He died at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. And we haven’t been able to stop talking about him since. Yes, it’s time to consider the story of England’s last Plantagenet king, Richard III — a centuries-old tangle involving alleged murder, Shakespeare, vanquish and one mighty rediscovery. In this debut episode of History’s Greatest Fails, Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day argue that the story of Richard’s rise and fall (and rise again) is much more modern that you’d first believe. Not least because of the reality-TV-style discovery of his remains under a Leicester council car park in 2022. In many ways, Richard’s alleged ‘failures’ — which include allegedly killing the Princes in the Tower and overseeing the demise of Plantagenet rule — overshadow Richard III as the reformer that also existed. He introduced trial by jury and translated many laws into English. But those facts are not often what’s associated with him. He’s more likely to be seen as the villainous caricature of Shakespeare’s Richard III. So in this episode, we’ll discover: What Richard's story tells us about failure in the present. How Tudor propaganda codified his ‘failure’, and how How those failures have been revised over over the centuries And the chain of events that propelled the search for his bones – As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And don’t forget to listen to this season’s accompanying bonus episodes for this miniseries, where Dan and Producer Al are dissecting the biggest historical failures as submitted by the royal favourites. This episode, they discuss Wat Tyler’s failed Peasants Rebellion, Tulip Mania, and the South Sea Bubble of 1720. – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices –– Presented by Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Researcher - Phoebe Joyce  Executive Producer - Simon Poole Executive Producer - Dan Jones Executive Producer for Daylight Productions - Elizabeth Day   Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator - Eric Ryan Head of content - Chris Skinner Special thanks to Alex Lawless, Hannah Talbot, and Selina Ream Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

<p>Gladiators are one of the most instantly recognizable yet alien aspects of Roman society, and Dr. Harry Sidebottom's new book - Those Who Are About to Die - offers a cutting-edge view of these fascinating entertainers based on the most recent research. We discuss what recent research has revealed about their lives, why the Romans were so intrigued by them, and why they matter today.</p><p><br /></p><p>Patrick has a brand-new history show! It’s called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/PWPLA</p><p><br /></p><p>Patrick's new book - Lost Worlds: The Rise and Fall of Human Societies from the Ice Age to the Bronze Age - is now available for preorder, and will be released on May 5th! Preorder in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWLostWorlds.</p><p><br /></p><p>And don't forget, you can still Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Tides of History ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.</p><p><br /></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>

There are some very entrenched cultural ideas about the plague these days, involving big, beaky masks, and agonized people flagellating themselves in the street. But the way people thought about and treated plague changed over time, as the disease revisited populations regularly over the course of centuries. And just like our imaginings of plague today can tell us a lot about how we see the medieval world, so the changing way people wrote about plague can tell us a whole lot of interesting stuff about medieval and early modern culture. This week, Danièle speaks with Lori Jones about the evolution of the plague tract, who was considered qualified to write about plague, and some surprising ways religion fits – or doesn’t fit – into the picture.<br /><br />This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

<p>In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Katherine Backler about women in Classical Athens, what sources are available for the study of Classical Athenian women, the limitations of those sources, and how diverse women's experiences were in the ancient Greek world.</p>

<p>We explore the history of Trebizond under the Grand Komnenoi. Today I cover the period from 1204-1297.</p><br /><p>The music for these episodes comes from the brilliant Youtube channel of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@faryafaraji" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Farya Faraji</a>. Farya is a musicologist who collaborates with traditional musicians around the world to present music from different cultures on his channel, with an emphasis on authenticity and accurate cultural representation. This track is called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWIPrgWw7Iw&amp;list=RDNWIPrgWw7Iw&amp;start_radio=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trapezuntine - Epic Byzantine Music</a>. You can buy his music <a href="https://faryafaraji.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-byzantium-vol-ii" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

We’re often taught that history’s written by the winners. But we’d like to argue that, in fact, it’s the losers who end up making history.  In this brand new miniseries from Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day, History’s Greatest Fails aims to answer the simple, but complex, question: Why do losers make history?  From Richard III, to Vincent Van Gough, to the purposefully forgotten female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, this series is going to help you better understand how the idea of failure changes over time, and what lessons failure has for all of us.   Dan and Elizabeth are old friends, fellow history graduates, and fellow authors and podcasters.  Dan Jones is host of This Is History — A Dynasty to Die For, a narrative podcast that charts the bloody and complex drama of England’s Plantagenet dynasty, now up to its 10th season.  Elizabeth is host of How To Fail, a podcast that has brought together hundreds of luminaries and thinkers including Kate Winslet, Yuval Noah Hariri, and Malala Yousafzai, to reflect on failure in the present.  Over six episodes, History’s Greatest Fails will dissect failure of all kinds, from troubled historical rulers, to the failures of remembrance, to the failures that have created the happy accidents that last for generations. As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And for the bonus episodes of this miniseries, Dan and Producer Al are hearing from the favourites directly — join us as they discuss the royal favourites’ special fail mentions.  So, join us for the debut episode of History’s Greatest Fails, premiering on Tuesday April 7.  –– A Sony Music Entertainment production.  Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts  To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]  Learn more about your ad choices.  Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices  – Presented by Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day   Producer - Alan Weedon  Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole  Executive Producer - Dan Jones Executive Producer for Daylight Productions - Elizabeth Day   Production Manager - Jen Mistri  Production coordinator - Eric Ryan  Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A conversation with Alessandra Bucossi (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) and Niccolò Zorzi (University of Padua) on three heresiological texts of the twelfth century, the challenges of publishing and studying them, and how their main concerns can be presented in a museum exhibition. Our discussion is followed by dedicated presentations on each of the three authors by Marco Fanelli (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) on Zigabenos, Alessandra herself on Kamateros, and Ottavia Mazzon (University of Padua) on Choniates. For an open access catalogue of the museum exhibition organized by all the above, click here.

<p>The city of Babylon has appeared in our episodes time and again over the past several years: as the center of empires, a victim of vicious conquest, a wealthy center of economic innovation, and even the place where Alexander the Great drew his last breath. Professor Lloyd Llewelyn-Jones joins me to discuss his new, comprehensive, and fascinating new book on Babylon's long and engaging history.</p><p><br /></p><p>Patrick has a brand-new history show! It’s called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/PWPLA</p><p><br /></p><p>Patrick's new book - Lost Worlds: The Rise and Fall of Human Societies from the Ice Age to the Bronze Age - is now available for preorder, and will be released on May 5th! Preorder in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWLostWorlds.</p><p><br /></p><p>And don't forget, you can still Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge.</p><p><br /></p><p>Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Tides of History ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.</p><p><br /></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>

Last week, we talked about a woman whose work was to support her husband’s dreams of conquest – and her son’s dreams of rebellion. But what about the medieval women whose work was a little more ordinary? What was the 9-5 like for the women who kept households, shops, and towns running? And how did that work differ from place to place? This week, Danièle speaks with Nena Vandeweerdt about women's work inside and outside of guild structures, how it was regulated, and how opportunities changed for women across time and space.<br /><br />This podcast is made possible by the generous support of listeners like you! To find out how to help spread the joy of medieval history, please visit patreon.com/themedievalpodcast

Andriscus' defeat in Macedonia was not enough to quell the troubles of Greece, as the Achaean League was also on the warpath. The relationship between Rome and the League since 167 had mostly been amicable, though not without controversy, and the more hawkish Achaeans looked to assert their autonomy by campaigning against the Spartans. This the Senate could not tolerate, and through the brief Achaean War and sack of Corinth in 146, the Romans made it clear that only they would be the ones to determine the destiny of Greece. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/03/25/118-graecia-capta-the-roman-conquest-of-greece/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/118-graecia-capta-the-roman-conquest-of-greece-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

I tackle your counter factual questions.&nbsp;<hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

To learn more about the last time an English king was usurped, listen to Season 7, Bonus Episode 12, where Dan tells the story of Henry VI’s grandfather, Henry Bolingbroke. In 1399, he toppled Richard II to become King Henry IV.  By 1460, England has emerged into a polycrisis.  King Henry VI has been relegated to a pawn. His son and wife have been disinherited, with Richard, Duke of York, now heir presumptive. Violence pulses through the countryside.  In this pivotal chapter of the Wars of the Roses, it appears that Yorkist forces have finally overwhelmed the Lancastrians in the battle for the crown.   But then, Richard, Duke of York is killed in an ambush. It throws everything into disarray, and Queen Margaret of Anjou makes one last attempt at violent restoration.  It appears the clock has run out for the Yorkists. That is, until the eleventh hour, when Richard's son, Edward Earl of March, is propelled into the decisive moment.  – A Sony Music Entertainment production.  Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts  To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected]  Learn more about your ad choices.  Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices  – Written and presented by Dan Jones Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole  Production Manager - Jen Mistri  Production coordinator - Eric Ryan  Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices