Welcome to the next in the Podcast Showcase series, where we share podcasts with you in the words of the podcasters themselves. This time, we talk to History of the Germans
Sum up your podcast in three sentences
The podcast that does exactly what it says on the tin. A narrative history of the Germans from the election of king Henry the Fowler in 919 to German Reunification in 1991. We go through this in weekly 25-30 minute episodes.
You will meet many figures and be introduced to amazing stories you are unlikely to have heard of if you grew up in an Anglo-Saxon environment.
Plus German history is so intertwined with Swiss, Austrian, Dutch, Belgian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Danish, French and modestly, English history, you get 9.5 histories for the price of one!
Who is your ideal listener? Who loves your show?
Everyone with even a passing interest in history who wants gripping stories and to find out not just what happened but why.
What made you start this podcast?
Mainly it is for my own pleasure and hopefully for the enjoyment of the listeners. I have no agenda except to inform and entertain. The trigger to start came when I had dinner with some well-educated British and Anerican friends and I realised how lopsided history education has become, effectively cutting out most of Central European history. That is particularly odd given that 51m Americans claim German descent.
What have you learned about your subject thanks to this podcast?
When I started I realised quite quickly that I knew very little. Now at episode 103, I know that I know nothing.
Every episode is a voyage of discovery. Many of the established narratives I remember from way back have been overturned and there are literally hundreds of stories and events I had not known about.
What has your experience of podcasting been? What do you love / hate about the process?
The podcast is the best thing I have ever done. It is not only satisfying and fun to produce but the feedback from listeners and the support from patrons has simply been overwhelming.
The only bits I find hard going are the technical bits – editing and marketing. But who doesn’t?
If someone wants to start listening to your podcast, which episode would you recommend they start with? Why?
Start at the beginning – Episode 1 or the Prologues. This is a narrative history after all.
Or if you are particularly interested in particular periods, start with the respective season: Ottonians (#1-#22), Salians (#22-42), Hohenstaufen (#43-#94) and the North (#95-now)
Which other podcasts do you love listening to?
History of Rome, Scandinavian History Podcast, History of Italy, History of England
If people want to find you online, where can they do so?
- https://historyofthegermans.com/
- Facebook: @HotGPod
- Twitter: @germanshistory
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Image credit: Guy Dickinson