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PODCAST

History of the Germans

Dirk Hoffmann-Becking

A narrative history of the German people from the Middle Ages to Reunification in 1991. Episodes are 25-35 min long and drop on Thursday mornings. "A great many things keep happening, some good, some bad". Gregory of Tours (539-594) So far we have covered: Ottonian Emperors (# 1- 21) - Henry the Fowler (#1) - Otto I (#2-8) - Otto II (#9-11) - Otto II (#11-14) - Henry II (#15-17) - Germany in 1000 (#18-21) Salian Emperors(#22-42) - Konrad II (#22- 25) - Henry III (#26-29) - Henry IV/Canossa

history

All Episodes

32:54

Ep. 216 - The Youth of Emperor Maximilian I

History of the Germans ·

2025/11/27

What is it like to grow up the son of the emperor? For most of the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire we have covered so far, no idea. There are scarce reports about the way the princes grew up, safe for tales like the emperor Ludwig the Bavarian being kidnapped by his pet monkey. But now, as the Late Middle Ages make way for the Renaissance, we can see the boy who would be king at play, being fed by his nursemaid and pretending to be a knight at a tournament.And even better, this emperor is

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40:21

Ep. 215 – The Bold in the Cold, the end of Charles of...

History of the Germans ·

2025/11/20

The rise of the Habsburgs to world domination pivots on one crucial moment, the marriage of Maximilian of Habsburg to Mary of Burgundy, the daughter of Charles the Bold, last of the Grand Dukes of the West.The usual story is that young Maximilian one day walked down the aisle of some splendid cathedral and was handed the richest principality in Europe on an jewel-encrusted golden platter by the father of the bride. All he then had to do was lie down and think of the Habsburg-Burgundian empire.That

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39:01

Ep. 214 - A Trial, a Siege and more than Neuss

History of the Germans ·

2025/11/13

The venerable city of Neuss between Cologne and Düsseldorf was founded in 16 BC as a Roman army camp, making it one of the oldest in Germany. Its history is marked by the usual mix of feuds with its archepiscopal overlord and the establishment of a trading and pilgrimage hub. Despite its Roman remains, the impressive church of St. Quirinius, and proximity to where I grew up, Neuss may never have appeared on the History of the Germans Podcast, had it not sustained a 10 month long siege in 1474/1475.A

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34:48

Ep. 213 – Duping a Duke and the Awakening of...

History of the Germans ·

2025/11/06

How long can an emperor not be an emperor. The official record stands at 25 years, that is how long Friedrich III had stayed out of the core areas of the Holy Roman Empire. That meant 25 ears of Imperial Diets without the presence of an Emperor, 25 years of stasis on the challenges of the time, the reform of the empire and the defense against the Ottoman expansion. But sometime in the late 1460s the apathic emperor Friedrich III, dubbed the Imperial Arch Sleepy head awakes and does what he had never

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40:27

Ep. 212 – The Library of the Raven King

History of the Germans ·

2025/10/30

Today we will talk a lot about Matthias Corvinus, the legendary renaissance king of Hungary whose library outshone that of the Medici in Florence and whose standing army was one of the greatest – and most expensive - military forces in 15th century Europe. Why are we talking about a Hungarian ruler in a series about the Habsburgs? Trust me, there is a good reason beyond it being a fascinating life story.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or

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36:52

Ep. 211 – Hitting Rock Bottom

History of the Germans ·

2025/10/23

It is November 1462 and the emperor Friedrich III and his young family are huddling together in the cellars of the Hofburg. The citizens of Vienna are shooting cannonballs into the 13th century castle, the walls are crumbling and any moment now the angry crowds may break in. Outside, supporting the insurrection stood his own brother, calling on him to give up. Two crowns he has already lost and a third is about to be knocked off his head as the imperial princes had ganged up on him. Friedrich III

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36:56

Ep. 210 – Ladislaus Postumus, Lord of all, Ruler of...

History of the Germans ·

2025/10/16

Our journey today will take us away from the emperor Friedrich III who will spend most of the episode holed up in his castle at Wiener Neustadt, fretting and gardening. Instead we look at the dramatic life of his younger cousin, Ladislaus Postumus, king of Hungary, king of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria. This will take us back to Prague and its complex religious politics, to Vienna where the people fall for the alluring promises of a populist and to Hungary where one of the greatest generals of the

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02:46

No Mojo in my Dojo - Next episode in a Week

History of the Germans ·

2025/10/09

Hello friends of the History of the Germans. I am afraid there will not be an episode this week. I would have preferred to say that I have caught a bug or something, but the truth is, I just could not put something together that lives up to your and my standards. Sorry, this does not happen very often, but it does. The muse was busy somewhere else or missed the entry point for my humble attic. So, rather than wasting your time with something sub-par, I decided to call it off for this week. I will go

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41:12

Ep. 209 – The First Habsburg Emperor

History of the Germans ·

2025/10/02

Today we – and the Habsburgs – stride back on to the grand stage of European politics. Not with a titan of history or monarch whose long and fruitful reign resonates across the centuries, but with Friedrich III, better known as the Reichserzschlafmütze - the imperial arch sleepy head, Or perhaps more fittingly the imperial arch dawdler.He ruled from 1440 to 1493, a total of 53 years - the longest reign of any Holy (or unholy) Roman Emperors (bar Constantine VIII). And yet, is also the most derided

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38:48

Ep. 208 - Boy Meets Princess, Boy Becomes King...

History of the Germans ·

2025/09/25

Last week we saw the family slowly climbing out of the hole that Friedrich IV of the Tyrol had dug them. But despite all these consolidation efforts, the family was still in the second league of European princely families. Then, just 25 years after Ernst the Iron married down into minor Polish royalty, his first cousin once removed, Albrecht V became King of Hungary, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia, all in one single year, 1438.How was that possible? Here is friend of the podcast, Eneas

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33:37

Ep.207 Of Land and Lip – How the Habsburgs got their...

History of the Germans ·

2025/09/18

“The Habsburgs ruled half of Europe with a chin that entered the room five minutes before they did,” is one of those witticisms that made the 19th century so amusing. But by then the Habsburg jaw had long receded. It had its heyday in the 16th and 17th century when people in Spain called out to the future emperor Charles V: “Your majesty, shut your mouth! The flies of this country are very insolent.” And when they looked at his later descendant, king Charles II who was probably the worst affected,

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34:01

Ep. 206 – Division, Destruction and Degradation -...

History of the Germans ·

2025/09/11

Success for a princely family in the Late Middle Ages has a lot to do with reproductive luck. Not having any offspring, in particular no male offspring is a bit of a knockout. But having too many sons that could be a major issue too.And in 1386 the Habsburgs struggled with exactly that problem. Their territory was already divided between an Albertine and a Leopoldine line. But then Leopold had four sons, bringing the number of archdukes of Austria to six, which is five too many.In this episode we

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38:06

Ep. 205 – Sempach – the Death of a Duke and the Birth...

History of the Germans ·

2025/09/04

On July 9th, 1386 in a field near the Sempach lake., the armies of archduke Leopold of Austria line up against the forces of the city of Lucerne and the men of Uri, Schwyz and Nidwalden Much of what hads been told about this batte, the backstory of the Swiss Confederation and the objectives of the Habsburgs have been drenched in myth. Myths that are in the main debunked. That being said, the story is still dramatic and hugely important.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by

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32:00

Ep. 204 – Rudolf IV, Founder and Forger (1339-1365)

History of the Germans ·

2025/08/28

Rudolf IV of Habsburg (1339–1365), son of Albrecht “the Wise,” reigned as Duke of Austria for just seven years but left a lasting mark. Born when the dynasty seemed close to extinction, Rudolf secured Austria’s survival and prestige. Politically, he sought to elevate Vienna by founding the University of Vienna (1365) and beginning construction of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Though he fulfilled his father's ambition to gain the Tyrol, the family fell behind their rivals, namely the Luxemburgs.Rudolf’s

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25:27

Ep. 203 – From Rudolf I to Albrecht the Wise 1273-1358

History of the Germans ·

2025/08/21

The Habsburg dynasty, originating from Radobot’s castle in 11th-century Switzerland, rose from obscurity to European prominence. In 1273 Rudolf of Habsburg was elected King of the Romans. Far from the later myth of a poor, humble count, Rudolf was wealthy, shrewd, and ruthless. He expanded his family’s holdings through inheritance, war, and diplomacy, eventually securing Austria and Styria after defeating Ottokar II of Bohemia—an acquisition that became the dynasty’s heartland.Rudolf’s hopes to

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06:47

The Fall and Rise of the House of Habsburg - Trailer

History of the Germans ·

2025/08/14

"Let others wage war: you, happy Austria, marry’. Is that really it? Did this family acquire an empire where the sun never sets through just luck and longevity?That is what we will try to find out in this season where we follow the family from the murder of king Abrecht I in 1308 to the election of emperor Charles V in 1519. For most of that period the Habsburgs had been languishing in the wilderness. They experienced defeats, divisions and humiliations, were even expelled from their duchy of

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16:40

Guest Episode: A History of Italy on "A German Priest...

History of the Germans ·

2025/08/07

Hello and welcome friends of the History of the Germans Podcast.This week I will again showcase an independent history podcast I really like and listen to. And just to avoid any misunderstandings, I do this not for commercial reasons. This is literally so that you can find other great shows and well, I can have a break. Today’s show is one you probably already know since I mention it regularly, Mike Corradi’s A History of Italy. Mike is funny, thorough and something I struggle with enormously,

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52:29

Guest Episode: History Rage talks to Roger Moorhouse...

History of the Germans ·

2025/07/31

Hello friends of the History of the Germans Podcast. As I mentioned last episode, I am on holiday now, which means I spend my time reading up about the Habsburg and getting into gear for the next season.In the meantime, I will showcase some podcasts I really enjoy and listen to regularly. And one of those is History Rage. The host, Paul Bavill interviews historians and history podcaster about the one thing they really hope people would stop believing. Interview is such a lame term for what he does,

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35:50

Ep. 202 - Arms and Armour

History of the Germans ·

2025/07/24

In 1550 Spanish court records show that the Augsburg armorer Kolman Helmschmied was paid an advance of 2,000 ducats for a full armour for king Philipp II. The final price for this piece was 3,000 ducats. At the same time Raphael could charge at max 170 ducats for an altarpiece. Even the Renaissances’ best paid artist, Michelangelo received just 3,000 gold florins for the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. Armour, along with tapestries, were the most valuable artworks of the 15th and 16th

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48:37

Ep. 201 – Mapping the World, or how Germans invented...

History of the Germans ·

2025/07/17

When you enter the great hall of the Thomas Jefferson building at the Library of Congress in Washington, the first exhibit you will be facing is their Gutenberg Bible. And it is one of the finest Gutenberg bibles around, one of only three surviving pristine copies on vellum. This was the kind of bible that was so expensive to produce, it bankrupted Gutenberg. When the Library of Congress bought it in 1930, they paid $375,000, roughly $7.5m in today’s money. But this is not the most expensive piece

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