HistoryExtra podcast
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The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.
We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.
Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.
Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.
Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.
Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.
Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.
Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past.
We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.
Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.
Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.
Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.
Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.
Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.
Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 17, 2021 • 44min
How our hunger for land shaped history
Simon Winchester explores how humans’ quest to own land – from enclosure and division to violent seizure – has wreaked irreparable changes through history Simon Winchester, author of Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World, explores how humans’ quest to own land has wreaked irreparable changes through history. He discusses when our division of land began, how the seizure of it has heralded huge historical shifts, and what it really means to ‘own’ land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 16, 2021 • 1h 28min
Unravelling the Bayeux Tapestry Ep1: When, where and why was the Tapestry made?
In the opening episode of this podcast series examining one of the most fascinating objects of the medieval age, we explore all the need-to-know information about the Bayeux Tapestry, examining when and how it was made, who might have commissioned it and why. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Shirley Ann Brown and Professor Elizabeth Pastan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
11 snips
Mar 15, 2021 • 42min
The Clifford’s Tower massacre & medieval anti-Semitism
Dean Irwin, a scholar of medieval Anglo-Jewish history, delves into the tragic 1190 Clifford's Tower massacre where around 150 Jews lost their lives amid escalating anti-Semitic violence in England. He links this horrific event to broader patterns of attacks following the coronation of Richard I and discusses how financial exploitation played a crucial role. Irwin also addresses the legal status of Jews as the king's property, the impact of the blood libel, and the eventual path leading to the 1290 expulsion, urging a nuanced understanding of this dark chapter.
Mar 14, 2021 • 46min
The Thirty Years’ War: everything you wanted to know
Dive into the gruesome legacy of the Thirty Years' War, a conflict that tore apart Central Europe for decades. Discover the shocking defenestration of Prague that ignited tensions, and explore the complex interplay between political ambitions and religious fervor. Key figures and lesser-known influences shape the narrative, revealing the war's far-reaching implications. Learn about how the Treaty of Westphalia redefined Europe's landscape and the cultural echoes of the war that resonate in literature and memory.
Mar 13, 2021 • 53min
Rebels, hostages and diplomats: royal women of the crusader states
Katherine Pangonis chronicles the formidable line of female rulers that shaped the crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century Katherine Pangonis, author of Queens of Jerusalem, chronicles the formidable line of female rulers that shaped the crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century, sharing stories of rebel princesses, diplomatic double crosses and battles for the throne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 12, 2021 • 48min
To beard or not to beard? Facial hair through history
Dr Alun Withey, expert on the history of facial hair, takes us on a journey through shaving and grooming trends from 1650-1900 Why were big bushy beards once the height of fashion? When was it better to have a smooth face? And what were the perceived health benefits of whiskers, moustaches or goatees? Dr Alun Withey, expert on the history of facial hair, takes us on a journey through shaving and grooming trends from 1650-1900. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 10, 2021 • 34min
The western front: a cauldron of innovation
In the popular imagination, the western front of the First World War has long been synonymous with futility and deadlock. But Nick Lloyd, author of new book The Western Front, argues that this was far from the case. It was in fact a cauldron of innovation and an epic struggle against the odds, shaped by transformative military and technological advancements. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 9, 2021 • 49min
Assassinations: from the ancient world to JFK
Historian John Withington, author of Assassins’ Deeds: A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day, explores some of history’s most notorious political killings. From the first known assassination to the plots to kill Franz Ferdinand and JFK, he reveals how these murders have often changed the course of history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 8, 2021 • 58min
The big questions of women’s history
We mark International Women’s Day with a panel discussion tackling the central issues of women’s history We mark International Women’s Day with a panel discussion tackling the central issues of women’s history, including overlooked historical figures, exciting recent developments, whether men should write women’s history, and what work is still left to be done. Our panel features Maggie Andrews, chair of the Women’s History Network; Stella Dadzie, author of A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance, Helen McCarthy, author of Double Lives: A History of Working Motherhood and Nicola Phillips, director of the Bedford Centre for the History of Women and Gender. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 7, 2021 • 55min
The Cold War: everything you wanted to know
From espionage across the Iron Curtain, to the global struggles between communists and capitalists, Michael Goodman responds to your questions on the decades of geopolitical tension that shaped relations between east and west in the second half of the 20th century, in the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
