logo
episode-header-image
Jul 30
34m 25s

Was Caesar's invasion of Britain a disas...

History Hit
About this episode

Today, we trace Julius Caesar’s dramatic invasions into Britain - two bold expeditions that tested Rome’s reach at the very edge of the known world. Ships were battered by storms, soldiers struggled with unfamiliar tides, and British warriors offered fierce resistance. Caesar never secured a lasting conquest of the island - so what drove him to try? Military necessity, retribution or a calculated move in his rivalry with figures like Pompey?


Joining us is historian and author Simon Elliott to unpack the politics, ambition and spectacle behind these campaigns, and to explore how these risky ventures helped shape the larger-than-life reputation that still defines Caesar today.


Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.


We need your help! Let us know what you want from Dan Snow's History Hit by filling in our anonymous survey here: https://forms.gle/PvgayWLkWGjYT4St6


Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.


You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
Knights vs Ottomans: The Great Siege of Malta
The fate of the Mediterranean hung in the balance during this bloody battle between the Knights of St John and the armies of Suleyman the Magnificent in the summer of 1565. The Ottoman Empire had carved its way across three continents and now turned its sights to the tiny island ... Show More
28m 47s
Sep 14
The KGB Double Agent Who Stopped Armageddon with Ben McIntyre
This is an extraordinary story of espionage, betrayal and an unlikely friendship between spies on opposite sides - and of a man who risked his life and shaped the course of history, for a deeply personal and unlikely reason. In 1981, Washington feared a Soviet takeover of Iran co ... Show More
41m 29s
Sep 10
The Battle of Stamford Bridge Explained
Dan explains how England’s last great Viking invasion met its brutal end. At Stamford Bridge in September 1066, King Harold Godwinson’s army faced Harald Hardrada, the most feared warrior of his age, in a battle of extraordinary courage and bloodshed. Relying on new archaeologica ... Show More
31m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2023
Bottles in the Basement
Deep in the cellars of one of England’s grandest country homes, covered in dirt and cobwebs, lay dozens of bottles of ancient rum.Their discovery set off a frenzy among collectors vying to own the oldest rum in the world. But where did they come from and who produced them? Sealed ... Show More
36m 38s
May 2024
American Castaways: Treachery & Survival in the Falklands
<p>Today we dive into the little-known true story of American castaways abandoned on the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812 ― a tale of treachery, shipwreck, isolation and a desperate struggle for survival.</p><br><p>In this fascinating episode, best-selling author Eric Jay ... Show More
32m 49s
Mar 2024
The Whisky War: Denmark v Canada
In 1984, a diplomatic dispute broke out between Canada and Denmark over the ownership of a tiny island in the Arctic.The fight for Hans Island off the coast of Greenland became known as the Whisky War. Both sides would leave a bottle of alcohol for the enemies after raising their ... Show More
9 m
May 2019
The Sinking of Atlantis
A legend, used as a political allegory by the ancient philosopher Plato. But over the centuries, countless amateur historians and archaeologists have asserted that the lost island really existed - and one of them may have actually located it. Parcasters - If you lived through the ... Show More
49m 37s
Sep 2024
190. Rags to Riches: The Scots in India
In the wake of Culloden, much of Scotland was on its knees. Crippled by defeat and the subsequent backlash of the British government, along with famine and poverty, they were in dire need of new horizons. The nascent British Empire would provide it. The Scottish Highlanders had d ... Show More
51m 7s
Aug 2025
Disaster Favours the Daring: Shipwreck at Honda Point
In 1923, legendary navigator Captain Dolly Hunter led a squadron of warships into America’s worst peacetime naval catastrophe. The mission was supposed to be a speed trial, a display of the squadron’s skill. But it ended in a maritime pile-up, with some destroyers stranded on roc ... Show More
39m 57s
Jun 2024
Ghost ships
A shadow fleet of old and poorly maintained ships is cruising the high seas, often hiding their true identities through a series of shell companies.Their numbers have grown massively since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Lloyd’s List estimates as many as 12% of tankers a ... Show More
17m 28s