Swords in Elizabethan England
In Elizabethan England, swords were everywhere. Hanging on girdles, used in plays and depicted in paintings, they were an important marker of status and martial prowess. Swordplay was a popular martia...
19 Jan 202337min
Demonic Possession in 17th-Century Canada
When strange signs appeared in the sky over Quebec in 1660, the French settlers started to worry about evil forces in their midst. Then, a teenaged servant called Barbe Hallay started to act as if she...
16 Jan 202357min
Nonsuch: Henry VIII's Lost Palace
In April 1538 - to celebrate the birth of Prince Edward and the 30th anniversary of his reign - King Henry VIII began work on a royal palace in Surrey, designed to be unequalled as a celebration of th...
12 Jan 202339min
How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
We have long been taught that modern global history began when the 'Old World' encountered the 'New', when Christopher Columbus 'discovered' America in 1492. But, in a groundbreaking new book, Dr. Car...
9 Jan 202344min
Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu
The Three Musketeers paints a picture of King Louis XIII of France as a rather weak monarch controlled by his powerful chief minister Cardinal Richelieu. Louis’ reign is generally thought of as being ...
5 Jan 202344min
Birth of the Gregorian calendar
Many of us are seeing in a new year, but of course there are, even today, several different ways of marking dates and years in various parts of the world. The most popular calendar, though, is the Gre...
2 Jan 202328min
A Happy Tudor New Year
This week we're sharing again a fascinating podcast first released at this time last Christmas.For the Tudors, Christmas Day was not traditionally the date when gifts were given. The Twelve Days of Ch...
29 Dec 202251min
The Biggest Discoveries of 2022
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb presents her annual review of the year, recommending the finest history books she has discovered, the best television shows she’s watched, and the biggest historical discov...
22 Dec 202257min
