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Robert Liddiard & Oliver H Creighton – Medieval Warhorse

History Extra | 1 December 2025 | 0h 36m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
Interview with Robert Liddiard and Oliver H Creighton about their book Medieval Warhorse: Equestrian Landscapes, Material Culture and Zooarchaeology in Britain, AD 800–1550. Discusses the medieval warhorse as a battle-winning technology; the immense costs of royal studs; the evolution of specialized breeds like the elite destrier and agile hobelar; horses as potent status symbols and central to chivalric identity and romance literature; how their role shifted from battlefield to ceremonial tournaments post gunpowder, even as they remained vital for projecting royal power, as exemplified by Henry VIII’s massive equestrian investments.

Antony Beevor – Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs

    History Extra | 16 March 2026 | 0h 44m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
    Interview with Antony Beevor about his book Rasputin: The Downfall of the Romanovs. Discusses the life of Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian peasant healer who wielded influence over the family of Russia’s last tsar, charting his humble origins in Siberia, his hold over Nicholas II and Alexandra, and his dramatic assassination at the hands of the imperial couple’s own relatives.

    Richard Vinen – The Last Titans: How Churchill and de Gaulle Saved Their Nations and Transformed the World

      History Extra | 2 February 2026 | 0h 31m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
      Interview with Richard Vinen about his book The Last Titans: How Churchill and de Gaulle Saved Their Nations and Transformed the World. Shares insights on Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, their relationship, and their lasting impact.

      Giles Tremlett – El Generalísimo: A Biography of Francisco Franco

        History Extra | 27 January 2026 | 0h 46m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Interview with Giles Tremlett about his book El Generalísimo: A Biography of Francisco Franco. Describes how Francisco Franco emerged as Europe’s youngest general since Napoleon Bonaparte, became Spain’s dictator, dominated Spain for nearly four decades, and has continued to haunt Spain more than 50 years after his death in 1975.

        See also the Travels Through Time episode about Tremlett’s earlier book about the Spanish Civil War.

        Paul Gillingham – Mexico: A 500-Year History

        History Extra | 5 January 2026 | 0h 32m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
        Interview with Paul Gillingham about his book Mexico: A 500-Year History. Discusses Mexican history, explaining that beyond Spanish conquest, defeat to the US, and revolution, that Mexico was also one of the earliest democracies in the world – one in which Indigenous peoples enjoyed rights unthinkable in the US at the time.

        Andrew Lambert – No More Napoleons

          History Extra | 9 January 2026 | 0h 42m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
          Interview with Andrew Lambert about his book No More Napoleons: How Britain Managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One. Explains how Britain used its navy to maintain peace in Europe without the need for huge armies, why Belgium was so important to maintaining stability on the continent, the Duke of Wellington’s huge influence post Waterloo, and why the idea of ‘Britannia Rules the Waves’ continues to be relevant today.

          Lauren Johnson – Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker

            Podcast | 9 December 2025 | 0h 47m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
            Interview with Lauren Johnson about her book Margaret Beaufort: Survivor, Rebel, Kingmaker. Discusses the life of Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII. Describes the forces that shaped her – personal tragedy, dynastic danger, the ever-shifting fortunes of power, and her influence on late medieval England, forging the Tudor dynasty with her autonomy, determination and political acumen.