Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of Our Medieval Story

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SEASON 9: ARCHITECTS OF STABILITY
EPISODE 213: A Very Curthose Thing to Do
The First Crusade is over, but its reverberations are only beginning to be felt. As the 11th century comes to a close, we follow Robert Curthose on his long journey home and discover how the road back from Jerusalem changed the future of England forever. This is the story of how one century ends, another begins, and how history can pivot on something as simple...and as tragic...as taking too long to come home.

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SEASON 8: The First Crusade
EPISODE 212: Ascalon: The Final Battle
Jerusalem was firmly in crusader hands, but the Fatimids weren’t yet finished. On this episode, we see the final chapter in the story of the First Crusade.

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SEASON 8: The First Crusade
EPISODE 211: Holy City, Unholy Slaughter
Standing at the walls, a behemoth task was about to unfold: After four long years and thousands of miles traveled in some of the most hostile territory in the medieval world for Christians, could Jerusalem finally be recaptured? FAIR WARNING: This episode gets a bit graphic. Listener discretion advised.

No More Paywalls! How?
If you believe in what’s happening here – bringing our shared history to life, warts and all, free to the public with absolutely no more paywalls…ever…please consider donating to my caffeine-mediated research and writing through the website/app Buy Me A Coffee! With opportunities for one-time donations and even a monthly donation plan, you can voluntarily contribute to the continuation of this show. I would be eternally grateful!
NOTE: DISREGARD ANY MENTION OF PATREON. That account has been closed in the process of tearing down any and all paywalls! 

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SEASON 8: The First Crusade
EPISODE 210: “Many Wept For Joy”
The road from Arqa to Jerusalem was no stroll in the park, and soon the crusaders found themselves humbled at the sight of Jerusalem…at long last. The anonymous author of the Gesta Francorum wrote, “When they finally saw Jerusalem, many wept for joy.” Despite the great humility each pilgrim experienced upon seeing the city for the first time, they were still denied entry. These walls have never been easily breached, but Antioch had taught these pilgrims many valuable lessons. Each lesson would be put to the test against the holiest city of them all. 

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If you believe in what’s happening here – bringing our shared history to life, warts and all, free to the public with absolutely no more paywalls…ever…please consider donating to my caffeine-mediated research and writing through the website/app Buy Me A Coffee! With opportunities for one-time donations and even a monthly donation plan, you can voluntarily contribute to the continuation of this show. I would be eternally grateful!
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SEASON 8: The First Crusade
EPISODE 209: Ground Zero: Jerusalem
This is the final offering from my archive—an episode I couldn’t leave behind. It became something more than a retelling; it became a reckoning with one of the most consequential places in human history.
Because everything — everything — seems to lead back to Jerusalem.
Long before crusaders fixed their eyes on its walls in 1099, this city had already stood at the center of the human story: a meeting point of heaven and earth, of covenant and conquest, of faith and blood. For Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, Jerusalem is not merely a city — it is memory, promise, and destiny intertwined. Empires rose and fell for it. Prophets wept over it. Kings fought to possess it. And still, it endured — scarred, sacred, and unyielding.
To understand the First Crusade, you must first understand this: Jerusalem is not the destination. It is the axis upon which the story turns.
So before the armies arrive… before the siege begins…let’s step back and see the city that made it all inevitable.

No More Paywalls! How?
If you believe in what’s happening here – bringing our shared history to life, warts and all, free to the public with absolutely no more paywalls…ever…please consider donating to my caffeine-mediated research and writing through the website/app Buy Me A Coffee! With opportunities for one-time donations and even a monthly donation plan, you can voluntarily contribute to the continuation of this show. I would be eternally grateful!
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