Podcast
HistoryExtra podcast
Hosted by Immediate · EN
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 Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day.
Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens.
Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history.
Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War.
Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK.
Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past.
Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
538episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Britain and the looted African gold
Mar 2000:39:38Summary readyIn 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 Africa, including Zeinab Badawi discussing the challenges of writing the entire continent's history, on the HistoryExtra website: https://bit.ly/4b6hpBX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryThe devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire
Mar 1800:47:37Summary readyIt 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
SummaryCulture and conflict: a historical tour of Dublin
Mar 1701:06:07Summary readyIreland'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 chart Dublin’s remarkable story. ----- HISTORY'S GREATEST CITIES The new series of History's Greatest Cities launches next week, featuring expert historical insights into locations including Siena, Vienna and Kyoto. For more information and to catch up on past episodes, visit: https://play.megaphone.fm/c5cztjplrk-auflexxavta Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryHow Rasputin helped doom the Romanovs
Mar 1600:44:03Summary readyThe 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 imperial couple’s own relatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary
Elizabeth I: a woman in a man’s world
Mar 1500:35:16Summary readyBy 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 patriarchal society. They also examine the influential figures who shaped her court and the high-stakes marriage negotiations that helped forge the enduring image of the ‘Virgin Queen’. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about Elizabeth I and her remarkable reign? Rachel Dinning rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores Elizabeth's early life, rise to power, court intrigues, and the legacy that made her one of history's most iconic monarchs: https://bit.ly/4qfjCiO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryLife on the mean streets of 19th-century London
Mar 1300:36:11Summary readyWhat 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. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To learn more about the life and times of Charlie Chaplin, don't miss Rob Baker's HistoryExtra article exploring Chaplin's return to London as a famous film star after the First World War: https://bit.ly/4jyvQRJ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryTrailblazers and troublemakers: women who made French history
Mar 1100:34:55Summary readyHave 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, you can read all about the formidable queens who ruled and fought in medieval Jerusalem in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4jvr0Vi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryVladimir Lenin: life of the week
Mar 1001:00:51Summary readyFew 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 elevation in some quarters to a saintlike figure, to his contested legacy in Putin’s Russia and around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
SummaryWhy Britons rejected fascism in the 1930s
Mar 900:31:00Summary readyThe 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. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST If you'd like to hear more from Alwyn, you can listen to him discuss 1950s Britain on the HistoryExtra podcast: https://bit.ly/4qaQWra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary
Young Elizabeth I: the making of a queen
Mar 800:35:15Summary readyElizabeth 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 childhood, illegitimacy, and the treacherous Tudor succession. Together, they uncover how these formative experiences helped shape the woman who would become a formidable queen. –––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about Elizabeth I and her remarkable reign? Rachel Dinning rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores Elizabeth's early life, rise to power, and the legacy that made her one of England’s most iconic monarchs: https://bit.ly/4qfjCiO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Summary