logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
41m 29s

The Birth of the Roman Republic

Wondery / Patrick Wyman
About this episode

In 509 BC, the last king of Rome - Tarquinius Superbus - was expelled from the city, and the Republic was born. But what do we actually know about the early years of the Republic? Not much, and what we do know is at odds with the much later traditions on which we tend to rely.


Patrick's book is now available! 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. And check out Patrick's new podcast The Pursuit of Dadliness! It’s all about “Dad Culture,” and Patrick will interview some fascinating guests about everything from tall wooden ships to smoked meats to comfortable sneakers to history, sports, culture, and politics. https://bit.ly/PWtPoD


Listen to Tides of History on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to bonus episodes available exclusively and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/tides-of-history/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Yesterday
Encore: The Rise and Fall of the Medici Bank
The Medici name still carries echoes of power and labyrinthine politics. But the Medici got their start as bankers, and built a financial empire that spanned fifteenth-century Europe. Popes, kings, and merchants all did business with the Medici, and the family's power over Floren ... Show More
54m 19s
Jul 3
The Roman Conquest of the Hellenistic World
For most of its history, Rome barely bothered with the Greek east. Then, quite suddenly, Rome exploded onto the scene, laying low the two most powerful Hellenistic warrior-kings of the past century. Within ten years, Rome became the undisputed hegemonic power of the Mediterranean ... Show More
43m 35s
Jun 26
Who was Thomas More? Interview with Dr. Joanne Paul
Thomas More is one of the most fascinating figures of the 16th century: saint, persecutor of Protestants, government official, martyr. But who was he, really? Dr. Joanne Paul has written a wonderful new biography of More, entitled Thomas More: A Life, which explores his origins a ... Show More
45m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
The Roman Republic
March 15th, 44BC. Despite ill omens, Julius Caesar approaches the Theatre of Pompey. But the men inside have sworn an oath. To save the Republic from the hands of this self-styled ‘perpetual dictator', Caesar must die. But where did the Republic start? How did it transform Rome f ... Show More
58m 33s
Oct 2023
How the Roman Republic Became the Roman Empire
The Roman Republic existed for almost 500 years. The Romane Empire then existed for almost another 500 years. The two institutions had a great deal in common, but they radically differed in how Rome was administered. The Republic was set up explicitly to prevent the rule of a sin ... Show More
13m 27s
Jan 2024
Season 3 | Bonus: How to live like a monk - with Danièle Cybulskie
The new season of This is History will be landing on your feeds on February 20th. In the meantime, you can listen to hours of bonus content over on This is History Plus, where Dan has been interviewing the great and good of history about all things Plantagenet. In this free taste ... Show More
25m 29s
Apr 15
Quiz Show Rigging | The Pressure Cooker | 5
Television producers Howard Blumenthal and Bob Boden weren’t old enough to experience the quiz show scandal of the 1950s firsthand, but it had a major impact on their lives and careers. Blumenthal’s father helped produce the rigged quiz show Twenty-One, and Boden worked alongside ... Show More
34m 56s
Jun 17
Georgia Tann Interview | Guest T.J. Raphael "Liberty Lost" Podcast Host | 5
Decades after Georgia Tann’s black market adoption ring was exposed, similar patterns of coercion and control are still unfolding across the U.S. At the Liberty Godparent Home in Lynchburg, Virginia, young pregnant women are isolated, shamed, and pressured into giving up their ba ... Show More
42m 56s
Nov 2023
Season 3 | 10. Magna Carta
The Army of God secures a shocking victory in London. King John is totally blindsided and forced to negotiate. At Runnymede, in 1215, he gathers his barons and together they produce one of the most famous documents in Western History. But will Magna Carta be enough to stop this c ... Show More
30m 32s
Mar 2025
How Books About Things That Changed the World… Changed the World
Look in the nonfiction section of any bookstore and you’ll find dozens of history books making the same bold claim: that their narrow, unexpected subject somehow changed the world. Potatoes, kudzu, soccer, coffee, Iceland, bees, oak trees, sand, chickens—there are books about all ... Show More
58m 24s
Dec 2024
History Daily: Winston Churchill’s Famous “Some Chicken” Speech
December 30, 1941. In a rousing speech to the Canadian Parliament, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill celebrates his success in holding off Nazi Germany in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz.You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and mor ... Show More
17m 14s
Jun 2024
Hats
In the Italian Alps, the world’s oldest known hat is unearthed. In ancient Rome, a simple head covering separates slaves from freedmen. In Victorian London, hats prove deadly for the men and women who make them. And Napoleon Bonaparte causes a stir, by rotating his bicorne 90 deg ... Show More
44m 9s
Jun 30
The Colosseum Becomes a Wonder | A Conversation with Barry Strauss & Alison Futrell
July 7, 2007. In a dramatic ceremony featuring pop stars, fireworks, and smoke cannons, the Colosseum is named one of the seven new wonders of the world. It’s an appropriately over-the-top blowout for an arena which, centuries before, was home to its own lavish events. How did sp ... Show More
37m 23s