HistoryExtra podcast

What did it mean to be ‘born in the purple’? What lasting legacy did the empire have on how we eat dinner? And what does ‘Byzantine’ actually mean? Professor Judith Herrin responds to listener questions and internet search queries about the 1,000-year history of Byzantine empire, which emerged in late antiquity and survived until the end of the Middle Ages. (Ad) Judith Herrin is the author of Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire (Penguin, 2008). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Byzantium-Surprising-Life-Medieval-Empire/dp/0141031026/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-hexpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rebecca Wragg Sykes introduces us to 19th-century fossil hunter Mary Anning, whose life has inspired the new film Ammonite. She reveals the real woman behind the film, discussing Anning’s personal relationships, highlighting her most important discoveries and explaining how she was part of a substantial network of women scientists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Turtle Bunbury, author of new book The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile and Imperialism, shares stories of Irish emigrants and their descendants. He charts their influence on global history, from Christian missionaries in Europe in the early Middle Ages to the presidency of the United States. (Ad) Turtle Bunbury is the author of The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile and Imperialism (Thames and Hudson, 2021) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irish-Diaspora-Tales-Emigration-Imperialism/dp/0500022526/?tag=bbchistory045-21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emma Stonex, author of a new novel The Lamplighters, talks about the strange true story of the Flannan Isles Lighthouse keepers, who vanished without a trace in December 1900, and delves into the unusual experience of life as a lighthouse keeper. (Ad) Emma Stonex is the author of The Lamplighters (Pan Macmillan, 2021) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lamplighters-Emma-Stonex/dp/1529047315/?tag=bbchistory045-21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At around 70 metres long and handstitched with intricate detail, making the Bayeux Tapestry was no mean feat. In this episode, we delve into the details of how this mammoth embroidery was constructed, from the artistic traditions it follows and the materials used, to who may have actually stitched the designs. Plus, we reveal why it isn’t in fact a tapestry at all. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Gale Owen-Crocker and Dr Alexandra Lester-Makin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shrabani Basu, author of The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer, shares the surprising story of George Edalji, who was wrongly accused of fatally maiming cattle in 1903. She reveals how this miscarriage of justice exposed the simmering racial tensions of Edwardian England and captured the imagination of Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle. (Ad) Shrabani Basu is the author of The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer: Arthur Conan Doyle, George Edalji and the Case of the Foreigner in the English Village (Bloomsbury, 2021) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mystery-Parsee-Lawyer-Foreigner-English/dp/1526615282/?tag=bbchistory045-21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicola Tallis answers listener questions and online search queries about the Elizabethans. She covers everything from the dangers of using golden toothpicks and the religious rifts of the era to the reasons Queen Elizabeth I never married and the fate of her royal jewels. (Ad) Nicola Tallis is the author of Uncrowned Queen: The Fateful Life of Margaret Beaufort, Tudor Matriarch (Michael O’Mara, 2019) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncrowned-Queen-Margaret-Beaufort-Matriarch/dp/1789292581/?tag=bbchistory045-21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1845, two British navy ships sailed into the Canadian arctic and never returned. The fate of the Franklin Expedition has proven one of history’s most compelling mysteries, and most recently inspired the BBC drama The Terror. Here, Andrew Lambert explores the history behind the series and asks: what really happened to the expedition’s 129 crewmembers? (Ad) Andrew Lambert is the author of Franklin: Tragic Hero of Polar Navigation (Faber & Faber, 2010) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Franklin-Tragic-Hero-Polar-Navigation/dp/0571231616/?tag=bbchistory045-21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini – a story of murder, plague, imprisonment and even necromancy Professor Jerry Brotton describes the astonishing life and career of the 16th-century Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini, whose biography shines a light on the dark heart of the Renaissance and features murder, plague, imprisonment and even necromancy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Simon Winchester explores how humans’ quest to own land – from enclosure and division to violent seizure – has wreaked irreparable changes through history Simon Winchester, author of Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World, explores how humans’ quest to own land has wreaked irreparable changes through history. He discusses when our division of land began, how the seizure of it has heralded huge historical shifts, and what it really means to ‘own’ land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the opening episode of this podcast series examining one of the most fascinating objects of the medieval age, we explore all the need-to-know information about the Bayeux Tapestry, examining when and how it was made, who might have commissioned it and why. Dr David Musgrove and Professor Michael Lewis are joined in the discussion by Professor Shirley Ann Brown and Professor Elizabeth Pastan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dean Irwin explains the story of the 1190 anti-Semitic massacre at Clifford’s Tower in York, and how it fits into the wider story of England’s medieval Jewish population In March 1190, all the Jewish residents of York lost their lives in an anti-Semitic massacre at Clifford’s Tower. Dean Irwin explains what happened, and how it fits into the wider story of England’s medieval Jewish population. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does the Thirty Years’ War merit its gruesome reputation? Who were the winners and losers of the conflict? And why did a Protestant mob throw Catholics out of a top-floor window of Prague Castle in 1618? Peter Wilson answers your questions on the conflict that tore central Europe apart for three decades in the 17th century, in the latest in our series tackling history’s major topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Katherine Pangonis chronicles the formidable line of female rulers that shaped the crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century Katherine Pangonis, author of Queens of Jerusalem, chronicles the formidable line of female rulers that shaped the crusader states of the Holy Land in the 12th century, sharing stories of rebel princesses, diplomatic double crosses and battles for the throne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Alun Withey, expert on the history of facial hair, takes us on a journey through shaving and grooming trends from 1650-1900 Why were big bushy beards once the height of fashion? When was it better to have a smooth face? And what were the perceived health benefits of whiskers, moustaches or goatees? Dr Alun Withey, expert on the history of facial hair, takes us on a journey through shaving and grooming trends from 1650-1900. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the popular imagination, the western front of the First World War has long been synonymous with futility and deadlock. But Nick Lloyd, author of new book The Western Front, argues that this was far from the case. It was in fact a cauldron of innovation and an epic struggle against the odds, shaped by transformative military and technological advancements. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian John Withington, author of Assassins’ Deeds: A History of Assassination from Ancient Egypt to the Present Day, explores some of history’s most notorious political killings. From the first known assassination to the plots to kill Franz Ferdinand and JFK, he reveals how these murders have often changed the course of history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We mark International Women’s Day with a panel discussion tackling the central issues of women’s history We mark International Women’s Day with a panel discussion tackling the central issues of women’s history, including overlooked historical figures, exciting recent developments, whether men should write women’s history, and what work is still left to be done. Our panel features Maggie Andrews, chair of the Women’s History Network; Stella Dadzie, author of A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance, Helen McCarthy, author of Double Lives: A History of Working Motherhood and Nicola Phillips, director of the Bedford Centre for the History of Women and Gender. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From espionage across the Iron Curtain, to the global struggles between communists and capitalists, Michael Goodman responds to your questions on the decades of geopolitical tension that shaped relations between east and west in the second half of the 20th century, in the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Wood, author of The Story of China, gives a lecture on the ancient civilisation’s rich and varied history. He introduces us to five individuals from across the centuries whose lives and voices can shed light on Chinese history, including an emperor, a footsoldier and a feminist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carolyne Larrington explores the medieval world that inspired the fantasy epic in a special HistoryExtra bonus episode, available now for free at https://www.historyextra.com/game-of-thrones-podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Amanda McVitty explains what treason meant in the medieval era, and why its consequences were particularly brutal Dr Amanda McVitty, author of Treason and Masculinity in Medieval England, explains what treason meant in the Middle Ages. She explains how the crime was the subject of heated debate, and why the punishment for it was so brutal, humiliating and public. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mary Hollingsworth discusses her new book, Princes of the Renaissance, which charts the wars and alliances between the powerful Italian families of the 15th and 16th centuries Mary Hollingsworth discusses her new book Princes of the Renaissance, which charts the wars and alliances between the powerful Italian families of the 15th and 16th centuries – wealthy and influential dynasties whose patronage led to some of the greatest art and architecture of the period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gordon Campbell reveals how the Vikings made epic voyages of discovery across the Atlantic a millennium ago The argument over whether Norse explorers settled in North America a millennium ago has raged for two centuries, pitting Protestants against Catholics, Native Americans against European colonists – and producing claims and counterclaims often grounded in an ideology of racial superiority. Gordon Campbell, author of Norse America, discusses this often-fractious debate and sets out what we actually know about the Vikings’ remarkable voyages across the Atlantic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Journalist Andrea Pitzer discusses her latest book Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World, which recounts the Arctic ordeal of Dutch explorer William Barents and his crew. In 1597, they set sail in a bid to find a North East passage to China, but spent nine months fighting off ravenous polar bears, extreme cold and a seemingly endless winter after becoming stranded in the ice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shushma Malik discusses some of the most admired and reviled Roman emperors, and considers whether the legends surrounding them stand up to scrutiny In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Shushma Malik responds to your questions on some of the most admired and reviled Roman emperors, and considers whether the legends surrounding them stand up to scrutiny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toby Wilkinson, author of A World Beneath the Sands, gives a lecture on the men and women whose obsession with Egypt’s ancient civilisation drove them to uncover its secrets in the 19th and early 20th centuries. He reveals how their work helped to enrich and transform our understanding of the Nile valley and its people, and left a lasting impression on Egypt, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Roman catapults to medieval daggers, Tod of Tod’s Workshop has made it all. The historical weapon-maker gives a behind-the-scenes peek into making replica weapons and armour for period dramas and hit TV shows like Wolf Hall and The Witcher. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following the discovery of her striking bust in 1912, Nefertiti has become one of the best-known women of ancient Egypt. Professor Aidan Dodson – author of Nefertiti: Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: Her Life and Afterlife – discusses ancient Egypt’s sun queen and offers his take on whether she ever reigned as a fully-fledged pharaoh in her own right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Film critic Helen O’Hara talks about her new book Women vs Hollywood, which highlights female pioneers of film, and reveals some of the challenges faced by women working in Hollywood over the past century – from controlling studios and sexist roles to unequal pay and #MeToo. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it comes to making a mark in the history books, sometimes two heads are better than one. Broadcaster and author Cathy Newman talks about her latest book It Takes Two: A History of the Couples Who Dared to be Different, which highlights duos that changed the course of history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Cat Jarman explores the far-reaching trading networks of the Vikings, from the Baltic sea to Asia Dr Cat Jarman discusses her new book River Kings: A New History of the Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Road, which opens up the story of Scandinavian trade, settlement and communication from the Baltic sea right through to Asia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tom Ellis responds to listener questions on the great Cold War rivalry that saw the US and the Soviet Union battle for dominance in space In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Tom Ellis responds to listener questions about the space race. He covers topics including Cold War espionage, the role played by German engineers with Nazi connections, and the battle to plant a flag on the moon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sathnam Sanghera discusses where we can see the legacy of imperialism in Britain today – from politics and education to museums and multiculturalism Journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera discusses his new book Empireland, which interrogates everything from the objects in our museums and the subjects on our curriculum to the ways we think about race and multiculturalism, to trace the legacy of imperialism in Britain today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We mark LGBT+ History Month with a panel discussion tackling some of the biggest themes in LGBTQ history February is LGBT+ History Month. We mark it with a panel discussion in which Matt Cook, Channing Joseph, Jen Manion and Angela Steidele tackle some of the biggest themes in LGBTQ history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian and journalist Graham Hutchings discusses his new book China 1949, which explores the events of a tumultuous year that saw communist victory in the Chinese civil war and the birth of the People’s Republic of China. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fiona Sampson, author of a new biography, Two-Way Mirror: The Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, discusses the life and work of the Victorian poet. Although perhaps best known for her runaway romance with fellow poet Robert Browning, Elizabeth also battled chronic illness and family troubles to create influential activist writing and ground-breaking poetry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ahead of their new BBC One documentary, Blitz Spirit with Lucy Worsley, historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley, historical consultant Joshua Levine and producer Yasmine Permaul interrogate the idea of “Blitz Spirit”. Introducing us to a raft of characters who lived through the bombings in London, they reveal how people really reacted to the devastating raids that threatened them and their loved ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been studying medieval skeletons, reveals what her findings can tell us about injuries and violence in the era Dr Jenna Dittmar, who has been part of a research project studying medieval skeletons from Cambridge, reveals what her findings can tell us about occupational injuries, accidents and levels of violence in the medieval period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Hugh Willmott responds to listener questions on Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century In this special live edition of our ‘everything you wanted to know’ series, Dr Hugh Willmott responds to listener questions about the suppression of the monasteries in the 16th century, exploring why Henry VIII targeted religious houses, how they were repurposed, and what happened to the monks and nuns that lived in them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and James Baldwin are often remembered as change-makers who came into the world with their political ideas fully-formed – but this was far from the case. As Anna Malaika Tubbs reveals in her new book Three Mothers, the mothers of these civil rights leaders shaped their activism and taught their sons to resist racism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Carol Dyhouse talks about her new book, Love Lives: From Cinderella to Frozen, which explores how women's lives, dreams and loves have been transformed since 1950 –when Walt Disney's Cinderella was released, and teenage girls were told to dream of marriage, Mr Right, and happy endings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 19th century, devoted pet-owners established Britain’s first pet cemeteries. Dr Eric Tourigny explains what they tell us about Victorian attitudes to animals In the 19th century, devoted pet-owners established Britain’s first pet cemeteries. Dr Eric Tourigny of Newcastle University, who has been analysing inscriptions on animal gravestones dating back to the 1880s, explains what they tell us about Victorian attitudes to animals, and how Britain became a nation of pet lovers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Padraic X Scanlan discusses his book Slave Empire: How Slavery Built modern Britain, which examines how slavery fuelled the British empire and explores the complicated, often contradictory, motivations of abolitionists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Margarette Lincoln talks about her latest book, London and the 17th Century, which describes how a period blighted by plague, fire, revolution and civil war helped transform London into one of the world’s great cities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. Levi Roach explains who counterfeited medieval manuscripts and why Forgery was the dirty little secret of the Middle Ages. As historian Levi Roach explains, some of Europe’s leading holy men cooked up counterfeit documents to rewrite the past as they thought it should have happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley responds to listener questions about daily life in ancient Egypt, from governance, pharaohs and the Egyptian mindset, to makeup, dental care and the popularity of cat mummies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Kate Mosse talks about her historical novel The City of Tears, which transports readers back to the Wars of Religion in 16th-century France Author Kate Mosse talks about her historical novel The City of Tears, the latest instalment in the Burning Chambers series, which transports readers back to the Wars of Religion in 16th-century France. She speaks about the challenges of balancing historical reality with exciting storylines, and about mining sources to reconstruct the everyday lives of ordinary women. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Max Adams discusses his book The First Kingdom, Britain in the Age of Arthur, which pieces together the evidence to uncover what happened after the fall of Roman Britain. He speaks about some of the current theories about the era 400-600 AD, and why Arthurian myths have proven so popular. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Juliet Nicolson talks about her latest book, Frostquake, which tells the story of the frozen winter of 1962. As Britain shivered under a blanket of ice and snow, new political and cultural forces were emerging that would shake up the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices