HistoryExtra podcast

Chris Harding gives a lecture on Japan’s attempts to carve out a place for itself in a world dominated by western power and culture In a lecture he delivered at our 2019 Chester History Weekend, inspired by his book Japan Story: In Search of a Nation, Chris Harding explores Japan’s attempts to carve out a place for itself in a world dominated by western power and culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Camilla Townsend recently won the Cundill History Prize for Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs. Here, she talks about the book’s success, and the challenges of writing global history for a popular audience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In September 1960, Fidel Castro visited New York City to give the opening address at the United Nations General Assembly. Historian Simon Hall, author of Ten Days in Harlem, explores the impact of this trip, and how it was to shape an entire decade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Sujit Sivasundaram discusses his book Waves across the South: A New History Revolution and Empire, which rewrites the story of the British empire’s expansion across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, putting indigenous experiences front and centre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giles Tremlett discusses how more than 35,000 volunteers from across the globe fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War Historian, author and journalist Giles Tremlett discusses his major new book on the International Brigades, which charts how more than 35,000 volunteers from across the globe fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did James II’s replacement by William of Orange as king of England, Scotland and Ireland change the course of British history? Ted Vallance responds to listener questions about the 1688 Glorious Revolution In the latest in our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Ted Vallance responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw William of Orange ousting James II as king of England, Scotland and Ireland Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helen Berry gives a lecture on the extraordinary story of an 18th-century foundling, George King In a lecture she delivered at our 2019 Chester History Weekend, Helen Berry shares an extraordinary story from her book Orphans of Empire: The Fate of London’s Foundlings – of the 18th-century orphan George King, who was abandoned at London’s Foundling Hospital and went on to a remarkable life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Colls, author of This Sporting Life: Sport and Liberty in England, 1760-1960, discusses the critical role that our love of sport has played in English civil society over the past two centuries – from 19th-century prize fighters to the magic of Bobby Charlton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kenneth Austin explores what impact the Reformation had on Europe’s Jewish communities. Historian Kenneth Austin explores what impact the Reformation of the 16th century had on Europe’s Jewish communities and their relations with their Christian neighbours. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Maaza Mengiste discusses her Booker prize-nominated historical novel The Shadow King, set during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935. She talks about the research involved, her own family connections to the story and how she uncovered the hidden history of Ethiopia’s female fighters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edith Hall explores Plato’s legend of Atlantis and considers why the tale continues to endure 2,500 years on Classicist Edith Hall, an expert on ancient Greek literature, explores Plato’s lost city of Atlantis. She considers our enduring fascination with the tale 2,500 years on and asks whether there ever was, in fact, a real Atlantis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Zainab Bahrani tackles popular internet search queries, and questions submitted by listeners, about the Mesopotamian city, which was one of the jewels of the ancient world. Topics range from religion, food and kings to the Hanging Gardens and the myth of the Tower of Babel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are there any treasures left to be excavated in Egypt? Chris Naunton gives a lecture on some of the most fascinating ancient figures whose tombs are yet to be discovered In a lecture he delivered at our 2019 Chester History Weekend, Chris Naunton discusses his book Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt. He talks about some of the most fascinating ancient figures whose tombs are yet to be discovered, including Alexander the Great, Nefertiti and Cleopatra, and asks – will their burial places ever be found? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Harris discusses V2, his new Second World War thriller inspired by the German missile campaign in 1944 Best-selling historical novelist Robert Harris discusses his latest thriller, V2, inspired by the German missile campaign in 1944. He explains why he is obsessed by the Second World War, and shares some of the secrets of writing great historical fiction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From debates about colonialism to lessons from previous pandemics, a panel of historians discuss how the past has shaped 2020 – and how the events of this momentous year should change our understanding of the past From debates about colonialism to lessons from previous pandemics, history has repeatedly made the headlines this year. We invited historians Kerri Greenidge, Tom Holland, Suzannah Lipscomb and Michael Wood to discuss how the past has shaped 2020 – and how the events of this momentous year should change our understanding of the past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Natalie Haynes discusses the varied portrayals of women in Greek mythology, uncovering the multi-layered figures who emerge from different retellings Writer and classicist Natalie Haynes discusses her latest book Pandora’s Jar, which revisits the varied portrayals of women in Greek mythology, finding that the figures who emerge from different retellings and translations are less familiar than we might think. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author and filmmaker Catrine Clay discusses her new book, The Good Germans, which explores German opposition to Nazism through the lives of six people who stood up to the Third Reich. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Edmondson, head of research and knowledge at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, responds to listener questions and popular search queries on the life and work of England’s most famous playwright, covering everything from the Bard’s literary inspirations and family relationships, to conspiracies that his plays were penned by someone else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a lecture he delivered at BBC History Magazine’s 2019 Winchester History Weekend, Simon Parkin discusses the extraordinary story that inspired his book A Game of Birds and Wolves. He describes how a team of unlikely heroes developed a Battleship-like wargame in order to crack German U-boat tactics at the height of the battle of the Atlantic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bestselling historical novelist Bernard Cornwell discusses his new book War Lord, the final instalment in The Last Kingdom series. He speaks about why Aethelstan gets short shrift in history and reveals his next project – a new Sharpe adventure novel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dr Johanna Dale explores how the seventh-century Northumbrian king Oswald become an important and popular saint across medieval Europe, and explains what his story can tell us about religion in the Middle Ages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kiran Klaus Patel, author of Project Europe: A History, tracks the development of the EU over the postwar decades, considering whether it really did bring peace to the continent and what impact it’s had on economic growth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the 1930s, eccentric aviator Maurice Wilson hatched a wild plan to fly from England to Everest in a Gypsy Moth plane, and then climb to the top of the mountain solo. Ed Caesar talks about the remarkable story that inspired his new book, The Moth and the Mountain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian and author Karen Jones responds to listener questions and popular search queries about the mass movement of settlers into the American west, from the hardships of homesteading and the violence of frontier life to Hollywood’s obsession with the grizzled gunslinger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a lecture he delivered at BBC History Magazine’s 2019 Chester History Weekend, archaeologist Howard Williams discusses some of the most intriguing and contentious debates in archaeology today. How should we treat ancient human remains? And has evidence of a Viking warrior woman really been discovered in Sweden? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Margaret Macmillan discusses her new book War: How Conflict Shaped Us, which explores conflict’s changing yet intrinsic role in human history, and reveals how warfare has often led to societal and scientific progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Seb Falk discusses his new book, The Light Ages, which highlights the surprising sophistication of scientific research in the Middle Ages – from astronomy to medicine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Maggie Andrews discusses her new book co-written with Janis Lomas, which looks at the complex and fascinating history of widows. Often historically viewed as figures of pity and poverty, many widows have also been leaders in women’s and welfare movements, and driving forces for social change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Victoria Panton Bacon shares remarkable first-hand testimonies from veterans of the Second World War Victoria Panton Bacon, author of the new book Remarkable Journeys of the Second World War: A Collection of Untold Stories, shares moving first-hand testimonies from veterans of the 1939-45 conflict. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Service responds to listener questions and popular search enquiries about the Russian revolutions of 1917, which saw the beginnings of the Communist era. In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Robert Service responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Russian revolutions of 1917, which saw Tsar Nicholas II deposed and the beginnings of the Communist era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a lecture from our 2019 History Weekend in Winchester, Max Hastings tells the dramatic story of the 1943 Dambusters raid. In a lecture he delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend event in Winchester, bestselling military historian Max Hastings tells the dramatic story of the 1943 Dambusters raid. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Neil Price takes us inside the Viking mind to explain how the Norse raiders viewed the world and what drove them to expand across the seas Professor Neil Price, author of The Children of Ash and Elm, takes us inside the Viking mind to explain how the Norse raiders viewed the world and what drove them to expand across the seas. He answers some of the key questions about the period and offers new insights into Viking life Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helen Fry discusses the top-secret work of MI9, which helped Allied prisoners of war escape during WW2 Historian Helen Fry discusses her new book MI9, which reveals how the secret agency helped Allied prisoners of war make it back to Britain, and shares stories of the Second World War’s most audacious escapes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Spencer speaks to Dan Jones about the White Ship disaster, which plunged the English monarchy into chaos 900 years ago Bestselling author Charles Spencer speaks to fellow historian Dan Jones about the White Ship disaster, which plunged the English monarchy into chaos 900 years ago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Lee discusses the life of an ‘ordinary’ member of the SS Historian Daniel Lee describes how the chance discovery of a cache of documents within a piece of furniture led him to uncover the life of Robert Griesinger, an ‘ordinary’ member of the SS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Mary Fissell responds to listener questions and popular search enquiries about the history of medicine, from pandemics of the past to grisly early surgeries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roger Moorhouse delivers a lecture on the German invasion of Poland in 1939 In a lecture he delivered at BBC History Magazine’s 2019 Winchester History Weekend event, historian Roger Moorhouse tells the story of one of the most misunderstood campaigns of the Second World War – the German invasion of Poland in 1939. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Aviation historian Rowland White explores the events of the 1982 Falklands War through the story of Britain’s Sea Harrier jump jet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Author Turtle Bunbury shares stories from his book Ireland’s Forgotten Past – a collection of overlooked and ‘disremembered’ moments in the history of Ireland, from raging storms and the Knights Templar to Dublin’s Viking kings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stephen Bourne discusses the experiences of Britain’s black community during the Second World War Historian Stephen Bourne, author of Under Fire: Black Britain in Wartime, discusses the experiences of black civilians and service personnel in Britain between 1939 and 1945, and charts their contributions to the war effort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan Bill gives us the lowdown on Viking ships, and offers updates on the Gjellestad Ship excavation, currently underway in Norway Jan Bill gives us the lowdown on Viking ships, and updates us on the latest discoveries at the Gjellestad Ship excavation, currently underway in Norway. The professor of archaeology explains what it was like to sail on a Viking ship and the amount of time and money required to build them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historian Siân Evans explores the lives and voyages of women in the golden age of transatlantic travel, which saw some enjoying luxurious journeys aboard opulent ocean liners and presented others with the opportunity to seek independence and a new life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emily Brand responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the Regency era Historian and author Emily Brand responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about Britain in the Regency era, from the lavish spending and reputation of the Prince Regent himself to how much we can really learn from Jane Austen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elena Woodacre delivers a lecture on the portrayal of historical queens in cinema and television, from Mary Queen of Scots to The Spanish Princess In a lecture she delivered at BBC History Magazine’s 2019 Winchester History Weekend event, Elena Woodacre explores the ways that queens from the early modern era have been portrayed in cinema and television, from The Favourite and Mary Queen of Scots to The Tudors and The Spanish Princess. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jim Leary explains how people in prehistory and the Middle Ages moved around the world Can we follow in the footsteps of our prehistoric and medieval forebears? Archaeologist Dr Jim Leary, who researches travel and mobility in the era, explains what we know about the ways people in prehistory and the Middle Ages moved around the world they lived in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stella Dadzie uncovers the experiences and resistance activities of enslaved women in the West Indies Historian and activist Stella Dadzie talks about her new book, A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance, which uncovers the experiences of enslaved women in the West Indies, and reveals the inventive ways they resisted their oppressors Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Camilla Townsend discusses her new book Fifth Sun: A New History of Aztecs, which overturns existing narratives about the ancient civilisation by charting its rise and fall through the stories of the Aztecs themselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Professor Richard M Eaton discusses his book, India in the Persianate Age, 1000–1765, which explores the nation’s rich history across eight centuries and argues that we should see it through a cultural, rather than purely religious, lens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest of our series tackling the big questions on major historical topics, historian Marisa Linton responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the dramatic events that engulfed France in the late 18th century. Topics discussed include the causes of the revolution, the role of Louis XVI and Mari Antoinette, and the bloodshed of the Terror. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In a lecture he delivered at our 2019 BBC History Magazine History Weekend in Winchester, historian and author Thomas Penn explores the turbulent relationship between three brothers: Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence and Richard III. Historyextra.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices