The Medici – Godfathers of the Renaissance

Tsenka Stoycheva: "From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. They would also ignite the most important cultural and artisitc revolution in Western history- the European Renaissance. But …

Shocking Origins of the Spanish Inquisition in the 1400s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iiw6y9ffHk&t=81s Chronicle Medieval History: Spain, 1468: In a land where Christians, Muslims, and Jews have lived in tolerance for centuries, a young Spanish king and queen, Ferdinand II Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, proclaim themselves the Catholic monarchs and start an inquisition, now known as the Spanish Inquisition. This is the shocking story of …

Ugly History: Spanish Inquisition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmcKS47BsAo Ted-Ed: "Dig into the era of the Spanish Inquisition, when the Catholic Church was charged with rooting out and punishing heresy. -- In 1478, Pope Sixtus IV issued a decree authorizing the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to root out heresy in the Spanish kingdoms. The inquisition quickly turned its attention to ridding the …

The Machine That Made Us (Gutenberg Printing Press Documentary)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ88yC35NjI&t=119s Timeline - World History Documentaries "Stephen Fry takes a look inside the story of Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the world's first printing press in the 15th century, and an exploration of how and why the machine was invented."

Plantagenet Kings: Ruthless Killers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmEU3CcMfdU England's Plantagenet Dynasty of the Middle Ages reigned for more than 300 years, from 1154 to 1485, and provided 14 kings. This video covers Richard the Lionheart and the following kings: Henry II Richard I John Henry III Edward I Edward II Edward III "Why do English people hold up two fingers at someone …

Still Fighting Against Magical, Irrational Thinking with the Scientific Method

"Do you believe in ghosts?" I start out the class asking students. The subject is always welcome, especially because it seems less than academic. Many students have ghost stories and are fascinated by the topic. After the class shares a few anecdotes about ghosts, I ask "who believes in witches or warlocks?" I tell the …