In episode one of our series on the First Crusade, we consider how a landmark papal bull lit a fire under the idea of crusading, triggering a military machine that saw tens of thousands make an unprecedented journey into the unknown and face off against an unfamiliar enemy
When we talk about the crusades today the mental images that spring to mind are as clear as they are striking – valiant crusader knights emblazoned with crosses and penniless pilgrims in search of salvation, perhaps even a brutal clash of civilisations. But, there's more to them than that. In the first episode of our latest HistoryExtra podcast series, we’re travelling back in time to where it all started, uncovering the origins of the First Crusade. Speaking to a range of expert historians, we trace how a complex web of ideas and problems came together to form a major movement, fired with religious zeal.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
WW1's eastern front: everything you wanted to know
Eric 'Winkle' Brown: Britain's most extraordinary pilot
Tiger Tamer | 5. crazy about wheelbarrows
Will the real Jesus please stand up?
Mary Wollstonecraft: life of the week
An obscenity trial that shocked Victorian Britain
The Capetians: everything you wanted to know
Lothar II vs Theutberga: a marriage scandal that shook the ninth century
Tiger Tamer | 4. celebrity pedestrian
A political earthquake: Britain's first Labour government
James VI and I: life of the week
From Russia to Texas: the search for a Jewish homeland
British Redcoats: everything you wanted to know
The West's attempt to crush Bolshevik Russia
Tiger Tamer | 3. would you let a tiger lick your face?
Mary & George: the real history behind the new drama
History Behind the Headlines: ageing politicians & new names for the London Overground
The man who ran Auschwitz: the real story of The Zone of Interest
Alcatraz: everything you wanted to know
Plague, leprosy & murder: unlocking the secrets of medieval bones
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Gone Medieval
Dan Snow’s History Hit
Not Just the Tudors
American History Hit
Empire