Hysterical Figures - the lighter history podcast

Sam Bartram
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Hysterical Figures is the lighter history podcast! Author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history. Each series profiles the lives of important historical figures and breaks it down into bitesize chunks to be enjoyed at your leisure. Are you the sort of person that would like to know more about history but can’t bring yourself to pick that thick dusty book up off the shelf? Then this is the podcast for you! Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. Twitter: @sbartramauthor

  1. 05/16/2023

    The Norman Kings - Episode #2 - William Rufus (Part 2) - Murder in the Forest?

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! In this series Sam journeys back to the 11th and 12th centuries to discover all about the Norman Kings of England. We all know about William the Conqueror but what about the men who followed him? William II, Henry I and Stephen are nowhere to be found on any school syllabus and most people would struggle to recite a fact about any of them – and yet their action-packed reigns yielded succession disputes, murder, sex, bloody conflicts, civil war – and that’s just the average Monday morning! This episode is the concluding part of the story of William II or William Rufus as he is more commonly known. Rufus has to deal with rebellions, invasions, family dramas and a serious falling out with an Archbishop. Despite surviving all this, he meets a sticky end in the New Forest, but was it murder or friendly fire? Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ and his new comedy novel ‘Love You to Hell and Back’ (all available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

    The Norman Kings - Episode #2 - William Rufus (Part 2) - Murder in the Forest?

  2. 05/09/2023

    The Norman Kings - Episode #1 - William Rufus (Part 1) - The First Gay King of England?

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! In this series Sam journeys back to the 11th and 12th centuries to discover all about the Norman Kings of England. We all know about William the Conqueror but what about the men who followed him? William II, Henry I and Stephen are nowhere to be found on any school syllabus and most people would struggle to recite a fact about any of them – and yet their action-packed reigns yielded succession disputes, murder, sex, bloody conflicts, civil war – and that’s just the average Monday morning! This episode focuses on William II or William Rufus as he is more commonly known. Sam investigates as to whether Rufus could have been the first gay King of England. We also find out all about his early life and ascent to the throne. Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ and his new comedy novel ‘Love You to Hell and Back’ (all available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

    The Norman Kings - Episode #1 - William Rufus (Part 1) - The First Gay King of England?

  3. 11/08/2022 ·  Bonus

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #8 - Behind the History

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters! In this special bonus episode, Sam goes ‘behind the history’ and attempts to answer all the key questions about the Brotherhood posed to him by his mechanical friend QuestionBot. Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war. The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures Book links: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13765456-the-pre-raphaelites https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/689015.My_Grandfather_His_Wives_And_Loves

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #8 - Behind the History

  4. 11/01/2022

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #7 - William Holman Hunt (Part 3)

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters! This episode is the final part of the story of William Holman Hunt, the third of our triumvirate of Pre-Raphaelite big-hitters. Hunt was a deeply religious and spiritual man who was said to be the one true Pre-Raphaelite, in that his art stuck rigidly to the pre-Raphaelite ethos through his long life and career. However, if you think all of that means nothing interesting occurred in his personal life, then think again – personal tragedy, extortion, dubious life choices and a highly controversial marriage all make for an entertaining listen. Links to artworks discussed in this episode: https://www.wikiart.org/en/william-holman-hunt/london-bridge-on-the-night-of-the-marriage-of-the-prince-and-princess-of-wales-1866 https://www.wikiart.org/en/william-holman-hunt/bianca https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_Death https://harvardartmuseums.org/art/230319 Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war. The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #7 - William Holman Hunt (Part 3)

  5. 10/25/2022

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #6 - William Holman Hunt (Part 2)

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters! In this episode we continue the story of William Holman Hunt, the third of our triumvirate of Pre-Raphaelite big-hitters. Hunt was a deeply religious and spiritual man who was said to be the one true Pre-Raphaelite, in that his art stuck rigidly to the pre-Raphaelite ethos through his long life and career. However, if you think all of that means nothing interesting occurred in his personal life, then think again – personal tragedy, extortion, dubious life choices and a highly controversial marriage all make for an entertaining listen. Links to artworks discussed in this episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hireling_Shepherd https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hunt-our-english-coasts-1852-strayed-sheep-n05665 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hunt-the-awakening-conscience-t02075 https://www.stpauls.co.uk/light-of-world-by-william-holman-hunt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scapegoat_(painting) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Finding_of_the_Saviour_in_the_Temple Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war. The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #6 - William Holman Hunt (Part 2)

  6. 10/18/2022

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #5 - William Holman Hunt (Part 1)

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters! In this episode it’s the turn of William Holman Hunt, the third of our triumvirate of Pre-Raphaelite big-hitters. Hunt was a deeply religious and spiritual man who was said to be the one true Pre-Raphaelite, in that his art stuck rigidly to the pre-Raphaelite ethos through his long life and career. However, if you think all of that means nothing interesting occurred in his personal life, then think again – personal tragedy, extortion, dubious life choices and a highly controversial marriage all make for an entertaining listen. Links to artworks discussed in this episode: https://collections.ashmolean.org/collection/browse-9148/object/44467 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine_Rescuing_Sylvia_from_Proteus Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war. The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #5 - William Holman Hunt (Part 1)

  7. 10/11/2022

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #4 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Part 2)

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters! In this episode we continue the Dante Gabriel Rossetti story. Rossetti was very much the troubled genius, lothario and enfant terrible of the Pre-Raphaelites. Get set for a story of womanising, addiction, digging up his long-dead lover (yes, really) and enough scandal to keep a daily newspaper running for several years. Trust me, it’s an absolute humdinger. Links to artworks discussed in this episode: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rossetti-the-beloved-the-bride-n03053 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rossetti-beata-beatrix-n01279 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rossetti-proserpine-n05064 Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war. The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #4 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Part 2)

  8. 10/04/2022

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #3 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Part 1)

    Welcome to Hysterical Figures, the lighter history podcast! Sit back and enjoy whilst author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history, all for your delectation! This series tells the story of a Victorian Art phenomenon, the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. This exuberant band of sensationally talented artists exploded onto the scene in the 1840s, determined to rip up the rulebook and conventions of the British Art establishment and create their own slice of Art history. The rule book was well and truly tossed away when it came to their private lives as well – sex, scandals, affairs, addiction, prostitutes and digging up dead bodies – and that’s just for starters! In this episode we delve into the life and times of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the Italian Stallion of the brotherhood. If Millais ended up becoming a pragmatist, then Rossetti was very much the troubled genius, lothario and enfant terrible of the Pre-Raphaelites. Get set for a story of womanising, addiction, digging up his long-dead lover (yes, really) and enough scandal to keep a daily newspaper running for several years. Trust me, it’s an absolute humdinger. Links to artworks discussed in this episode: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rossetti-the-girlhood-of-mary-virgin-n04872 https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rossetti-ecce-ancilla-domini-the-annunciation-n01210 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_Baciata Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. His other works include the children’s adventure book series ‘Peter and Mille Adventures’ (available exclusively at Amazon). Sam loves to correspond with readers and listeners. You can contact him on Twitter – his handle is @sbartramauthor. If you really enjoy this podcast then please leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. If you absolutely love hysterical figures and want to contribute financially to future content, then that’s great but this is very much a hobby for Sam and he doesn’t have a patreon or kofi page! However, he would love you to donate to his justgiving page to support the red cross’s efforts to help the people of Ukraine suffering the devastating effects of war. The link for this is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hystericalfigures

    The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - Episode #3 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Part 1)
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Hysterical Figures is the lighter history podcast! Author and podcaster Sam Bartram takes a light-hearted, comedic and accessible look at significant people from history. Each series profiles the lives of important historical figures and breaks it down into bitesize chunks to be enjoyed at your leisure. Are you the sort of person that would like to know more about history but can’t bring yourself to pick that thick dusty book up off the shelf? Then this is the podcast for you! Sam Bartram is a history graduate and author from Norfolk, England. Twitter: @sbartramauthor

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