Tudor spymaster: the secret machinations of Robert Cecil

Tudor spymaster: the secret machinations of Robert Cecil

Late Tudor England was a dangerous place, with plots both at home and abroad, and no certainty about who was going to succeed the ageing queen, Elizabeth I. Into this perilous world stepped Robert Cecil, a brilliant but unglamorous statesman and spymaster who played a pivotal role in keeping the country together and ensuring a smooth transition to the Stuart monarchy. Professor Stephen Alford speaks to Rob Attar about this unheralded titan of the Tudor and Stuart courts. (Ad) Stephen Alford is the author of //All His Spies: The Secret World of Robert Cecil// (Penguin, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fall-his-spies%2Fstephen-alford%2F9780241423479. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(2556)

The botanists of besieged Leningrad

The botanists of besieged Leningrad

Cut off from the outside world and with food and other essentials dwindling, it's estimated that upwards of one million people died. Yet throughout this ordeal, a group of indomitable scientists riske...

15 Apr 202536min

The Brothers Grimm: life of the week

The Brothers Grimm: life of the week

From Snow White to Sleeping Beauty, the Brothers Grimm are best known for collecting and curating fairy tales. But, as Ann Schmiesing reveals, recording these stories for posterity was only one of the...

14 Apr 202535min

Could the US have won the Vietnam war?

Could the US have won the Vietnam war?

When US forces entered Vietnam, the nation's leaders believed they could contain communism and secure victory. Instead, they found themselves trapped in a war that drained resources, divided the count...

13 Apr 202555min

The Teutonic Order: everything you wanted to know

The Teutonic Order: everything you wanted to know

Emerging from crusading endeavours in the Holy Land, the Teutonic Order was one of great military orders established in the 12th century. Its influence spread far and wide, and its members negotiated ...

12 Apr 202552min

The women's orchestra of Auschwitz

The women's orchestra of Auschwitz

Amid the horrors of Auschwitz, a group of female musicians were forced to play for their lives. Author Anne Sebba joins Lauren Good to discuss this women's orchestra, exploring how music was used as a...

10 Apr 202535min

JFK: the man behind the myths

JFK: the man behind the myths

John F Kennedy remains one of America’s most iconic presidents – his life and untimely death wrapped in both mythology and conspiracy. But how much of his legacy is based in reality, and how can his r...

8 Apr 202542min

Fulvia: life of the week

Fulvia: life of the week

She super-charged Mark Antony's rise to power, whipped up gang violence, went to war with Octavian – and may, just may, have abused Cicero's decapitated head with a hairpin. Here, in conversation with...

7 Apr 202533min

Simon Schama on the Holocaust

Simon Schama on the Holocaust

Sir Simon Schama is one of the world's leading historians, a bestselling author and a renowned documentary maker. In his latest documentary film, The Road to Auschwitz, he tells the story of the Holoc...

6 Apr 202542min

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