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HistoryExtra podcast

History EN ↓ 2618 episodes

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 Ch...

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Episodes

Ernest Bevin: working-class warrior 02.09.2020 45:19

Author and former cabinet minister Andrew Adonis discusses his new biography of Ernest Bevin, exploring how the Labour politician played a crucial role in both World War Two and the early years of the Cold War. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The uncommon lives of common sailors 31.08.2020 44:28

Author and journalist Stephen Taylor describes the experiences of ordinary British seamen who took to the waves during the age of sail in the 18th and 19th centuries. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Hundred Years’ War, but were afraid to ask 30.08.2020 1:02:13

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Anne Curry responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the medieval clashes between English and French forces for control of the throne of France. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

Crusaders: An Epic History of the Wars for the Holy Lands 29.08.2020 1:02:43

In a talk he delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, historian, author and broadcaster Dan Jones introduces a vivid cast of characters from the medieval conflicts for the Holy Land. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The extraordinary life of Sultan Selim I 28.08.2020 1:02:03

Historian Alan Mikhail, author of a new biography of the Ottoman Sultan Selim I, explains how he transformed the empire in the early 16thcentury – with important consequences for the rest of the world. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edward the Confessor 26.08.2020 1:02:08

Medieval historian Professor Tom Licence, author of a new biography of King Edward the Confessor, discusses the life and times of the pre-conquest ruler of England, King Edward the Confessor. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Revisiting the Kindertransport 24.08.2020 28:33

Playwright Jonathan Lichtenstein talks to us about his new book, The Berlin Shadow, which describes how he accompanied his father on a journey back to Berlin, retracing the steps he took in 1939 on the Kindertransport. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Aztecs, but were afraid to ask 23.08.2020 52:25

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Caroline Dodds Pennock responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Mesoamerican civilisation, including a discussion of the practice of human sacrifice. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podc...

Who Dares Wins: Britain in the Age of the Falklands 22.08.2020 56:17

In a talk he delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, historian, author and broadcaster Dominic Sandbrook explores the history of Britain in the early 1980s. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story of the Freemasons 21.08.2020 53:02

Historian John Dickie, author of the new book The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World, sifts fact from fiction in the history of a much misunderstood organisation. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Africa’s cultural liberation 19.08.2020 30:33

Author and broadcaster Afua Hirsch, who is presenting the new BBC Four series African Renaissance: When Art Meets Power, discusses the histories of Ethiopia, Kenya and Senegal, and how contemporary artists in these countries are responding to the past. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...

The history of seduction 17.08.2020 41:27

Clement Knox, author of the recent book Strange Antics: A History of Seduction, explores ideas of sex, courtship and power from the 18th century until the present day. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Spanish Civil War, but were afraid to ask 16.08.2020 1:01:39

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Paul Preston responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the conflict that tore Spain apart from 1936–39. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could D-Day Have Failed? 15.08.2020 1:00:46

In a talk he delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, military historian and author Peter Caddick-Adams reflects on the 1944 invasion of Normandy and considers the risks of the operation. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victory in the east 14.08.2020 38:13

As we approach the 75th anniversary of VJ Day, historian Jonathan Fennell describes how the British and Commonwealth forces turned the tide against Japan in the Burman campaign. Historyextra.com/podcas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s in a medieval name? 12.08.2020 47:43

Medieval historian James Chetwood explores the origins of people’s names in the Middle Ages and how trends in naming changed dramatically over the centuries. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Authors in the Boer War 10.08.2020 38:36

Author and biographer Sarah LeFanu discusses her recent book, Something of Themselves, which examines the involvement of three British writers – Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Kingsley – in the Anglo-Boer war at the turn of the 20th century. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

Everything you ever wanted to know about the American Civil War, but were afraid to ask 09.08.2020 52:45

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Adam IP Smith responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the conflict between the Union and the Confederacy that devastated America in the 1860s. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

Medieval Wonder Women 08.08.2020 56:18

In a talk she delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, historian, author and broadcaster Janina Ramirez brings to life lesser-known heroines from across the medieval period. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Documents that changed the world 07.08.2020 42:08

The distinguished journalists and broadcasters Peter Snow and Ann MacMillan talk about their new book, The Treasures of World History, which compiles some of the most important documents to have shaped human civilisations, covering everything from the Rosetta Stone to Apollo 11. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices....

Peter Frankopan on global history in 2020 05.08.2020 33:51

Five years after the publication of his landmark book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, historian Peter Frankopan explores some of the major themes in global history and how they relate to life in 2020. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Medieval dynasties: how to stay on the throne 03.08.2020 52:33

Historian Robert Bartlett explores how medieval royal families sought to retain their grip on the throne and explains why some dynasties thrived, while others collapsed. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everything you ever wanted to know about Ancient Greece, but were afraid to ask (part 2) 02.08.2020 1:04:40

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, ancient historian Paul Cartledge responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about one of the most renowned and influential ancient civilisations. Part 1 of this interview aired last Sunday. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad c...

Shadow King: The Life and Death of Henry VI 01.08.2020 51:41

In a talk she delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, historian and author Lauren Johnson discusses the tragic life of Henry VI whose catastrophic reign led to the bloodshed of the Wars of the Roses. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Princes in the Tower: History’s Greatest Mysteries 31.07.2020 25:35

In today’s episode we reveal the winner in our History’s Greatest Mystery poll: the fate of the princes in the Tower. Historian Nathen Amin considers some of the possible explanations for their disappearance in 1483 and whether Richard III was behind their murder. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...