History Hit Podcasts

Why Cromwell's Republic Failed

After the execution of King Charles I, England became a Republic for the only time in its history. Yet why was this revolutionary moment so...

Alexander the Great | Rise to Power

NEW SERIES! Journey through the early life of Alexander the Great, from his education under Aristotle to his first military experiences and rise...

How Did Three Samurai Warlords Unite Japan?

Today, we dive into the chaotic final act of Japan’s Warring States period, and hear about the three warlords who brought it to an end. Oda...

Al Capone and the Valentine's Day Massacre

Bootleg liquor. Tommy guns. Gangs ruling the city with crooked cops.

The Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 Chicago sounds cinematic, but the...

How to win a Medieval Battle

Matt Lewis and Dr.Eleanor Janega are launched into a medieval battle, how do they survive? They explore the intricacies of medieval warfare; from...

Henry VIII vs. Catherine of Aragon | History's Worst Breakups

Welcome to a brand new mini-series on Betwixt the Sheets, where our host, Dr Kate Lister, takes you through the most catastrophic breakups in...

Darkest Hours: Brother Against Brother

There is no question that the Civil War is one of the darkest chapters in American history. With roughly 2.5 percent of the population lost, a...

Whaling

The history of whaling is complicated. At its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, whaling was a global enterprise built on perilous voyages,...

"Bloody Mary": Debunking the Myths

Was Mary Tudor truly “Bloody Mary”? Has England’s first reigning queen been misunderstood for centuries? Determined to restore Roman...

Viking Age Music In Assassin's Creed Valhalla

The Assassin’s Creed games specialise in recreating the places and sounds of the past. But how can we know what music our ancestors listened to?...

Dark Truth About Victorian 'Freak Shows'

Julia Pastrana was a Mexican woman exploited as a sideshow attraction in life and grotesquely exhibited even after her death because of her...

Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve: parents of humanity, or characters in a Near Eastern myth about wisdom, mortality, and the limits of being human?

Tristan...

The Parliament of Bats: Plantagenets at War

How could England be ruled when the king was just a baby? When Henry VI came to the throne at nine months old, the hunger for power among his...

How Filthy Were the Victorians?

They say people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The Victorians might have done well to live by that rule.

For all of the dirt that...

The Annexation of Hawaiʻi

How did Hawaiʻi - once an independent, internationally recognised kingdom - become America's 50th state? It's a tale of economic pressure,...

Ireland Under the Brutal Tudors

What impact did the Tudors have on Ireland, not just in the councils of kings and earls, but in the rhythms of ordinary life? What were the...

Essex's Darkest Witch Hunt

This is the story of a 16th century cunning woman, a folk healer, who was found guilty of being a witch. Accusations spiralled until more than a...

Joan of Arc

Teenage peasant, visionary commander, convicted heretic, national saint - Joan of Arc's life reads like a legend. Today, Dan digs past that legend...

The First Popes

What do we know about the earliest Popes, and how did they shape the early Christian Church amidst persecution?

Tristan Hughes is joined by...

What Caused the Viking Age?

A wind whips across the North Sea as dragon-headed ships cut through the waves towards Anglo-Saxon England. Their arrival marks the start of the...

The Most Notorious Sex Worker of 18th Century Dublin

Dublin in the 18th century was a wealthy colonial capitol, but only for a select few.

Amongst this hugely divided and politically charged...