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

Jonathon LaRosa
  • 4.0 (4)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Middle Ages—a time often dismissed, yet it is the crucible where the foundations of our modern world were forged. This era, full of brutal power struggles, explosive change, and unexpected alliances, laid the borders, cultures, and traditions we live by today. Through relentless research and gripping storytelling, this podcast resurrects the forgotten world of our medieval ancestors, unraveling the tangled web spanning innumerable stories. The modern world was never born in isolation—it was fought for, built, and connected across continents. Buy Me A Coffee: coff.ee/FWPodcast

  1. 205: Antioch & the Winter in Hell

    FEB 9

    205: Antioch & the Winter in Hell

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 205: Antioch & the Winter in Hell Winter descends on Antioch like a verdict. Starvation, disease, and desertion hollow out the Crusader camps while Ridwan of Aleppo and Duqaq of Damascus circle like patient predators, turning every foraging run into a blood tax. This episode lives in the season where faith freezes, hope thins, and survival becomes the only prayer still answerable. 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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    33 min
  2. 204: Antioch & the Edge of Damnation

    FEB 2

    204: Antioch & the Edge of Damnation

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 204: Antioch & the Edge of Damnation The Crusaders reach Antioch in October of 1097 and begin the uneasy work of surrounding one of the greatest fortified cities in the eastern Mediterranean, probing its roads, rivers, and defenses to see where it might break. Over the ensuing weeks, camps harden into positions, violence escalates on both sides, and the siege takes on a darker, more personal character as Antioch and its attackers lock eyes and wait. 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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    43 min
  3. 203: Before the Walls of Antioch

    JAN 26

    203: Before the Walls of Antioch

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 203: Before the Walls of Antioch What was Alexios and the Romans doing while the main army swept through Cilicia and the Taurus Mountains? This beef forming between Tancred and Baldwin…is it going to boil over or fizzle away? How is the main army doing as they approach the mighty walls of Antioch? Hey, where’s Baldwin go–? Can someone see what Baldwin’s up to now? Every ball is in the air at this point in the First Crusade. 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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    36 min
  4. 202: Routes & Ruptures

    JAN 19

    202: Routes & Ruptures

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 202: Routes & Ruptures Steel meets panic at Dorylaeum in 1097, where the Crusade nearly collapses before clawing its way back from annihilation. From that chaos, Tancred and Baldwin peel off and barrel into Cilicia, turning the march southeast into a ruthless side-quest of ambition, betrayal, and opportunistic warfare. This episode follows the moment the holy army stops pretending it’s unified and starts revealing the knives behind the vows. 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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    49 min
  5. 201: The Secret Drama of Treachery

    JAN 5

    201: The Secret Drama of Treachery

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 201: The Secret Drama of Treachery Nicaea. May – June, 1097. Anna Komnene writes about “the secret drama of treachery,” a hint as to how this formidable Seljuk capital of the new Sultanate of Rum would return to Roman hands. Would it fall by Western efforts…or by some other way? It’s a fascinating story about the opening salvos of the First Crusade, showcasing Western cooperation, Seljuk ferocity, and Byzantine statecraft. 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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    51 min
  6. 200: God's Mercs, Pt2

    12/29/2025

    200: God's Mercs, Pt2

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 200: God’s Mercs, Pt. 2 Last time, we introduced (or reintroduced) ourselves to Hugh of Vermandois, Godfrey of Bouillon, Baldwin of Boulogne, and, of course, the incomparable Bohemond and his lightning bolt of a nephew, Tancred. This time, we round out these introductions and end right at the beginning, the moment these armies meet and cross the Bosporus.  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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    54 min
  7. 199: God's Mercs, Pt1

    12/29/2025

    199: God's Mercs, Pt1

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 199: God’s Mercs, Pt. 1 On this episode, we begin a two-parter laying out the principle leaders of the First Crusade. Who were they? What were their stories? What connections did they share? I can’t wait to unpack this part of the series.  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!  Social Media:YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    47 min
  8. 198: Poor People's Crusade

    12/01/2025

    198: Poor People's Crusade

    SEASON 8: The First Crusade EPISODE 198: Poor People’s Crusade A tidal wave of zealots, doomsday preachers, and broke knights surges across Europe in the so-called Poor People’s Crusade—burning bright, burning fast, and mostly burning down. From Emicho’s disastrous rampage along the Rhine to the ragged march of Walter Sans Avoir straight into the jaws of Kilij Arslan at Civetot, this is the First Crusade’s explosive prologue. A movement born in frenzy ends in annihilation, leaving a smoking warning flare for the armies yet to come.  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!  Social Media: YouTube: Fortune’s Wheel Podcast Meta: https://www.facebook.com/fortunes.wheel.3  X: https://twitter.com/WheelPodcast Buy Me A Coffee!

    44 min
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About

The Middle Ages—a time often dismissed, yet it is the crucible where the foundations of our modern world were forged. This era, full of brutal power struggles, explosive change, and unexpected alliances, laid the borders, cultures, and traditions we live by today. Through relentless research and gripping storytelling, this podcast resurrects the forgotten world of our medieval ancestors, unraveling the tangled web spanning innumerable stories. The modern world was never born in isolation—it was fought for, built, and connected across continents. Buy Me A Coffee: coff.ee/FWPodcast

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