Historia Dramatica

Girolamo Savonarola Part 4: Il Popolo e Libertà

In this episode of our series on the life and times of Savonarola, we observe the fallout from the French invasion of Italy in 1494. As the power of the Medici reaches its breaking point and King Charles VIII of France threatens the city with destruction, the people of Florence turn to Savonarola to deliver them from peril.
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Works Cited:
Bartlett, Kenneth. Florence in the Age of the Medici and Savonarola, 1464-1498: A Short History with Documents. Hackett Publishing, 2018.
Landucci, Luca. A Florentine Diary from 1450 to 1516. Columbia University Press, 1927. 
Martines, Lauro. Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence. Oxford University Press, 2005. 
Savonarola, Girolamo. A Guide to Righteous Living and Other Works. Toronto Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2003.
Strathern, Paul. Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola, and the Battle for the Soul of a Renaissance City. Pegasus Books, 2016.
Villari, Pasquale. Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola. University of the Pacific Press, 2004.
Weinstein, Donald. Savonarola: The Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet. Yale University Press, 2011.
Cover Image: Portrait of a Dominican, presumed to be Girolamo Savonarola, c. 1524
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "Dies Irae" performed by the Monastic Choir of the Grimbergen Abbey

Girolamo Savonarola Part 3: The Scourge of Italy

In this episode of our series on Savonarola, we follow events in Florence following the untimely death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. In this time of uncertainty, Savonarola’s apocalyptic predictions grew increasingly bolder. As the friar sought to assert his independence from the Medici family, developments to the north threatened to turn his prophecies into reality.
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Works Cited:
Bartlett, Kenneth. Florence in the Age of the Medici and Savonarola, 1464-1498: A Short History with Documents. Hackett Publishing, 2018.
Landucci, Luca. A Florentine Diary from 1450 to 1516. Columbia University Press, 1927. 
Martines, Lauro. Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence. Oxford University Press, 2005. 
Savonarola, Girolamo. A Guide to Righteous Living and Other Works. Toronto Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2003.
Strathern, Paul. Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola, and the Battle for the Soul of a Renaissance City. Pegasus Books, 2016.
Villari, Pasquale. Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola. University of the Pacific Press, 2004.
Weinstein, Donald. Savonarola: The Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet. Yale University Press, 2011.
Cover Image: Portrait of a Dominican, presumed to be Girolamo Savonarola, c. 1524
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "Dies Irae" performed by the Monastic Choir of the Grimbergen Abbey

Girolamo Savonarola Part 2: The Friar and the Prince

In this episode of our series on Girolamo Savonarola, we follow the monk as he is reassigned from Florence after failing to make inroads with the people of the city. He spends the next few years wandering northern Italy, honing his preaching skills and earning a powerful reputation for himself until he is invited to return to Florence by the city’s ruler- Lorenzo de Medici.
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Works Cited:
Bartlett, Kenneth. Florence in the Age of the Medici and Savonarola, 1464-1498: A Short History with Documents. Hackett Publishing, 2018.
Landucci, Luca. A Florentine Diary from 1450 to 1516. Columbia University Press, 1927. 
Martines, Lauro. Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence. Oxford University Press, 2005. 
Savonarola, Girolamo. A Guide to Righteous Living and Other Works. Toronto Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2003.
Strathern, Paul. Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola, and the Battle for the Soul of a Renaissance City. Pegasus Books, 2016.
Villari, Pasquale. Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola. University of the Pacific Press, 2004.
Weinstein, Donald. Savonarola: The Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet. Yale University Press, 2011.
Cover Image: Portrait of a Dominican, presumed to be Girolamo Savonarola, c. 1524
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "Dies Irae" performed by the Monastic Choir of the Grimbergen Abbey

Girolamo Savonarola Part 1: A Prophet in His Time

In this first episode of our series on Girolamo Savonarola, we cover Savonarola’s early years in an effort to understand the philosophy that undergirded his life. Afterward, we follow Savonarola as he strikes out from his home to join the order of the Dominicans and to find his destiny.
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Works Cited:
Bartlett, Kenneth. Florence in the Age of the Medici and Savonarola, 1464-1498: A Short History with Documents. Hackett Publishing, 2018.
Landucci, Luca. A Florentine Diary from 1450 to 1516. Columbia University Press, 1927. 
Martines, Lauro. Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence. Oxford University Press, 2005. 
Savonarola, Girolamo. A Guide to Righteous Living and Other Works. Toronto Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2003.
Strathern, Paul. Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola, and the Battle for the Soul of a Renaissance City. Pegasus Books, 2016.
Villari, Pasquale. Life and Times of Girolamo Savonarola. University of the Pacific Press, 2004.
Weinstein, Donald. Savonarola: The Rise and Fall of a Renaissance Prophet. Yale University Press, 2011.
Cover Image: Portrait of a Dominican, presumed to be Girolamo Savonarola, c. 1524
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "Dies Irae" performed by the Monastic Choir of the Grimbergen Abbey

Julian the Apostate Part 4: Clash of Civilizations

In the final episode of our series on Julian the Apostate, we follow Emperor Julian as he marches east to make war against Rome’s traditional rivals- the Sassanids, and as he meets his ultimate fate on a Mesopotamian battlefield. We then briefly recap Julian's historical legacy and the fate of Roman paganism.
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Works Cited 
Bowersock, G.W. Julian the Apostate. Harvard University Press, 1997. 
Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Vol. 1-3, Everyman, 1993. 
Julianus, Flavius Claudius. The Works of Emperor Julian. Literary Liscencing LLC, 2011.
Marcellinus, Ammianus. The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus. Benediction Classics, 2011. 
Murdoch, Adrian. The Last Pagan. Inner Traditions, 2008.
Cover Image: Statue of Emperor Julian, displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "The Passage of Time" by Richard Beddow

Julian the Apostate Part 3: Pagan Revival

In this episode of our series on Julian the Apostate, we follow Julian as he goes to war against his cousin, Constantius I, to determine who would rule the Roman Empire. We then follow the first period of Julian’s reign as the sole emperor of Rome.
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Works Cited 
Bowersock, G.W. Julian the Apostate. Harvard University Press, 1997. 
Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Vol. 1-3, Everyman, 1993. 
Julianus, Flavius Claudius. The Works of Emperor Julian. Literary Liscencing LLC, 2011.
Marcellinus, Ammianus. The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus. Benediction Classics, 2011. 
Murdoch, Adrian. The Last Pagan. Inner Traditions, 2008.
Cover Image: Statue of Emperor Julian, displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "The Passage of Time" by Richard Beddow

Julian the Apostate Part 2: Caesar in Gaul

In this episode of our series on Julian the Apostate, we follow Julian as he is christened as Caesar (junior co-emperor) by his cousin Constantius and subsequently dispatched to Gaul to halt a barbarian invasion and restore stability to the troubled province. 
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Works Cited 
Bowersock, G.W. Julian the Apostate. Harvard University Press, 1997. 
Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Vol. 1-3, Everyman, 1993. 
Julianus, Flavius Claudius. The Works of Emperor Julian. Literary Liscencing LLC, 2011.
Marcellinus, Ammianus. The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus. Benediction Classics, 2011. 
Murdoch, Adrian. The Last Pagan. Inner Traditions, 2008.
Cover Image: Statue of Emperor Julian, displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "The Passage of Time" by Richard Beddow

Julian the Apostate Part 1: Heirs of Constantine

In our first episode on the life and times of the man known to history as Julian the Apostate, we first take a look at the state of the Roman Empire in the 4th Century to better understand the circumstances that led to Julian’s rise to power, and the reasons why his reign is considered so historically significant.
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Works Cited 
Bowersock, G.W. Julian the Apostate. Harvard University Press, 1997. 
Gibbon, Edward. The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Vol. 1-3, Everyman, 1993. 
Julianus, Flavius Claudius. The Works of Emperor Julian. Literary Liscencing LLC, 2011.
Marcellinus, Ammianus. The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus. Benediction Classics, 2011. 
Murdoch, Adrian. The Last Pagan. Inner Traditions, 2008.
Cover Image: Statue of Emperor Julian, displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "The Passage of Time" by Richard Beddow

Meiji Restoration Part 7: The Last Samurai

In the final episode of our series on the Meiji Restoration, the Imperial government moves to suppress the Satsuma Rebellion- the desperate last stand of the former samurai class against the forces of modernization. We then recap the series and discuss the long-term effects of these events.
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Works Cited:
Beasley, W. G. The Meiji Restoration. Stanford University Press, 2019.
Keene, Donald. Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World 1852-1912. Columbia University Press, 2002.
Hillsborough, Romulus. Samurai Revolution: the Dawn of Modern Japan through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai. Tuttle Publishing, 2018.
Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000.
Ravina, Mark. The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011. 
Sansom, George. A History of Japan 1615-1867 Stanford University Press, 1998
Cover Image: Illustration of a Military Review by Toyohara Chikanobu, 1887
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "Miyasan, Miyasan," performed by the Daiei Company Male Choir

Meiji Restoration Part 6: Imperial Revolution

In this episode of our series on the Meiji Restoration, the victorious Imperial restoration government continues its work of reforming Japanese society, culture, and politics. As these changes begin to alienate some of the Emperor’s former supporters, the specter of rebellion begins to once again haunt the country.
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Works Cited:
Beasley, W. G. The Meiji Restoration. Stanford University Press, 2019.
Keene, Donald. Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World 1852-1912. Columbia University Press, 2002.
Hillsborough, Romulus. Samurai Revolution: the Dawn of Modern Japan through the Eyes of the Shogun's Last Samurai. Tuttle Publishing, 2018.
Jansen, Marius B. The Making of Modern Japan. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2000.
Ravina, Mark. The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011. 
Sansom, George. A History of Japan 1615-1867 Stanford University Press, 1998
Cover Image: Illustration of a Military Review by Toyohara Chikanobu, 1887
Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák
Closing Theme: "Miyasan, Miyasan," performed by the Daiei Company Male Choir