HistoryExtra podcast

Dr Clare Jackson discusses her new book Devil-Land, which examines the insecurities and anxieties that plagued England between 1588 and 1688, from fears of a foreign invasion to paranoia over Catholic plots.  (Ad) Clare Jackson is the author of Devil-Land: England Under Siege, 1588-1688 (Penguin, 2021). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Devil-Land-England-Under-Siege-1588-1688/dp/02...

Saul Dubow responds to listener questions on Victorian Britain’s bitter conflict with two southern African republics    What triggered the Boer War? Why did it take Britain so long to bring its enormous resources to bear? And how did the war puncture the people of Britain’s confidence in the power of their armed forces? Professor Saul Dubow answers your questions on the bitter imperial conflict.  ...

As governor-general of Nazi-occupied Poland, Hans Frank bore heavy responsibility for the abuse and murder of hundreds of thousands of Poles and millions of Polish Jews. His son, Niklas Frank, recounts his father’s role in the Nazi regime and explains why he’s made it his mission to ensure that his father’s murderous legacy is never forgotten.   (Ad) Niklas Frank is the author of The Father: A Rev...

Helen Batten shares stories from her new biography of Victorian singer, stage performer and entrepreneur Emily Soldene, from a career in London’s rowdy music halls to adventures abroad and the bright lights of 19th-century Broadway.   (Ad) Helen Batten is the author of The Improbable Adventures of Emily Soldene: Actress, Writer and Victorian Rebel (Allison & Busby, 2021). Buy it now from Waterston...

John of Gaunt rose to become one of the most powerful figures of his age, yet was ultimately unable to secure a crown for himself. Historian, author and podcaster Helen Carr charts the eventful life of the 14th-century prince.   (Ad) Helen Carr is the author of The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster (Oneworld, 2021). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.c...

How did prehistoric people in Britain view and understand the world around them? What did they smell, hear and see? Francis Pryor, one of Britain’s leading archaeologists and the author of Scenes from Prehistoric Life, delves into the sensory world of our prehistoric ancestors.   (Ad) Francis Pryor is the author of Scenes from Prehistoric Life: from the Ice Age to the Coming of the Romans (Head of...

While many European royals faced abdications and revolutions during the First World War, the British monarchy not only survived the conflict, but was strengthened by it. Historian Heather Jones discusses her new book, For King and Country, which explores the royal family’s role during the war.   (Ad) Heather Jones is the author of For King and Country: The British Monarchy and the First World War ...

Matthew Stevens tackles listener questions on the history of the Welsh regions during the Middle Ages   Matthew Stevens tackles listener questions and popular search queries on the history of Wales and the Welsh regions during the Middle Ages, from the Norman invasion and Edward I’s conquest to the Welsh roots of the Tudor dynasty.     Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. L...

The index, the bit at the back of a book you mostly only turn to for reference, has a bit of a dowdy reputation – and it’s an unfair one. Dennis Duncan discusses the index’s surprising history – one that has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from office and proved a battleground for snarky academic rivalries.    (Ad) Dennis Duncan is the author of Index, A Brief History of the (Allen...

Why did medieval monks and abbots write histories, and what does it tell us about the role of monasticism in the Middle Ages? Medievalist Dr Benjamin Pohl of the University of Bristol tells us more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between 1917 and 1947, a group of Indian women fought for their right to vote. Sumita Mukherjee discusses their campaign, and reveals how Suffragettes were connected both to India’s wider struggle for independence, and women’s suffrage movements across the world.   (Ad) Sumita Mukherjee is the author of Indian Suffragettes: Female Identities and Transnational Networks(Oxford University Press, 2018...

Neil Faulkner reveals how the Anglo-Arab Wars of 1870-1920 helped give rise to the first modern jihad   Neil Faulkner, author of Empire and Jihad, describes how Britain’s entanglements in the Middle East and north Africa in the decades leading up to the First World War helped trigger a radical Islamic insurgency.   (Ad) Neil Faulkner is the author of Empire and Jihad: The Anglo-Arab Wars of 1870-1...

From transfusions of lambs’ blood to tooth replacements, Paul Craddock chronicles the strange history of transplant surgery   From lambs’ blood transfused into human veins, to tooth replacements and new noses crafted from forearm skin, Paul Craddock – author of new book Spare Parts – chronicles the strange history of transplant surgery.   (Ad) Paul Craddock is the author of Spare Parts: A Surprisi...

Professor David Stevenson answers listener questions on the 1919-20 conference that sought to resolve the aftermath of the First World War   In the latest episode in our series on history’s biggest topics, Professor David Stevenson explores the 1919–20 conference that sought to resolve the aftermath of the First World War, and whose legacy has been fiercely debated ever since. Was the resulting Tr...

Archaeologist and television presenter Neil Oliver discusses his new book, The Story of the World in 100 Moments, which explores the whole of human history through just 100 milestone events.   (Ad) Neil Oliver is the author of The Story of the World in 100 Moments (Bantam Press, 2021). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Story-World-100-Moments-bestselling/dp/1787633101/?tag=bbchistor...

Ian Keable describes some of the most audacious, bizarre and inventive pranks that fooled Georgian Britain    From a woman who seemingly gave birth to rabbits to a man who claimed he could climb inside a wine bottle, Ian Keable – author of The Century of Deception – describes some of the most audacious, bizarre and inventive pranks that fooled Georgian Britain.   (Ad) Ian Keable is the author of T...

Nancy Goldstone discusses the 18th-century family saga of Habsburg empress Maria Theresa, and her equally formidable daughters    Nancy Goldstone discusses the 18th-century family saga of Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa and her equally formidable daughters (including Marie Antoinette) who married into royal houses around Europe.   (Ad) Nancy Goldstone is the author of In the Shadow of the Empress:...

Clive Aslet, author of The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People, reveals how Britain’s attitude to its stately piles has reflected the nation’s evolving political and economic landscape over the past 2,000 years.   (Ad) Clive Aslet is the author of The Story of the Country House: A History of Places and People (Yale, 2021). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresource...

Journalist and author Charlie English shares the story of a remarkable collection of artworks by psychiatric patients in Weimar Germany and also explores the devastating impact of Nazism on modernist art and people with mental illnesses.   (Ad) Charlie English is the author of The Gallery of Miracles and Madness: Insanity, Art and Hitler’s first Mass-Murder Programme (William Collins, 2021). Buy i...

In the latest episode in our series on history’s biggest topics, Professor Jill Burke tackles listener questions and internet search queries on the Borgias, from rumours of incest and the Banquet of the Chestnuts to the forgotten triumphs Pope Alexander VI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Gristwood considers how the Tudor monarchs used medieval ideas about courtly love for their own ends    In medieval Europe, the nobility were entranced with courtly love, a genre of literature that saw chivalrous knights performing heroic deeds to protect and serve their lovers. But as Sarah Gristwood argues, these tropes later captured the hearts and minds of the Tudor dynasty, who used ide...

Tristram Hunt, author of The Radical Potter, discusses the life and work of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), from his groundbreaking ceramic creations and enterprising business ventures to his political radicalism.    (Ad) Tristram Hunt is the author of The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain (Allen Lane, 2021). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Radical-Pot...

Historian Richard Broome, author of Aboriginal Australians, discusses the experiences of Australia’s indigenous peoples after the arrival of white settlers, uncovering stories of exploitation and oppression, but also of agency and cultural independence.   (Ad) Richard Broome is the author of Aboriginal Australians: A History Since 1788 (Fifth Edition – Allen and Unwin, 2019). Buy it now from Amazo...

How does a history degree help you suss out fake news? How have history students been affected by covid-19? And are history degrees still valued as much as they once were? On today’s podcast, a panel of experts consider these questions and more, as they tackle the big issues facing history higher education in 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your...

Interned in a remote, forbidding prisoner of war camp at the height of the First World War, two British officers turned to an unlikely tool in their bid to escape – a ouija board. Margalit Fox, author of The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History, tells their story.   (Ad) Margalit Fox is the author of The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War...