In today's episode, we're going to be talking about the Republic of Venice. My main historical passion is cross-cultural interactions in the Mediterranean, and few cities have been as prominent as Venice on this front, so I'm really excited for this one. If you enjoy the episode, feel free to follow and rate the podcast!

Key Dates:

697 - Supposed election of the first Doge of Venice

1082 - The Republic obtains important trading privileges in Byzantine ports

1204 - Fourth Crusade, Venice makes major territorial gains in the Eastern Mediterranean

1403 - The Venetians decisively defeat their rivals the Genoese

1669 - Crete, the jewel in the Venetian Empire, is lost to the Ottomans

1797 - The Republic is dissolved by Napoleon Bonaparte

If you want to dig deeper, my favourite book on the topic is 'Venice: The Hinge of Europe, 1081-1797 ' by William H. McNeill.

As always, I would also love to hear any feedback: find me on instagram (@expresshistorypodcast), or write to me at tomaso.cetto@icloud.com.

For the first episode of The Express History Podcast, we're going to be talking about the active conflict in Cyprus. This is a special one for me: Cyprus is one of my favourite places in the world, and the conflict which still affects the island is vastly under-publicised. If you enjoy the episode, feel free to follow and rate the podcast!

Key Dates:

1571 - Cyprus becomes an Ottoman province

1878 - The British Empire takes over the administration of Cyprus

1960 - Cyprus becomes an independent nation

1967 - Military dictatorship of Georgios Papadopoulos installed in Athens

1974 - Turkey invades Cyprus and partitions the island

1983 - Proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

2004 - The Republic of Cyprus joins the European Union

If you want to dig deeper, my favourite book on the topic is 'Hostage to History: Cyprus from the Ottomans to Kissinger' by Christopher Hitchens.

As always, I would also love to hear any feedback: find me on instagram (@expresshistorypodcast), or write to me at tomaso.cetto@icloud.com.

Hi, and welcome to the Express History Podcast!

The show's motto is 'History, to the point'. Hosted by Tomaso Cetto, it's the place to find concise, clear explanations of various historical topics, from Ancient Greece to the Arab Conquests.

The podcast is built around two core beliefs: that the study of the past is the best way to understand the present, and that history should be accessible to everyone. With these beliefs in mind, the podcast is designed to provide the core information to get anyone started on all kinds of historical topics, whatever their background or training.

Thanks to @louiseimogen_art for the artwork, and @seegz_music for the music. Also big thanks to Jack Fox-Male, who inspired me with his own podcast, @everydayinterludes, which you can access wherever you get your podcasts.

If you enjoy the podcast, I would really appreciate a rating/like/subscribe on your chosen platform. I would also love to hear any feedback: find me on instagram (@expresshistorypodcast), or write to me at tomaso.cetto@icloud.com.