HistoryExtra podcast
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300 episodes
The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts.
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Episodes page 1 of 6
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How to build the ultimate medieval castle
If you had to survive a siege, which medieval fortress would you choose to be holed up inside? In today's episode, Dan Jones surveys the world's historic fortifications to cherry-pick the fashionable and functional…
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Richard III's traumatic childhood
Richard III is one of the most divisive kings in all of English history – a man whose seizure of the throne in 1483 has provoked fierce debate for more than five centuries. But to what extent was his rise to power the…
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How Ghosts makes history funny – without getting it wrong
How do you make history hilarious without mangling the facts? As Ghosts: The Possession of Button House arrives on the big screen, co-creator, writer and actor Laurence Rickard (AKA Robin and Sir Humphrey Bone) reveals…
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America's anti-Chinese laws: a forgotten history
From the middle of the 19th century, Chinese people in the United States found themselves increasingly policed, as legislation was introduced that contained and controlled their economic and cultural lives. Historian…
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An African king in the Roman empire
He was barely a toddler when he was paraded as a captive in a Roman triumph in 46 BC, but young North African prince Juba went on to marry a daughter of Antony and Cleopatra, and rule an African kingdom. Andrew…
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Everyday life in a slave trading town
In 1665 the Portuguese Inquisition arrested Crispina Peres, a powerful slave trader in the west African port of Cacheu. The records of her case provide a remarkable window into everyday life in 17th-century west…
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From plague 'searchers' to strawberry birthmarks: a history of women's bodies
What was 'nidgeting'? How did women know they were pregnant before modern tests? And what did people in the past believe a mother’s imagination could do to her unborn child? In this episode, Lauren Good speaks to…
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The country house at war
It might be assumed that the owners of Britain's country houses weren't hugely affected by the Second World War, and that they continued to live in luxury in their vast estates. However, as Judith S Lewis explains to…
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The pioneering surgeon who stood up to Rasputin
She pioneered lifesaving battlefield surgery, challenged the medical establishment, stood up to Rasputin, and became the world's first female professor of surgery – yet today, few people have heard of Vera Gedroits. In…
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The stolen Native Americans who shaped US history
Between 1492 and 1880, as many as 600,000 Native Americas were enslaved in the area that would become the United States. That’s the figure estimated by historian Linford D Fisher in his book Stealing America: The…
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Being disabled in the medieval era
Prosthetic legs, wheelbarrow wheelchairs and guide… children? Those were just some of the assistive technologies and body augmentations available to our medieval and early modern ancestors. In this episode, Rae…
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Vanilla: a far from ordinary history
It's now often used as an adjective for anything standard, plain, and borderline boring – but the history of vanilla is anything but. Eric T Jennings – whose book Vanilla: The History of an Extraordinary Bean is among…
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Ancient explosives and the philosopher's stone: a history of alchemy
Think of alchemy, and you likely imagine bubbling vials of strange potions and molten metals. But how close is this popular perception to the truth? That’s the question behind historian and adventurer Kit Chapman’s…
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North Korea's religious dictators
More than three decades after the end of the Cold War and the fall of the USSR, the North Korean regime remains steadfastly in place, defiantly ploughing its own path some eight decades after its founding. What might…
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Inside Venice’s Jewish ghetto
In the early 16th century, Venice confined its Jewish population to a restricted quarter on an island in the city. It was the first settlement to bear the name 'ghetto' – a word that would go on to shape the history of…
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WW2's bloody battle for Arakan
In 1944, the Allies unleashed an offensive in Burma – a brutal campaign spearheaded by 3 Commando Brigade alongside the Indian and West African troops of XV Corps. Against a ruthless enemy and in one of the world’s…
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The Bayeux Tapestry: secrets of the stitchers
Mia Hansson has spent 10 years making an exact replica of the Bayeux Tapestry. In conversation with Dave Musgrove, she explains what her modern remake experience can teach us about the women who made the original…
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How Henry VII seized – and kept – the crown
Henry VII is often remembered as a cold, calculating and penny-pinching monarch whose relentless pursuit of an ever-tightening grip on the throne overshadowed his achievements. But how fair is that reputation? And what…
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The Soviet spy who couldn't love
In 1981, a Soviet spy walked into MI6 HQ in Tehran and offered to defect to Britain – if, in return, Britain could help him improve his performance in bed. In this episode, Ben Macintyre introduces Spencer Mizen to an…
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The slave ship that changed history
In 1781, more than 130 enslaved Africans were deliberately thrown from a ship called the Zorg into the Atlantic. The horrifying story of this slave ship – long mistakenly known as the Zong – was to have consequences…
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Have we overlooked England’s local histories?
What happens to English history when you view it through a local lens, rather than a national one? Did people even notice when the Romans left Britain? Was 1066 really that important outside of London? And did the…
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The making of the modern Middle East
The Middle East has, for decades, been riven by violent conflict. But what are the roots and ongoing causes of this violence? In this episode, Simon Sebag Montefiore discusses The Cauldron, his new book exploring the…
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Joan of Arc: inspirational leader or flawed failure?
Joan of Arc's story is one of the most remarkable chapters in medieval history: that of a rebellious teenage peasant girl rising to become a military leader, before suffering an equally precipitous fall from favour.…
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The forgotten slave traders who shaped Britain
Who were the people who financed Britain’s transatlantic slave trade – and how did their money transform the nation? Elinor Evans speaks to historian William A Pettigrew, who has led a landmark project identifying some…
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What is ‘Europe’, anyway?
What defines Europe – is it geography, politics, a shared culture, or perhaps a mix of all three? In this episode, historian Roderick Beaton tells Emily Briffett about the ways in which it has been defined, and…
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Christianity, conflict and catastrophe: the life of CS Lewis
He's well-known for creating children's classic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but what else can history teach us about CS Lewis? Michael Ward explores the life of the author with Isabel King – from a tragic…
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Was Napoleon III the world's first populist leader?
Napoleon III's family was, in the words of historian Edward Shawcross, “the most cutthroat mafioso soap opera in the world”. Exiled to Switzerland as a boy and disowned by his own father, he spent years as a laughing…
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The Bayeux Tapestry blockbuster at the British Museum
The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is set to be the biggest historical event in decades. In conversation with David Musgrove, its curator Michael Lewis gives the lowdown on what the exhibition is all…
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The secrets of our DNA
What can DNA tell us about who we are and where we came from? Professor Turi King – who previously appeared on the podcast to discuss her research into Adolf Hitler’s DNA – returns to explore modern genetics and its…
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What's it like to live in a royal palace?
Did Lucy Worsley have 'the best job in history'? And what did she do when she worked in it? In this episode, Lucy reflects on her career so far, her time as Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and how the job has…
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Roman kings: myth, memory and the making of power
Before Rome's republic and the age of emperors, there were kings… or so the story goes. Beginning with Romulus, and ending with Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, these rulers loomed large in the Roman imagination – but is…
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Philip Augustus: the Plantagenets’ greatest rival
King Philip Augustus of France was the Plantagenets’ ultimate enemy. A ruler with an iron fist and sharp political instincts, he consistently exploited the squabbles of the English dynasty, all while transforming…
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Laura Ingalls Wilder: life of the week
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 'Little House' books have captivated generations with tales of family, hardship and survival on the American frontier. But how closely did Wilder’s fiction reflect her real childhood – and what…
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How bullies shaped 19th-century America
America's Gilded Age is often remembered for rapid expansion and opportunity, but beneath the surface lay a brutal society in which it paid to be a bully. In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to historian Andrew…
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Is there a royal sex scandal hidden in plain sight in the Bayeux tapestry?
The Bayeux Tapestry is making headlines as it is loaned to the British Museum to be shown in England for the first time in almost a thousand years. It holds many mysteries, including the famous Aelfgyva scene, where an…
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Did Britain really 'keep calm and carry on' in WW2?
'Keep calm and carry on' has long been held up as the defining spirit of wartime Britain. But was the nation really as united, stoic and unquestioning as popular memory suggests? In this episode, Steven Casey takes…
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Did the Catholic Church support Hitler?
How did the politically neutral Catholic church come to have dealings with the fascist regimes of Mussolini and Hitler? In this episode, Ambrogio Caiani tells Charlotte Vosper why the Curia was enticed by…
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Frida Kahlo: life of the week
The arresting gaze, the stark monobrow, the intricate ribbons woven through the dark hair – Frida Kahlo's unmistakable image is recognised around the world today. Yet the woman behind the vivid self-portraits was far…
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How the Americas transformed Tudor England
What did Tudor England really gain from its early encounters with the Americas? In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to historian Dr Lauren Working about her new book A Golden World, exploring the overlooked exchange…
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Preview: Master the medieval art of knowing yourself
How can the past help us live better, happier, healthier and more productive lives today? That's the question at the heart of our series Life Lessons from History, which is back for a new run – and today on the…
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Have we got ancient women's sexuality all wrong?
You might assume that women were prevented from pursuing sexual pleasure in the classical world. However, as Dr Jean Menzies discusses with Lauren Good, this is not the case. They explore how women were active in…
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Adultery, assassination and Agatha Christie: the dark side of the hotel
Hotels, have perhaps surprisingly, played a large role in our history. They have found themselves in divorce papers, inspired a new genre of fiction – and even facilitated murder. Speaking to Lauren Good, Professor…
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Hedy Lamarr: life of the week
Hedy Lamarr starred in dozens of movies, but her life may have been more dramatic than any of them. She was the teenage actor who portrayed the first character to have an on-screen orgasm. The Austrian Jew whose…
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How WW2 transformed Asia
For decades, the history of the Second World War has been told through predominately western eyes. That, writes historian Hans van de Ven, simply has to change. Hans's new book, Blood Dawn, sets out to reset the focus,…
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Preview: Was Jack the Ripper Queen Victoria's grandson?
As recent years attest, royal scandals have a habit of coming to light. But what if the mother of all royal scandals is still waiting to be revealed? Could it be that an heir to the British throne, Prince Albert…
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How opium became a powerful global commodity
Opium has been a painkiller, a vice and the fuel for at least two wars. But what makes it such a powerful global commodity? Benjamin Robert Siegel takes Isabel King through this complex history, exploring how opium…
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A wild history of partying
For hundreds of years, people have gathered after dark to drink, dance and escape the pressures of everyday life. But how did 'going out' become a habit across the world? Jon Bauckham chats to Imogen Willetts about the…
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Yuri Gagarin: life of the week
Yuri Gagarin’s journey from a Nazi-occupied Soviet village into outer space make him one of the most famous people on Earth. In this episode, historian Asif Siddiqi tells Danny Bird about the life behind the legend,…
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How Christianity conquered the Roman empire
The Roman empire was home to a multitude of religious cults in the first century AD. However, only one – Christianity – rose to global domination. But why? That's a question that Tim Whitmarsh sets out to answer in his…
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The Odyssey’s forgotten epilogue
Why did Alexander the Great sleep with a copy of the Odyssey under his pillow? In this final episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series, Kev Lochun and classicist Daisy Dunn explore the astonishing cultural legacy of a…
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