AGE OF VICTORIA PODCAST

Happy 2nd Anniversary This is my look back on the last two years, a lot of thank you’s, some listener questions and our first murder? Two years of podcasts. Time to celebrate with a Victorian murder; you’ve all been asking for one for ages, so here you are. Don’t forget to make some cake and drink some tea whilst you listen as we:  1. start with thank you’s and reflect...

I’ve launched a Patreon and I review our first film about Queen Victoria – Victoria the Great. I also read out the latest iTunes reviews.   The show starts with the announcement about Patreon and the various tiers. Then I remind listeners to send in questions for the upcoming 2nd anniversary special. The middle of the show is a run down of how I will do film/TV series/book reviews and an eva...

In Ep20 pt 2 we continue our journey through Queen Victoria’s childhood education. Pt2 explores the specifics of education, what she learnt, and crucially, how her education would fit her into the increasingly strict and complex Victorian class system. It wasn’t easy being “the girl who will be Queen.” It also covers her relationship with her ally and mentor Uncle Leopold,...

In Ep20 pt 1 we continue our journey through Queen Victoria’s childhood. In this 2 part show you will see how Victoria was educated; as a child, but also as a future Queen. She joined an elite group of people who could read and write, but she had a huge weight of expectation to live up to. Ep20 pt1 explores the philosophy of education to see why a Queen needed to be educated. It sets her edu...

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham for the first part of our series on Queen Victoria’s childhood. She was growing up at a time when life was fragile at best for children; between disease, poverty and murder, reaching adulthood was not guaranteed. Victoria had to face, an uncle who wanted to usurp the throne, a power hungry mother, and a corrupt household advisor called Sir John Conroy who hun...

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham and discover how Victoria is dealt the first tragedy in her life. Learn about the perils and power of being a Duchess. Plus we meet the abusive and magnetic John Conroy, a man of ambition and secrets. We also witness the death of a King and Victoria’s slow, unlikely, but inevitable climb towards the throne. But before she got there, she would have to survive...

Merry Christmas, join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham in learning about Victorian Traditions of the Earthly and Ghostly kind. Let me take you on a trip  through history, busting myths about Christmas Trees, explaining how traditions came to be, some great events at Christmas, and of course a fireside story…..if you are brave enough. Love to hear from you either at ageofvictoriapodcast@gmai...

We meet Queen Victoria at last. This episode covers George III, the Prince Regent, the royal family tree, the succession, the death of Princess Charlotte, Victoria’s parents – The Duke & Duchess of Kent, her birth and finally her Christening & the origins of her name. There’s a fully transcript for the episode  HERE Love to hear from you at ageofvictoriapodcast@gmail.com...

This minisode gives a recap of the key themes in the show since launch as we get ready for a major Victorian event. (and no this isn’t like the Simpsons playing clips of old episodes in a ropey season 18 TV special). This show is a great chance to remind yourself of the real building block events that unleashed the Victorian age. Also included is a community segment with reviews and listener...

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham and explore the Peterloo Massacre 1819; one of the darkest moments of British political & social history. From poverty & hope to anger and death.    This episode starts with a outline of the situation in Britain in 1819, and themes of progress. It sets out the difference in mindsets to show how the working world view was so different from the world vi...

The fledgling United States is hit by freezing storms as the fall out from Mt Tambora continues to wreck havoc around the world. Then we turn to Switzerland and see how the darkness gives rise to the great gothic work of Frankenstein. In this episode we cover Climate science in the USA The early colonial economy The oncoming storms Impact and drivers of migration Situation on mainland Europe The f...

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham in a detailed investigation of the Princess Alice disaster on the Thames in Sept 1878, the horror of her sinking, and Victorian Londons reaction. This show covers The geography of the River Thames London then and now The ships involved The fatal mistakes Who were the Victims and the Survivors? The rescue attempts The clean up after the disaster The legal enqu...

Mt Tambora has devastated huge area’s in the Pacific. Now its global impact begins to be felt. In this latest monthly narrative show your host, Chris Fernandez-Packham, explores the enormous impact on the British mainland and Ireland in 1816 as the Year Without Summer Begins to bite. Topic outline Volcanoes and climate science. C19th Weather and climate science. The labour market and politic...

Roll up your shirt sleeves, push back your top hat, and throw open your coat tails. It’s time to grab a bottle of gin, and seek riches or ruin as you learn about the history of gin in the Victorian era. Truly the drink of Empire…..or your personal ruin. Intro What is gin? Bombay Sapphire visit Manufacturing, propaganda and the British vs Dutch origins debate Invention is the mother of...

No one in 1815 thought the world was about to change, but a cataclysmic volcanic eruption was about to change the course of history. The affairs of men seemed so important, yet in the tranquil Pacific, nature was about to shake the world and civilisations to their foundations. Join me for part 1 of the series on 1816 The Year without Summer as we learn about one of the greatest volcanoes in histor...

Summer heat wave is here, so it’s time for Fish & Chips. You love em. I love em. The Victorians invented them. Don’t scoff, instead join me for a gallop through the history of Victorian fish and chips. Learn why Dickens was the key as always, and how fish and chips fuelled the industrial revolution. Listen to one of Queen Victoria’s daily menu’s – not for the fain...

As Napoleons downfall and Frances defeat become inevitable, the hard work and hard partying of the great diplomats and statesmen of Europe reached a fever pitch. In a whirl of balls and banquets the shape of Europe for the next 100 years would be decided. So much hung in the balance, but the great men of the time seemed to be more interested in the parties and the women to notice. Would there be a...

Join me and decide who, if anyone was the truly scandalous one. The aristocrat? The banker? The Sporting Superstar?   This is a minisode that is a stand alone episode on a scandal involving Beatrice Sumner and Charles Hoare in the very late Victorian period, plus why framing a narrative is dangerous when studying history.  What would you do to protect your daughter? What would you do to...

A very short update on upcoming episodes, reviews, thank you’s and a shout out to the excellent Pontifacts podcast. The post MINI008 Announcements & thank you’s. appeared first on AGE OF VICTORIA PODCAST .

Every European school child should have learnt about the Congress of Vienna. Seriously. It is actually possibly the most important series of events in modern history that no one has ever heard of.  Honestly, how many of us have heard of it, or know what it was, or what happened? We should and not just because it is important or worthy. It is a fascinating tail in its own right. Who would rule...

The podcast is one year old today. Celebrate with listener questions (who should be on the Victorian Mount Rushmore?), poetry, trivia and many thank you’s to all my listeners and podcast buddies. The post 1ST BIRTHDAY SPECIAL appeared first on AGE OF VICTORIA PODCAST .

Here end the Napoleonic Wars. The revolution is over. France is beaten and it seems Britain is set to take over power in Europe, and perhaps the world. Learn how France fell, how the political battles ousted Napoleon & doomed the Marshals, and the final triumph of the great British Napoleonic Army. Email any questions to ageofvictoriapodcast@gmail.com The post EP010 EXIT NAPOLEON appeared firs...

Easters here! To celebrate the end of winter, learn about the struggles of the worst Victorian job and the people who did it. The Victorian matchstick girls. Exploited, downtrodden, at risk of the terrifying condition “Phossy Jaw” and always on the edge of disaster, these girls would shake the British establishment when they rose up together. Learn about the trials, dread diseases and...

After the bloody day of Waterloo, many soldiers found themselves in need of a doctor. Learn how the wounded were recovered, treated and operated on in the aftermath of one of the great battles of European history. The pain and near butchery would be horrific, but the lessons learned would lead to ground breaking advances that would save many lives. Join me to find out about how an amputation was c...

The climax of the Battle of Waterloo. The fate of Napoleon, France and Europe hangs in the balance. The French seem poised for victory. Can a thin line of brave Scotsmen and the dashing British cavalry save the Allies from defeat? This episode covers The heroic Scots The British Heavies and the Charge of the Greys by Lady Butler The arrival of the Prussians The massed French cavalry charges The di...