Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval World

Since the founding of the United States, in every generation, in every field of business, politics, sports and society, we’ve watched in shock as corruption, deceit and desire bring down heroes, titans and those we thought we could trust.In the aftermath, we’re left with too many questions, how did this happen? Who is to blame?Subscribe to American Scandal today. www.wondery.fm/scandal

The Fourth Crusade continues, with the assault on Zara, a long winter in the city, and one reasonable occasion to go to Constantinople. If you like what you hear, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, my website is www.humancircuspodcast.com, and I have some things on Redbubble at https://www.redbubble.com/people/humancircus. Sources:Geoffrey de Villehardouin. Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth Crusade and The Conquest of Constantinople, translated by Frank T. Marzials. J.M. Dent, 1908.Three Old French Chronicles Of The Crusades: The History Of The Holy War; The History Of Them That Took Constantinople; The Chronicle Of Reims, translated by Edward Noble Stone. University Of Washington Publications In The Social Sciences, 1939.O City of Byzantium, Annals of Niketas Choniates, translated by Harry J. Magoulias. Wayne State University Press, 1984.Madden, Thomas F. Enrico Dandolo and the Rise of Venice. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.Madden, Thomas F. Venice: A New History. Viking, 2012.Queller, Donald E. The Fourth Crusade: The Conquest of Constantinople, 1201-1204.  Leicester University Press, 1978. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Using the the chronicles of two participants in the Fourth Crusade - the one a common knight, the other a leader involved in decision making and the important work of an envoy - we follow the growth of the Fourth Crusade through the elevation of Pope Innocent III, the negotiation with the Venetians, the ruinous agreement that was the result, and all the way up to the gates of Zara. Website Patreon Buy me a Ko-fi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this, the last episode of the Marco Polo series, Marco comes home to Venice. I touch on a bit of the history of the book (or books), The Travels of Marco Polo, and we follow Marco as he disentangles himself from the stifling embrace of Kublai Khan, encounters many things new and strange to him on the coast of India, and finds himself mixing with Ilkhan royalty. Patreon Website Ko-Fi Twitter Paypal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the grand tour of the world, or at least that part of it from Southeast Asia to the African coast, and you are taking it with/as Marco Polo. There will be monstrous birds, cannibals, the spice trade, and quite a lot of date wine. There'll be the beginning of the Buddha and the end of Saint Thomas. Thanks for listening! Find me at my website, on Twitter, or on Patreon, If you like what you hear, you can buy me a coffee over here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marco Polo's story of "Zipangu," the secluded island kingdom, abundant with gold, and Kublai Khan's attempt to take it all, is the subject of this episode. I talk about the two Mongol invasions of Japan and how their story has reached us.   Sources: The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated by William Marsden, edited by Thomas Wright. George Bell & Sons, 1907.The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition, translated by Henry Yule and revised by Henri Cordier. Courier Corporation, 1993.Chase, Kenneth W. "Mongol Intentions Towards Japan in 1266: Evidence from a Mongol Letter to the Sung." Sino-Japanese Studies 9, no. 2 (1997).Conlan, Thomas D. In Little Need of Divine Intervention: Takezaki Suenaga's Scrolls of the Mongol Invasions of Japan. Cornell University (2010).Delgado, James P. Adventures of a Sea Hunter: In Search of Famous Shipwrecks. Douglas & McIntyre, 2004.Delgado, James P. Khubilai Khan's Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armaga. Douglas & McIntyre, 2008.Delgado, James P. "Relics of the Kamikaze," Archaeology. 56, no. 1 (January/February, 2003).  Larner, John. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World. Yale University Press, 1999.Mass, Jeffrey P., ed. Court and Bakufu in Japan: Essays in Kamakura History. Stanford University Press (1995).Olschki, Leonardo. Marco Polo's Asia. University of California Press, 1960.Rossabi, Morris. Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times. University of California Press, 1988.Sasaki, Randall J. The Origins of the Lost Fleet of the Mongol Empire. Texas A & M University Press, 2015.Yamada, Nakaba. Ghenko, the Mongol Invasion of Japan. London, Smith, Elder, 1916. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, I look at the question of whether Marco actually went to China (some have thought he did not at all, or only made it to the capital), and, if so, what he was doing there. humancircuspodcast.com patreon.com/humancircus @circus_human Sources:The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated by William Marsden, edited by Thomas Wright. George Bell & Sons, 1907.The Travels of Marco Polo: The Complete Yule-Cordier Edition,translated by Henry Yule and revised by Henri Cordier. Courier Corporation, 1993.Haw, Stephen G. Marco Polo's China: A Venetian in the Realm of Khubilai Khan. Routledge, 2006.Larner, John. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World. Yale University Press, 1999.Man, John. Marco Polo: The Journey that Changed the World.HarperCollins, 2009.Olschki, Leonardo. Marco Polo's Asia. University of California Press, 1960.Rossabi, Morris. Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times. University of California Press, 1988.Vogel, Hans Ulrich. Marco Polo was in China: New Evidence from Currencies, Salts and Revenues. Brill Academic Pub, 2012. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Marco Polo was a tremendous admirer of Kublai Khan and of his Genghisid legacy more generally. This episode, we explore that admiration, the character of Kublai, and the anecdote of the treacherous minister. www.humancircuspodcast.com Sources: The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated by William Marsden, edited by Thomas Wright. George Bell & Sons, 1907.Larner, John. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World. Yale University Press, 1999.Man, John. Marco Polo: The Journey that Changed the World. HarperCollins, 2009.Olschki, Leonardo. Marco Polo's Asia. University of California Press, 1960.Rossabi, Morris. Khubilai Khan: His Life and Times. University of California Press, 1988. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The three Polos depart for the summer palace of Kublai Khan. There'll be Assassins, baked corpses, and papal elections along the way! Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Sources: - The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated by Willam Marsden, edited by Thomas Wright. George Bell & Sons, 1907. - The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck, translated by Peter Jackson. The Hakluyt Society, 1990. - Cathay and the Way Thither, Being a Collection of Medieval Notices of China, Vol. III, translated and edited by Henry Yule and Henri Cordier. London, 1916. - Ackroyd, Peter. Venice: Pure City. Chatto & Windus, 2009. - Daftary, Farhad. The Assassin Legends. I. B. Tauris, 1994. - Larner, John. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World. Yale University Press, 1999. - Madden, Thomas F. Venice: A New History. Viking, 2012. - Olschki, Leonardo. Marco Polo's Asia. University of California Press, 1960. - Steinhardt, Nancy Shatzman. Chinese Imperial City Planning. University of Hawaii Press, 1999. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The journey of Venice's most famous merchant and traveller begins today, but we won't see much of him in this episode. We'll look at Venice in the early 13th century and touch on the 4th crusade, Mediterranean-Asian trade, and the Pax Mongolica, before following the other Polos, Niccolo and Maffeo, east on their own little adventure. Enjoy!  Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Sources: - The Travels of Marco Polo, the Venetian, translated by Willam Marsden, edited by Thomas Wright. George Bell & Sons, 1907. - The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck, translated by Peter Jackson. The Hakluyt Society, 1990. - Cathay and the Way Thither, Being a Collection of Medieval Notices of China, Vol. III, translated and edited by Henry Yule and Henri Cordier. London, 1916. - Abu-Lughod, Janet L. Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250-1350. Oxford University Press, 1989. - Ackroyd, Peter. Venice: Pure City. Chatto & Windus, 2009. - Ciociltan, Virgil. The Mongols and the Black Sea Trade in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries. Brill Academic, 2012. - Larner, John. Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World. Yale University Press, 1999. - Madden, Thomas F. Venice: A New History. Viking, 2012. - Olschki, Leonardo. Marco Polo's Asia. University of California Press, 1960.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a busy episode. We’re catching up on the Mongol world and all that was happening away from the specific journeys of European friars. That means the rise of Hulagu and Kublai, the Mongol expansion into Persia and Syria in the west and Song China in the east, the death of Mongke Khan, and a civil war over the future of the empire. Thanks for listening everybody! Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/HumanCircus    Sources:Al-Din, Rashid. The Successors of Genghis Khan, translated by John Andrew Boyle. Columbia University Press, 1971. Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land. Simon & Schuster, 2010.Jackson, Peter. The Mongols and the Islamic World. Yale University Press, 2017. Lambert, Malcolm. Crusade and Jihad: Origins, History, and Aftermath. Profile Books, 2012. Kublai Khan: From Xanadu to Superpower. Bantam Press, 2006. Storm from the East: From Genghis Khan to Khubilai Khan. University of California Press, 1993. Rachewiltz, Igor de. Papal Envoys to the Great Khans. Faber & Faber, 1971. Rossabi, Morris. Khublai Khan: His Life and Times. University of California Press, 1988. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Friar William wraps up his affairs at the court of Mongke Khan and heads for home. Today, we cover his last audience with the khan, cross the walls of Alexander, and advise King Louis IX as to the future of the crusades. Thanks for listening! Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/HumanCircus    Sources:  * Carpini, Giovanni. The Story of the Mongols: Whom we Call the Tartars, translated by Erik Hildinger. Branden Books, 1996.  * The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck, translated by Peter Jackson. The Hakluyt Society, 1990.  * The Mongol Mission: Narratives and Letters of the Franciscan Missionaries in Mongolia and China in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, edited by Christopher Dawson. Sheed & Ward, 1955.  * Rachewiltz, Igor de. Papal Envoys to the Great Khans. Faber & Faber, 1971.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Friar William goes through stone-cracking cold, frozen toes, and the threat of demons to reach the camp of Mongke Khan. There, his interpreter causes him more problems, and he falls into the bizarre religious life of the camp before being drawn into a debate between Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians before the khan. Thanks for listening! Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/HumanCircus    Sources:  * Carpini, Giovanni. The Story of the Mongols: Whom we Call the Tartars, translated by Erik Hildinger. Branden Books, 1996.  * The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck, translated by Peter Jackson. The Hakluyt Society, 1990.  * The Mongol Mission: Narratives and Letters of the Franciscan Missionaries in Mongolia and China in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, edited by Christopher Dawson. Sheed & Ward, 1955.  * Gladysz, Mikolaj. The Forgotten Crusaders: Poland and the Crusader Movement in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, translated by Paul Barford. Brill, 2012.  * Jackson, Peter. The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410. Pearson Longman, 2005.  * Morgan, David. The Mongols. Blackwell, 1986.  * Rachewiltz, Igor de. Papal Envoys to the Great Khans. Faber & Faber, 1971.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We go east again this episode, in the company of a friar who carried a letter to the son of Batu Khan. Was he there on behalf of King Louis IX? Was his mission more personally religious in nature? Why was he so concerned with the noses of Mongol women? All (or most) will be revealed... Thanks for listening!   Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/HumanCircus    Sources:   * Carpini, Giovanni. The Story of the Mongols: Whom we Call the Tartars, translated by Erik Hildinger. Branden Books, 1996.  * The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck, translated by Peter Jackson. The Hakluyt Society, 1990.  * The Mongol Mission: Narratives and Letters of the Franciscan Missionaries in Mongolia and China in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, edited by Christopher Dawson. Sheed & Ward, 1955.  * Jackson, Peter. The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410. Pearson Longman, 2005.  * Morgan, David. The Mongols. Blackwell, 1986.  * Rachewiltz, Igor de. Papal Envoys to the Great Khans. Faber & Faber, 1971.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, a quick rewind into what it means to be a Mongol, some early reactions to the Mongol invasion, some King Louis IX, the death of a khan, and the question of who is to be next. Also, I horribly butcher Eljigidei's name (Sorry, Eljigidei). Thanks for listening! Website: humancircuspodcast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/circus_human Email: HumanCircusPod@gmail.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/humancircuspod/ Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/A7071B1K Shop: www.redbubble.com/people/HumanCircus    Sources:   * Carpini, Giovanni. The Story of the Mongols: Whom we Call the Tartars, translated by Erik Hildinger. Branden Books, 1996.  * Joinville, Jean. The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville. John Murray, 1906.  * Paris, Matthew. English History. From the Year 1235 to 1273, translated by J. A. Giles. George Bell & Sons, 1889.  * The Mission of Friar William of Rubruck, translated by Peter Jackson. The Hakluyt Society, 1990.  * The Mongol Mission: Narratives and Letters of the Franciscan Missionaries in Mongolia and China in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, edited by Christopher Dawson. Sheed & Ward, 1955.  * The Secret History of the Mongols, translated by Urgunge Onon. RoutledgeCurzon, 2001.  * Jackson, Peter. The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410. Pearson Longman, 2005.  * Jackson, Peter. "Medieval Christendom's Encounter with the Alien." In Travellers, Intellectuals, and the World Beyond Medieval Europe, edited by James Muldoon, 347-369. Routledge, 2016.  * Man, John. Kublai Khan. Bantam, 2007.  * Morgan, David. The Mongols. Blackwell, 1986.  * Rachewiltz, Igor de. Papal Envoys to the Great Khans. Faber & Faber, 1971.  * Waterfield, Robin. Christians in Persia. Allen & Unwin, 1973.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices