In this fourth and final episode, Dan Jones reveals how the Middle Ages came to a close, starting off with a global pandemic that ripped across the world, devastating populations, reshaping economies and bringing societal change. Speaking to David Musgrove, he also introduces the geniuses of the Renaissance, and the great navigators who struck out in search of new worlds. Lastly, he examines how shifting religious dogma, allied to new communication technology, brought about the Protestant Reformation – an upheaval which brought the curtain down on “the middle age”. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.