220. The Civilizing Process; The Knights, Aggression and Torture Artwork

Hanging with History

The first season focuses on the origins of the Industrial Revolution or the Great Enrichment, we go deep into history to gain enough background knowledge to actually understand the various theories of the origins of the Great Enrichment. Eventually we learn that we also need to know how the miracle was consolidated, as the many other close approaches to the Industrial Revolution failed.A kwirky style, but intellectually ambitious with the goal of understanding history well enough to understand the miracle that happened that one time. It's gonna be a long series.

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Hanging with History

220. The Civilizing Process; The Knights, Aggression and Torture

July 29, 2026 • Harald Hansen • Season 2 • Episode 6

0:00 | 1:03:06

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We are going to start with trivialities, then get into some serious differences between now and the medieval psyche. Around gross stuff, aggression and killing and finally torture, and torture’s enjoyment. This is absolutely not an episode for children. If you hate me by the end I will understand. This is going to explain that western Europe was led in part by a really horrible elite class of chivalric knights. There will be a small flavor of it. And this is what almost the whole rest of the world lives under. This is what Europe developed away from.

Still aggression has powerful effects. Part of the discussion will include the impact on history of aggression turned to the theoretical maximum, the Cimbri and the Teutones and the development of the Roman Empire.

At the end I try to soften the blow by having Camie appear, which will give you a normal person's reaction to this horror.