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Ireland: Union, Famine and Parnell (Part 2)
Episode 337
At the start of the 19th century, the kingdoms of Britain and Ireland were officially 'united' with the Acts of Union. Historian Paul Rouse continues…
3 years, 3 months ago
Ireland: Celts, Conquest and Cromwell (Part 1)
Episode 336
“In every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to national freedom and sovereignty; six times during the past three hundred years th…
3 years, 3 months ago
The Freemasons: History's Greatest Conspiracy Theory
Episode 335
A grubby, secretive cabal of devil worshippers that run the world, or a fraternity of like-minded individuals who enjoy eccentric rituals? Freemasonr…
3 years, 3 months ago
Athens and the Birth of Democracy
Episode 334
What did "demos" really mean to the Athenians? Why were women such a crucial part of Athenian democracy? And who was the Tom Wamsgams of Athens? Join…
3 years, 3 months ago
The Republic of Britain: Life under Cromwell
Episode 333
It's 1649 and a new republic has been declared, the Commonwealth of England. It's an age of 17th century republicanism, difficult policies in Ireland…
3 years, 3 months ago
King Solomon's Mines
Episode 332
In 1885, H. Rider Haggard’s brother offered him a wager: five shillings if he could write a book half as good as Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure I…
3 years, 3 months ago
American Witches
Episode 331
It’s 1647, and in New England, where puritan settlers live in fear of God’s wrath and a hostile indigenous population, there are rumours coming from …
3 years, 3 months ago
Herodotus: The Birth of History
Episode 330
Born on the Western edge of an empire that stretched all the way to India, Herodotus was a Greek historian of the 5th century BC. His major work The …
3 years, 3 months ago
Coronations: Chaos, Ceremony and Empire (Part 3)
Episode 329
What was the most calamitous coronation of all time? Which ceremony does Tom think is the most boring topic he's ever discussed on the podcast? How w…
3 years, 3 months ago
Coronations: Sex, Holy Oil and Civil War (Part 2)
Episode 328
Whether it’s London descending into a riot, a bad hangover with Samuel Pepys, or a royal lacking discretion… Charles III will certainly be hoping tha…
3 years, 4 months ago