This is History: History’s Greatest Fails
Sony Music Entertainment
History’s Greatest Fails is a miniseries from Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day that aims to answer the simple, but complex, question: Why do losers make history?
From Richard III, to Vincent Van Gough, to the purposefully forgotten female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this series is going to help you better understand how the idea of failure changes over time, and what lessons failure has for all of us.
Dan and Elizabeth are old friends, fellow history graduates, and fellow authors and podcasters.
Dan Jones is host of This Is History — A Dynasty to Die For, a narrative podcast that charts the bloody and complex drama of England’s Plantagenet dynasty, now up to its 10th season.
Elizabeth is host of How To Fail, a podcast that has brought together hundreds of luminaries and thinkers including Kate Winslet, Yuval Noah Hariri, and Malala Yousafzai, to reflect on failure in the present.
Over six episodes, History’s Greatest Fails will dissect failure of all kinds, from troubled historical rulers, to the failures of remembrance, to the failures that have created the happy accidents that last for generations.
As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And for the bonus episodes of this miniseries, Dan and Producer Al are hearing from the favourites directly via voice notes! Following along as they discuss the failures the royal favourites’ have deemed historic!
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
From Richard III, to Vincent Van Gough, to the purposefully forgotten female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this series is going to help you better understand how the idea of failure changes over time, and what lessons failure has for all of us.
Dan and Elizabeth are old friends, fellow history graduates, and fellow authors and podcasters.
Dan Jones is host of This Is History — A Dynasty to Die For, a narrative podcast that charts the bloody and complex drama of England’s Plantagenet dynasty, now up to its 10th season.
Elizabeth is host of How To Fail, a podcast that has brought together hundreds of luminaries and thinkers including Kate Winslet, Yuval Noah Hariri, and Malala Yousafzai, to reflect on failure in the present.
Over six episodes, History’s Greatest Fails will dissect failure of all kinds, from troubled historical rulers, to the failures of remembrance, to the failures that have created the happy accidents that last for generations.
As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And for the bonus episodes of this miniseries, Dan and Producer Al are hearing from the favourites directly via voice notes! Following along as they discuss the failures the royal favourites’ have deemed historic!
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 14, 2024 • 17min
Introducing...The Iron King
This is History is taking a trip to France, to bring you the bloody tale of one of the canniest, cruellest and most handsome kings in all of the Middle Ages: Philip the Fair. Dan Jones speaks to Danièle Cybulskie about Philip’s incredible reign, and what we can expect from this special, six-part series.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
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Presented by Dan Jones and Danièle Cybulskie
Producer - Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Marketing - Kieran Lancini
Sound Design and Mixing - Gulliver Lawrence-Tickell
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May 7, 2024 • 34min
Season 4 | 12. The Reckoning
Edward I is forced to spend his old age fighting multiple political crises. He desperately needs the aid of his barons if he’s going to have any chance of returning Gascony to Plantagenet hands. But time is of the essence, as while his back is turned from Scotland, a noble named William Wallace is on the march.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
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Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
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Apr 30, 2024 • 29min
Season 4 | 11. The Sword and the Stone
Edward announces the new King of Scotland, revealing his master plan to take over the country himself. Scotland is outraged, and refuses to go down without a fight. While Edward is distracted squashing rebellions, an old enemy sees their chance, and decides to give the Plantagenet King a taste of his own medicine.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
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Apr 23, 2024 • 33min
Season 4 | 10. Dead Queens
Margaret of Norway is a six-year-old child who has just found out she’s the only surviving heir to the throne of Scotland. She’s summoned to make the crossing from Norway, where Edward I intends to marry her to his son. He sees Margaret as the key to his Scottish takeover, but events soon take a turn no one could have predicted.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 16, 2024 • 30min
Season 4 | 9. Blood Money
Edward I puts his plan of a united Britain into motion, building some of the most magnificent castles the world had ever seen. These castles could secure his legacy, but they are eye-wateringly expensive. Edward’s debts, alongside a near-death experience, sends him and Mediaeval England into one of its darkest chapters.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
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Apr 9, 2024 • 29min
Season 4 | 8. A New Arthur
Edward I is the new king of England, but he has ambitions far beyond that. He wants to be like his idol, the legendary King Arthur, and that means uniting all of Britain under the Plantagenet banner. His first target is Wales, but the people there have no intention of bending to Edward’s will.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
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Apr 2, 2024 • 32min
Season 4 | 7. Edward Strikes Back
Prince Edward has escaped the clutches of Simon de Montfort, and is determined to wreak revenge on him for humiliating his family. The two sides reassemble for a second battle, but this time they’re taking no prisoners.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
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Mar 26, 2024 • 27min
Season 4 | 6. The Battle of Lewes
When Queen Eleanor makes a move to restore Plantagenet power, the barons launch into all out war. Simon de Montfort assembles a small but powerful army to take on Henry and his family on a hillside in Southern England. The future of the entire Plantagenet dynasty hangs in the balance.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices. visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 19, 2024 • 29min
Season 4 | 5. The Magnificent Seven
Crusading fever is in the air again, and Henry III decides it’s his turn to give it a try. This is only the beginning of a series of calamitous royal decisions, including a hair-brained scheme to conquer Sicily. Soon, his barons, led by Simon de Montfort, have had enough. They decide to take matters into their own hands and march on Westminster.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices.
Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 12, 2024 • 26min
Season 4 | 4. Simon Says
Henry III decides to reclaim the lost Plantagenet lands in France. He, his brother Richard and Simon de Montfort head out on an ill-fated campaign against the powerful French King, Louis IX. What goes down between Simon and Henry in France will set them, and all of England, hurtling towards war, death and destruction.
A Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts
To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com
Learn more about your ad choices.
Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Written and presented by Dan Jones
Producer and Story Editor - Georgia Mills
Executive Producer - Louisa Field
Production Manager - Jen Mistri
Composer - Matt Acheson
Sound Design and Mixing - Chris O'Shaughnessy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
