Exploring the Western medieval world through gripping stories of power, faith, and culture. New episodes weekly! Donate! buymeacoffee.com/fwpodcast

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New Episode PUBLISHED! Henry and Robert Curthose were brothers, but Norman brotherhood brought with it a little extra conflict. Remember it was Henry who upturned a bucket of urine on Robert's head in front of his friends so many years ago. Well, here's the effective end to this story of Norman brotherhood, culminating in a showdown outside Tinchebray! open.spotify.com/episode/0Md…
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⚠️ OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE ROYAL COURT OF THE WHEEL Tomorrow’s episode might be delayed. For this grievous failure of medieval administrative efficiency, I apologize. Given the subject of the episode in question, this inefficiency is unforgivable. I remain hopeful that I can somehow pull a Henry I, defeat chaos that is life, crush rebellion that is my workload, and get the damn thing finished by tomorrow. Fingers crossed. 🤞 If not, keep an eye out over the following days. The episode will appear when it appears, like a medieval manuscript discovered in a monastery basement 900 years later. Thank you for your patience. 🏰⚔️
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Anything that scares enemies of the West, count me in!
I'm not sure what 'Crusadercore' is, but it sounds awesome, and the Left is apparently terrified of it.
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Fortune's Wheel Podcast retweeted
Getting ready to print test copies. 2026 on the spine because there will only ever be one printing. THIS YEAR
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Replying to @EWTNews
There is no "West" without France. You held the line in 721. Again in 732. And again in 737. And you pushed back in 757. Your sons reclaimed Sicily by 1092. Malta by 1093. Antioch in 1098. And Jerusalem in 1099. Three of your kings, hundreds of your noblemen, and untold numbers of your men and women made the trek to restore lands that once belonged to Christians. Your sons were the dreaded "Franj." From your monasteries blossomed a culture of higher learning. From your fields were fed countless generations helping to build the foundations of Western Civilization. From your swords came the defense of Christendom. You are necessary. Are you the only European nation who is necessary to save the West, which is undeniably ebbing at the moment? Absolutely not. But your continued commitment to defending the West for ~1,500 years is non-negotiable. You are a critical piece of the European tapestry, of what it means to be "Western." Americans, like me, owe France a great deal of appreciation, as we wouldn't exist without European shoulders, like yours and others, to stand on. And your 1,700+ saints and blessed just brought an American pope to tears. France has the power, the faith, the tradition, and the history to bring the entire world to tears. And yet...this is the first real glimpse I've seen in quite some time. Though good to see, the world needs more from you, France. Keep it going.
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I'm not even Catholic, but this is great to see, especially in France. 👊 For Europe to survive the utter failure of its recent leaders, it will take every last European, but FRANCE and ENGLAND must lead the way. History has shown that this is a non-negotiable. France and England are too important to lose. Poland can't hold the line forever.
Hier soir, Jeanne d’Arc a fait son entrée au Stade de France ! 🇫🇷✨ À l’occasion de la visite du pape Léon XIV, elle était à l’honneur au cœur de la veillée des jeunes. Quelle joie de voir cette grande figure de notre histoire célébrée devant un stade comble.
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The more I look around...Catholic numbers skyrocketing...Raymond Ibrahim saying on the Winston Marshall podcast that the Crusades may be back...podcasts about Western heritage growing in popularity...Western masculinity under constant attack for well over a decade...memes like these popping up everywhere... What say you all? Is the West finally going to step up like their ancestors did numerous times and restore and defend its unbelievable heritage?
Man Once Again Loses Train Of Thought During Prayer And Starts Thinking About How He’d Defend The Church From Muslim Terrorists buff.ly/MbWXD9M
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Medieval kings wanted loyalty. Medieval popes wanted obedience. I just want an Apple rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you're enjoying Fortune's Wheel, take a moment to leave one. It's probably the best way to help the show find new listeners. Thank you for keeping the wheel turning! ⚔️
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Tolkien, Lewis, Adams, Clarke
Quote this with your four favourite British writers since 1945. Mine: Tolkien, Lewis, Larkin, Hughes.
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Too good not to share. 👊
holy shit i asked claude to make a video on western civiization
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New to Fortune's Wheel? I've spent more than six years telling the story of how the medieval world became the foundation of Western civilization. From Viking raids and Norman conquests to crusades, kings, faith, and the struggles that shaped Europe. Over 220 episodes and counting. Where should you start? Start anywhere. There are nine seasons so far, and, though context certainly matters, feel free to pick it up wherever you'd like. - Danish Conquest of England - Norman Conquest of England - Norman Conquest of Southern Italy and Sicily. - First Crusade - Poland's Rise - The Investiture Controversy - The Beginnings of the Reconquista - Rise of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos - The Reign of Henry I of England (current season) We have the stories you're looking for. ⚔️
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Every episode of Fortune's Wheel Podcast represents hours of research, writing, editing, recording and extra content creation to bring the medieval world to life. If you've enjoyed the journey, sharing the podcast is one of the best ways to help it grow. And if you'd like to support the work financially, you can buy me a coffee. Every bit keeps the wheel turning over here. buymeacoffee.com/fwpodcast As always, forever grateful for all of you.
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#NewProfilePic Not gonna lie, in a former life, I was a certified badass.
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THE MONK WHO TRIED TO FLY In the early 11th century, a Benedictine monk at Malmesbury Abbey, in England, decided...he could fly.
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EILMER, THE DREAMER After the crash, Eilmer lived out the rest of his days walking with a painful limp having broken both of his legs in his famous leap of faith. But Eilmer was convinced his failure wasn't proof that humans couldn't fly. In fact, he'd simply believed he'd made a design error. He forgot a tail. Here's the thing: Modern analysis suggests that his glider might actually have benefited from a tail given what we've learned since the Kittyhawk. Either way, Eilmer the Flying Monk may well have dreamed something entirely possible a full thousand years before humans took to the skies.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE We know about Eilmer because of William of Malmesbury. Though we can't independently verify Eilmer's experiment, nor can we know the exact date of the attempt, the story still offers a glimpse into a medieval world where ancient learning, observation, and bold experimentation could inspire amazing leaps forward, if only for the sake of curiosity. The dream of flight didn't begin with the Wright Brothers. The dream didn't even begin with Eilmer. Humans having been dreaming about flight for millennia, but not everyone had the guts and the belief to actually try it.
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In 1103, King Eric I of Denmark set out on pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He never reached Jerusalem. He died in Cyprus, though his wife continued the journey. Medieval pilgrimage could demand everything, including the life of a king.
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Muslims in Egypt compared " its light and brilliance like a shining moon." Armenians said it was "a terrible, great and amazing comet, which terrified everyone who saw it." The Japanese called it a "strange star...like a white cloud traversing [the] sky." Vietnamese, Chinese, Germans, Welsh, and Indians also mention it in their records. The Peterborough Chronicle records the following: "In the first week of Lent, on Friday, 16 February, in the evening, there appeared an unusual star, and for a long time after that it was seen shining a while every evening. This star appeared in the south-west; it seemed small and dark. The ray that shone from it, however, was very bright, and seemed to be like an immense beam shining north-east; and one evening it appeared as if this beam were forking into many rays toward the star from the opposite direction." This is X/1106 C1 -- The Great Comet of 1106. It first appeared on February 2, and it was observed around the world through mid-March.
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It's been a privilege to be the tiniest of parts in this venture. This is the real deal. These folks are definitely burning the midnight oil to make this thing land just right. Keep an eye on this project!
You’ve got to put your money behind things you believe in. This is part of why I’ve spearheaded the @FeignedFlightM project. For nearly 8 months now, we’ve been publishing unique, conceptual essays on medieval history AND paying the authors to write them for us. We’ve got an editorial team of three people (unpaid thus far) who check essays for AI, work with authors to improve their writing, and check large historical claims. I believe we live in a time where it’s as important as ever (maybe more important than ever?) to be building and creating. I also believe that it’s very important now to have authors who get paid to write, given the proliferation of ai slop. Our editing team has joined me on this journey but I can’t float this effort financially alone. We are about to launch our first print version of the magazine. All told, I’ve paid authors over $1,000 for the essays in the inaugural issue, including new exclusive essays from @medievalscholar @megha_lilly @acuriocabinet @dynastus and @cultureexplorex I’ve also paid nearly that much for epic medieval photographs, such as this one on the cover. We’re putting together one of the most epic medieval history magazines that has ever been released.. will you be ready for the upcoming kickstarter? By the time the magazine is in your hands before the end of the year, I will have paid nearly $10,000 to authors, photographers, and designers. I hope you will pick up a magazine (or two) if you believe in our project. (And for those of you wondering about the financials, I have an internal document tracking them all which my three editors can all view, so you’d see some quite embarrassing public questioning if I was misrepresenting the project) So far, many of you are supporting us to the tune of nearly $3,000 this year! We are very grateful! But this still leaves us very short of breaking even. For those of you who can, please consider signing up for an annual membership (you will also get to read all of the premium essays normally behind a paywall, year round) or, if you’re quite comfortable and ready to step into your patron arc, please consider signing up as a Founding Member. We are doing our best to publish incredible essays every month. We will have an epic print magazine by the end of the year. We can’t do it without your support! Thank you! Also, here’s a sneak peak at the cover for the print magazine, photo by @itsrapha83 And you can read what we are publishing anytime at feigned flight dot com
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Fortune's Wheel Podcast retweeted
Robert of Belleme thought his rebellion would ignite an uproar against his old nemesis, King Henry I of England. As always, Henry was one step ahead. At Bridgnorth Castle, along the Welsh border, rebellion collided headfirst into royal ambition. The story unfolds on our latest episode, Episode 222: Brother Fit For A Norman! Have you listened and shared yet?
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