Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchCrusader states: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1641
After the fall of Jerusalem into Frankish hands in 1099 during the First Crusade, a string of new crusader states emerged, initiating Western rule in the region for almost 200 years. Drawing on liste…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
How women were excluded from sport – and fought back
Episode 1640
Looking at sport history, it’s easy to get the impression that women’s involvement in sporting activities only began in the 1970s. However, as author Rachel Hewitt outlines, women were excluded from …
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
Six wives | 1. Catherine of Aragon
Episode 1639
Catherine of Aragon’s 23-year-long marriage to King Henry VIII witnessed many twists and turns – triumph, tragedy, and, ultimately, betrayal. In episode one of our new series on the dramatic marital …
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
Æthelflæd: ‘Mother of the English’
Episode 1638
Æthelflæd was a successful and celebrated ruler of the Mercian peoples in the early 10th century, who enjoyed a period of great political prosperity. Speaking to Emily Briffett, Rebecca Hardie explor…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
Mindbending experiments: how drugs shaped modern science
Episode 1637
In the 19th century, cannabis, cocaine and heroin were widely available over the counter at the local chemist. Respected scientists and doctors tested out laughing gas and chloroform on their friends…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
WW2 the big questions: the ‘Big Three’
Episode 1636
How instrumental was Churchill in Britain’s decision to stand against Hitler? What was it like to work with the consummate charmer President Roosevelt? And why did Stalin feel betrayed by his allies?…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
Russian tsars: everything you wanted to know
Episode 1635
Who were the rulers of Russia prior to the 1917 Revolution? How accessible were they to the ordinary peoples of the Russian empire? How did a foreign-born princess manage to secure absolute power in …
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
‘Black Douglas’: a not so dastardly bushranger?
Episode 1634
A dastardly bandit responsible for incredibly heinous crimes, or a runaway in search of his freedom? Meg Foster unravels the myth of “Black Douglas”, whose life of crime across 19th-century Australia…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
The KGB’s secret war on the west
Episode 1633
The KGB would stop at virtually nothing in its attempts to spread chaos and confusion in the west throughout the Cold War. From honeytraps and smear campaigns to spreading fake news, Mark Hollingswor…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
Century of chaos: people & power in the 1600s
Episode 1632
The 17th century was a turbulent time for England, overshadowed by a civil war, a coup and a regicide, not to mention the looming threats of terrorism, plague and witch panics. However, in the coffee…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago