History of the World podcast

793 - 1035 - Glorious literature tells us that the Vikings were savage raiders who sailed the seas and plundered from others. This episode investigates what we do know about the Vikings and their his...

18 Apr 202252min

410 - 939 - From the abandonment of Britannia by the Romans, the island became a place of tribal warfare for many centuries, but from the chaos emerged the beginnings of a modern English nation.

11 Apr 202247min

43 - 848 - When the Romans invaded Britain they discovered people who had decorated their bodies with bright colours. Who were these people and what became of them?

4 Apr 202250min

955 - East Francia was a struggling new nation facing the threat of new European invasions from the peoples of the steppe. It would take military intelligence and bravery for East Francia to be able ...

28 Mar 202248min

778 - The battle that involved Charlemagne and gave us a surprising result. It is immortalised by the Song of Roland, but this episode looks to revise the later medieval romantic poetry and find out ...

21 Mar 202247min

715 - 987 - Early Medieval France was as important as any nation of Europe in its history. This episode deals with the rekindling of kingship through the Carolingians and their relationship with the ...

14 Mar 202252min

732 - The Frankish expansion was impressive but the Umayyad expansion was intercontinental and seemingly unstoppable. It would fall on the shoulders of a man called Charles Martel to unlock the solut...

7 Mar 20221h

451 - 718 - A number of culturally linked Germanic tribes were initially united by King Clovis who expanded their realm significantly. The kings would gradually lose power, to be led by their senior ...

28 Feb 202242min