The Rest Is History

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The Rest Is History
THE REST IS HISTORY CLUB

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The world’s most popular history podcast, with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. Join The Rest Is History Club (www.therestishistory.com) for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. Here are some of our favourite episodes to get you started: WATERGATE/NIXON apple.co/3JrVl5h ALEXANDER THE GREAT apple.co/3Q4FaNk HARDCORE HISTORY'S DAN CARLIN apple.co/3vqkGa3 PUTIN & RUSSIA apple.co/3zMtLfX

  1. 25 DEC • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

    Charlemagne: Emperor of the West (Part 3)

    “And from that moment on, he was addressed as emperor and Augustus!” The coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas Day 800 AD, is one of the landmark moments in all world history. More than three centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the emperors had returned once more, and a Caesar ruled in Rome. But how did this legendary event come to pass? For many years Charlemagne, though a formidable figure, had been but one power player in the game of empires, competing with the emperor of Constantinople and the new Pope in Rome. Then, in 797 a spectacular crisis struck Constantinople. The cruel and politically feckless emperor, Constantine VI, was ruthlessly usurped by his mother, Irene, who became the first and only ruling empress in the whole sweep of Roman history. In the West though, her rule as a woman was not acknowledged. To Charlemagne, then, it seemed the perfect opportunity to claim the vacant throne. What unfolded after this would see Rome and Constantinople lock horns in a terrible power struggle, involving blindings, mutilation and political scheming. With Charlemagne acting as arbiter between them, would he take the ultimate step and become, for the first time since 476 AD, the emperor in Rome? Join Tom and Dominic for the climax of their epic series on Charlemagne: the Frankish king turned emperor, who transformed the western world forever. What would become of his mighty empire, faced with Saracen pirates, vikings and division? ______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

    1h 1m

  2. 23 DEC • SUBSCRIBER EARLY ACCESS

    Charlemagne: Pagan Hunter (Part 2)

    “Here was a program to wet the ambitions of warlords as well as scholars, and to send men into battle beneath the fluttering of banners, the hiss of arrows, and the shadow of carrion crows…” The year is 777 and Charles the Great - Charlemagne - has ruled as joint king of the Franks alongside his brother, Carloman, for nine years. Now though his brother and greatest impediment to sole authority has died under mysterious circumstances. The sole successor to the mighty Carolingian dynasty, then, Charlemagne behaves differently from all the Frankish warlords that have come before him. In the aftermath of the once great Roman Empire, he seems to have modelled himself on the image an Augustus, pushing the already formidable kingdom that he has inherited towards greater and greater dominion. In his sights now are the Saxons, long growing fractious in Germany, and also the terrifying Lombards. The campaigns that ensued would be more ruthless than any before, with Charlemagne himself personally leading his men into battle. But his regime is not only one founded upon the blade of a sword and militaristic might, it is also a religious and educational revolution. It would utterly transform the west forever, introducing widespread writing and learning, and Christianising vast swathes of Europe - poor and elite alike. But Charlemagne’s total dominion of the West was still incomplete. What would happen next? Join Tom and Dominic as they delve deeper into the rise of the mighty Charlemagne: his transition to sole ruler of the Franks, his violent militaristic conquests, and a Christian regime that would change the world. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

    51 min

  3. 3 DAYS AGO

    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

    53 min

  4. 4 DAYS AGO · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    RIHC: The Eruption of Vesuvius, Lost Texts, and Ancient Cults

    What are the ancient Herculaneum scrolls, recovered following the explosion of Vesuvius in 79 AD? How did these supposedly lost documents survive? What happened this year to resurrect them, when they had seemed incomprehensible for so long? Who were the Epicureans, philosophers of Ancient Greece? How would new discoveries alter the way that Classics is studied, and the ancient world understood? And, which lost texts would classicists most want to discover? In this week’s bonus episode, Tom is joined by classicist and head of Classics at Oxford University, Llewellyn Morgan, to discuss the eruption of Vesuvius, the remarkable Herculaneum scrolls, and the ancient secrets lost texts contain… ______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

    27 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    Warlords of the West: A Clash of Ice and Fire (Part 3)

    By 711 Europe and the Frankish warlords were facing a graver threat than ever before. Bands of Northern African, nominally Muslim raiders had begun a steady incursion throughout the West, loosely unified under the banner of the Umayyads. Having already taken and plundered the Christian territories of the Goths, their eyes now fell upon the Frankish kingdom in Gaul, by now the greatest power in Europe. It would be a formidable prize if taken. But fortunately for the Franks, their leader was the greatest of their warlords since the rise of Clovis I: the mighty Charles Martel. Finally, the two great hosts - Charles with his allies from Aquitaine and the Umayyads under the leadership of Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi. A world shaking, spear shattering, blood-letting battle would ensue, the outcome of which would come to determine the future of Europe. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the build up to, climax, and aftermath of the Battle of Tours - one of the most important battles in Western history, which would prove the making of the Franks, and pave the road to the ascent of Charlemagne. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 2m

  6. 12 DEC

    Warlords of the West: Killer Queens (Part 2)

    Following the death of the legendary Frankish King Clovis, his son Clothar I divided the mighty realm his father had hacked out from the warring warlords of Europe between his four sons. But peace was not to reign…the most ambitious of his brood - Chilperic - seized Paris, his brother’s domain, following his death. Drawn to his swelling power, a seemingly humble yet beautiful slave girl, Fredegund, rose up from obscurity to become Chilperic’s mistress. Little did he know what a ruthless force of nature he had invited into his bed. Before long, she had persuaded him to cast aside his first wife, Audovera. His second, Galswintha, was not so lucky. Soon after their marriage she was found strangled to death, and Fredegund - her probable murderer - was crowned queen in her place. Meanwhile, Galswintha’s equally merciless sister, the intelligent Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia was plotting the gruesome downfall of her sister’s killer, hungry for revenge. The terrible and enduring feud between these two remarkable women had begun… Join Tom and Dominic for this most unbelievable of stories in the second instalment of their series on the rise of the Franks, as they unveil the clash of two indomitable warrior queens, drenched in blood, violence, vengeance, scheming, and witchcraft. The outcome of their civil war would reshape the face of the West.  _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 2m

  7. 11 DEC · BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    RIHC: Murderous Witches, Norse Raids, and Mysterious Stone Circles

    What is the meaning behind Orkney’s mysterious stone circles? How far back does the history of the Orkney archipelago truly stretch? What makes its ancient neolithic remains so extraordinary? When were the Picts in Orkney and how did they relate to the politics of Scottish history? What happened when the Vikings arrived in Orkney? When was Orkney Christianised? Who was the legendary patron saint of Orkney, King Magnus, and why was he murdered? Why did Denmark mortgage Orkney to the Scottish crown during the medieval period? Why was Napoleon Bonaparte so interested in Orkney? And, what made Orkney crucial during the Second World War? In this week’s bonus episode, Tom is joined by historian Peter Marshall to discuss his book (and Tom’s book of the year), 'Storm’s Edge', and the fascinating history and myths of Orkney, through to the early modern period. _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Beckie Hills Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

    49 min

  8. 9 DEC

    Warlords of the West: Barbarian Heirs of Rome (Part 1)

    The Rise of the Franks - a mighty host of warlords; forefathers of the western world and forgers of medieval civilisation, under the totemic leadership of history’s most glorious King: Charlemagne. It is a tale rich in fantasy and myth, transporting us into a distant age and the dark debris of a crumbling Roman empire; landscapes scarred by ruins, clashing queens, poisonings, sorcery, bloody battles, ice castles, and axe-wielding warriors, more reminiscent of King Arthur, Game of Thrones and the Lord of the Rings than real life. Once insignificant, terrifying barbarians from the peripheries of Gaul, with flaming red hair and formidable moustaches, they would emerge from the ashes of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD, and become the heirs of the Caesars. But how? The answer lies in warring barbarian strongmen, the collision of old gods and the new, a mighty Christian martyr, a mysterious ancient bloodline born of perhaps Jesus Christ himself, the emperors of old, and a sea monster; and a battle to determine dominion of the West…  Join Tom and Dominic as they launch into one of the greatest stories in all of European history: the rise the Franks. Europe’s mightiest warriors, warlords and kings, whose legacy would reshape the world forever.  _______ Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett + Aaliyah Akude Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    54 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

The world’s most popular history podcast, with Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. Join The Rest Is History Club (www.therestishistory.com) for ad-free listening to the full archive, weekly bonus episodes, live streamed shows and access to an exclusive chatroom community. Here are some of our favourite episodes to get you started: WATERGATE/NIXON apple.co/3JrVl5h ALEXANDER THE GREAT apple.co/3Q4FaNk HARDCORE HISTORY'S DAN CARLIN apple.co/3vqkGa3 PUTIN & RUSSIA apple.co/3zMtLfX

Information

  • Creator
    Goalhanger
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    714
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Goalhanger Podcasts
  • Show Website
    The Rest Is History
  • Provider

    Goalhanger Podcasts has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 16 Old Town London SW4 0JY United Kingdom Phone Number +44 7816414222 Email jack@goalhanger.com

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