logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2024
12m 20s

The Anarchy (Encore)

Gary Arndt | Glassbox Media
About this episode
In the mid-12th century, England was in chaos.  The king of England, Henry I, died without an heir. The country was divided between forces loyal to his daughter, Matilda, and his nephew, Stephen.  For almost two decades, armed conflicts resulted in a breakdown of law and order and central authority. Learn more about The Anarchy, how it began, and how it ende ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
The Chicxulub Impact
Sometime around 66 million years ago, a meteor smashed into what is today the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The impact of that event changed life on Earth in ways that are still evident today. Evidence for this impact wasn’t obvious. There was strong skepticism when the theory was ... Show More
16m 49s
Mar 18
The Persian Gulf
For thousands of years, a narrow body of water between Arabia and Persia has shaped the fate of empires, economies, and the modern world. The Persian Gulf has been a crossroads of trade, a cradle of ancient civilizations, and today, the center of global energy and geopolitical te ... Show More
15m 13s
Mar 17
Vincent Van Gogh
Few artists are as instantly recognizable as Vincent van Gogh. In just a single decade of work, he created some of the most famous paintings in history, filled with bold color, swirling movement, and raw emotion. Yet during his lifetime, he sold almost nothing and struggled with ... Show More
15m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2025
617. Elizabeth I: Anne Boleyn's Bastard (Part 2)
What happened to the infant Elizabeth I following the bloody execution of her mother Anne Boleyn? How did her father Henry VIII and his next four wives treat her? And, what became of Elizabeth following the death of Henry, and the succession of her protestant brother Edward…?  ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2024
When Britain was a Republic
<p>The 1650s were the only years in history when Britain was a republic.&nbsp; Charles I had been executed, the monarchy was abolished and the House of Lords dismissed.&nbsp; But what came next?&nbsp;How could stability be restored when people disagreed over what they had been fi ... Show More
34m 4s
Sep 2025
33. Prince Albert’s Dying Wish: Stopping An American-British War (Ep 2)
Why did Britain and America nearly go to war over the capture of two Confederate officers from a British Ship? What did President Lincoln’s Emergency War Cabinet respond to Britain’s threatening ultimatum? How did Prince Albert keep the peace with the last letter he ever sent? Jo ... Show More
33m 22s
Aug 2025
The Domesday Book
Following the Norman Conquest at the Battle of Hastings, Norman culture transformed the country, as William I governed through force and bureaucracy. One of his lasting legacies - the Domesday Book - was the result of a complex and extensive survey to find out who owned what, and ... Show More
52m 20s
Mar 2024
How to Live Like a Stuart Aristocrat
<p>After the Restoration of the Monarchy, the upper classes took their cues from court life - its entertainments, costumes, food and leisure pursuits. The Stuart-era aristocracy were cultured, political, well educated, immoderate yet religious.&nbsp;So how did devotion and piety ... Show More
26m 34s
Jun 2025
Prelude to the English Civil War
<p>What drives a nation to civil war? Why would a king turn on his own Parliament? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Dr. Jonathan Healey to explore the chaotic and combustible months - and the men behind the rebellion - that hurled 17th-century England into one of the bloo ... Show More
55m 50s
Sep 2025
English Civil War Pt.1
What sparks a nation to turn against its own king? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb dives into the turbulent and transformative decade that witnessed the English Civil Wars — a bloody clash that claimed nearly 185,000 lives and reshaped the very soul of Britain. From the power struggl ... Show More
44m 2s
Sep 2025
After 1066: The Harrying of the North
Dr. Eleanor Janega unravels the blood-soaked aftermath of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England. Joined by Professor Levi Roach, Eleanor delves into the harrowing campaign, known as the Harrying of the North, where William the Conqueror brutally suppressed the ... Show More
51m 47s
Feb 2025
233. Blood and Betrayal: Oliver Cromwell's Irish Invasion (Ep 1)
His statue may stand proudly outside the Houses of Parliament in London, but in Ireland, Oliver Cromwell is remembered as “the Devil from over the Sea” for the bloodshed he unleashed there from 1649 to 1653.  Rising to prominence as a Parliamentarian during the English Civil War ... Show More
40m 27s
Jan 2025
365. Trump's Mafia World Order
How many ‘early warning signs of fascism’ are we seeing in the US? Has Trump delivered a fatal blow to America’s soft power around the world? Why does Alastair admire Prince Harry and his battle with the tabloids? Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and mor ... Show More
53m 9s