{"podcast":{"title":"TED-Ed","slug":"ted-ed-7859430","podcast_index_feed_id":7859430,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ted-ed","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/b7403760-4a33-11f1-9f4d-0b7f17190ea0/image/74cc63dc47cf18e2bcec0e2d83f0aaf9.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"TED-Ed","episode_count":1210,"summary":"TED-Ed’s mission is to create lessons worth sharing. Feed and expand your curiosity with our award-winning animated shorts - published on YouTube and available with supplemental learning materials on ed.ted.com. Want to suggest an idea for a TED-Ed animation, nominate an educator or animator? Visit our website at: http://ed.ted.com/get_involved. Consider backing us on Patreon. By doing so, you directly support our nonprofit mission to create free, high-quality educational content: https://www.patreon.com/teded For more information on using TED-Ed content for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film, or in an online course), please submit a Media Request using this link: https://media-requests.ted.com/","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T10:18:01.246496+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430"},"episode":{"title":"The rise and fall of Italy's hired warriors - Stephanie Honchell Smith","slug":"the-rise-and-fall-of-italy-s-hired-warriors-stephanie-honchell-smith","published_at":"2026-06-15T19:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430/the-rise-and-fall-of-italy-s-hired-warriors-stephanie-honchell-smith","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG3751079471.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG3751079471.mp3","summary":"Dig into the history of the elite mercenaries known as condottieri, who were soldiers for hire for Italy's rich and powerful.--During the 14th and 15th centuries, mercenaries known as condottieri dominated Italian warfare, profiting from— and encouraging— the region’s intense political rivalries. As rulers competed for power and prestige, their disputes often played out in military conflicts, fought almost entirely by the condottieri. So who were these elite and conniving warriors? Stephanie Honchell Smith investigates.Lesson by Stephanie Honchell Smith, directed by Yael Reisfeld.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-merciless-mercenaries-of-the-italian-renaissance-stephanie-honchell-smithDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-merciless-mercenaries-of-the-italian-renaissance-stephanie-honchell-smith#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.yaelreisfeld.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Orlellys Torre, Corheu, Thomas Mee, Maryann H McCrory, Blas Borde, John Hellmann, Poompak Meephian, Chuck Wofford, Adam Pagan, Wes Winn, Conder Shou, ntiger, Nonam…","meta_description":"Dig into the history of the elite mercenaries known as condottieri, who were soldiers for hire for Italy's rich and powerful.--During the 14th and 15th ce…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":423,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ted-ed-7859430/episodes/the-rise-and-fall-of-italy-s-hired-warriors-stephanie-honchell-smith/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430/the-rise-and-fall-of-italy-s-hired-warriors-stephanie-honchell-smith.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}