History Hit Podcasts

Megalodon

As part of our week of Sharks on the Ancients, today we tell the story of Megalodon, the largest living marine animal, ever.

Does this...

Monsters of the Medieval World

Welcome to Monsterland.

The Medieval world is a realm of dragons, demons and beasts. Matt Lewis and Nick Jubber step into this murky world...

Royal Sex: Catherine the Great

Did Catherine the Great really die having sex with a horse? Was she involved in her husband's death? And were her lovers selected for political...

How did the Colonies win the American War of Independence?

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

Revolutionary War: How Good Was George Washington?

Whisper it quietly, but could our original commander-in-chief possibly be overrated as a military leader?

To find out Don is joined once...

The First Sharks

Long before the first dinosaurs, the first trees or even the formation of the rings of Saturn, our planet's oceans were ruled by prehistoric...

Dark History of the Luddites

Would you have joined the OG Luddites? In 1811 and 1812 across the midlands and north of England which were the Silicon Valley of the day,...

When Women Ruled the Low Countries

Five generations of remarkable women - from Mary of Burgundy to Isabella Clara Eugenia - made an enduring impact on the Low Countries. By...

Christopher Wren

Architect, astronomer, anatomist, and genius who rebuilt London after the Great Fire —Christopher Wren. His life is nothing short of...

Childbirth in Medieval Times with Kate Lister

This episode contains explicit language and graphic descriptions of birth

Today we're delving into historical childbirth's stark realities,...

Sex Lives of the Roman Legion

As the Roman Empire grew, so did the importance of its army - the Roman Legion.

But what was life on the march like? What happened on the...

200 Years Inside Sing Sing Prison

In May 1825, a group of prisoners arrived on the banks of the Hudson, thirty odd miles up river from New York. They began to build what would...

Crusaders And Castles: The Siege Of Acre

The first Assassin's Creed game puts players in the thick of the Siege of Acre during the Third Crusade. We can climb its battlements and fight in...

The Plague That Shook The Roman Empire

In the 6th century, the Roman Empire was split and its future hung in the balance.

Emperor Justinian dreamed of restoring it to its former...

Nicholas Culpeper: Herbalist and Radical

The maverick herbalist who fought for medical freedom.

We love a rebel with a cause here on Not Just The Tudors, and Nicholas Culpeper was...

Pirates: Barbary Corsairs & The Bombardment of Algiers

For centuries, the Barbary Corsairs captured ships and enslaved European Christians, turning the Mediterranean into a sea of fear and ransom....

The Queen of Sheba

A figure of wealth, wisdom, and global fascination - how did the Queen of Sheba become one of history’s most enduring royal icons?

In this...

Royal Sex: Marie Antoinette

Behind the wild accusations of extra-marital affairs and a lavish lifestyle, who was the real Marie Antoinette? Why did her marriage to King Louis...

Canterbury Tales: Pilgrims' Professions

Do you know what a Squire did? Was a Merchant as fancy as he sounds?

Gone Medieval continues our week of pilgrimage as Matt Lewis is joined...

Boudicca: Myths vs Reality

Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni tribe, has become a symbol of resistance and British defiance. But what do we really know about her, and...

Revolutionary War: What If the British Won?

Today we're heading back 250 years to the end of the Revolutionary War - but this time, we're asking what might have happened if the British had...