Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World

iHeartPodcasts

4.5 (56)
HISTORY
UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Explore some of the most powerful ideas, tensions, and political struggles that shaped the modern world.

05/11/2023

Founding Son: Episode 6 - The Last of Earth

John Quincy Adams finally defeats the Gag rule, but his feud with Andrew Jackson lasts until the bitter end. And Congressman Abraham Lincoln witnesses from the House floor the dramatic final hours of Adams' life. Founding Son is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and School of Humans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

34 min
05/02/2023

Revolts, Religious Chaos, and A New World

As the end of The Middle Ages nears, peasants revolt after being blamed for the Black Death, and the Catholic Church endures a wave of turmoil. But Chris points out moments of hope as the world opens up for exploration. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
05/02/2023

Black Death

The Black Death was a medical catastrophe, with the majority of deaths occurring in children under 16. It took 300 years for the population to recover. But the plague also impacted social, economic, political, and religious aspects of life. Chris explains how the Black Death struck an already weakened society and the extreme measures some took to try to end it. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
04/25/2023

The Crusades

Jerusalem is a critical pilgrimage site and scholarly center, especially during the Middle Ages. Chris explains why it’s holy land for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and he chronicles the several crusades during these years. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
04/25/2023

Knights And Legends

Chris dives into some of the most popular topics from this era, including the rules of engagement for knights, the castle-building economy, chivalry, and the legend of King Arthur. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
04/18/2023

Spiritual Awakening

In the 12th century, there was an intellectual revolution that included a pursuit of questions, an evangelical awakening, and the church decrying the dangers of heresy. Chris explains this pivotal time of the Renaissance and what led to the Spanish Inquisition. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
04/18/2023

Medieval Nation-Building

Chris gives a status update on France, England, Germany, and Spain during this critical Medieval period. He talks about why the King of France is above the law and how the Magna Carta relates to modern-day due process. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min
04/11/2023

Emperors vs. Popes

Chris explores the period of Gregorian popes, or papal monarchs. This is when several popes took on emperors in the battle to be the ultimate authority in Europe. Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It is a Curiosity Podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

27 min

See All (14)

TRAILER

Introducing: Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World

Explore some of the most powerful ideas, tensions, and political struggles that shaped the modern world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

03/21/2023

•

2 min

4.5

out of 5

56 Ratings

Really good…

10/04/2023

skinnpuppy

…except for the COPIOUS ads… it’s less “Half-Hour History” and more like “~15 Minutes History”. Seriously. There’s SO. MANY. ADS. So, so, so many. Other than that, it’s pretty great.
Great information

03/14/2024

danasjudas

Amazing!!
Brilliant delivery

03/30/2023

Going

The first thing that makes any podcast engaging, even before considering the subject, is the delivery. The pace, voice and modulation are perfect. The subject is fascinating. Brilliant podcast. A pity there will be so few episodes but will be now looking for anything else read by this host.
Incredibly annoying music

05/04/2023

Beckster48

I was listening to the first episode and about half way through the background music was making it impossible for me to hear the narration. It was so disappointing and I just don’t want to waste anymore of my time not being able to hear. Think of the middle aged to older population when creating. I know I’m not the only one. I always sort of figure it won’t make any difference to the creator/editors but there it is.

Explore some of the most powerful ideas, tensions, and political struggles that shaped the modern world.

Channel

iHeartPodcasts
Creator

iHeartPodcasts
Years Active

2K
Episodes

14
Rating

Clean
Copyright

2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
Show Website

Half-Hour History: Secrets of the Medieval World
Provider

iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc