For most Portuguese, the history of our country starts and ends with the reconquista, the voyages of discovery, and the Velvet Revolution. With this podcast, I’m learning about the bits in between. I have especially enjoyed the chapters about the Muslim centuries, learning about how there was much more to the story than just muslims and Christians fighting each other. Listening to these sessions while walking around the old Muslim quarter of Coimbra has been a special treat.

I appreciate the effort and care that clearly went into this show. However I have A LOT of trouble with: 1) uncritical repetition of the orientalist and overly emphasized Muslim vs Christian “us vs them” narrative. Conflicts are oversimplified and framed as religious while there are plenty of political and pragmatic reasons. This centuries-old propaganda is dangerous and still used to justify wars, Islamophobic xenophobia, colonialism in our day and age. There are many overt and subtle examples— Interesting that the speaker repeatedly call Arabs “conquerors” while the prior Roman and Visigoth conquerors are not. This reveals underlying assumptions of who belongs, who doesn’t, and which groups belongs together (eg actually Romans are closer to the Mediterranean cultures like Arabs than to north/western Europe). I recommend Peter Frankopan’s book The Silk Road. 2) Christians are not considered “nonbelievers” or “heathens” by Muslims! These words refer to paganistic religions. This error came up multiple times by episode 6 and I couldn’t keep listening because it undermines my confidence in the story. Muslims think Christians and Jewish people and Muslims worship the same Abrahamic God, of course they may disagree on a lot of things (but would a Catholic call a Protestant a heathen?) I say this as an atheist person with only basic understanding of religions as well, and I’m also not from this part of the world. However I do know enough fundamental myths and misunderstandings that persist even in current politics. Still I thank the creator for their effort, I really hope he can expand his viewpoint and correct basic misunderstandings

Eagerly waiting more episodes!

If you like history, then you will love this podcast. Fast moving, but detailed enough in a logical progression of presentation that allows both learning and enjoying

Really happy to have a Portuguese history podcast. Cheers!

This is a must listen to podcast for anyone who loves history or wants to learn more about Portugal! Rob Mendes does an incredible job with his research and makes the dense information easy to understand. 10/10 recommendation!

I’m caught up and dying for more! Really good.

So delightful! Nations like this deserve to have their stories told. This is worth a listen!

I didn't realize how little I knew about Portugal until I saw the title of this podcast. After about the 16th century, Portugal kind of drops off the radar. But its history is as interesting and impactful as the other Western European countries we spend all our time on. This show is well-researched and engagingly presented. Each episode leaves me wanting more. Highly recommended.