Origins of Modern Iran: Safawid Dynasty
The Safawid Dynasty, which ruled Iran from 1501 to 1736, marked the beginning of modern Iranian history. At its height, it controlled all of what is now Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Armenia, eastern Geo...
4 Sep 202347min
Dutch Golden Age: 'The Goldfinch' and its Painter
On the morning of 12 October 1654, in the Dutch city of Delft, a sudden explosion was followed by a thunderclap that could be heard more than 70 miles away. Carel Fabritius - now known across the worl...
31 Aug 202346min
Henry VIII's Billionaire Wardrobe
Henry VIII was described as the 'best dressed sovereign in the world' by the Venetian ambassador Sebastian Giustinian. The Tudor King spent the equivalent of £2 million a year on clothes. In this epis...
28 Aug 202343min
Girls on Stage and Page in the Elizabethan Age
Contrary to the idea that the early modern stage was male-dominated, girls actually played an active part in religious dramas, civic pageants, Elizabethan country house entertainments, and Stuart cour...
24 Aug 202333min
Stealing the Crown Jewels with Al Murray
In 1671, an Anglo-Irish officer, the self-styled Colonel Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. The thwarted crime brought him face-to-face with King Charles II. This incr...
21 Aug 202341min
Elizabeth I's Censored Annals: A Major Discovery
Did King James VI of Scotland plot to assassinate Elizabeth I? Did she name him as her successor? For centuries, dozens of pasted-over passages in the original manuscript of William Camden’s Annals ha...
17 Aug 202339min
Christopher Wren
Best known for St. Paul’s Cathedral, Christopher Wren was the greatest architect Britain has ever known. But he was so much more: he applied his mind to astronomy, meteorology and anatomy. How did he ...
14 Aug 202336min
Treasures of Lambeth Palace
Books belonging to Henry VIII, Richard III, Mary I and Edward VI are among the treasures in the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury, one of the oldest public libraries in England. In thi...
10 Aug 202343min
