
History Extra podcast
Immediate Media
The History Extra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts. Produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine, History Extra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past. We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day. Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens. Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history. Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War. Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK. Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past. Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/
Categories: Education
Listen to the last episode:
Born in 1781, Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld grew up in a world convulsed by the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. And her life proved to be as tempestuous as the age she inhabited. Wed to Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia when she was just 14, her deeply unhappy marriage pushed Julie to make an audacious bid for freedom, in defiance of the social expectations placed on women of her social status. Now, her little-known story has been brought to life in a new book by historian Helen Rappaport, who speaks to Danny Bird about the unconventional life of Queen Victoria’s trailblazing aunt. (Ad) Helen Rappaport is the author of The Rebel Romanov (Simon & Schuster, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebel-Romanov-Helen-Rappaport/dp/1398525960/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous episodes
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2263 - The princess who fled Romanov Russia Mon, 17 Feb 2025
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2262 - The Opium Wars: everything you wanted to know Sun, 16 Feb 2025
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2261 - Rome's most scandalous emperors Fri, 14 Feb 2025
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2260 - The royal threesome that rocked Anglo-Saxon England Wed, 12 Feb 2025
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2259 - Are we celebrating the wrong Magna Carta? Tue, 11 Feb 2025
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2258 - The forgotten JFK assassination plot Mon, 10 Feb 2025
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2257 - The Indian Rebellion of 1857: everything you wanted to know Sun, 09 Feb 2025
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2256 - From dinosaurs to Godzilla: a 15,000-year history of monsters Fri, 07 Feb 2025
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2255 - How monasteries powered medieval Europe Wed, 05 Feb 2025
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2254 - Greenland, forest fires and presidential power: history behind the headlines Tue, 04 Feb 2025
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2253 - George Villiers: from royal favourite to enemy number one Mon, 03 Feb 2025
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2252 - Extinct animals: everything you wanted to know Sun, 02 Feb 2025
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2251 - Agony and ecstasy: the lives of mystics Fri, 31 Jan 2025
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2250 - How medicine became a moneymaker Thu, 30 Jan 2025
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2249 - Carolingians in crisis: the medieval civil war that shaped Europe Wed, 29 Jan 2025
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2248 - Charles Dickens: life of the week Tue, 28 Jan 2025
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2247 - Murder in WW2 London Mon, 27 Jan 2025
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2246 - British TV history: everything you wanted to know Sun, 26 Jan 2025
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2245 - The big questions of the Holocaust Sat, 25 Jan 2025
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2244 - Happiness: history of an emotion Fri, 24 Jan 2025
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2243 - The 1453 fall of Constantinople: capturing the Byzantine capital Thu, 23 Jan 2025
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2242 - Inside the mind of the Third Reich Wed, 22 Jan 2025
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2241 - Sacagawea: life of the week Tue, 21 Jan 2025
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2240 - Women's bodies: an unreliable history Mon, 20 Jan 2025
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2239 - Ancient Mesopotamia: everything you wanted to know Sun, 19 Jan 2025
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2238 - Who moulded Winston Churchill? Sat, 18 Jan 2025
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2237 - Elizabethan London: a multicultural melting pot Fri, 17 Jan 2025
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2236 - Strange stories of medieval saints Thu, 16 Jan 2025
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2235 - What is the greatest historical movie of all time? Wed, 15 Jan 2025
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2234 - Nell Gwyn: life of the week Tue, 14 Jan 2025
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2233 - How pigs caused a stink in medieval England Mon, 13 Jan 2025
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2232 - The Hanseatic League: everything you wanted to know Sun, 12 Jan 2025
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2231 - Secret forceps & pig bladders: medical objects through time Fri, 10 Jan 2025
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2230 - How Roman roads transformed Europe Thu, 09 Jan 2025
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2229 - Hotel Lux: the guesthouse of world revolution Wed, 08 Jan 2025
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2228 - Introducing History's Greatest Scandals | New Podcast Tue, 07 Jan 2025
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2227 - Susan B Anthony: life of the week Tue, 07 Jan 2025
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2226 - How the compass became a political weapon Mon, 06 Jan 2025
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2225 - Medieval towns: everything you wanted to know Sun, 05 Jan 2025
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2224 - Harold Wilson: the rock 'n' roll prime minister Fri, 03 Jan 2025
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2223 - Who is buried at Sutton Hoo? Thu, 02 Jan 2025
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2222 - Sex and Christianity: 2,000 years of love and fury Wed, 01 Jan 2025
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2221 - Catherine the Great: life of the week Tue, 31 Dec 2024
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2220 - The Second Norman Conquest Mon, 30 Dec 2024
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2219 - The Carolingians: everything you wanted to know Sun, 29 Dec 2024
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2218 - The SAS in WW2: everything you wanted to know Sat, 28 Dec 2024
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2217 - Arnhem: 24 hours that shattered Allied dreams Fri, 27 Dec 2024
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2216 - Tudor England | 5. The wider world Thu, 26 Dec 2024
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2215 - 2024 in review: history behind the headlines Tue, 24 Dec 2024
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2214 - Shipwrecks: a porthole to the past Mon, 23 Dec 2024