Byzantine chronicler Niketas Choniates tells a lurid tale of the chaos that engulfed the Empire between 1180 and 1185 -- the crucial period when the Venetian hostages were finally released. It's an extraordinary story, and it's hugely important as background for what the Venetians are going to do next. In a break from our normal format, we did this one as a chat rather than a fully scripted episode. So please sit back and relax with us as we try to navigate our way through the turmoil of Constantinople in the 1180s. It's going to be a wild ride. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

A few episodes ago, we left thousands of Venetians languishing in makeshift Byzantine prisons. As the fires of history burned their way through the 1170s, those hostages could have been forgiven for feeling increasingly forgotten. Slowly but surely, though, Venice was working on ways to bring them home. In the end, after a seemingly interminable decade, the solution would come from the unlikely source of a mad Emperor, and an Empire that turns inwards and eats itself. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Approaching his 21st birthday, Casanova's fortunes are in the gutter, and his behaviour is in the sewer. After one criminal escapade too many he's lucky to still be a free man, and he needs to reform his behaviour quickly. Just a few weeks later, a chance encounter and an act of ordinary kindness prove to be the biggest turning point of his life.  Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Estate from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

After Barbarossa’s defeat against the army of the Lombard League in May 1176, the search was on for a suitable location to hold peace talks between the Emperor and the Pope. And in 1177, Venice ended up being the host for this defining moment in Italian history. A century and a half later, though, the city’s chroniclers decided to embellish the story to that point that it was almost unrecognisable. We look at the truth and the fiction behind the legends of the Peace of Venice. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We're a few days late with our regular episode this week due to illness, but we needed to tell you about the Intelligent Speech conference, where we'll be joining a whole host of other history podcasters on Saturday 28 February 2026.  There's an Early Bird Discount on tickets right now, but it ends soon, so if you'd like to join us online for a chat about all things Venice, head to intelligentspeechonline.com for a ticket, and use the discount code VENICE at the checkout for an extra 10% off. We'll be back on track in a few days with our regularly scheduled episodes.

Our crossover trilogy concludes with the story of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's Italian campaign of 1174-76. Once more, we are joined by our podcasting friends Mike (A History of Italy) and Dirk (History of the Germans) to explain how the Emperor took offence at the name of a new city and ended up in a fight for his life. The conclusion of the story will have huge implications for Venice and for European history in general. More information about History of the Germans available here: History of the Germans Podcast • German History Podcast More information about A History of Italy available here: A History of Italy – A podcast on the history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present You can Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

In the second of our Barbarossa 3-parter, we're joined again by Mike (A History of Italy) and Dirk (History of the Germans). By the end of the 1150s, the plans of Western Emperor Frederick Barbarossa appear to be working perfectly. But within a few years, discontent is growing. Venice can't avoid getting involved when her territory is attacked from multiple directions. By the mid-1160s she is starting to finance the anti-imperial efforts of a growing number of Italian cities. There's danger around every corner, not least in the new Venetian tradition of chasing bulls and pigs around the city, which derives from one of the events in today's story. The stage is set for a climactic showdown, which will determine the fate of Barbarossa's imperial ambitions and Venice's relationship with her nearby commercial markets.  More information about History of the Germans available here: History of the Germans Podcast • German History Podcast More information about A History of Italy available here: A History of Italy – A podcast on the history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present You can Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We've been focused on Venice's explosive relations with Constantinople recently, but the situation on her doorstep in Italy is just as dramatic. So this week, we turn our focus to the new Western Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. Our podcasting friends Mike (A History of Italy) and Dirk (History of the Germans) guide us through the first of three-part special, which will culminate in the momentous battle of Legnano. This week we look at the background of Barbarossa's first two Italian trips and his grand imperial ambitions. More information about History of the Germans available here: History of the Germans Podcast • German History Podcast More information about A History of Italy available here: A History of Italy – A podcast on the history of the Italian peninsula from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the present You can Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Thousands of ordinary Venetian merchants have suddenly been imprisoned and bankrupted by the Byzantine Emperor. The city’s leaders need to act quickly and decisively. Within months, a new fleet has been built and is sailing down the Adriatic, ready to confront Manuel Comnenos, just as a previous fleet had bullied his father into submission almost 50 years earlier. But will history repeat itself? Or are there more disasters in store for the Venetians? And what does all of that have to do with a strangely anomalous modernist hotel right at the heart of the city’s historic waterfront? Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Relations between Venice and Constantinople are getting tense, even as commercial activity is booming. With Emperor Manuel’s universalist ambitions showing no signs of abating, and the equally acquisitive Frederick Barbarossa on their doorstep to the west, the Venetians have a difficult path to tread. And then, on St Gregory’s Day 1171, Manuel takes a dramatic step that ensures that things will never be the same again. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We're wandering down a few dark Venetian alleyways this week, in search of some ghost stories to celebrate Halloween. And one of them allegedly features the spirit of one of the presenters' favourite historical characters, Giordano Bruno. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is from Vivaldi’s Gloria, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Church schisms, imperial schisms, neighbours illegally trying to divert rivers into your lagoon, other neighbours asking for help out of the blue ... as the 12th century heads towards its mid-point, Venice has a lot going on around her. And that's before her Archbishop goes rogue and the Normans seize Corfu. Again. And if that isn't enough for you, we've also got a guest appearance by a distant ancestor of a Shakespearean hero. Find out more as Doxe Pietro Polani realises that he's got 99 problems but a Bishop ain't ... no, 100. He's got 100 problems. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

This week we’re looking at how all the political shenanigans affected regular Venetian merchants. What were they buying and selling, where were they doing all this general “business”, and how did the rising merchant class affect the city’s political structures? From cashing cheques to imposing checks on political power; from weighing goods on balance scales to creating balance between different family factions at home – every aspect of Venetian life was in some way affected by both checks and balances.  Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

In 1124, the Venetians were the heroes of the crusading movement. They’d destroyed the Saracen fleet and captured one of the two remaining Muslim ports in the area. But this fleet always had a second target in mind, and Domenico Michiel was determined to show the Byzantines why it had been a mistake to end their Special Relationship. Venice isn’t just Constantinople’s junior partner, to be discarded at will. She’s playing in the big leagues now and she can take on anyone. Also, obviously, the Venetians are going to steal a few more Holy Bones while they’re in the area, because that’s just their Thing. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

With a new Doxe in Venice and a new Emperor in Constantinople, it’s all change in 1118. As the two friends and allies struggle to redefine their relationship and the Byzantines start saying that they were never really exclusive and they’d like to start seeing other people, the Venetians bet the house on a naval expedition that could bankrupt the city if it goes wrong, but could drive even more prosperity to the lagoon if it goes right. This week we find out what happens when the Doxe becomes a crusader. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We conclude our investigation into the life of historian Anna Comnena. This week, we look at what The Alexiad is like as a book of history, and we discuss her alleged plot to overthrow her brother and take the crown for herself. Did that really happen, or is it pure slander? Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

We’ve quoted at length from The Alexiad in the past few narrative episodes. But who was its author, Anna Comnena, and how did she come to write this 500-page history? We look into the life of this extraordinarily talented polymath to understand more about the background to one of the most important contemporary historical sources for the era that we’ve recently been talking about. And we look at some of the obstacles that she faced as a woman working in a world that was dominated by men. The book by Professor Leonora Neville that we mention during these episodes is "Anna Komnene: The life and work of a medieval historian", first published in 2016. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Inverno from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

It's our first Podcast Anniversary, so we tried summarising the past year's worth of content in three minutes and then chatted about our favourite stories so far and what we're looking forward to most in the future of the show. Also, Simon was confused about how Venice's (arguably) most famous son became a swimming pool game in the US. What is that all about, anyway? Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org  

We’re back with Casanova this week, as he finishes his teenage years and reaches his early 20s. For this mercurial young man, every risk is an opportunity, and every opportunity is a chance to make a complete mess of things. Within two years, he has screwed up two potential careers, lost a couple of small fortunes, and ended up right back where he started. Find out how as we follow his life and get beneath the legend. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is “Estate” (Summer) from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org

Ordelaf Faledro is an unusual name, whether you're reading it forwards or backwards. He was Doxe of Venice for about 16 years in the early 1100s, when the city suffered a series of devastating natural disasters. With neighbours looking to exploit this moment of weakness, the city had to get back on its feet quickly. This week we look at how they managed. Email us at histvenicepod@gmail.com, or find us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org