PODCAST · history
Human Circus: Histories
by DJF
A narrative history podcast following the journeys of medieval travellers and their roles in larger historical events. Telling great stories, showing the interconnected nature of the medieval world, and meeting Mongols, Ottomans, Franciscans, merchants, ambassadors, and adventurers along the way.
Episodes
-
Halloween Mini Episode: The Trouble at Froda
It's a quick break from the Clavijo storyline for some Halloween material. Specifically, this is a story from the Icelandic Eyrbyggja, the Saga of the People of Eyri. In it, a stranger comes to Froda, blood rains down, and the dead rise up. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support...
-
Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo 1: Byzantine Entanglements
In 1403, Henry III of Castile sent ambassadors to Timur (Tamerlane), among them a man named Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo. In this episode, we cover the context and depart from port near Cadiz, travel the length of the Mediterranean, and visit Lesbos where we spend time with the ruling family and their...
-
Ibn Fadlan 4: Communal Hygiene and the Viking Funeral
In the conclusion the Ahmad ibn Fadlan series, ibn Fadlan encounters the Rusiyyah, recounts the famous Viking funeral, and is disgusted by a communal wash basin. I also talk about the text itself. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi…
more -
Ibn Fadlan 3: Bulgar Discomforts & Jinn Warfare
Our 10th century traveller, Ahmad ibn Fadlan, settles in among the Bulgars, develops a distaste for their fish-oil based food, and is terrified by events in the sky. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. I'm...
-
Ibn Fadlan 2: A Letter from the Caliph
Ahmad ibn Fadlan carries on to his cash-poor appointment with the Volga Bulgars. There's talk of funerals, cultural differences, and threats of death. 10th century diplomacy could be hard. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here,...
-
Ibn Fadlan 1: From Baghdad with Very Cold Beards
Ahmad ibn Fadlan travels from early 10th century Baghdad on a diplomatic mission to the Volga Bulgars. There is a Viking funeral in his future, along with unfamiliar cultures and extremely cold weather. It's not The 13th Warrior, which it loosely inspired, but it is a good story. If you like what...
-
Eustace the Black Monk
This is the story of a monk, a sorcerer, a pirate, a woodland outlaw, and a master of disguise. His name is Eustace. The book I mention at the start of the episode is Desmond Cole's The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power. His recent podcast appearance can be found here. The other...
-
Brancacci's Mission 2: Already Dismissed
The conclusion of the Felice Brancacci story. Our ambassador from Florence deals with the Mamluk sultan in Cairo, with sickness, and with a shortage of funds, and he comes home to commission some memorable art at the Brancacci Chapel. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the...
-
Brancacci's Mission 1: From Florence to Cairo
In 1422, Felice Brancacci set out from Florence to establish trading relations with Mamluk Egypt, and to advocate for his city's currency. This is that story, part one of two. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is...
-
Sir John Mandeville 5: Mongols, Mountains, and Myths
Finishing up with Mandeville's travels, we visit the palace of the Mongol khan, the fortress paradise of the Old Man of the Mountain, and a land that never sees the sun. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here....
-
Sir John Mandeville 4: Of India and Medieval Monsters
Mandeville goes east into Greater India, and we go with him, following, as he follows the path of Odoric of Pordenone, into India, into the sea and its islands, and into a discussion of medieval hybrids and monsters, and what they mean. We'll find Amazons, the hand of St. Thomas, and people with...
-
Sir John Mandeville 3: Mamluk Egypt
Our traveller reaches Egypt. He writes of wondrous gardens of balsam, of the pyramids and their purpose, of the recent history of the sultanate, and of the Mamluk Sultan's views of Latin Christian life. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my...
-
Sir John Mandeville 2: In and Around Jerusalem
It's part two of the Mandeville series, and our journey reaches the Jerusalem of a 14th-century pilgrim. We'll spend some time there, getting to know the place and its surroundings, and its treatment in the Mandeville text. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my...
-
Sir John Mandeville 1: To the Holy Land
Sir John Mandeville, a 14th-century figure who travelled/maybe travelled/almost definitely didn't travel from England to Jerusalem and its holy places, to the court of the sultan in Egypt, to the realms of the Mongol khan, and to the long sought lands of Prester John. With this episode, we start...
-
The Book of the Wonders of India
Today's topic is the Kit?b ?aj?yib Al-Hind, or the Book of the Wonders of India, a 10th-century collection of wonders covering east Africa all the way to what might have been Japan. It's something of a sequel to the Abu Zayd episode. I mentioned there that the compiler avoided including the...
-
Halloween Mini Episode: The Stories of Walter Map
It's Halloween, and here are some medieval stories appropriate to the season. This mini episode is about the stories of Walter Map, particularly those ones featuring demons, faeries, and the prisoners of the Wild Hunt. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my…
more -
Abu Zayd and the Ways East
The Accounts of China and India, covering the trade between the Persian Gulf and points east in the 9th and 10th centuries, and the writings of Abu Zayd al-Sirafi. There are cultural customs, trading routes, and the calamitous events of the late 9th-century that shattered that trade and the Tang...
-
Salah ad-Din 6: The Ayyubids
This is the story of the Ayyubid Sultanate, the legacy of Salah ad-Din, a run through decades of civil war and crusades, all culminating in the rise of the Mamluks. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, Paypal is here, and...
-
Mini Episode - P.S. Dallam
As indicated in the title, I'm going back to the Thomas Dallam series to give it a proper ending. When I did the Dallam series, I left him in Constantinople with the Ottoman sultan, so here I'm taking his story up to its conclusion with a mini-episode. Thanks for listening! If you like what you...
-
Salah ad-Din 5: The End of the End
This is the end of the Salah ad-Din series, featuring the arrival of Richard the Lionheart and Philip II at Acre, the Battle of Arsuf, and the Treaty of Jaffa. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here....
-
Salah ad-Din 4: The Beginning of the End
This is the end of my Salah ad-Din series, part one. As I mention in the episode, I was aiming to wrap things up here, even aiming to do so with an extra-long episode, but there's just too much left to do that. So, this is the end, part one. In this episode, we follow the Salah ad-Din story after...
-
Salah ad-Din 3: The Horns of Hattin
Salah ad-Din (Saladin) enters Aleppo, struggles with Reynald de Chatillon, and faces the armies of Guy de Lusignan at the Horns of Hattin. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human,...
-
Salah ad-Din 2: A Syrian Election
The story of Salah ad-Din's expansion from Egypt back into Syria, his brushes with Rashid ad-Din Sinan's Assassins, his constant lobbying of the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, his struggles with the Zengid remnants and with a cast of enemies among the crusader states including Baldwin the Leper,...
-
Salah ad-Din 1: The City Victorious
Salah ad-Din/Saladin part one, from birth into banishment to ruler of 12th-century Egypt. This is the story of the rise of the Ayyubid founder. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. I'm on Twitter...
-
The Sons of Maimon 3: From Moses to Moses
After David had died, Moses/Maimonides still had a lot of life left to live, so this episode is about that life in Ayyubid Egypt If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram...
-
The Sons of Maimon 2: What's Done is Gone
Moses and David ben Maimon make their home in Fatimid - soon to be Ayyubid - Egypt, where the Nile and caravan routes linked the Mediterranean ports to the Red Sea and the crossing to the coast of India, a crossing David would attempt to make. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to...
-
The Sons of Maimon 1: Exile
This is my first episode on Maimonides/Moses and his little brother David, on their exile from their homeland in Al-Andalus, and on their winding way to Egypt, which would be their long-term home. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi…
more -
Rabban Bar Sauma 4: Ilkhanid End Times
The conclusion of the Rabban Bar Sauma series. It's Bar Sauma's return to the Ilkhanate and the results of his journey. It's the end of the line for him and his friend the catholicus, and it's the changes that were going on in the Ilkhanate and how they affected the Church of the East and our…
more -
Rabban Bar Sauma 3: Barbazoma, Tartarus, Orientalis
This is Rabban Bar Sauma part 3 of 4, the story of the Mongol envoy's diplomatic efforts in Paris, Bordeaux, and Rome, his experience as a pilgrim to the sites and saints of Italy and France, and his attempts to improve the Ilkhanid cause against the Mamluks. If you like what you hear and want to...
-
Rabban Bar Sauma 2: Ilkhanid Infighting, Ilkhanid Envoy
In this episode, our monkish friends attempt to navigate the violent waters of Ilkhanid Mongol politics, and Bar Sauma himself embarks on another long journey, this time heading for Rome. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here…
more -
Rabban Bar Sauma 1: The Monks of Kublai Khan
First in a series on Rabban Bar Sauma, covering his life from miracle-baby through cave-bound monk and on to pilgrim, with ambassador to the cities of western Europe not far behind. This episode takes us from Yuan China to Jerusalem, or perhaps not quite that far. If you like what you hear and…
more -
Geoffrey's Crusade 5: Boniface, Baldwin, and the Bulgarians
All good things must end, and even those not so good. With this episode, we bring the Fourth Crusade to something of an end. It's Baldwin and Boniface's rivalry. It's the king of the Bulgarians. It's the long spiral. If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is...
-
Halloween Special: Medieval Ghost Stories
A Halloween special full of medieval ghost (or revenant) stories from the 11th and 12th centuries, featuring Orderic Vitalis, Thietmar of Merseburg, William of Newburgh, and, briefly representing the 6th-century, Gregory of Tours. If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here…
more -
Geoffrey's Crusade 4: Simon and the Seven Thieves
This one will be a bit of a side step in the Fourth Crusade story. This is a story of furta sacra, or sacred theft, following the fall of Constantinople, and of one theft in particular. This the story of Saint Simon and how he came to Venice. The medieval Christmas card Kickstarter which I...
-
Geoffrey's Crusade 3: One Alexius After Another
This is part three of my Fourth Crusade series. It's got emperors, fires, and first hand accounts of the taking of Constantinople. Hope you enjoy it! When my Medieval Christmas Kickstarter goes up, I'll post the link here. If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and…
more -
Introducing American Scandal
Since the founding of the United States, in every generation, in every field of business, politics, sports and society, we’ve watched in shock as corruption, deceit and desire bring down heroes, titans and those we thought we could trust. In the aftermath, we’re left with too many questions, how...
-
Geoffrey's Crusade 2: Imperial Virtues
The Fourth Crusade continues, with the assault on Zara, a long winter in the city, and one reasonable occasion to go to Constantinople. If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. Sources:Geoffrey de Villehardouin. Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth…
more -
Geoffrey's Crusade 1: Venetian Appointments
Using the the chronicles of two participants in the Fourth Crusade - the one a common knight, the other a leader involved in decision making and the important work of an envoy - we follow the growth of the Fourth Crusade through the elevation of Pope Innocent III, the negotiation with the...
-
Marco and the Polos 7: Marco Polo Comes Home
On this, the last episode of the Marco Polo series, Marco comes home to Venice. I touch on a bit of the history of the book (or books), The Travels of Marco Polo, and we follow Marco as he disentangles himself from the stifling embrace of Kublai Khan, encounters many things new and strange to him...
-
Marco and the Polos 6: The Grand Tour
It's the grand tour of the world, or at least that part of it from Southeast Asia to the African coast, and you are taking it with/as Marco Polo. There will be monstrous birds, cannibals, the spice trade, and quite a lot of date wine. There'll be the beginning of the Buddha and the end of Saint...
-
Marco and the Polos 5: The Echoes of the Wind
Marco Polo's story of "Zipangu," the secluded island kingdom, abundant with gold, and Kublai Khan's attempt to take it all, is the subject of this episode. I talk about the two Mongol invasions of Japan and how their story has reached us. Sources: The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian…
more -
Marco and the Polos 4: Did You Go to China, Marco?
In this episode, I look at the question of whether Marco actually went to China (some have thought he did not at all, or only made it to the capital), and, if so, what he was doing there. humancircuspodcast.com patreon.com/humancircus @circus_human Sources:The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian,...
-
Marco and the Polos 3: Marco and the Great, Great Khan
Marco Polo was a tremendous admirer of Kublai Khan and of his Genghisid legacy more generally. This episode, we explore that admiration, the character of Kublai, and the anecdote of the treacherous minister. www.humancircuspodcast.com Sources: The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated…
more -
Marco and the Polos 2: Of Assassins and Other Things
The three Polos depart for the summer palace of Kublai Khan. There'll be Assassins, baked corpses, and papal elections along the way! Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: [email protected] Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast…
more -
Marco and the Polos 1: From Venice to the World
The journey of Venice's most famous merchant and traveller begins today, but we won't see much of him in this episode. We'll look at Venice in the early 13th century and touch on the 4th crusade, Mediterranean-Asian trade, and the Pax Mongolica, before following the other Polos, Niccolo and…
more -
To See the Mongols 7: Mongol Civil War
It’s a busy episode. We’re catching up on the Mongol world and all that was happening away from the specific journeys of European friars. That means the rise of Hulagu and Kublai, the Mongol expansion into Persia and Syria in the west and Song China in the east, the death of Mongke Khan, and a...
-
To See the Mongols 7: Mongol Civil War - Human Circus: Histories
It’s a busy episode. We’re catching up on the Mongol world and all that was happening away from the specific journeys of European friars. That means the rise of Hulagu and Kublai, the Mongol expansion into Persia and Syria in the west and Song China in the east, the death of Mongke Khan, and a...
-
To See the Mongols 6 - Human Circus: Histories
Friar William wraps up his affairs at the court of Mongke Khan and heads for home. Today, we cover his last audience with the khan, cross the walls of Alexander, and advise King Louis IX as to the future of the crusades. Thanks for listening! Devon. Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/HumanCircus...
-
To See the Mongols 6: The Road from Karakorum
Friar William wraps up his affairs at the court of Mongke Khan and heads for home. Today, we cover his last audience with the khan, cross the walls of Alexander, and advise King Louis IX as to the future of the crusades. Thanks for listening! Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email:...
-
To See the Mongols 5: The Great Debate - Human Circus: Histories
Friar William goes through stone-cracking cold, frozen toes, and the threat of demons to reach the camp of Mongke Khan. There, his interpreter causes him more problems, and he falls into the bizarre religious life of the camp before being drawn into a debate between Muslims, Buddhists, and...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
A narrative history podcast following the journeys of medieval travellers and their roles in larger historical events. Telling great stories, showing the interconnected nature of the medieval world, and meeting Mongols, Ottomans, Franciscans, merchants, ambassadors, and adventurers along the way.
HOSTED BY
DJF
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Human Circus: Histories have?
Human Circus: Histories currently has 86 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Human Circus: Histories about?
A narrative history podcast following the journeys of medieval travellers and their roles in larger historical events. Telling great stories, showing the interconnected nature of the medieval world, and meeting Mongols, Ottomans, Franciscans, merchants, ambassadors, and adventurers along the way.
How often does Human Circus: Histories release new episodes?
Human Circus: Histories has 86 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Human Circus: Histories?
You can listen to Human Circus: Histories on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Human Circus: Histories?
Human Circus: Histories is created and hosted by DJF.
URL copied to clipboard!