struggle for justice in eras without forensic science. Brannen and Butler blend rigorous historical research with engaging storytelling, treating these ancient scandals with the detailed scrutiny of a true crime investigation. The result is a fascinating podcast that reveals how people have always been capable of astonishingly bad behavior, proving that the drive for wealth, revenge, or love is truly timeless. Tune in for stories where the stakes are life and death, the suspects wear crowns or cowls, and every mystery is a window into the complex world of our medieval ancestors.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

True Crime Medieval
Podcast Episodes
127. The Lepers' Plot, Southern France 1321 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:21
In April, 1321, the lepers of Southern France found themselves accused of poisoning the community wells, with some sort of powder. They were, the theory went, attempting to spread leprosy to the rest of the population. T…
124. Béla of Macsó is Murdered, Margaret Island, Hungary 1272 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:44
Béla of Macsó was still in his twenties when he went to a meeting on Margaret Island (which is in the middle of the Danube, in Budapest), which wasn't a meeting at all, but a trap. There had been fairly complicated strug…
120. Vikings Besiege Paris, Paris, France 845 and 885-886 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:32
To be fair, the Vikings attacked Paris several times, but it's the major sieges that get remembered -- the one in 845, when they invaded Paris on Easter Sunday, got bought off with a fairly large ransom, and then the one…