The Fall of Italy

A strong king emerges in Visigothic Hispania, who moves to reform his kingdom and push to develop a new identity.  Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/12/16/51-liuvigild-and-the-search-for-unity/ Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Five Kings and Some Romans 513 to 552 CE Putting on the afterburners to get through about fifty years of Visigothic history, as the Balt dynasty runs out into the sand, and uncertainty and internal division opens the door to outside powers. Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/07/21/50-five-kings-and-some-romans/ This episode sponsored in part by manscaped.com, enter discount code DARKAGES at checkout for 20% off and free shipping! Buy me a coffee with ko-fi.com/darkagespod Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/  

Conquest and Crisis: Visigoth Hispania, Pt. 1  456 to 513 CE After beating up on the Suevi it was the Visigoths’ turn to be beaten up by the Franks. After years of expansion, the Visigoths are forced to realign themselves south, under a new, unlucky king. Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/07/02/conquest-and-crisis-visigoth-hispania-pt-1/ This episode sponsored in part by manscaped.com, enter discount code DARKAGES at checkout for 20% off and free shipping! Buy me a coffee with ko-fi.com/darkagespod Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

The Kingdom of the Suevi  C.418 to 470 The Suevi have been the unloved stepchildren of the Dark Ages Podcast for far too long, and finally get their own episode! They’re going to have to be happy with it because I don’t see anything else coming their way. We’ll trace their origins in the forests of Germania, their establishment of a kingdom in northwestern Hispania, and the fortunes of their three most successful kings, before it all turns to mush in the end. Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/06/17/48-the-kingdom-of-the-suevi/ This episode sponsored in part by manscaped.com, enter discount code DARKAGES at checkout for 20% off and free shipping! Buy me a coffee with ko-fi.com/darkagespod Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

C.406 to 452 And we’re back! Thank you to everyone for your patience and kind emails and messages, they meant a lot to me and kept me motivated to come back. Hispania was a peaceful and prosperous part of the Roman Empire for much of its history, and a popular retirement destination. The arrival of the Vandals, Suevi, and Alans, followed by the Visigoths, put all that peace and tranquility firmly in the rear view mirror. Webpage for this Episode darkagespod.com/2024/06/10/47-roman-hispania/ This episode sponsored in part by manscaped.com, enter DARKAGES at checkout for 20% off and free shipping! Buy me a coffee with ko-fi.com/darkagespod Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

The Fall of Italy March 538 - May 540 The Gothic War grew in intensity after the siege of Rome, and Belisarius had to deal with threats both from without and from within his own army as he fought to bring it to a successful conclusion. The war spread across northern Italy, with devastating consequences for the civilian populace. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

What happens when I wander off topic into the wilds of Magical Practice in Byzantine Egypt? You get a bonus episode, that’s what!  This one explores a story of one particular Egyptian saint, and the strange case of the woman transformed into a horse. It’s just a bit of anthropological fun. We’ll be back to Belisarius in the next episode. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Other Music: "Ritual" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   "Rites" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   "Shaving Mirror" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/   Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Wives, Lovers, and The Worst Year Ever This episode is all over the place. It features marital infidelity, official corruption, Swiss glaciers, an Icelandic volcano, and an attempt at an Irish accent that inevitably slides into a Scottish one in less than four words. Enjoy. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

November 536 to March 538 Belisarius continues moving up the Italian Peninsula, to bring his army to attack the greatest prize: Rome itself. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com And https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/  

Theodahad’s Thirty Pigs 535 to 536 The death of Amalasuintha triggered the Gothic Wars, wherein the Eastern Empire, under Justinian, attempted to claw back what it had lost in Italy. This episode follows the war up to  the siege of Naples by Belisarius in the autumn of 536. Transcript Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com