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They attacked children. They exhumed dead bodies. They were even thought to be in league with the devil. And yet, despite this long list of misdemeanours, pigs were an indispensable part of urban life...
· 33 min 4 sec
Thomas Cromwell’s final six months were a Greek tragedy of hubris and political venom – all presided over by a tyrannical king. This Long Read, written by Diarmaid MacCulloch, charts Cromwell’s rapid...
· 22 min 16 sec
The Hanseatic League was often compared to a crocodile, because it was a shadowy, somewhat sinister entity that kept its true intentions concealed. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Professor...
· 44 min 25 sec
What was it like to undergo an operation in a world with no anaesthetic? How was the stethoscope invented? And when did surgeons first operate on a human heart? Talking to Lauren Good, Dr Carol Cooper...
· 38 min 56 sec
They spanned a continent, offered a conduit for soldiers and pilgrims alike – and may not have been as straight as legend suggests. Roman roads played a formative role in Europe's development for cent...
· 38 min 54 sec
History is often told through the epic struggles of famous personalities or grand movements. Yet sometimes the voices of ordinary people break through. In this episode, Maurice J Casey speaks to Danny...
· 34 min 27 sec
Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime-minister.Listen to HistoryExtra's new podcast History’s Greatest Scandals, delving into the murky underworld of The Victorian...
· 2 min 14 sec
Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime-minister.Listen to HistoryExtra's new podcast History’s Greatest Scandals, delving into the murky underworld of The Victorian...
· 59 sec
Poisoned sweets. Criminal misdeeds. And a sex scandal involving… the prime-minister.Listen to HistoryExtra's new podcast History’s Greatest Scandals, delving into the murky underworld of The Victorian...
· 59 sec
The name Susan B Anthony is inextricable from any history of the American movement for women's suffrage. Yet the life of the woman herself can be obscured by her status as a campaigner and figurehead....
· 49 min 23 sec
Divorce cases can be messy. But the epic court battle between Caroline and George Norton in 1836 took things to the next level, with salacious accusations of adultery with none other than the prime mi...
· 36 min 59 sec
One of the most famous British painters of the first half of the 19th century was a woman born without arms or legs. This Long Read, written by Alice Loxton, explores the life and work of an ambitious...
· 13 min 29 sec
Why did early Islamic cartographers place south at the top of their maps? Who invented the magnetic compass? And why has 'the west' become an intensely political term, as well as a geographical one? H...
· 35 min 50 sec
What was it like to live in a British town or city in the Middle Ages? Were they filthy hotbeds of crime and violence? How often did fires break out? And where could you get a good slap-up meal if you...
· 45 min 34 sec
Harold Wilson is as central to the story of sixties Britain as the Beatles, Profumo and miniskirts. Admirers applauded the social reforms he introduced while in office; his critics accused the prime m...
· 29 min 2 sec
The Sutton Hoo ship burial is one of the most famous discoveries in British archaeological history. But who is actually buried there? Or perhaps a better question is: why was the man buried with such...
· 40 min 16 sec
What were Jesus's views on sex? Why did so many Christians choose a life of celibacy? Has the church ever been tolerant of homosexuality? These are some of the questions explored by Professor Diarmaid...
· 36 min 50 sec
Catherine the Great stands out from the rulers of Imperial Russia – a 'philosopher empress' whose wit, political savvy, and unyielding ambition transformed her empire into a European powerhouse. Seizi...
· 37 min 15 sec
William of Normandy famously invaded England in 1066 – but, he didn't quite conquer it all. In fact, the duty of leading a second assault was left to his son William Rufus almost 30 years later. Speak...
· 46 min 16 sec
Fifty years ago, the notorious peer Lord Lucan vanished following the murder of his children’s nanny, Sandra Rivett. This Long Read, written by Laura Thompson, reviews the case of the disappearing ear...
· 18 min 6 sec