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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

Saturday lecture: Medieval crime and violence 23.05.2020 1:03:26

In the first of five talks from our virtual Medieval Life and Death Day event, historian Hannah Skoda explores the nature and consequences of crime and violence in the middle ages. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cooking for Churchill 22.05.2020 41:27

Food historian Annie Gray tells the story of Georgina Landemare, who became Winston Churchill’s cook during the Second World War. Her career offers fascinating insights into the dining habits of the wartime leader and the nation as a whole. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rutger Bregman’s optimistic history of the world 20.05.2020 39:28

Bestselling Dutch historian Rutger Bregman discusses his new book, Humankind: A Hopeful History, which ranges through the past to argue that humanity is inherently good. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Living on the edge in Victorian Britain 18.05.2020 38:27

Historian Emma Griffin, author of the new book Bread Winner, explores how economic changes in 19th-century Britain affected family life for working class Victorians. 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 English Reformation, but were afraid to ask 17.05.2020 43:21

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Diarmaid MacCulloch responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about Henry VIII’s break from Rome and the seismic events that followed. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Surviving the Great Plague 15.05.2020 33:03

As we grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, historian Vanessa Harding describes the events of the Great Plague that afflicted London in 1665, and explains how people at the time sought to cope with the disease. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rethinking the Renaissance 13.05.2020 42:46

Historian Catherine Fletcher, author of the new book The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance, offers a fresh view on this transformative period in Italy – and Europe’s – past. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The life and legend of Florence Nightingale 11.05.2020 32:09

On the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, biographer Mark Bostridge reflects on the pioneering Victorian nurse’s work at the Crimean War and beyond. 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 Vikings, but were afraid to ask 10.05.2020 1:06:48

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Judith Jesch, professor of Viking studies, responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the medieval Scandinavian people. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain at War 08.05.2020 47:49

On the 75th anniversary of VE Day we speak to historian Dan Todman, author of Britain's War: A New World, 1942–1947, about Britain’s role in defeating the Nazis and the challenges of adjusting to the postwar years. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Northumbrians: from Bede to Geordie Shore 06.05.2020 42:29

Historian Dan Jackson, author of The Northumbrians, traces the distinctive history and culture of North East England, from ancient times to 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

Medieval globetrotters 04.05.2020 38:10

Historian Valerie Hansen, author of a new history of the year 1000 AD, surveys the state of the world a millennium ago and argues that this was a crucial moment in the story of globalization, comparable to 1492. 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 Victorians, but were afraid to ask 03.05.2020 42:33

In the latest of our new series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Sarah Richardson responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about Queen Victoria and the age that bears her name. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Corn Laws crisis 01.05.2020 37:06

Author and journalist Stephen Bates describes the battle over bread prices that divided Parliament in mid-19th-century Britain. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How the world made us 29.04.2020 44:13

Scientist and author Lewis Dartnell discusses his recent book Origins, which explores how Earth’s physical features have had a profound effect on human civilisations throughout history. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The unexpected Vikings 27.04.2020 37:49

Historians Sam Willis and James Daybell, creators of the Histories of the Unexpected books and podcast, take a sideways look at the Viking era, exploring how things like keys, butter and haircuts fit into their story. 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 British prehistory, but were afraid to ask 26.04.2020 1:01:23

In the latest of our new series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, archaeologist David Miles responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about Britain’s distant past. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Nazi mystery 24.04.2020 1:01:30

Philippe Sands, author of the multi-award-winning memoir East West Street, talks to us about his new book, The Ratline, which charts his investigation into the dramatic life and mysterious death of the senior Nazi Otto von Wächter. Philippe reveals how Otto managed to escape justice after 1945 and examines his relationship with his wife, Charlotte. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See aca...

A new view of Africa’s past 22.04.2020 46:46

Historian Toby Green, author of the award-winning book A Fistful of Shells, explores the history of West Africa and its relations with the wider world, from the era of the slave trade to more recent times. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chanel and the Riviera 20.04.2020 50:35

Anne de Courcy discusses Coco Chanel, and some other famous faces who graced the French Riviera, during the interwar years and the era of Nazi occupation. 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 D-Day, but were afraid to ask 19.04.2020 57:07

In the latest of our new series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, military historian Peter Caddick-Adams responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about one of the defining episodes of World War Two. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The scandalous Byrons 17.04.2020 38:56

Historian and author Emily Brand speaks about her new book, The Fall of the House of Byron, which explores the dramatic lives of the Georgian aristocratic family whose lives were blighted by scandal long before the arrival of the renowned poet. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mistresses of Charles II 15.04.2020 30:47

Historian and author Linda Porter talks about her new book Mistresses: Sex and Scandal at the court of Charles II, exploring the lives of the many women who shared the 17th-century monarch’s bed. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The spies who inspired Bond 13.04.2020 27:43

Author and spy expert Henry Hemming discusses the real historical personalities who Ian Fleming drew on to create 007 and other major characters in the Bond novels. 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 Roman Britain, but were afraid to ask 12.04.2020 45:27

In the third of our new series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, archaeologist Miles Russell responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the four centuries of Roman rule in Britain. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices