THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR

The royal court isn’t exactly celebrating after the death of Joan of Arc. A dangerous liaison erupts between the widowed Queen of England, Catherine de Valois, and a Welsh suitor called Owen Tudor. 1430s England is not a safe place for the Welsh, let alone someone who risks muddying the royal lineage. It has become vanishingly thin after the death of King Henry V, and the crowning of nine-year-old...

You can now WATCH this episode over on YouTube at youtube.com/@thisishistorypod  Henry VI now rules England… as a kid. As the adults take charge around him, the English war effort in France has been held together increasingly with a shoestring. But now the English have a new problem on their hands: a peasant girl who says she has God on her side. Her name is Joan of Arc.   – Want to delve deeper?...

With Henry V gone, we kick off this new season with a baby on the throne and all the resulting complications that come with this complex scenario. Power is tussled over between the king’s uncles, as a new cast of figures come into play under Henry VI. Meanwhile, across the Channel a new problem begins to surface for the English in the iconic form of Joan of Arc. You can now WATCH this episode over...

England’s greatest warrior-king is gone and on the throne… a baby. In season 9 of This Is History: A Dynasty to Die For, acclaimed historian Dan Jones charts the turbulent story of Henry VI, an infant monarch whose reign is beset by relentless struggles for power both at home and abroad as we enter a brutal era of English civil war - the Wars of the Roses. Scandal, madness and witchcraft form a ba...

In the final episode of Dan’s three-part retelling of the Nativity we enter the gospel of Matthew, as we explore the story according to him. Matthew is all about Jesus’s royal line so expect kings, royalty and great gifts. Plus, the notorious King Herod beckons - one of the most formidable and dangerous tyrants in the whole region. Want to delve deeper? Become a This Is History Royal Favourite sub...

The story continues as the holy family make their way to Bethlehem for a Roman census. Along the way they meet classic characters from the Nativity including an inn keeper and some shepherds who, while watching their flocks, get jump scared by an angel into going to visit a baby in a manger. But why is Luke, the gospelist, telling us all this? Who is the Jesus Christ he is trying to present in thi...

Dan kicks off a new three part series with a retelling of the biblical tale of Mary, Joseph and the whole Gospel-featuring Nativity crew, asking questions about why they say what they say - why sometimes they agree, and sometimes they disagree.  In this first episode we meet a peasant girl called Mary who gets jump scared by an angel and thereafter has quite a lot of information to get her head ar...

Henry V stands at the peak of his power. He’s not just England’s king—he’s heir and regent of France. But for Henry, two crowns aren’t enough. His eyes are fixed on the ultimate prize: the Holy Land. A crusade promises glory, conquest, and divine favor. To Henry, it’s more than ambition—it’s obedience to the only master he truly serves: God. Yet destiny has its own designs, and the Almighty may no...

Henry V’s lightning campaign across France is sputtering. His army is exhausted, starving, and dangerously restless—a powder keg waiting to blow. The French know time is on their side; all they have to do is wait. But then, in a shocking twist, Dauphin Charles strikes a fatal blow: the assassination of John of Burgundy, the one man who could match Henry move for move. Suddenly, the game changes—an...

Surely Henry V can’t like what he’s about to do, but he knows enough about what cruelty can deliver. It’s 1418 and his forces have been instructed to lay siege to Normandy’s glittering capital, Rouen. If he takes this city, Henry places himself in prime position to take the French crown. With this stakes this high, Rouen’s starved and desperate citizens call for help from Paris. It falls on deaf e...

We have a small favour to ask! We’ve put together a survey about This Is History, and it would mean a lot to us if you could fill it out. You can find it at: https://bit.ly/4oFyVRg  In northern France, Henry V spots a glaring weakness — an undefended flank begging to be conquered. It’s the perfect chance to flip the script on history and avenge England’s humiliation in 1066, when William the Conqu...

We have a small favour to ask! We’ve put together a survey about This Is History, and it would mean a lot to us if you could fill it out. You can find it at: https://bit.ly/4oFyVRg  Fresh from his jaw-dropping triumph at Agincourt, King Henry V rides into London not just as a victor—but as a legend. The city explodes in celebration: mock castles tower over cheering crowds, wine gushes from fountai...

Outnumbered. Exhausted. Unyielding. Fresh from the brutal siege of Harfleur, King Henry V marches his exhausted, disease-ridden army across hostile French territory—toward Azincourt, and into the jaws of disaster. Outnumbered, starving, and surrounded, the English face a vast French force confident of crushing them. But Henry is no ordinary king. With icy resolve and tactical brilliance, he prepar...

When the newly crowned King Henry V receives a mocking gift from the French Dauphin — a box of tennis balls — he doesn’t laugh. He retaliates with cannonballs and a thunderous claim to the French throne. What begins as a petty insult escalates into a seismic clash of empires. From the opulent courts of Paris to the blood-soaked fields of Agincourt, this episode unpacks the moment England’s young k...

Henry V has finally seized the throne—but this is no coronation of peace. With chilling precision, he tightens his grip on power, silencing reformists and casting former allies into prison. His reign begins not with celebration, but with severity. Yet behind the cold walls of authority, a daring jailbreak sparks whispers of insurrection. As Christmas approaches, rebellion brews in the shadows. Wil...

Henry of Monmouth’s impatience reaches fever pitch when he tries to snatch the crown from his father, Henry IV. It backfires royally. To teach him a lesson, the king makes Henry’s boozehound brother, Thomas, the heir apparent.  To delve deeper into the history behind each episode, become a This Is History Royal Favourite on Patreon. In addition to ad-free listening and bonus episodes, you get to c...

The trial of a tailor-turned-heretic tests Henry of Monmouth’s authority. Word on the street is that the heir apparent is flirting with the Lollards, who want reform of the church and state. It all comes to a head at Oxford University, where the Archbishop of Canterbury declares all out war on heresy.  To delve deeper into the history behind each episode, become a This Is History Royal Favourite o...

Henry IV is waking in the night screaming, convinced people are throwing fire at him. In truth, they’re throwing shade. Even the clergy are questioning his right to rule. And to silence the whispers, this pious king turns butcher. This is the story of a monarch unraveling—where paranoia meets power, and faith gives way to fury.  To delve deeper into the history behind each episode, become a This I...

Turns out, wearing the crown is the easy part. Henry IV thought kingship would bring control—but the treasury’s running dry, rebellions are flaring, and his grip on power is slipping fast. Then his heir takes an arrow to the face. This is the story of a king learning the hard way that ruling is a whole different game—and the consequences are about to get bloody. To delve deeper into the history be...

When you survive an arrow shot to the face like Henry V did, you don’t waste your second chance. So when he’s finally crowned in 1413, it’s all systems go.  He ruthlessly slaps down challenges to his rule, and launches a lightning military campaign that puts England back in the big leagues. English rule is restored in France for the first time in generations. His heir will be the first and only En...

France is slipping through her fingers. With the kingdom on the brink of collapse, Queen Isabeau of Bavaria makes a desperate move: she offers her daughter’s hand to England’s King Henry V. It’s a bold bid for peace—but peace comes at a price. As the English celebrate their triumph, they soon discover that ruling a broken kingdom is far more costly than conquering it. This is a tale of uneasy alli...

France is in ruins. Normandy has fallen to the English, and the rest of the kingdom is being ripped apart by civil war between the Burgundians and Armagnacs. In the midst of this chaos, Queen Isabeau of Bavaria faces an impossible choice. With the crown crumbling and enemies on every side, she makes a decision so shocking, it could change the fate of France forever. This is the story of a queen wh...

Henry V shatters the Dauphin Louis’s hubris. Despite their superior numbers, carnage awaits the French at a battle called Agincourt. But the bad luck doesn’t end there. Two Dauphins die suddenly in quick succession, catapulting an unknown prince — and the kingdom — into the unknown.  If you want to learn about the last English invasion of France, listen back to season six, episode five, where Edwa...

While King Charles VI is incapacitated, his brother Louis, and his queen, Isabeau, have been living large. The Duchy of Burgundy pays the price, drawing the ire of its powerful leader, John the Fearless. As England is drawn in, this decadent duo find out the true cost of pursuing pleasure. To delve deeper into the history behind each episode, become a This Is History Royal Favourite on Patreon. In...

A glittering Parisian ball, erupts in flames. King Charles VI barely escapes with his life. The culprit? His own brother, Louis — drunk, impulsive, and dangerously ambitious. But instead of punishment, Louis is rewarded with power… just as France teeters on the edge of collapse. To delve deeper into the history behind each episode, become a This Is History Royal Favourite on Patreon. In addition t...