History Podcast Lesson: Europe Edition

The History of Europe, off the beaten path.

Calen Cross
Bello Collective

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European history is dominated by the winners. And the winners are the bigger, more populous nations who dominate policy in Europe and around the world even today. Add in the empires of Greece and Rome because they provided the basis of much of our governmental, economic, and philosophical ideas. You know about these countries and their history.

They are also well represented in history podcasting. England, Germany, Russia, Greece, France and Rome all have a podcast or two or three. But if you want to expand your knowledge to the smaller, lesser known countries in the region, these podcasts are for you:

What to listen to:

The Bulgarian History Podcast

Bulgarian History is one of a series of podcasts that came at a perfect convergence point. I was listening to a number of podcasts and they all ended up at around the same time period in Central Asia and Europe. And I love what Eric Halsey has done here. He has made a very accessible, entertaining look at a people that have interacted with some of the most powerful empires and nations in history.

Irish History Podcast

Finn Dwyer has put together a very interesting look at many different parts of Irish History. His episodes on the Potato Famine are great, but I really love his work on the early 1000s. His narrative style is top-notch.

The History of Denmark

The History of Denmark, created by Soren Krarup is currently on a short hiatus, which means you can catch up on this interesting history of this small, but important nation in northern Europe.

The region of Bohemican

Bohemican is a podcast about the region of Bohemia from the perspective of an American ex-pat, Pete Coleman. It is part history, part pop culture and always entertaining. I especially recommend the episodes on food and beer.

The Ottoman Empire

In the History of the Ottoman Empire, Lynn Perkins has taken a chronological approach to the Ottoman Empire and it is working well so far. It actually works as a continuation of The History of Byzantium by Robin Pierson, just as that show was a continuation of The History of Rome by Mike Duncan.

Welsh History

Welsh History This chronological history has started with prehistory and has moved into the Roman Era.Jonathan Williams is taking a look at his family’s homeland as luckily, sharing it with us.

The Scottish History Podcast

The Scottish History podcast hasn’t released an episode since September of 2016, but in its limited run, it was an excellent history covering such topics as Adam Smith and castles.

The History of Yugoslavia

The History of Yugoslavia is a new entrant, with only seven episodes at the time of this writing, it focuses on the entire arc of the history of the former Yugoslavia and its eventual break up.

The Random History of Belgium

From Art Nouveau’s origins to the infamous Leopold III, the Random History of Belgium, is truly random. It is not chronological, so it is easy to jump into at any point and Michael Van Den Eynde’s narrative style works well.

The History of Poland

The History of Poland has quickly become one of my favorites. In the most recent episodes, Trevor Gilbert has enlightened us with the reign of Boleslaw at the turn of the 11th century, as Poland was coming into its own.

The mini-series:

When Diplomacy Fails has parked itself in what some say is the early modern period of Europe, and Zack Twamley has done a couple of miniseries on countries outside of those that are well known. The most interesting of these for me was the on the Swedish Deluges because I did not know that Sweden was ever a major power and now I see why they are no longer.

The History of the Crusades is currently documenting the various Baltic Crusades, starting with the Livonian Crusade. Sharyn Eastaugh has also chronicled the Cathar Crusade, which took place in what is now France, but is definitely not about the winners in history.

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