"Bloody Crowns and Broken Myths: Michael Livingston on the Real Hundred Years War"
The Not Old - Better Show
Paul Vogelzang
4.7 • 106 Ratings
🗓️ 4 January 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Bloody Crowns and Broken Myths: Michael Livingston on the Real Hundred Years War"
The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series
For more details, check out Smithsonian Associates:
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/hundred-years-war
The Hundred Years War: A New History
Bloody Crowns A New History of the Hundred Years War
⚔️ Henry V at Agincourt. Joan of Arc at Orléans. But that's just the beginning…
Smithsonian Associate, Military historian Michael Livingston joins The Not Old Better Show to expose what really happened during the Hundred Years War—and why it wasn't 100 years at all. Think two centuries of shifting alliances, brutal innovation, and the making of modern Europe.
🎙️ Hear the true stories behind the myths now: https://notold-better.com
#NotOldBetterShow #SmithsonianAssociates #HistoryMatters #MichaelLivingston #BloodyCrowns #50PlusLife
🔍 Think you know the Hundred Years War? Let's rethink that.
Smithsonian Associate, Military Historian Michael Livingston, Citadel Distinguished Professor and former Secretary-General of the U.S. Commission on Military History, joined me on The Not Old Better Show – Smithsonian Associates Series to talk about his new book, Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War. What he revealed shocked even me—a timeline that's not 100 years, but 200 years of continental chaos from 1292 to 1492.
⚔️ It wasn't just England and France. From Scotland to the Holy Roman Empire, from Italian city-states to the Iberian Peninsula, this conflict redrew the map of Europe and rewired the way nations thought about power, leadership, and identity.
🎯 We spoke about the decisive moments—like young Edward III's shocking move at Nottingham Castle—and the long, grinding ones too: famine, mercenary bands, peasant revolts. And yes, we dug into the legends: Agincourt, Crécy, Poitiers, and the blazing courage of Joan of Arc.
📚 For those of us 50 and older, this conversation isn't just about dusty old battles. It's about understanding how we got here, how power shifts across generations, and how myths shape our memory. Michael's storytelling is rich, witty, and accessible, and this episode is one I think you'll truly enjoy.
🎧 Listen now: https://notold-better.com
Let me know what surprised you most—or which figure from this era you'd want to meet in history.
Attend Michael Livingston's upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation for all the details, after our interview here.
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/hundred-years-war
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, |
| 0:06.1 | Smithsonian Associates interview series on radio and podcast. |
| 0:10.2 | The show covering all things health, wellness, culture, and more. |
| 0:13.9 | The show for all of us who aren't old were better. |
| 0:16.5 | Each week we'll interview superstars, experts, and ordinary people doing extraordinary things, |
| 0:22.8 | all related to this wonderful experience of getting better, not older. Now, here's your host, |
| 0:28.6 | the award-winning Paul Vogelzang. Thank you and welcome. I'm Paul Vogelsang, and today, |
| 0:36.2 | on the Smithsonian Associates Interviews series, |
| 0:39.1 | we are going back, way back to castles, coronations, and chaos. The background music you're |
| 0:46.0 | hearing might stir memories of classic historical dramas or the thunder of hooves across muddy fields, |
| 0:52.7 | but today's guest brings the drama with fact, not fiction. |
| 0:57.2 | Historian Michael Livingston, Citadel Distinguished Professor and Military History Expert is here with us to talk about his thrilling new book, Bloody Crowns, a new history of the Hundred Years' War. |
| 1:10.2 | Think you know the Hundred Years' War? Think again, |
| 1:13.8 | Livingston expands the timeline, revealing a 200-year storm of violence strategy and shifting power |
| 1:20.7 | that shaped modern Europe, from Edward III's daring coup in Nottingham Castle to Joan of Arc's |
| 1:27.4 | blazing faith on the battlefield. |
| 1:29.9 | It's a story of longbows and betrayal of kings and peasants and of how war reshaped nations. |
| 1:37.6 | And the best part, Spasonian Associate Michael Livingston, who will be appearing at Smithsonian Associates coming up. |
| 1:43.8 | We have him today, |
| 1:44.8 | and he makes it all deeply, human, wildly entertaining, and sharply relevant. Absolutely, even today. |
| 1:53.1 | You're listening to the not old better show of Smithsonian Associates Interview Series on radio and |
| 1:57.5 | podcasts. I'm Paul Vogelang. Please join me in welcoming historian, Smithsonian |
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