History Hit Podcasts

Chaucer's Wife of Bath: Medieval Feminist

This episode contains explicit language and themes

We're revelling in the Canterbury Tales this week; who else to kick things off with a...

When Britain Sent Its Convicts to America

Britain shipped convicts to America from the days of Jamestown right up until 1775. More than 50,000 were sent. To explore this too seldom told...

The Roma: Resistance & Survival

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb welcomes Dr. Madeline Potter to unravel the rich yet tumultuous history of the Roma people. From Tudor England, where...

How Bloody Was 'Bloody Mary'?

Last week we heard about Mary's formative years. Today we get to her reign, the infamous burnings and ask ourselves if Bloody Mary was as bad as...

Crusader Queens of Jerusalem

The very first Assassin's Creed video game takes us back to the Third Crusade, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. As Saladin's Islamic armies tried to...

Pirates: Piracy in the South China Seas

Zheng Yi Sao was a pirate leader so formidable that she made Blackbeard and Captain Morgan look like amateurs. From humble beginnings as a sex...

Hannibal's March on Rome

It was perhaps Hannibal’s greatest gamble — after years of victories, not least his famed trek across the snow-capped Alps, could he strike at...

St. Christopher & Summertime Saints

Ever worn a St. Christopher medallion and wondered about the man carrying the Christ child across a river? Or heard of St. Uncumber, the bearded...

Royal Sex: Queen Victoria

With NINE children, it can probably be assumed that Queen Victoria was no stranger to the sheets, but what do we actually know about her love (and...

The Rise & Fall of Sparta

Today, we trace the rise and fall of ancient Greece’s most formidable warrior society - Sparta. This society's militaristic culture and...

Revolutionary War: When Was the Turning Point?

In 1775, revolutionaries went to war against the British. Seeking independence from colonial ties, they fought more than 150 battles over eight...

The Duchess of Malfi

A young widow stands against the expectations of her family. A woman striving for love and agency in a society which demands she claimed neither,...

The Final Days of Anastasia Romanov

In the aftermath of the bloody Russian revolution, the Romanovs went from being a glittering royal family, to vulnerable everyday citizens who...

Plato's Republic

Today we journey into the creation of Plato's Republic. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. James Romm to discover how Plato's encounters with the...

The Seven Years War

The Seven Years' War in the 18th century is often called the first world war - it was fought across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa,...

Why Were Ancient Dicks So Small?

Have you ever been puzzled by proportions when looking at Ancient Greek statues? It can't just be us.

From quarrying the stone to chipping...

Medieval Hungary

Dr. Eleanor Janega sifts through the myths to uncover the foundations of medieval Hungary and its peoples. From the legendary tales of the...

Frenemies: China & the USA, a History

The People's Republic of China has only existed since 1949, but in just 75 years its relationship with the United States is in a strong...

The Seven Years War In Assassin's Creed Rogue

Ubisoft Developer Interview with James Nadiger

Assassin’s Creed Rogue lets players explore the frozen world of the Arctic coastline of...

Prelude to the English Civil War

What drives a nation to civil war? Why would a king turn on his own Parliament? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Jonathan Healey to...

Bloody Mary: The Real Woman in the Mirror

Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary. Mary I is known as a brutal tyrant. But what was the reality? In the next two episodes Anthony and Maddy...