HistoryExtra podcast

As Elizabeth I entered the final chapter of her reign, questions of ageing, succession, and legacy loomed large. In this final episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the Tudor monarch, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore the queen’s later years, her reluctance to name an heir, and the political uncertainty that followed her death. They also examine how Elizabeth’s ima...

Rory Carroll unpacks the dramatic final years of Roger Casement – an Irish diplomat and nationalist whose tangled legacy includes heroism, betrayal, and personal scandal. Carroll tells Elinor Evans about how Casement's support of Irish Home Rule in the early 20th century morphed into a bold plan. As the First World War raged on, and Britain's attentions were engaged elsewhere, Casement chose a fat...

The 20th century saw the mafia go global. Crime groups, from Japan's Yakuza to southern Italy's Camorra, capitalised on political chaos and mass migration to spread their influence around the world. In this episode, Spencer Mizen and Ryan Gingeras trace the relentless rise of the mafia, a tale that takes in Al Capone, Pablo Escobar and Don Corleone. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST  If you'd like to le...

Thinker, feminist, sociologist, campaigner: 19th-century writer Harriet Martineau was a pioneer and a radical across a huge range of areas, but it's very likely you've never heard of her. Stuart Hobday tells Matt Elton about a figure who played a key role in shaping the modern world – and wasn't afraid to ruffle some feathers along the way. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Read more about radical women...

With sinful associations and incredibly painful symptoms, the pox could be a damning diagnosis in the early modern period. In this episode, Olivia Weisser speaks to Charlotte Vosper about the pox-ridden world of London in the era. She takes us behind the doors of medical practitioners, on to the streets in search of cures, and into the city's courtrooms. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you'd like t...

Elizabeth I’s reign was defined by constant threat, both at home and abroad. In this third episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the Tudor monarch, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to examine the rivals and conspiracies that endangered the queen's security on the throne. From the long and fraught conflict with her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots to the intricate spy networks tha...

In the 1870s, British troops invaded the African kingdom of Asante, razed its capital, prowled its palace and plundered its exquisite golden treasures. In this episode, Barnaby Phillips tells Spencer Mizen about the fate of the Asante gold – and explores the decades-long campaign to return the treasures to west Africa. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST  You can find find plenty more on the history of Af...

It was under the rule of the infamous emperor Nero that the Great Revolt, the first of the Jewish-Roman wars, began, sparking many decades of continuous conflict. Speaking to James Osborne, historian and author Barry Strauss traces the story, following the the fate of the Jewish rebels and the legacy of the conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ireland's capital may be famous today for its nightlife and literature, but it has experienced more than its fair share of conflict and oppression alongside periods of great cultural and religious flourishing. To mark St Patrick's Day, we're revisiting an episode of our History’s Greatest Cities series, in which journalist and travel writer Paul Bloomfield is joined by historian Gillian O'Brien to...

The life of Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian peasant healer who wielded influence over the family of Russia’s last tsar, has fascinated the world for more than a century. Historian Antony Beevor speaks to Danny Bird about the man behind the myth and rumour, charting Rasputin’s humble origins in Siberia, his hold over Nicholas II and Alexandra, and his dramatic assassination at the hands of the imper...

By 1559, Elizabeth I had secured the crown – but holding on to power would prove far more challenging. In this second episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the Tudor monarch, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore Elizabeth’s early reign, from her coronation and the urgent task of stabilising a divided kingdom to the pressures of ruling as a female monarch in a deeply p...

What can Charlie Chaplin's life tell us about the experiences of poor working-class people in 19th- and early 20th-century London? Quite a lot, it turns out. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper, author and historian Jacqueline Riding reveals the world of poverty, tragedy and joy that played out in the streets of Lambeth and Walworth – and how Chaplin can help us uncover other, less-well known stories. --...

Have women been relegated to the footnotes of French history? Katherine Pangonis – whose latest book is A History of France in 21 Women – tells Charlotte Vosper about why their stories have been pushed to the sidelines, and highlights some of the pioneering personalities who deserve to be better known. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST For more on change-making historical women from Katherine Pangonis,...

Few people had as much impact on the course of the 20th century as Vladimir Lenin – from his years as an émigré across the capitals of western Europe, to his role in the October Revolution of 1917 and the inception of the world’s first self-described ‘socialist’ state. In this episode, historian Lara Douds speaks to Danny Bird about the revolutionary leader, from his radical theories and his eleva...

The 1920s and 30s were golden decades for extremism. Across Europe, dictators including Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini goose-stepped their way into power, but in Britain, it was a different story. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Alwyn Turner explains why – with a little help from the football pools, the Women's Institute and the Lambeth Walk – parliamentary democracy reigned supreme. -----...

Elizabeth I is one of history's most iconic monarchs, but her path to the throne was anything but secure. In this first episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the 16th-century royal, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore Elizabeth’s turbulent early years – from the execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to the political and personal dangers she faced as she navigated chi...

How can you do justice to the story of 1,300 years of English history? Through verse, according to cultural historian Catherine Clarke – whose latest book is A History of England in 25 Poems. She takes Lauren Good on a poetic journey through time, exploring how it could be used for spiritual uplift and social change – and how it can offer uniquely human insights into key moments in history. Learn...

Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic images in US history – but its story is far more complex and controversial than that of a simple sculpture. In this episode, historian Matthew Davis joins Elinor Evans to discuss his latest book, A Biography of a Mountain, which delves into the layers of myth and meaning behind the granite. Davis explains how the Black Hills – sacred to the Lakota Nation –...

She led “a life that really, in many ways, shouldn't have been possible”. So says historian Paul Gillingham of Juana Inés de la Cruz. This 17th-century polymath and nun challenged a host of social conventions – earning, through her extraordinary books and poems, a place in the pantheon of great Mexican literary figures. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Paul discusses the life of a woman h...

While the crusades raged across the Holy Land in the southern Levant, the kingdoms of central and northern Europe were engaged in their own battle to extend Christendom. Speaking to James Osborne, Aleks Pluskowski details how and when the Baltic crusades – or Northern crusades – began, and examines their links to the broader crusading culture of the Middle Ages. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To lear...

Politicians invoke it, activists wield it, and legal thinkers debate what it can offer the modern world. But what does Magna Carta really mean today? In this fourth and final episode of HistoryExtra's Sunday Series on the charter, Emily Briffett and historian Nicholas Vincent consider its long afterlife, tracing how a narrow medieval settlement morphed into a document that still speaks to ongoing...

Slavery in the Islamic world has a diverse and controversial history. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian and journalist Justin Marozzi explores some of the stories at the heart of his latest book Captives and Companions, tracing networks of enslavement that stretched from sub-Saharan Africa to Central Asia. He reveals how people who were enslaved became soldiers, labourers, concubines and court...

National icons aren’t born – they’re engineered. But how were historical figures such as Joan of Arc and Isabella of Castile transformed into political symbols, their real lives lost beneath centuries of myth-making? In this episode of the HistoryExtra podcast, Janina Ramirez tells Danny Bird about some of the women – from Byzantine empresses to religious fanatics and revolutionary martyrs – that...

Widely remembered as the ultimate American inventor, Edison’s greatest talent may have been for self-promotion. In this episode, historian Iwan Morus speaks to Elinor Evans about how Edison built a brand around invention, clashed with rivals including Nikola Tesla, and exploited the press to secure his legacy – even when the science involved wasn’t all his own. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find...

Captured in Libya, imprisoned in Italy, and twice an escapee: historian Malcolm Gaskill's great-uncle Ralph's experiences of the Second World War were certainly dramatic. Yet he left behind little more than a few photos, a wartime memoir, and a few stories filtered through family legend. But through years of research, travel and a unique partnership with an Italian historian, Gaskill has pieced to...