Podcasts about baltic crusades

The Crusades reshaped Europe far beyond Jerusalem — and we've forgotten itFor most people, the Crusades begin and end with Jerusalem, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. But that narrow view hides a far bigger story. In this episode of History Rage, medieval archaeologist Professor Aleks Pluskowski takes aim at the myth that crusading was confined to the eastern Mediterranean — and reveals how crusades transformed northern and eastern Europe in ways that still shape the modern worldDrawing on decades of archaeological research and historical evidence, Aleks explains how the Baltic Crusades were longer, more successful, and ultimately more influential than those in the Levant. From the rise of the Teutonic Order to the foundation of cities like Riga and Tallinn, this conversation exposes a forgotten chapter of European history that fundamentally reshaped societies, borders and identitiesYou'll hear why crusading was a papally authorised penitential war, how it expanded beyond Jerusalem to target pagans, heretics and political enemies, and why northern Europe became the Crusades' most enduring battlefield. Aleks also unpacks the diversity of pre-Christian belief systems in the Baltic, the realities of conquest and settlement, and how crusading ideology became a template for later colonialism and modern nationalist mythsThe episode also tackles how the Teutonic Order evolved from a humble hospital in Acre into a powerful military state, why it succeeded where the Levantine Crusader states failed, and how its image was later distorted by 19th-century nationalism and Nazi propaganda. This is not just military history — it's a story about how Europe learned to dominate, govern and remember its pastIf you think you know the Crusades, this episode will make you rethink everything.Guest: Professor Aleks PluskowskiProfessor of Medieval Archaeology, University of ReadingAleks Pluskowski is a leading authority on crusading in northern Europe, with extensive fieldwork experience across Poland and the Baltic region. His research focuses on material culture, landscapes of conquest, and the long-term impact of crusading societies.BookThe Black Cross: The Medieval Baltic CrusadesBuy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780300279061About History RageHistory Rage is the podcast that hunts down historical myths and kicks them into the long grass. Hosted by Paul Bavill, each episode invites leading historians to vent their fury at what everyone gets wrong about the past — loudly, passionately, and with evidence.Follow History RageTwitter / X: https://twitter.com/historyrageFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/historyrageInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyrageSupport the podcastJoin the rage on Patreon for bonus content, livestreams and early access:https://www.patreon.com/historyrageOr support via Apple Podcasts Subscriptions for ad-free listening and early releases.If you enjoyed this episode, tell a friend and bring someone new aboard the rage train. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the end of the thirteenth century, the Teutonic Order has established Prussia and Livonia, new Catholic states running from Poland to Estonia.

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In this episode, we look at how the Teutonic Knights went from hospitals in the Holy Land to conquering Prussia.

Through the second half of the 12th century, the pieces start to fall into place for the conquests of the 13th century.

Big claims have been made for the impact of the Baltic Crusades on Russia's relationship with the West. This episode looks at whether they stand up to scrutiny.

Northwest of Rus live the Baltic peoples. After centuries of relative isolation, they are attracting unwanted attention from their neighbours.

When we think of crusades, images of the Knights Templar riding into battle against their Islamic foes in the Holy Land spring to mind. But there was another medieval crusade against non-believers, in this case pagans, held in Scandinavia in the same time period. How did the Church arrive at the conclusion that it had no choice but to forcibly convert these Baltic heathens? Some monarchs were anxious to convert for the political advantage it gave them, but others like the Swedish Queen Sigrid the Haughty preferred a slap in the face to Christianity.

In a programme first broadcast in 2016, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Baltic Crusades, the name given to a series of overlapping attempts to convert the pagans of North East Europe to Christianity at the point of the sword. From the 12th Century, Papal Bulls endorsed those who fought on the side of the Church, the best known now being the Teutonic Order which, thwarted in Jerusalem, founded a state on the edge of the Baltic, in Prussia. Some of the peoples in the region disappeared, either killed or assimilated, and the consequences for European history were profound. With Aleks Pluskowski Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading Nora Berend Fellow of St Catharine's College and Reader in European History at the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge and Martin Palmer Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Producer: Simon Tillotson

The Lithuanian Conflict XXVI - The End

The Lithuanian Conflict XXV - The decline of the Teutonic Order

The Lithuanian Conflict XXIV - Many endings

The Lithuanian Conflict XXIII - Coronation crisis

The Lithuanian Conflict XXII - The Great Conference of 1427

The Lithuanian Conflict XXI - War and peace

The Lithuanian Conflict XX - Catching up on news from home

The Lithuanian Conflict XIX - The Council of Constance Part 3

The Lithuanian Conflict XVIII - The Council of Constance Part 2

The Lithuanian Conflict XVII - The Council of Constance Part 1

The Lithuanian Conflict XVI - The Hunger War

The Lithuanian Conflict XV - A new Grandmaster

The Lithuanian Conflict XIV - Michael and the Emperor

The Lithuanian Conflict XIII - Tales of intrigue and suspicion

The Lithuanian Conflict XII - The First Peace of Thorn

The Lithuanian Conflict XI - The siege of Marienburg

The Lithuanian Conflict X - To Marienburg

The Lithuanian Conflict IX - The Battle of Tannenberg Part 3

The Lithuanian Conflict VIII - The Battle of Tannenberg Part 2

The Lithuanian Conflict VII - The Battle of Tannenberg Part 1

The Lithuanian Conflict VI - A troubled peace

The Lithuanian Conflict V - Samogitia erupts

The Lithuanian Conflict IV - Tensions rise

The Lithuanian Conflict III - Trying times

The Lithuanian Conflict II - Rebellion and war

The Lithuanian Conflict I - The Gotland War

The Livonian Crusade LII - Internal strife

The Samogitian Crusade XXVI - Samogitian revolt

The Samogitian Crusade XXV - The end of the Samogitian Crusade

The Samogitian Crusade XXIV - The second siege of Vilnius

The Samogitian Crusade XXIII - Vytautus victorious

The Samogitian Crusade XXII - Grandmaster Conrad von Wallenrode

The Samogitian Crusade XXI - The crusade of Henry Bolingbroke

The Samogitian Crusade XX - Vytautus strikes back

The Samogitian Crusade - Samogitian defiance

The Samogitian Crusade XVIII - Poland and Lithuania

The Samogitian Crusade XVII - Jogaila v Vytautas

The Samogitian Crusade XVI - The Supreme Prince of Lithuania

The Samogitian Crusade XV - Jogaila

The Samogitian Crusade XIV - The Battle of Rudau

The Livonian Crusade LI - Border raids