logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2025
49m 24s

Who Was The Naughtiest Pope In History?

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
May 8
How to Get Cancelled in Ancient Judea
What do we know about Jesus? Kate is joined for this episode by Professor of Christian Origins, Helen Bond, to find out more about the historical record for the events of the New Testament, why Jesus was persecuted, and who by.Helen is Professor of Christian Origins at the Univer ... Show More
49m 25s
May 5
The Fake Princess Who Fooled Georgian England
What you'll hear in today's episode is a story that strikes to the dark heart of the British Empire.Despite being set in the time of Jane Austen's early 19th century polite society, Princess Caraboo's strange tale makes her an instant celebrity.But how much of it, if any, is true ... Show More
50m 5s
May 1
Sex Work in Colonial India
When the British Empire colonised India, how did it treat their different ideas about sex? How did they treat sex workers like the Devadasi, meaning 'slave of God'? And did the Victorians fetishise Indian sexuality?Joining Kate today is the magnificent Anjali Arondekar, Professor ... Show More
52m 14s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
How to choose a pope
All eyes have been on the Vatican in recent days, as the conclave have decided who will be the next pope. But how does the process today compare to that of past centuries? What have been some of the most dramatic papal elections down the centuries? And was there ever really a fem ... Show More
38m 57s
Sep 2025
Vanity of Henry VIII with Kate Lister
With six wives, Henry VIII must have had something going for him, right? Was he handsome? Charming? Intelligent? Just plain powerful? In this episode, the tables are turned on Professor Suzannah Lipscomb as she becomes the guest of Dr. Kate Lister on our sister podcast, Betwixt t ... Show More
44m 16s
Apr 2025
Cardinal Wolsey
<p>No advisor was more important to King Henry VIII than Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. He captured Henry's attention with his brilliance and became his most trusted confidant.&nbsp; But when the King wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, not even the eloquent Wolsey could convince th ... Show More
50m 19s
Jul 2025
Isabel and Ferdinand: Renaissance Power Couple
From the establishment of a formidable double monarchy to the complex dynamics of the Spanish Inquisition, Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon were quite the Renaissance team.Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Giles Tremlett to discuss the complex dynamics of this uni ... Show More
48m 25s
Aug 2025
Tudor True Crime: Europe's Most Murderous Dynasty
The rich and powerful Guise family was one of the most treacherous and bloodthirsty in sixteenth-century France. They whipped up religious bigotry, overthrowing the king. They ruled Scotland for nearly 20 years through Mary Queen of Scots, plotting to invade England and overthrow ... Show More
39m 10s
Mar 2025
Rise of Julius Caesar
<p>Julius Caesar is one of history’s most famous figures. But before his legendary conquests and romance with Cleopatra, how did he rise to power?</p><br><p>In this episode of <em>The Ancients</em>, host Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Catherine Steel to explore Caesar’s ea ... Show More
51m 51s
Aug 2025
Molière: Satire, Scandal & the Stage
Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Professor Jan Clarke to explore the life, legend, and legacy of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin — better known as Molière. From his audacious rejection of bourgeois expectations to his controversial plays that rattled the Catholic Church and deligh ... Show More
49m 38s
Feb 2025
Rome's most scandalous emperors
How cruel was Caligula? How depraved was Tiberius? And how monstrous was Nero? The dark reputations of these emperors owe a great deal to the Roman writer Suetonius, whose 121 AD work Lives of the Caesars offered intimate portraits of 12 rulers of Rome – from Julius Caesar to Dom ... Show More
29m 39s
Nov 2025
Antony and Cleopatra
Rome. Egypt. Love. War. Over 2,000 years ago, the fates of two ancient worlds collided in one of history’s most legendary love stories: Antony and Cleopatra.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Daisy Dunn to uncover the truth behind the myth - from thei ... Show More
53m 27s
Oct 2025
Medieval Sex
Warning: this episode contains explicit language.Medieval people weren’t prudish—far from it. Dan is joined by medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega to explore sex, marriage, and desire in the Middle Ages. They delve into the beliefs around sodomy as “non-procreative sex”; pilgrim ... Show More
42m 14s