History Hit Podcasts

Life as a Samurai

Assassin’s Creed Shadows recreates everyday life in Japan during the Sengoku jidai - the Warring States period - and highlights how reality...

Dark Side of Elizabeth I

The end of Elizabeth I's life was shrouded in darkness and plots as powerful figures circled her throne. How did Elizabeth hold off contenders...

The First Trains

On 27 September 1825, a steam-powered marvel known as Locomotion No.1 made history, pulling passengers and coal from Shildon to Stockton-on-Tees...

The First Pharaohs

Unveiling the Enigmatic Story of Egypt's First Pharaohs, roughly 5,000 years ago. Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Aidan Dodson to discuss...

King Arthur

How have tales of King Arthur evolved over centuries and why have they exerted such an enduring cultural appeal on countless...

History's Worst F*ckboys: Rasputin

Rasputin presented himself as a mystic healer, and preached that the only way to salvation was through sin — which sometimes, if rumour is to be...

The Battle of Hastings

On 14 October 1066, the armies of William, the Duke of Normandy, and the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson clashed near Hastings in one of the...

What Caused the Civil War? | Secession

In the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s election, Southern leaders made a fateful choice: to break from the Union. Yet instead of plunging the country...

Marlowe & Shakespeare: Rivals or Collaborators?

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb engages in a captivating conversation with award-winning dramatist Liz Duffy Adams about the new Royal Shakespeare...

Inanna: Mesopotamian Sex Goddess

Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Kate Lister to take us on a journey through the fascinating history of Innana, an ancient goddess of love, war,...

Who Was Ancient Egypt's Most Evil Pharaoh?

We often think of Egyptian Pharaohs as a glamorous god-king of Ancient times, yet the truth of these people is a lot, lot darker.

Who was...

The Mongol Invasion of Europe

In the 13th century, a force unlike any Europe had ever seen came thundering across the steppe. The Mongols had already carved out the largest...

Prophecies of Merlin

Step into the mist-shrouded world of medieval magic, forbidden love, and forgotten prophecies. In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor...

Why Are We Scared Of Single Women?

Where did the idea of the bunny boiler come from?

In this episode we're exploring how single women got such a bad rap in popular culture....

USA & Cuba: A Brief History

From being within its sphere of influence to acting as a thorn in its side, Cuba has always been seen as strategically important to the USA. What...

Ancient Egyptian Architecture In Assassin's Creed Origins

Historians Review & Ubisoft Developer Interview with Maxime Durand

In Assassin’s Creed Origins players can do what no tour group today...

Habsburg Women: Matriarchs of Power

When we think of the Habsburgs, the spotlight usually falls on emperors, kings, and archdukes—powerful men who dominated Europe. But behind the...

Who Was Ancient Rome's Darkest Emperor?

There are a disturbingly high number of contenders for the title of Rome's Darkest Emperor - so as you can imagine, things get extremely...

Did the Trojan War Really Happen?

The Trojan War is one of the great foundational stories of Western literature - a tale of gods and heroes, betrayal and siege, immortalised by...

The Picts: Rulers of the North

Tristan Hughes journeys up to windswept Scotland to uncover the secrets of the Picts — fierce warriors, skilled artisans, enemies of Rome and...

Æthelstan: The Birth of England

Matt Lewis shifts the Gone Medieval spotlight from well-known Viking raiders and celebrated Anglo-Saxon kings to consider Æthelstan, an often...