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History Extra podcast

Podcasts · History

History Extra podcast

1,686 episodes · 17 with AI analysis

The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts. HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past. We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day. Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens. Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations on lesser-known parts of our past, including black history and women’s history. Looking at the history behind today’s headlines, we consider the forces that have shaped today’s world, from the imposing empires that dominated continents, to the revolutions that brought them crashing down. We also examine the impact of conflict across the centuries, from the crusades of the Middle Ages and the battles of the ancient Egyptians to World War One, World War Two and the Cold War. Plus, we uncover the real history behind myths, legends and conspiracy theories, from the medieval murder mystery of the Princes in the Tower, to the assassination of JFK. Featuring interviews with notable historians including Mary Beard, Tracy Borman, James Holland and Dan Jones, we cover a range of social, political and military history, with the aim to start conversations about some of the most fascinating areas of the past. Unlock full access to HistoryExtra.com for 6 months for just 99p https://www.historyextra.com/join/

AI Intelligence · across all analyzed episodes

Topics · top 10

Fairy mythology and cultural historyRural vs. urban folklore traditionsClass stratification in supernatural beliefsScottish witch trials and demonization of folk beliefsShakespeare's influence on fairy iconographyMedieval Arthurian literature and fairy depictionCottingly fairies hoax and Arthur Conan DoyleCicely Mary Barker's Flower FairiesJ.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and TinkerbellTolkien's medieval elf reimagining

Analyzed Episodes

Apr 14, 2026

A fantastical history of fairies

Fairy mythology and cultural historyRural vs. urban folklore traditionsClass stratification in supernatural beliefs
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Apr 12, 2026

How Tudor London inspired literary genius

Elizabethan London literary sceneProfessional playwriting and dramaGrammar school educational reform
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Apr 9, 2026

Stalin's murderous vendetta against Trotsky

Leon Trotsky biography and political significanceStalin's consolidation of power and elimination of rivalsSoviet internal exile and political persecution
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Apr 11, 2026

The rise of Alfred the Great

Viking Great Heathen Army tactics and strategy (865-878 AD)Anglo-Saxon kingdom political structure and governanceReligious identity as cultural marker in medieval conflict
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Apr 7, 2026

A new take on the battle of Hastings

Battle of Hastings (1066)King Harold military strategyAnglo-Saxon naval power and fleets
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Apr 2, 2026

How to stay healthy in the Middle Ages

Humoral Theory and Medieval MedicinePreventative Health Practices in the Middle AgesMedieval Hygiene and Sanitation Standards
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Mar 31, 2026

Europe's Muslim history

Islamic history in medieval Spain (Al-Andalus) and the Umayyad CaliphateEuropean textbook bias and historiographical erasure of Muslim contributionsThe Cordoban Caliphate's scientific and medical innovations (Ibn Sina, Al-Zahrawi, Al-Razi)
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Mar 22, 2026

Elizabeth’s enemies: plots, rivals and the Spanish Armada

Mary Queen of Scots imprisonment and executionBabington Plot of 1586Spanish Armada invasion threat
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Mar 18, 2026

The devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire

First Jewish-Roman War (66-74 CE)Roman Imperial Military StrategyJewish Factionalism and Internal Conflict
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Mar 20, 2026

Britain and the looted African gold

Colonial Looting and British Imperial PlunderAshanti Kingdom History and Gold TradeMuseum Deaccessioning Laws and Repatriation Policy
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Mar 3, 2026

Juana Inés de la Cruz: life of the week

Women's intellectual history in colonial Latin AmericaGender and power in 17th-century Spanish colonial societyConvent life and female autonomy in early modern Europe
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Mar 4, 2026

The hidden history behind Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore history and constructionLakota Nation land rights and the Fort Laramie TreatyGutzon Borglum biography and artistic legacy
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Mar 6, 2026

A poetic history of England

Medieval Dream Poetry and Grief RepresentationBlack Death Social History Through LiteratureBroadside Ballads as Popular Culture and Political Satire
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Mar 8, 2026

Young Elizabeth I: the making of a queen

Anne Boleyn's execution and its impact on Elizabeth's early lifeHenry VIII's disappointment with Elizabeth's gender and illegitimacyElizabeth's multilingual education and intellectual development
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Mar 11, 2026

Trailblazers and troublemakers: women who made French history

Women's exclusion from historical narrativesFrench medieval and early modern women's historyGender expression and cross-dressing in historical context
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Mar 9, 2026

Why Britons rejected fascism in the 1930s

British Fascism and Oswald Mosley's British Union of FascistsInterwar European Authoritarianism (Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin)Democratic Institutions and Civic Participation
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Mar 10, 2026

Vladimir Lenin: life of the week

Vladimir Lenin biography and early lifeRussian Revolution of 1917 (February and October)Bolshevik Party organization and factionalism
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