The Rest Is History19 Dec 2024

523. Charlemagne: Return of the Kings (Part 1)

The Frankish king, Charlemagne the Great, is one of the titanic figures of European history, simultaneously renowned and shadowy. His rise to supreme power is a staggering story of warring religious empires, betrayal, battle, blindings and brutal conquest. How, then, did this one time Frankish interloper become the father of Europe, progenitor of a Holy Roman Empire whose descendants would rule right up until the time of Napoleon, and Emperor of the West? It begins in 741 AD when, following the death of the Frankish leader Charles Martel - ‘The Hammer’ - his two sons, Carloman and the pious by ruthless Pepin were forced to look to the Pope in Rome, then a subsidiary to the Byzantine empire, to buttress their authority. The Pope too was increasingly embattled at that time, struggling against invasions by the ferocious Germanic Lombards from the north of Italy. Desperate, he called upon Pepin for aid. So it was that, after his brother’s abdication, Pepin was officially anointed by the Pope as the sole King of the Franks, before crossing the Alps and smashing Lombardy. After his death, he would leave his kingdom the foremost power in Western Europe, and in the hands of to his own two sons: Carloman and Charles, later known as Charlemagne. A terrible power struggle would ensue… Join Tom and Dominic for this next instalment of their mighty series on the Franks and the rise of Charlemagne. How would Charles’ and Carloman’s battle for power play out? _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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718. The Suez Crisis: Britain's Shattered Empire (Part 2)

What role did France, Russia, America and Israel play in the Suez Crisis of 1956? Did the Egyptian leader, President Gamal Abdel Nasser, respond to the foreign invasion with military force? And, how d...

29 Okt 1h 16min

717. The Suez Crisis: Anarchy in the Middle East (Part 1)

Why did the Suez Crisis break out in 1956? Who were Anthony Eden, the British Prime Minister at the heart of the scandal, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian President? And, would the crisis be the d...

26 Okt 1h 26min

716. King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend (Part 4)

Did King Arthur really exist or is he just a legend that has developed over the centuries? Could he have been a Roman general who fought against the Saxons? Or is he a Celtic warlord? What is the trut...

21 Okt 1h 6min

715. King Arthur: The Mysteries of Merlin (Part 3)

What are the origins of Merlin, the powerful wizard and King Arthur’s advisor? Who was Geoffrey of Monmouth, and what role did he play in evolving the tales of Arthur and the Round Table? And, was Mer...

18 Okt 1h 4min

714. King Arthur: Lancelot and the Round Table (Part 2)

Who was the real Lancelot, King Arthur’s dashing love rival from the Arthurian legends? Was he the first medieval knight? How would his relationship with Queen Guinevere come to shape romance and chiv...

14 Okt 1h 6min

713. King Arthur: The Once & Future King (Part 1)

What is the historical truth behind the tales of King Arthur, Britain’s greatest myth? When did these stories begin, and with whom? And, is Arthur’s apocalyptic last battle based on an English histori...

11 Okt 1h 11min

712. The Terror: The Fall of Robespierre (Part 6)

Why did the Terror reach unprecedented levels of bloodshed in 1794? Who was running France by this point? And, how was Robespierre finally destroyed, and dragged to the guillotine by his former allies...

7 Okt 1h 36min

711. The Terror: Killing God (Part 5)

Why did Robespierre hold a vast, eccentric festival in 1794 when The Reign of Terror was at its most frenzied? What does it reveal about his psychology and belief in the divine? And, did he really bel...

4 Okt 1h 16min