History on Fire

Daniele Bolelli
  • 4.7 (5.4K)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
History on Fire

Where history and epic collide--"History on Fire" is a podcast by author and university professor Daniele Bolelli.

  1. EPISODE 107: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 2

    AUG 26

    EPISODE 107: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 2

    It's the finale of this series on the Genpei War (1180-1185); the showdown between the two most powerful clans of the age. This episode is one of the most drama & action packed that I have ever covered in History on Fire. We'll discuss Minamoto Yoritomo's Godzilla-sized ego, the Minamoto killing each other when they are not busy warring against the Taira, the legendary female samurai Tomoe Gozen, a ritual suicide to urge your commander to stop having sex and concentrate on military maneuvers instead, the charge at Ichi No Tani, the mythical fight between Kumagai Naozane and Taira Atsumori, a victory party in Kyoto parading enemy heads, Yoshitsune's utter fearlessness, a feat of archery so amazing that it convinced the enemies to stop battle and cheer for the archer, the child emperor's grandmother drowning herself and her grandson, samurai crabs, Benkei being a pal and holding back an army so that Yoshitsune can kill himself, and much more.

    1h 32m
  2. EPISODE 106: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 1

    JUL 30

    EPISODE 106: The Forge of the Samurai: The Genpei War Part 1

    The Genpei War (1180-1185), pitting against one another the two most powerful clans of the era, the Minamoto and the Taira, is one of the most crucial turning points in Japanese history. Movies and video games have usually overlooked this conflict in favor of the civil wars of the warring states period of the 1500s. Big mistake since the story of the Genpei War is packed with drama and larger than life characters—from the tragic hero Minamoto Yoshitsune, his brother in arms the gigantic warrior monk Benkei, the female samurai Tomoe Gozen and many others. And on top of it, this civil conflict ushered major changes in Japanese society, shifting power from a nobility made of imperial bureaucrats into the hands of landowning samurai families. In this first of two episodes dedicated to the Genpei War, we’ll tackle one of the most important works in Japanese literature, Buddhist impermanence, the 1156 Hogen Rebellion, the 1160 Heiji Rebellion, revenge, exorcisms, the rise of the Taira family, emperors struggling with loss of power, warrior monks, the battle at the Uji River, announcing your family lineage before cutting heads off, inviting the gods to witness battle, Minamoto Yorimasa’s suicide, Yoshitsune learning swordsmanship from the demons of the forest, the duel between Yoshitsune and Benkei, the Taira burning down the monasteries of Nara, Kiyomori’s death, and much more.

    1h 24m

  3. JUN 17

    [RERUN] EPISODE 69: Capturing Mussolini

    I am not done with stories of resistance from Italy during WW II. Today, I’ll tell the story of a friend, one of the very last partisan commanders to still be alive—Federigo Giordano (battle name “Gek.”) His name is still recognized in some towns in Northern Italy since he was the one to lead his men to liberate them from Fascists and Nazis. In this episode we’ll tackle the growth of racism within Fascist ideology, becoming a partisan in the mountains of Northern Italy, rejecting the Alexander Proclamation, saving American aviators, participating in the capture of Benito Mussolini, Mussolini ‘hanging’ in Piazzale Loreto, drunk Nazis in one room while partisans hide in the attic, having to explain to a 90+ year old lady why you killed her sister over 70 years earlier, and much more. The sponsor for today’s episode is Incogni, a company designed to protect the privacy of your data. Use code HISTORYONFIRE at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incongni plan https://incogni.com/historyonfire

    1h 58m

  4. MAY 20

    [RERUN] EPISODE 68: My Grandma and Her Bombs: A Story of WWII

    This is a tale of Italian Resistance during WW II. Unlike nearly all History on Fire episodes, this is not a story I researched in books. It’s a much more personal one—these are my grandparents’ experiences. The starring role goes to my grandmother, Liana Germani, who as a teenager was a combat partisan active against the Fascist regime and the Nazi occupation.

    1h 49m

  5. APR 22

    [RERUN] EPISODE 66: Sex in Ancient Rome

    This is a cultural history episode about sexuality in Ancient Rome. I thought the topic would be fun and juicy, but that’s because my memory of Roman sexuality was hazy. After refreshing it with lots of research, I can safely say that ‘fun’ is not a word I would apply to it. ‘Insanely disturbing’ is probably more fitting. Most of the ancient sources, in fact, seem to indicate that little to no attention was paid to the idea of sex being for mutual pleasure.

    2h 11m
  6. EPISODE 105: Rationalizing Evil in El Salvador

    MAR 25

    EPISODE 105: Rationalizing Evil in El Salvador

    This episode covers some of the things that happened in El Salvador in the 1980s, in particular the story of the massacre at El Mozote, and how policies formulated by the White House supported death squads unleashing hell on civilians.

    1h 25m
  7. EPISODE 104: The Saint and the Death Squads

    FEB 13

    EPISODE 104: The Saint and the Death Squads

    This is a story about what happened in El Salvador in the 1970s and 1980s, and the role that democratic as well as republican administrations played in this tale. As much as humanly possible, I’ll try to let the facts speak for themselves and not inject too much of my own commentary.

    2h 13m

  8. JAN 15

    [RERUN] EPISODE 65: The Taiping Rebellion (Part 3): A River of Death

    History on Fire

    2h 23m
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
5,444 Ratings

About

Where history and epic collide--"History on Fire" is a podcast by author and university professor Daniele Bolelli.

Information

  • Creator
    Daniele Bolelli
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2024
  • Episodes
    112
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    History on Fire

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