The Renaissance Times

Michelangelo gets summoned to Rome by Pope Julius II — the baddest, most belligerent pope who ever lived — to build the greatest tomb the world has ever seen. Mickey heads to Carrara for six months to find the perfect marble, starts dreaming of flooding Rome with giant statues, and then one of the most famous sculptures from antiquity gets dug out of the ground right in front of him. We also get into why Julius II absolutely despised the Borgias, and Cameron rocks his new Michael Caine glasses throughout. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post The Warrior Pope and the Marble Dreamer – The Renaissance #235 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this episode of The Renaissance Times, Cameron and Ray dive deep into Michelangelo’s three extraordinary marble and painted roundels — the tondos — created during his Florence years between 1501 and 1506. Beginning with the origins of the tondo format itself (those circular domestic artworks that started life as elaborately painted birth trays brought to mothers who’d survived childbirth), the hosts examine what makes Michelangelo’s approach so audaciously different from everyone else’s. In the Taddei Tondo, now housed in the Royal Academy of Arts in London, his signature *non finito* technique — deliberately leaving sections rough and unpolished — makes Baby Jesus emerge luminously from raw marble while John the Baptist lurks in the background in a pose that raises some eyebrows and a great deal of laughter. The Pitti Tondo, now in the Bargello in Florence, features a proud, regal Virgin Mary whose head breaks the boundary of the circle itself — a deliberate choice, since both works were designed to be viewed from below, above a doorway. Then comes the main event: the Doni Tondo, the only surviving panel painting by Michelangelo, which Ray declares — with complete sincerity — his single favourite painting in the world after encountering it unexpectedly in the Uffizi. Cameron breaks down Michelangelo’s use of *cangiante* colour technique — swapping to entirely different colours to create shading rather than using Da Vinci’s smoky *sfumato* — producing something that looks, as Cameron puts it, like it was lit by a social media ring light compared to the gentle atmospheric glow of the Mona Lisa. The hosts also dig into the painting’s contested symbolism: the pagan nudes lounging in the background, the possible Dominican theological argument about Mary’s sanctification at the moment of conception, and the conspicuous placement of Christ’s anatomy. Then there’s the business drama — when patron Agnolo Doni tried to pay 40 ducats instead of the agreed 70, Michelangelo doubled the price to 140 and told him to pay up or hand back the painting. Doni paid. It’s a pivotal moment: the artist as rockstar, commanding the room and rewriting the rules of patronage in Renaissance Florence. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post The Price Just Doubled: Michelangelo, the Doni Tondo, and the Birth of the Artist as Rockstar – The Renaissance #234 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this episode of The Renaissance Times (Episode 225), Cameron and Ray return to Florence to explore Michelangelo’s earliest surviving sculpture, Madonna of the Stairs (Madonna della Scala)—a marble relief carved when he was just fifteen. They marvel at his prodigious skill, discussing how this modest, unfinished piece already reveals his genius for depth, motion, and emotional complexity. Along the way, they detour through Florence’s real estate market of the 1500s (where a thirty-three-year-old Michelangelo was rich enough to buy five adjoining properties), laugh about Renaissance lifestyles, and draw irreverent but sharp connections between theology, symbolism, and art history—from cherubs in the Book of Ezekiel to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction speech. It’s a lively, funny, and deeply informed tour through the early stirrings of one of art’s great minds. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #225 – Teenage Michelangelo: The Buff Baby Jesus and the Marble Prodigy (Michelangelo, part 3) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this episode of Renaissance, Cameron and Ray continue their exploration of Michelangelo’s life and career, digging into the family connections, social structures, and cultural forces that shaped his rise. They trace Michelangelo’s privileged entry into the Medici circle, compare his fortunes to Leonardo da Vinci’s tougher climb, and dive into Florence’s vibrant humanist culture of the late 15th century. The conversation ranges from patronage networks and family loyalty, to the artistic apprenticeship system, to Michelangelo’s sexuality and celibacy, with plenty of irreverent humour along the way. From Giovanni Rucellai’s church facades to Medici palace gossip, this episode paints a vivid portrait of how power, privilege, and art collided in the making of one of history’s greatest geniuses . There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #224 – Privilege, Paint, and Patronage (Michelangelo, part 2) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Cameron and Ray dive into the life and legend of Michelangelo, kicking off what promises to be a long-running series on one of history’s most celebrated artists. Drawing on Vasari’s Lives of the Artists and contemporary sources, they explore Michelangelo’s early years, the mythology surrounding his divine protection, his family’s noble (and possibly invented) lineage, and the role of Florence in shaping his destiny. Along the way, they discuss Vasari’s glowing (and often revised) accounts, Michelangelo’s rockstar reputation, the tragic loss of his mother, and the cultural weight of his name. From divine breast milk to stepping in shit, this episode mixes history, irreverence, and insight in equal measure. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #223 – Mickey The Angel (Michelangelo part 1) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this final instalment of the First Crusade series, Cameron and Ray bring the long march to its bloody climax with the siege and fall of Jerusalem in 1099. They blend dark humour with historical detail as they recount the Crusaders’ desperate conditions, the political and religious fervour driving them, and the brutal reality of the conquest. Along the way, they explore the parallels between medieval crusading zeal and modern Christian Zionism, the strategic blunders and visions that shaped the battle, and the horrifying aftermath as the victorious Crusaders massacred Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. The episode closes by reflecting on how this slaughter reshaped Christian-Muslim relations for centuries and teeing up a return to Renaissance art in future episodes. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #222 Thank Christ: The End of the First Crusade (The Crusades part 31) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this penultimate episode of _The Renaissance_’s epic First Crusade arc, Cameron and Ray finally march the crusaders to the gates of Jerusalem — nearly three years and 2,000 miles after they first set off. Along the way, they tackle imperial betrayal, failed negotiations with the Fatimids, the crusaders’ worsening food and supply situation, and the final collapse of faith in the Holy Lance. As always, the boys riff on pop culture (Entourage, The Room, Seinfeld), personal memories (including a tragic Grand Canyon update), and theological absurdities — all while slowly, painfully dragging us through history like Raymond of Toulouse refusing to abandon a failed siege. Expect the usual mix of absurd humour, historical insight, and just enough blasphemy to keep things spicy. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #221 God Doesn’t Do Requests (The Crusades part 30) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this wild, irreverent, and historically sharp episode of _Renaissance_, Cam and Ray tear into the chaotic early months of 1099. As Raymond of Toulouse and the other Crusader leaders fumble their way down the Levantine coast, we get siege fails, castle bluffs, and political drama worthy of a reality TV series. Cam debuts his AI-generated theme song, shares the origin of Valentine’s Day (hint: it involves arrows — and not Cupid’s), and explains why Peter Bartholomew’s fiery trial didn’t end well for either his skin or Raymond’s reputation. Also: Trump analogies, cannibal jokes, Dexter cosplay, and a city that really doesn’t want you to finish first or last. Pure Renaissance chaos. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #220 Valentine’s Day: Blood, Not Roses (The Crusades part 29) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In Episode 219 of The Renaissance Times, Cameron and Ray are diving deep into the next leg of the First Crusade. They follow Raymond of Toulouse as he reluctantly resumes the crusade toward Jerusalem, dealing with infighting, cannibalism fatigue, and logistical nightmares. The episode paints a vivid picture of political fragmentation within the Muslim world at the time — from the Fatimids in Egypt under Al-Afdal to the squabbling Turkish emirs — and highlights the complex, cynical diplomacy that both sides employed. There’s history, yes, but also siege engines, geopolitical realpolitik, sex jokes, and a warning not to be the last guy holding the rope. The Crusaders inch closer to their holy goal, but not without betraying allies, pillaging sheep, and making questionable tactical decisions. As always, Cameron and Ray bring levity, wit, and brutal honesty to a bloody chapter of history. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #219 – Jerusalem or Bust (The Crusades part 28) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this darkly hilarious and horrifying episode, Cam and Ray dive deep into the Crusades—specifically the winter of 1098–1099—where starvation and power games took centre stage. The guys discuss Bohemond’s Machiavellian brilliance in manipulating both Muslims and fellow Crusaders, the siege of Ma’arrat al-Numan, and the desperate, documented acts of cannibalism that shocked even medieval chroniclers. Along the way, they ponder cannibalism’s evolutionary logic, debate its moral context, and detail the fine art of seasoning a human rump roast. There’s also an impromptu history of “giving head,” strategic gift-giving via severed Turkish skulls, and slippery slopes into tyranny and baby BBQs. It’s one of the wildest, funniest, and most unsettling episodes of the Renaissance Times yet. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #218- Eat the Rich (aka the Turkish Prisoners) (The Crusades part 27) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In this episode of _The Renaissance Times_, Cam and Ray dive into the chaos and absurdity that followed the siege of Antioch in 1098. With the Pope’s legate dead, the Crusader princes lose their spiritual leash and immediately devolve into power games, cowardice, and opportunistic violence. We’ve got pandemic panic (complete with medieval nobles doing the ol’ “every man for himself” routine), Christian cannibalism foreshadowing, mass death, military alliances with Muslim rebels, and the wild tale of a captured widow turned war bride—plus a crash course in medieval pigeon-post espionage. Oh, and someone tries to convert a mosque into a Catholic bishopric with the help of the _Orthodox_ bishop. It’s a mess. A bloody, bureaucratic, and occasionally hilarious mess. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #217- Christian Cannibals & Cowardly Crusaders (The Crusades part 26) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

By Christmas of 1097, the Crusaders continued to lay siege to Antioch but it has gone on so long they are running out of supplies. One out of every seven men was dying of hunger. Even a greater percentage of horses were also dying. Because Jesus loved them. Both sides continued to hope for the arrival of reinforcements to turn the tables.   There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES Transcript   100:00:02.080 –> 00:00:15.689Cameron Reilly: Welcome back to the Renaissance Times Podcast my name is Cameron Riley. With me in the Cold Chair in Virginia, is block of ice ray Harris. 200:00:16.059 –> 00:00:18.260Ray Harris: Iced tea. That’s that’s right. That’s right. 300:00:18.260 –> 00:00:21.069Ray Harris: I like that. It’s a pleasure to be here. Thank you. 400:00:21.590 –> 00:00:22.220Ray Harris: So. 500:00:22.220 –> 00:00:31.899Cameron Reilly: Talking about the siege of Antioch. This is Part 2 of the siege of Antioch during the 1st Crusade, late 1,097 beginning of 1,098. 600:00:32.330 –> 00:00:38.620Cameron Reilly: In our last episode we were talking about how the Crusaders had blockaded Antioch. 700:00:38.840 –> 00:00:40.969Cameron Reilly: Towards the end of 1,097. 800:00:41.540 –> 00:00:46.549Cameron Reilly: But they’re running out of supplies. They’re running out of food. It’s starting to get cold. 900:00:46.720 –> 00:00:56.629Cameron Reilly: They don’t have enough men. They don’t have the siege engines. They need to really take this amazing fortress of Antioch with 400 towers and huge wall. 1000:00:57.040 –> 00:01:00.529Cameron Reilly: Meanwhile Yogi Bear, the governor of. 1100:01:00.530 –> 00:01:01.340Ray Harris: And y’all. 1200:01:01.340 –> 00:01:04.819Cameron Reilly: Doesn’t have enough men to defend. It 1300:01:05.010 –> 00:01:13.859Cameron Reilly: also has to worry about his supply lines. So neither side are really attacking the other side. They’re both waiting for relief forces to arrive 1400:01:14.210 –> 00:01:24.230Cameron Reilly: and just trying to do the best they can to wait the other side out. Whoever gets the relief forces to arrive 1st are going to have an advantage. 1500:01:24.530 –> 00:01:24.859Ray Harris: The exact. 1600:01:24.860 –> 00:01:28.289Cameron Reilly: So that is where we are at. 1700:01:28.580 –> 00:01:50.520Ray Harris: Well again. I think it’s important to realize that the Crusaders they’ve been on a roll. They have just been kicking ass and taking names. They come up to Antioch, and they knew they knew it was going to be difficult. But now they are truly stymied. And you’re right. It’s all about supplies. They’re running low on food. They’re running low on faith, let’s be honest. Some of them are like, you know, it’s gone on our side. I don’t know if he is. 1800:01:50.580 –> 00:02:04.880Ray Harris: he’s a shit teammate. So the point is that they are really starting to struggle, and it’s getting cold, and I don’t know about you, but wearing armor in the cold. That kind of sucks, too. But the point is, it’s become a waiting game, and that you can. You can’t speed up outside events. 1900:02:05.170 –> 00:02:08.479Ray Harris: and their faith starts to weaken. 2000:02:10.130 –> 00:02:21.969Cameron Reilly: When they had 1st arrived outside of Antioch. There were plenty of sheep and cattle in the nearby plains. The granaries of the villages around the area still contained most of the supplies from the year’s harvest. 2100:02:22.130 –> 00:02:32.279Cameron Reilly: Despite the fact that Yogi bear in Antioch had been trying to get as much of that inside the walls as he could, but they had managed to feed well. The Crusaders. 2200:02:32.420 –> 00:02:32.840Ray Harris: To what? 2300:02:32.840 –> 00:02:37.970Cameron Reilly: They had neglected to put away supplies for the winter months. 2400:02:37.970 –> 00:02:38.830Ray Harris: Right. 2500:02:39.010 –> 00:02:49.140Cameron Reilly: Possibly an oversight, possibly thinking it’ll all be done in a week. They’re like George Bush when he was like, you know. 2600:02:49.390 –> 00:02:55.110Cameron Reilly: one and done in and out. 2 weeks mission accomplished, but it drags on. It starts. 2700:02:55.110 –> 00:02:55.450Ray Harris: I’ll jump. 2800:02:55.450 –> 00:02:56.530Cameron Reilly: Drag on. 2900:02:56.790 –> 00:03:13.529Cameron Reilly: Now they had to go foraging over an ever increasing area, which meant they were more likely to get off by the small Turkish sorties that were being

Kerbogha, the governor of Mosul, with a massive coalition army he’d built, on his way to relieve Antioch, paused to eliminate Baldwin in Edessa. One of his new allies was Ridwan of Aleppo, who relied heavily on the Shi’a ‘Order of Assassins’, led by Hassan-i Sabbah, to stay in power. And Sabbah was friends with the Persian polymath Omar Khayyam. So let’s go down some rabbit holes. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #208 – Omar Comin’ (The Crusades part 17) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

This episode finds the Crusaders marching through the Anatolian desert, doing deals with French pirates, selling their armour and watching pack animals sliding down wet mountain paths, until finally reaching the city/fortress of Tarsus – where they immediately turn on and kill each other, before eventually moving on towards Antioch. This was less a unified Christian army and more a coalition of competing interests, with each leader vying for their own piece of Muslim territory. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #204 – A Coalition of Competing Interests (The Crusades part 13) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

On his way to Constantinople, Bohemond attacked a village of Christian heretics, because having different opinions should not be tolerated. When he arrived at the Byzantine capital, he met with Alexios but didn’t trust his cooking. After he left, he was quickly followed by Count Raymond of Toulouse, who thought he should be in charge of the allied invasion and had a knack for building barricades… out of corpses. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #200 – Raw Meat (The Crusades part 9) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

The failure of the People’s Crusade didn’t stop the overall appetite in Europe for pillaging the Holy Land. They still had the Prince’s Crusade. A bunch of rich young men, their vassals and hired mercenaries set out to pillage Jerusalem and anything else appetising along the way. Even, perhaps Constantinople. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #197 – The Prince’s Crusade (The Crusades part 6) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

At the end of April in 1096, a priest by the name of Volkmar, a monk called Gottschalk, and an army from the Rhineland led by a Count Emich set off on the First Crusade with tens of thousands of soldiers and enthusiastic pilgrims… following a goose that had been inspired by God… and a holy goat. Their first order of business was to kill as many Jews as possible. Why? Because something something Jesus. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post Renaissance #195 – The Holy Goose and the Holy Goat (The Crusades part 4) appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Our guest today, Toby Lester, has worked as a refugee affairs officer for the United Nations, helped with programmes in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, undertaken Peace Corps work in Yemen. He has written also extensively for national publications, including the Smithsonian, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, The American Scholar, The Wilson Quarterly, BBC Magazine, and the London Times. He also worked at The Atlantic in a variety of editorial capacities: including as the managing editor. Today he serves part-time as a senior editor for Harvard Business Review and edits books for writers, but he is himself a writer of two wonderful history books, The Fourth Part of the World (2009) and Da Vinci’s Ghost (2011) which is about Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post #138 – Toby Lester, Da Vinci’s Ghost – Leonardo da Vinci Part 27 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Taking a short break from Leonardo, our guest today is Julia Charity, an official Vatican tour guide! Julia, who originally hails from the UK, tells us how she ended up as a Vatican tour guide and about some of her favourite art on display in the Pope’s fortress, including “The Last Judgment” by Michelangelo, the “Transfiguration” by her “Renaissance husband”, Raphael, and the Borgia Apartments. If you want to book a Vatican tour with Julia, you can email here at theacharity[at]gmail.com. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post #136 – Julia & The Vatican appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Curtis Wong has had an incredible career. He has produced critically acclaimed educational CD-ROMs at Corbis and the Voyager Co., as well as the definitive editions of feature films for the Criterion Collection. He ran the Content Group at Intel, and was granted many patents at Microsoft Research. Today he joins us to tell some stories from his career, including his groundbreaking work with Bill Gates to produce the digital version of Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester. The post #120 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 13 – Curtis Wong appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

We chat with one of the world’s leading authorities on Leonardo da Vinci – Matthew Landrus from Oxford University, author of Leonardo da Vinci’s Giant Crossbow.   The post #118 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 11 – Matthew Landrus appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

If you’re wondering “where are rest of the episodes?”, they are on our website as part of our membership program. The post Where are rest of the episodes? appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

“Extraordinary power … conjoined with remarkable facility, a mind of regal boldness and magnanimous daring.” That’s how Vasari described Leonardo da Vinci. But how much do we really know about the world’s most famous artist? And how much of what we think we know is myth? The post #108 – Leonardo da Vinci Part 1 – A Complete Bastard appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

With Charles out of the picture, Piero de Medici figures it’s time to return to Florence. He marched into Tuscany with a force of four hundred lancers, light cavalry, and foot soldiers. Unfortunately, nobody shows up to welcome him and he went back into exile. But his attempt to return sets off a series of political assassinations in Florence, supported by Savonarola. Civil tensions increase until a Franciscan friar challenges Savonarola to trial by fire. When this doesn’t work out as planned, the people are furious and Savonarola gets thrown into prison.   The post #105 – Savonarola Part 12 – Trial By Fire appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Savonarola’s predictions that God was going to punish the Florentines seem to be coming true when, in 1494, King Charles VIII of France invades Italy to take control of Naples. On his way south, he also threatens to attack Florence. When Piero de Medici tries to negotiate a settlement, it’s a complete failure. So the Signoria send Savonarola to meet with the king instead.   The post #99 – Savonarola Part 6 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In 1492, Lorenzo The Magnificent died. His heir was his eldest son, 20 year old Piero de’ Medici, a useless turd. The Pope died soon afterwards and was replaced by the corrupt Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI. Savonarola proclaimed that the “Sword of the Lord” would soon descend upon Florence to punish it for its wicked ways. In this case, the sword would soon be carried another 20 year old ruler – King Charles VIII of France.   The post #98 – Savonarola Part 5 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

After Lorenzo de Medici’s death in 1492, Botticelli gave up painting, abandoned his humanist studies, and became a hardcore fundamentalist Christian. As did a lot of Florentines. The reason? They all fell under the spell of the original fire and brimstone preacher. He wasn’t rich. He didn’t have an army. He wasn’t of the nobility. He wasn’t sent by the pope. In fact, the Pope hated him. But he managed to do what so many rich men with armies had failed to do for decades. He overturned the government of Florence, kicked out the Medici family, and took control of the city. And… to top it off, he was a precursor of the Reformation. He is famous for the Bonfire Of The Vanities. His name was Girolamo SAVONAROLA.     The post #94 – Savonarola Part 1 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

During Lorenzo de Medici’s life, no fewer than three of the outstanding artists of the Renaissance are thought to have spent at least a brief formative period of their early lives in the Palazzo Medici: Leonardo and Michelangelo and the one we’re going to talk about for the next few episodes – the great Sandro Botticelli. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post #89 – Sandro Botticelli appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

When the Inquisition came to your town, they would grant you 30 days to confess to being a heretic. This was known as the “Edicts Of Grace”. If you confessed, you might get a hefty fine, but at least you wouldn’t end up in prison or burned at the stake. Of course, many conversos decided it was the smart move to confess – whether they actually were a crytpo-Jew or not. The post #86 – Edicts Of Grace appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

On this episode we discuss the artist Poliziano, who popularised the new sophistication and learning expected of a gentleman; Mirandola, who at age 23 decided to debate the entire world; and the magnificent breasts of Simonetta Vespucci. The post #81 – Introducing The Gentleman appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Early in his rule, Lorenzo de’ Medici cracked down on the town of Volterra, resulting in rampage, murdering, looting and raping. Meanwhile, in Milan, on the day after Christmas 1476, Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, was stabbed by three noblemen as he entered church. And Larry upsets Pope Sixtus IV over a loan request, which leads to an assassination attempt in 1478 on both Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano, also while attending church. It’s known as The Pazzi Conspiracy. There's something secret here that only members can see. Probably an audio player or something. If you want to listen to one of our many free episodes, go here. FREE EPISODES The post #78 – The Pazzi Conspiracy appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Lorenzo de’ Medici throws himself a jousting tournament to take Florence’s minds off the fact he’s marrying a Roman girl. The ‘Queen of the Tournament’ was Lucrezia Donati, a Florentine hottie who Lorenzo was writing love poetry about, even thought she was married to someone else. His bride, Clarice Orsini, arrived in Florence a while later, and they were married just before Piero died. The marriage wasn’t altogether happy, but at least they did produce Pope Leo X. But then the troubles started. Florence’s enemies, many of them exiled by Lorenzo’s father and grandfather, think they can take this 20 year old kid. They are in for a surprise. The post #77 – The Marriage Of Lorenzo appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

It’s been a while since we have caught up with Cosimo de Medici. Four years after his return to Florence in 1434, he secured a huge opportunity for Florence, that would have far reaching effects on the Renaissance – hosting the Ecumenical Council between the East and West churches. This saw a contingent of 700 Greek scholars and theologians come to Florence for an extended stay. They brought with them knowledge and documents that would change Florence forever. The post #71 – The Greek Invasion appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In 1453, when the Turks took Constantinople, Pope Nicky 5 wanted a crusade and authorized the sale of letters of indulgence—religious documents that released the buyers from penalties for their sins. And guess who printed them? Then he finally got around to working on his masterpiece and the book he is most remembered for – the “42-line Bible,” aka the Gutenberg Bible. But just before the printing of the bibles was finished, his investor, Fust, took him to court and sued him for overdue repayment of the investment. And Gutenberg was ruined. He eventually recovered and printed an even more complicated work – The Catholicon, a Latin grammar and a very detailed dictionary. But the, in the early 1460s, an outright war between two contenders for the seat of archbishop of Mainz got in the way. And Gutenberg was ruined yet again. He died in 1468, his contributions to printing pretty much forgotten. The post #70 – Gutenberg Part 6 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Commercial opportunities for a printing press went beyond books. One of those was the Fall of Constantinople. In 1453, the Ottoman Empire lead by 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II defeated the army of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine Emperor. To tell this story we also need to talk about The Great Schism, how and why Christianity split into east and west camps. Because there’s nothing Jesus loves more than a little bit of Christian on Christian violence. The post #69 – Gutenberg Part 5 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Hand carving a piece of metal type for a printing press would take a skilled craftsman an entire day. Just setting one page of the Bible would take 2600 pieces of type. So Gutenberg needed to come up with an efficient way to manufacture type – which is a lot harder than it sounds. He also needed to invent the printing press. On this episode we go through how he did those things – and then talk about how it was all ripped out from underneath him, just as he was about to have his big victory. The post #68 – Gutenberg Part 4 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

One of Gutenberg’s partners died, and the guy’s brothers wanted in on the secret project. Gutenberg refused, so they took him to court. Then in 1444, Gutenberg left Strasbourg and went… where? We don’t know. He disappeared for three years. Some interesting conspiracy theories about where he might have gone. We also talk about the people who invented movable type before Gutenberg… the CHINESE! CHINA CHINA CHINA! The post #67 – Gutenberg Part 3 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In 1428, Gutenberg moved to Strasbourg where he would live for the next 20 years. It was there that he had his first big business venture—making holy healing ray containment devices. He brought on investors who later became suspicious that he was holding out on them. He had a secret project that he was working on. And they wanted in. The post #66 – Gutenberg Part 2 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Today we begin a series about the man without whom our podcasts would not exist because there would be no books. And you know we get all of our knowledge from books. The man who invented movable type and the printing press (or did he?). Johannes Gutenberg. The post #65 – Gutenberg Part 1 appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Born 1401 as Tommaso di Ser Giovanni di Simone, “Masaccio” (his nickname) was regarded as the first great Italian painter of the Quattrocento period of the Italian Renaissance. According to Vasari, he was the best painter of his generation. The first painter in the Renaissance who really understood linear perspective. He died age only 26, in 1428. “Masaccio,” said Leonardo da Vinci, “showed by perfect works that those who are led by any guide except Nature, the supreme mistress, are consumed in sterile toil.” His masterpiece was the Holy Trinity fresco in the Santa Maria Novella in Florence. The post #64 – Masaccio appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Born Guido di Pietro but known to us as Fra Angelico which means the “Angelic friar”. Despite his early talent for painting, at age 12 he entered the Dominican order and spent the rest of his life in convents, painting their walls. Admired by Cosimo de Medici and extremely influential to the early Renaissance artists, he was one of the first to start to incorporate linear perspective. We also talk about Pope Nicholas V, the first humanist Pope. Born into relative poverty, he spent most of his adult life in Florence as an assistant to an Archbishop and a Pope, while hanging around with the humanists, until his surprise election to the top job. He decided to Make Rome Great Again, by bringing as many of the top scribes, translators, architects, painters and sculptors to work for him as he could ge this hands on – including Fra Angelico and Leon Battista Alberti. He’s also the guy who created the vision for the modern Vatican Palace and the Vatican Library. The post #63 – Fra Angelico & Pope Nicholas V appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

The first written work of art theory, produced during the Renaissance was “De Pictura”, or “On Painting”, written in 1435 by Leon Battista Alberti but not published until 1450, in which he explained the science behind linear perspective. He was a humanist author, artist, architect, poet, priest, linguist, philosopher, mathematician and cryptographer. He also wrote the first autobiography since St Augustine. A true polymath and the first Renaissance Man, who inspired every Renaissance artist who followed him. The post #62 The First Renaissance Man appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

After returning to Rome to work for the Vatican, Poggio Bracciolini starting making some serious money of his own. Enough to get married and buy a big house. He served as chancellor of Florence for five years. After he died, Lucretius kept working its magic on the people of Europe. Forty years later, the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola ruled Florence for several years as a strict “Christian republic” and tried to ban the book. And he wasn’t the last Christian to try to have it banned or at least scorned. But it kept influencing people. On the London stage in the mid-1590s, Mercutio teased Romeo with a fantastical description of Queen Mab: She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate stone On the forefinger of an alderman, Drawn with a team of little atomi Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep . . . (Romeo and Juliet, I.iv.55–59) The post #61 That New Car Smell appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

In 1419, a couple of years after he lost his papal secretary job and discovered Lucretius, Poggio did what everyone does when they are shit out luck and scraping the bottom of the barrel. He moved to England. He accepted the post of secretary to Henry Beaufort, bishop of Winchester and uncle of Henry V. Poggio hoped to find some intelligent life in England and maybe a valuable ancient manuscript. He was disappointed on both counts. So in 1422 he returned to work for the Vatican again, or, as he liked to call it, “The Lie Factory”. Meanwhile he kept trying to get Nicky to send him a copy of Lucretius so he could read it. Once back in Rome, he starts to make money – and illegitimate children. LOTS of illegitimate children. The post #60 The Lie Factory appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Nicky the Nickster was one of the most influential people in Florence in the early 1400s. He was the unofficial minister of culture and probably the guy who influenced Cosimo de Medici to support the humanists and artists. Obsessed with antiquity, he spent his entire family fortune on buying ancient manuscripts, sculptures and other artefacts. He was also a master of Latin and quite the dilettante. When he died, he had built the largest private library of ancient books in Italy. Early German printers used his cursive handwriting as the basis for italic typesetting. The post #59 Niccolo de Niccoli appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

When Christians banned other religions and philosophies in the late 4th century, Plato and Aristotle, pagans who believed in the immortality of the soul, could ultimately be accommodated by Christianity; but Epicureanism could not. The Epicureans believed life was about seeking pleasure and, if there was pain, it would end with death. Christians, on the other hand, thought life should be difficult, pleasure was evil, and pain could last for eternity. Therefore they had to wipe out all memory of the Epicureans and change the meaning of the term into someone who is a glutton. Here’s a short clip from the show: The post #58 How The Christians Wiped Out Epicureanism appeared first on The Renaissance Times.

Let’s get deep into some Lucretius, the Roman Epicurean philosopher poet. Today I want to read from “On the Nature of Things”. * As our Alexander listeners will know, Epicurus was an ancient Greek philosopher * 341–270 BCE * established his own school, known as “the Garden”, in Athens around 300 BCE * In the period after Alexander died * Epicurus and his followers were known for eating simple meals and discussing a wide range of philosophical subjects, and he openly allowed women to join the school as a matter of policy. * An extremely prolific writer, he is said to have originally written over 300 works on various subjects, but the vast majority of these writings have been lost. * Only three letters written by him and two collections of quotes have survived intact, along with a few fragments and quotations of his other writings. * Most knowledge of his teachings comes from later authors, particularly the Roman poet Lucretius, the biographer Diogenes Laërtius, Dickero, and the philosophers Philodemus and Sextus Empiricus. * For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia—peace and freedom from fear— and aponia—the absence of pain— and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. * He taught that the root of all human neurosis is death denial, and the tendency for human beings to assume that death will be horrific and painful, which he claimed causes unnecessary anxiety, selfish self-protective behaviors, and hypocrisy. * According to Epicurus, death is the end of both the body and the soul and therefore should not be feared. * Likewise, Epicurus taught that the gods, though they do exist, have no involvement in human affairs and do not punish or reward people for their actions. * Like Aristotle, Epicurus was an empiricist, meaning he believed that the senses are the only reliable source of knowledge about the world. * He derived much of his physics and cosmology from the earlier philosopher Democritus (c. * 460–c.370 BC). * Like Democritus, (c. 460 – c. 370 BC), Epicurus taught that the universe is infinite and eternal and that all matter is made up of extremely tiny, invisible particles known as atoms. * All occurrences in the natural world are ultimately the result of atoms moving and interacting in empty space. * Epicurus deviated from Democritus in his teaching of atomic “swerve”, which holds that atoms may deviate from their expected course, thus permitting humans to possess free will in an otherwise deterministic universe. * Epicureanism reached the height of its popularity during the late years of the Roman Republic, before declining as the rival school of Stoicism grew in popularity at its expense. * It finally died out in late antiquity in the wake of early Christianity. * Epicurus himself was popularly, though inaccurately, remembered throughout the Middle Ages as a patron of drunkards, whoremongers, and gluttons. * Democritus himself was supposedly a student of Leucippus (5th cent. BCE) who was the earliest Greek to develop the theory of atomism * Although there’s some doubt as to whether or not Leucippus actually existed * So – Lucretius didn’t invent atomism * But he articulated it beautifully in poetry * And I want to read some of it * * He starts off the book with a fairly traditional ode to the goddess Venus: * Mother of Aeneas’ sons, joy of men and gods, * nourishing Venus, who beneath the stars * that glide across the sky, crams full of life * ship-bearing seas and fruitful lands—through you * are conceived all families of living things * which rise up to gaze upon the splendour * of sunlight, and when you approach, goddess, * winds and sky clouds scurry off; for your sake, * artful earth puts forth sweet flowers; for you, * smooth seas smile, calm sky pours glittering light, * and once day’s face reveals the spring, winds blow * freely from the west, bringing fertility, * and air-born birds whose heart your power strikes * give first signs of you, goddess, and your approach. * But before long he he starts talking about gods and religion and how miserable people are, trying to work out what the gods want from them. * And then he gets into how to rid ourselves of superstition by using reason. * And so this terror, this darkness of mind, * must be dispelled, not by rays from the sun * or bright shafts of daylight, but by reason * and the face of nature. And we will start * to weave her first principle as follows: * nothing is ever brought forth by the gods * from nothing. That is, of course, how, through fear, * all mortal men are held in check—they view * many things done on earth and in the sky, * effects whose causes they cannot see at all, * and so they assume that such things happen * because of gods. Hence, once we understand * that nothing can be produced from nothing, * then we shall more accurately follow * what we are looking for, how everything * can be created and all wo