The Dark Ages Podcast
The Dark Ages Podcast covers the histories of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, beginning in 376 CE. It explores the transformation of the Roman world, the rise of successor kingdoms, and the movements of peoples across Europe and the Mediterranean. Episodes examine political, military, religious, and cultural developments during this transitional period. The show is presented by Herbert F. Bushman for listeners interested in detailed historical narrative.
Episodes
1. Origo Gothica
The Goths, Part One.
The Goths appear on the Roman border and quickly become a force to be reckoned with. This episode deals with the Goths origins, early history, conflicts with Rome in the third century, and some things about their culture. Who was a Goth when he was at home? (Spoiler, he didn't wear black or think much about vampires.)
This episode covers a period from about 100 BCE to 271 CE.
2. Athanaric & Fritigern
The Goths, Part 2
c. 264-378 CE
The Goths face challenges at home and abroad. An ambitious Roman Emperor seeks to shore up his reign at their expense. Religious controversy and rivalry threatens internal stability. But the greatest challenge arises in the East, and the Goths must abandon their way of life.
The Lord's Prayer in Gothic
Map of the Adrianople Campaign
Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin
3. Alaric the Bold
The Goths, Part 3
378 - 408 CE
The Gothic Wars end in stalemate as Goths and Romans try to come to terms with new realities. A new leader appears to push for dignity and power for his people, who will take the fight into the heartland of the Roman world.
Map of Alaric's invasion of Greece
Map of Alaric's First Invasion of Italy
Bust of Eutropius
Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod freepd.com
4. The Sack of Rome
The Goths, Part 4
408-410 CE
The death of Stilicho leaves Alaric and the Visigoths high and dry. Negotiations break down, and Alaric takes drastic action. The Sack of Rome of 410 is pointed to as one of the points where the Roman Empire fell and the resonance of the event would be felt down through the centuries.
Music :
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod freepd.com
"Rulers of our Lands" by Raphae
5. Five Kings and a Reckoning
The Goths, Part 5
410 - 451 CE
The Visigoths move out of Italy, into more years of privation. Along the way there's a royal marriage, long marches, sieges and naval blockades. Ultimately the Goths find what they've been looking for for nearly half a century - a home. But there's another, even greater test on the horizon, and a chance to face an old enemy.
Music:
"The Bretons" By Kevin MacLeod free
6. The Whirlwind of Nations - The Huns Part 1
c. 370 - 395 CE
Where had the Huns come from? Who were they? How did they fight? What made them so scary?
I'll look for answers in this episode, and may even find some.
Information on cranial modification is here and here
An image of the patera is here
Music "The Bretons" By Kevin MacLeod freepd.com
7. All the Sun Shines Upon - The Huns Part 2
395 - 435 CE
Contact with the wealth of the Roman empire gradually changes the Huns and sets the stage for their most famous ruler.
Map of Roman Provinces
Music "The Bretons" By Kevin MacLeod freepd.com
8. Attila Invictus - The Huns Part 3
435 - 446 CE
The scourge of God rises from the Hunnic horde. The Romans have to deal with him while also facing earthquake, flood, and plague. Straight up not having a good time, bro.
Map of the Roman road network.
Another map of the geography of the Balkans in late antiquity.
Music "The Bretons" By Kevin MacLeod freepd.com
9. The Vandals Part 1
c. 200 BCE to 408 CE
I introduce the Vandals with a cold. The Vandals don't have a cold, I have a cold. So, sorry about that.
The Vandals rose up next door to the Goths, with whom they would have a complicated relationship. This episode tracks their early migration into Gaul and then Spain, and talks a little bit about what their home life would have been like. There's also a bonus tribe, as we
10. King of Africa - The Vandals Part 2
408 - 439 CE
The Vandals, along with their allies, the Alans and Suevi, ravage Spain before moving into Africa. There, under the leadership of their king Gaiseric, they will achieve something no other Barbarian tribe has yet accomplished.
Map of the Vandal Invasion of Spain
Roman Provinces of Africa
The Peutinger Tabula
Music
Title: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod http://www.freepd.com
Incidenta
11. Beyond the River
c. 448 CE
In the spring, a diplomatic mission set out from Constantinople for discussions with Attila the Hun. One of the men on the trip later wrote out his experience in one of the most detailed accounts of life among the Huns. This episode condenses the writing of Priscus of Panion, diplomat and historian.
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative
12. The Hun and the Saint
The Huns, Part IV
450-453 CE
Attila unleashed his fury on the Western empire in two back to back campaigns. The first culminated in the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. The second ended with the famous meeting between Attila the Hun and Pope Leo I.
Map of Attila's Invasion of Italy
Sources
War dominates the scene on today's episode, as it does on today's headlines. The inevitable consequen
13. The Apostle of Noricum
c. 450 to c. 482 CE
Saint Severinus was a holy man who was active in Noricum Ripensis, in modern Austria and Bavaria. His life coincided with the end of Roman rule in the west, and the biography that was written by his disciple Eugippius includes several insights into the world as the ancient social structures changed and were replaced by new anxieties and dangers. In this episode we'll talk
14. More Serpent than Dove
The Vandals Part III
439 to 455 CE
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be therefore as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew, 10:16
Gaiseric weathers Roman attempts to recover the African provinces, and begins to set his house in order. Marriage deals are made and broken, and an ancient version of gunboat diplomacy is used by the new king. Meanwhile, jealousy a
15. Unmitigated Gaul
418 to 456 CE
A senator by the name of Eparchius Avitus is dragooned into filling the imperial shoes left behind by the well-aimed brick that took out Petronius Maximus. His life gives a framework for discussing the place of southern Gaul within the Roman empire, and how the Visigoths were settling in.
The full text of Sidonius' letter describing Theodoric.
Sources
Title Music:
"The Britons"
16. Speaking Frankly
The Franks, Part I
280 to 480 CE
We welcome the Franks onto the stage of Europe, and look at their origins, early history, ferocious reputation, and the way modern politics work their way into the telling of history.
Fittings from the Sword and Scabbard found in Childeric's tomb.
Childeric's Ring at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France
Childeric's Bees
Sword and Scabbard Decoration from Chil
17. The Phantom Kingdom
456 to 464 CE
Emperor Majorian and his Right-Hand man Ricimer attempt to pull the empire back from the brink after the departure of Avitus. But there's a snake in the grass, a fly in the ointment, and a bad apple in the barrel. It all leads to the creation of a new entity called the Kingdom of Soissons. Or does it?
Map of Majorian's Campaigns
Sources
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod
18: All or Nothing: The Battle of Cape Bon
461 to 468 CE
The East and West combine forces in one great push to take Africa backs from the Vandals and make everything all better.
Sources
Title Music:
"The Britons" and "The Vikings" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sound effects from freesound.com
19. King Euric
466 to around 473
The Visigoths break out, under the leadership of their new and aggressive King Euric. Inside the empire, another emperor falls to Ricimer's scheming.
An appropriate map for this episode is here.
Sources are here
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
20. Gepids East Goths and Huns, Oh My
453 CE to 460 CE
Out of the wreckage of Attila's empire, new peoples emerge. New actors inject new elements into the political game of the late Roman empire
British Museum entry for the Gepids, with some artefacts
History Files Article and Regnal List of the Gepids
Scirian Earring found at Bakod Puszta
Sources
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed un
21. Alas, Britain
c. 367 to c. 460 CE
The much-promised episode about post Roman Britain arrives, to explore what a real Dark Age would look like.
Sources
Music Credits:
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Other Music:
"Pippin the Hunchback", "Nordic Wist", & "Moorland", all by Kevi
22. The End of the Beginning
474 to 476 CE
In which we kill off the Western Roman Empire, and then dig through the remains to try and figure out what happened. More importantly, where do we go from here?
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
23. War
This the first episode of Season 2 takes a broad look at what the waging of war looked like in the dark ages, from weapons to tactics and funding. It's good to be back.
For the transcript of this episode, along with images and links, visit www.darkagespod.com.
Now you can support the podcast at ko-fi.com/darkagespod, the digital tip-jar. Help me keep the lights on around here with just a few bucks
24. The Usurper
455 to 490 CE
Odoacer is a name that is little known and little celebrated. This episode illuminates the career of the soldier who closed the book on the Roman empire, who was he, and why don't we know him better?
Episode Website
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References
Bury, John B. 1967. The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians. Edited by Fossey John C. Hearnshaw. New York: Norton.
Eugippius. 1965. Commemor
25. A Balkan Bust-Up
c. 460 to 479 CE
We welcome to the stage Theodoric, soon to be Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. In the process we catch up on the overwritten soap opera that was politics in Constantinople in the 470s. It’s a wild ride.
Webpage for this episode
Maps
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.o
26. Boldness Be My Friend
479 to 488
Rocky relations between Theodoric and Zeno lead to ups and downs for the Ostrogoths, along with many diversions and detours in their search for a stable home. Finally, an opportunity arises in Italy, and Theodoric moves boldly in the direction of one last gamble.
Maps for this episode.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Cre
27. The War for Italy
488 to 493
Theodoric leads his people to Italy, to make war on Odoacer and win for himself a permanent kingdom.
Transcript and Maps Here
Just Maps Here
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sources:
Heather, Peter J. The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Pope
28. Regnum Italiae
493 to about 505 CE
Theodoric's kingdom in Italy gets historians unreasonably excited. We'll explore how he ran it, how he turned himself from warband chief to beloved king, and how he worked to restore the glory of old.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Sou
29. Cass and Bo
We pause to take a look at two of the most famous subjects of Theodoric the Great.
Transcript for today's show.
Support the podcast here.
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
30. Friends & Neighbors
500 - 511 CE
Theodoric and Cassiodorus work to prevent war in Western Europe, while crafting an image of imperial majesty. In the end, it works out pretty well for the Ostrogoths.
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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 fr
31. Schism
484 to 519 CE
Divisions within the church have consequence for Theodoric's relationship with the Emperor.
Against my better judgment, this episode is mostly about religion. So, remember when I was talking about Boethius and I mentioned the Acacian Schism, and I said it was just too obscure to get into? Well guess what?
Transcript and more
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLe
32. Every Wave Must Break
511 to 526 CE
"Lying in a featherbed will not bring you fame, nor staying beneath the quilt, and he who uses up his life without achieving fame leaves no more vestige of himself on earth than smoke in the air or foam upon the water." --Dante
The last years of Theodoric's reign in Italy saw the erosion of confidence, and increasing internal strife, along with diplomatic reversals abroad.
Episode We
33. The Germanic Heroes
The legends and literature that came out of the Dark Ages are rich and stirring tales of heroism that have inspired both great art and terrible crimes. In this episode, I retell three stories from the many contained in the sagas and epics of Germany and Scandinavia.
Transcript
Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Incidental Music:
"Pippin the Hunchback" by Kevin MacLeod (ht
34. A Great Many Things
c. 400 to 486 CE
We review the sources for the reign of Clovis the First, and review the scenario in northern Gaul when he came to power.
Webpage for this episode
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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
35. Clovis a-Conquering
486 to 508
Clovis and his army carve a new thing, called France, out of old Roman Gaul.
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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
36. Consolidation and Conversion
493 (maybe?) to 511
We finish off the career of Clovis I, and then backtrack to talk about his conversion to Catholicism, and what it all meant.
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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
37. The Magical History Tour
490ish to 526
A whirlwind tour around Europe, checking in on what’s been going on in the years up to Theodoric’s death.
Webpage for this episode
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https://darkagespod.com/2023/07/11/2-14-consolidation-and-conversion/
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
38. Sons of the Vandal
476 to 533
The Vandal Kingdom has had its ups and its downs since the fall of the West. Four kings work to maintain Gaiseric’s legacy in the face of a hostile populace and a looming threat in the East.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.
39. Young Justinian
518 to 532
Justinian is probably the best-known “Byzantine” emperor to the general public. We’ll introduce the man and some of his circle, and explore some of the most important events at the beginning of his reign.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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40. The Vandal War
533
The first of Justinian’s wars in the West begins, as Belisarius leads an army to Africa. Early victory makes the war seem like a slam dunk, and Procopius is there to tell us all about it.
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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 f
41. Treasures of Carthage
September 533 - March 534
Things go from bad to worse for the Vandals in Africa.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Sound effects from freesound.com
42. Queen of the Goths
Queen of the Goths
526 to 535
The death of Theodoric brought his youngest daughter Amalasuintha to power, as regent to her son Athalaric. She was the first queen of a post Roman state to openly wield authority, and inherited a realm divided against itself. This episode tells her story.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under C
43. Theodahad’s Thirty Pigs
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.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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44. The Siege of Rome v1.0
November 536 to March 538
Belisarius continues moving up the Italian Peninsula, to bring his army to attack the greatest prize: Rome itself.
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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-m
45. Wives, Lovers, and the Worst Year Ever
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.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Comm
Bonus: Macarius and the Mare
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.
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Title Music:
"The Britons
46. The Fall of Italy
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.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kev
47. Roman Hispania
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
48. The Kingdom of the Suevi
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
49. Conquest and Crisis
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/
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50. Five Kings and Some Romans
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/
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Title Music:
"The Britons
51. Liuvigild and the Search for Unity
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
52. A Saintly Prince
A Saintly Prince
578 to 586 CE
Religious differences lead to rebellion and murder, as a Visigothic prince becomes a martyr for Catholicism… or does he?
Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/12/30/52-a-saintly-prince/
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://cr
53. Of Outstanding Goodness
Of Outstanding Goodness
586 to 601 CE
Reccared takes the throne and makes a momentous change. The Visigothic kingdom becomes unified under one religion and climbs to a new level of stability and security.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creati
54. Basque-ing in Glory
Basque-ing in Glory
4000 BCE to c. 700 CE
The Western Pyrenees are home to the Basques, a mysterious community who speaks a unique language, and who have been there … for as long as anyone can tell. In this episode we’ll explore their history up through the seventh century, and their relationship to the people who have come and gone around them.
Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/202
55. Kingdoms of Francia
c. 450 - c. 600
When Clovis, king of the Franks, died in 511, he passed on to his sons a huge territory, containing many millions of people. In this episode, we take a look at those people, how they made their livings, and how they organized society around them.
Links: www.instagram.com/darkagespod
https://www.museedestempsbarbares.fr/le-village-franc/
Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod
56. The Inheritance of Clovis
511-532
Out of the four sons of Clovis, not one of them was the type to stay at home, or to be content with what he had. In this episode, we’ll abandon chronological accuracy for the moment, to tell stories of each of these kings. Violence, mostly.
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod
57. The Life and Loves of Theudebert I
516 - 548
One of the strongest of the early Merovingians, Theudebert built a powerful kingdom while squabbling with his uncles and carrying on a complicated personal life.
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Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/04/16/57-the-life-and-loves-of-theudebert-i/
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod
58. Bishops' Gambits
c. 500 to 590
"Bishops move diagonally. That's why they often turn up where the kings don't expect them to be."
- Terry Pratchett, Small Gods
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Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/05/05/58-bishops-gambits/
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons
59. The Life and Lusts of Chlothar I
547-561
The two remaining Merovingian kings, Chlothar and Childebert, rule the now vast lands of the Franks, while warily eying each other. The question of inheritance hangs over everything, and one son decides to betray his father.
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Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/11/19/59-the-life-and-lusts-of-chlothar-the-first/
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60. Carry On, My Wayward Sons: The Heirs of Chlothar I
561 to c. 590
We take a look at the utterly baffling fraternal struggles as the descendants of Clovis continue to be unable to get along with each other or their neighbors.
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Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/11/18/60-carry-on-my-wayward-sons/
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Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech
61. Brunhilda Part 1: Queen Energy
567 to 577
Part one of life of Brunhilda, the Visigothic princess who was regent for three generations of Merovingian rulers.
Autochthonous : adj. Native to the place it is found, i.e. indigenous.
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Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/12/12/61-queen-energy/
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Logo Art by Jonas Lau Markussen @jonaslaumark
Bonus Episode: The Sandby Borg Massacre
480 CE
A pre-Christmas ghost story. Excavation of a fortification on a Swedish island reveals a spasm of violence that wiped out an entire settlement. The finds shed light on life in the fifth century, while the circumstances of its ending is a mystery.
Links: www.instagram.com/darkagespod
Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/12/22/the-sandby-borg-massacre/
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62. Brunhilda Part 2: Widow and Regent
577 to 587
Part two of Queen Brunhilda’s biography covers the conflict between her husband and his father and strife between the Queen and the nobles around her son. We also talk about her role sponsor of cultural activities, and how those had changed in the hundred years since the end of Empire.
Links: www.instagram.com/darkagespod
Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2025/12/31/epi
63. Brunhilda Part 3: Slay, Queen
584 to 612
Part three of a two-part series on the life and times of Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia sees the her emerge fully as a player in Frankish and European politics. Her influence is felt across three generations of leaders, though ultimately she comes to an unpleasant end.
Links: www.instagram.com/darkagespod
Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2026/01/27/63-slay-queen/
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64. Church and State
The process of fragmentation that followed the fall of the west affected the Church just as much as it did other parts of society, and there was a process of remaking. What emerged was not the behemoth we may imagine when we think of the medieval church, all under the control of the pope. All the bishops and priests recognized that they were brothers in the same family, they would have been horri
65. Church and People
90% of the population of Europe was made up of rural peasants. By the end of Roman rule in the West, only some of those peasants had been fully Christianized. This episode is about the efforts by the Church to spread its message to the peasantry, and how it changed in the process.
Links: www.instagram.com/darkagespod
Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2026/02/18/65-church-and-people
66. When the General's Away...
540 to 541
We return to Italy, where Belisarius had the Ostrogoths on the ropes… until he didn’t. Leadership failures on both sides result in a renewal of conflict and the appearance of a new power among the Ostrogoths.
There’s merch now: darkagespod-shop.fourthwall.com
Links: www.instagram.com/darkagespod
Webpage for this Episode: https://darkagespod.com/2026/03/06/66-when-the-generals-away/
Bu
67. Totila and the Ostrogothic Resurgence
542-543
In Belisarius’ absence, the Byzantine’s greed and incompetence create a space for the Ostrogoths to launch a comeback. Under their new leader, Totila, they enjoy stunning success in a series of battles and sieges that carries them to the walls of Naples, and all the way to the very southern corners of Italy.
There’s merch now: darkagespod-shop.fourthwall.com
Links: www.instagram.com/darka
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