Traditionally, the Middle Ages (which is easier to spell) is the time from the 5th century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. We could also pull it a little later into the birth of the Renaissance, and we might as well bookend this with the Mona Lisa.The space between the Nika Riots and the Mona Lisa is about 1000 years, and a lot happened.đ Early Medieval (c. 500â1000 CE)532 - The Nika Riots: In Constantinople, under Emperor Justinian, what starts as a sports riot turns into a full-blown class riot with many people being hacked to death in the hippodrome. Itâs a bloody start to this brutal time period.Ep 12 - Part 2: Ancient Sport Rivalries - The Nika Riots890 - Olga of Kiev Born: The future Saint Olga doesnât suffer foolsâor murderers. Sheâll go on to take spectacular revenge for her husband's death with fire, pit traps, and a touch of mass slaughter.Ep 129 - Mother of Sparrows: The Vengeance of Saint Olga of Kievđ° High Medieval (c. 1000â1300 CE)1066 - Battle of Hastings: William the Bastard becomes William the Conqueror by crushing the Anglo-Saxons. Spoiler: thereâs a lot of eye-stabbing and arrow-to-the-face action.Ep 39: "I'm Alive!": William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings1078 - Construction begins on The Tower of London (by William the Conqueror): Built by William to intimidate Londoners, the Tower goes on to be a prison, zoo, and execution site. Itâs the most iconic âdoomed to failâ Airbnb of all time.Ep 157: Beheading the Myths - The Tower of LondonLetâs pop in to talk about executions here! The racks, the spikes, the dungeons - imagine Robin Hood Prince of Thieves + The Princess Bride. Ep 154: Off With Their Heads! - Medieval ExecutionersđŻ Late Medieval (c. 1300â1500 CE)1343 - Geoffrey Chaucer Born: The father of English literature will write The Canterbury Tales, packed with horny nuns, fart jokes, and death. Middle English never sounded so messy.Ep 174: We're men, we're men in tights (Tight tights!) - Geoffrey Chaucer 1380 - Poggio Bracciolini Born: This book-hunting humanist saves ancient texts from oblivionâright before Europe burns them again. A hero of the Renaissance, with a side of spicy gossip.Ep 125 - Book Hunting in The Renaissance: Poggio Bracciolini1381 - Peasantsâ Revolt: Fed up with taxes and plague-era inequality, English peasants rise up and nearly overthrow the king. It ends, of course, with heads on pikes.Ep 172: What do you mean I can't wear drip? The Peasants' Revolt 1393 - A fiery mistake at the Ball: When the king of France and his friends dress up as âwild menâ with flammable costumes, one torch turns the party into a deadly inferno.
Traditionally, the Middle Ages (which is easier to spell) is the time from the 5th century to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. We could also pull it a little later into the birth of the Renaissance, and we might as well bookend this with the Mona Lisa.The space between the Nika Riots and the Mona Lisa is about 1000 years, and a lot happened.đ Early Medieval (c. 500â1000 CE)532 - The Nika Riots: In Constantinople, under Emperor Justinian, what starts as a sports riot turns into a full-blown c...