In the year 732, one of the most important battles in world history took place between the cities of Tours and Portier in France.
On one side was an unstoppable juggernaut that had amassed one of the largest empires in world history in less than a century.
On the other side was a vastly outnumbered force that lacked the primary weapon of the era, heavy c ... Show More
Jan 19
The Great London Fire of 1666
From September 2 to September 5, 1666, one of the largest urban fires in history took place. The Great Fire of London swept mercilessly through the city, reducing roughly 80% of its buildings to smoldering ruins, possibly killing thousands of people. In the ashes of the inferno, ... Show More
13m 25s
May 2025
566. The Great Northern War: Slaughter on the Steppes (Part 3)
Why was the greatest and most climactic battle of the Great Northern War, the Battle of Poltova, one of the most important in all European history? What drove Charles XII of Sweden to invade Russia in the Summer of 1707, in the lead up to that totemic clash? Exactly what happened ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 2025
593. The Fight of the Century
Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who ... Show More
57m 19s
Aug 2025
The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 118 "The Battle of Tours, AD 732"
In this episode, I’m going to focus on one of the most famous battles in history: the battle of Tours, or Poitiers as it’s sometimes called, in 732. It’s famous because some historians think it stopped the Arabs from conquering Europe. But others think its significance has been e ... Show More
24m 30s
Apr 2025
How Did the American Revolution Start?
<p>On 19th April, 1775, just over 250 years ago, the opening salvos of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Elite British Redcoats went head-to-head with the famed provincial Minutemen in bloody skirmishes across the Province of Massa ... Show More
1h 18m