logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
56m 51s

135. Helena: Queen of the World and Find...

Goalhanger
About this episode
Born in poverty at a time when the Roman Empire was in danger of cracking up and disintegrating, Helena was set for a life of obscurity as a stable hand, bar maid, and, according to some, a prostitute. Yet, in the most improbable tale she rose through the social hierarchy to be proclaimed Empress, then later canonised, and declared by some as queen of the wo ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
396. Stalin: The Bolshevik Revolution (Part 2)
Despite later mythology, Stalin was effectively a nobody during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Unlike Trotsky and Lenin, he was not on the frontline amongst the revolutionaries. How did he reveal his penchant for violence during the Russian Civil War in the following years? And ... Show More
44m 4s
Sep 13
395. Stalin: The Rise of A Tyrant (Part 1)
How did Stalin become one of the most ruthless dictators in World History? What was his childhood like in Georgia? How did he rise from a poet training to be a priest, to the ruler of the Soviet Union? In Episode 1 of this new series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple explore the ... Show More
33m 48s
Sep 9
394. Road To 9/11: Hijackers, CIA Failures, and America’s Darkest Day (Part 6)
How did the CIA fail to tell the FBI that known Al-Qaeda terrorists were already training inside the United States? Who was the calculated mastermind behind the scheme to hijack twenty commercial jets? What does new evidence tell us about how a Saudi official assisted the hijacke ... Show More
46m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Theodora, the rags to riches Empress
<p><br></p><p>Dr. Eleanor Janega and author Stella Duffy dive into the extraordinary life and legacy of Empress Theodora.</p><p>A woman who rose from the lowest ranks of society as a prostitute at the Hippodrome to capture the heard of an emperor to become the most powerful woman ... Show More
46m 50s
Nov 2023
Helena Blavatsky (2021)
<p>Helena was a very unique and gifted storyteller from her generation. Born into privilege and given access to a tremendous library and exposed to old superstitions and mysticism, she grew into a well-regarded thinker on what it is to be human; how spiritualism fits within our e ... Show More
44m 5s
Aug 2023
356: The Blood-Drinking Bride of Christ
A woman of immense influence on medieval Christendom, Catherine of Siena was one of the first female Doctors of the Church, who married Christ in her own bedroom. Living through a time of great anxiety due to the onset of the Black Death, she healed the sick, convinced the Pope t ... Show More
51m 39s
May 2023
Messalina: Empress of Rome
<p>In this episode of The Ancients, host Tristan Hughes speaks with historian Honor Cargill-Martin about the notorious Empress Messalina, third wife of Emperor Claudius. A lot has been said about Messalina over two millennia: that she was a nymphomaniac who organised orgies and e ... Show More
39m 11s
Jun 2024
457. Helen of Troy: Queen of the Greek Myths (Part 1)
The story of Helen of Troy, her remarkable birth and her infamous love affair with Paris, the Trojan prince, resounds across the centuries. A figure of condemnation, pity and tragedy, her beauty set in motion the most legendary literary conflict of all time: the Trojan Wars. Yet, ... Show More
52m 7s
Jul 2023
Helen of Troy with Natalie Haynes
<p>Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships - but is there more to her than a beautiful face? Commemorated throughout history in ancient epics and modern adaptations, Helen of Troy is known as one of the most beautiful women to ever have lived. But was Helen of Troy ... Show More
43m 56s
Sep 2025
The Real Eleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was a queen who defied expectations, a duchess who outmanoeuvred kings, and a mother whose dynasty shaped the future of Europe. She is often remembered through myth, gossip, and legend—but the truth is far more fascinating. Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Pro ... Show More
1 h
Sep 2024
Irene of Athens, Byzantine Empress
Queens of the World Series: Irene of Athens ruled as regent for her son, Easter Roman Emperor, Constantine VI. But when he rose up against her and threatened her religious conviction, she had his eyes gouged out. Thus she became the first Roman Empress to rule in her own right. B ... Show More
23m 21s
Mar 2024
Zenobia: Queen of Palmyra
<p>Zenobia, queen of the glittering city state of Palmyra, was a titan of the third century Near-East. By defeating the Persian Sassanid Empire in 270 AD and stabilising the Roman East she successfully forged a Palmyran empire stretching from Egypt to Anatolia out of the embers o ... Show More
34m 8s
Nov 2024
St. Catherine of Alexandria
<p>Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a 4th-century Christian martyr, was known for her intelligence, beauty, and steadfast faith. She boldly debated Emperor Maxentius and his scholars, converting many before being imprisoned and martyred for refusing to renounce Christianity. Venera ... Show More
16m 24s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami