Was Robin Hood Actually an Anglo-Saxon H...

When Andrew Mellon arrived in Marion, Ohio, for his interview with President-elect Warren Harding in December 1920, nobody met him at the train station. The third-richest man in America picked up his worn leather valise and his cane and walked a mile down the road to Harding's ho ... Show More

Genghis Khan built a formidable land empire, but he never crossed the sea. Yet by the time his grandson Kublai Khan had defeated the last vestiges of the Song empire and established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, the Mongols controlled the most powerful navy in the world. How did a no ... Show More

In 1784, a young German immigrant named Bernard Quaritch walked into the London office of Henry George Bohn, one of the largest booksellers in England, and told him: "Mr Bohn, you are the first bookseller in England. I mean to become the first bookseller in Europe." Bohn hired hi ... Show More

You would think that a woman who was queen several times, commanded armies and was possibly the most powerful woman in medieval Europe would need no introduction…yet here we are.On today’s show we’re joined by author and new co-host of the History Hit podcast Gone Medieval, Elean ... Show More

<p>Valkyrie, she-warrior, pirate, shield-maiden – whatever the name you call her, stories about strong women including Lagertha are mentioned in lore dating centuries back. But, as we'll see, history can get in the way of itself.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a ... Show More

<p>For millions of Tolkien lovers around the world, <em>The Hobbit</em> and <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> are more than just fantasy fiction. Their rich mix of sacred mythology and archetypal saga stories draw deeply into history and legend and profoundly resonate with universa ... Show More

Hero. Martyr. Feminist. Witch. Who really was Joan of Arc? And could she really speak to God, or were her visions something else entirely? Today’s episode delves into the story of one of history’s most enduring icons, and explores what made her a legend. Learn more about your ad ... Show More

<p>Aethelfled, a warrior queen who crushed the Vikings, Jadwiga, the first Queen Regent of Poland and Hildegard of Bingen, an 11th-century polymath abbess who became a 20th-century feminist icon and saint. Art and cultural historian Dr Janina Ramirez joins Dan on today's episode ... Show More

We touch on the mythology behind Viking shield-maidens, what we do know about Viking warrior women and how we need to address bias in archaeology.Dr Fern Riddell discusses the legend of Inghen Ruaidh with Professor Judith Jesch and the Birka female Viking warrior grave with Profe ... Show More

J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork The Lord of the Rings delighted so many of us as children, yet it and its vast body of accompanying work, such as the Silmarillion, contain a rich depth not well understood by most adults. Tolkien's work reflects his academic interests in the history o ... Show More

Queen Guinevere, Morgan le Fey and Nimue, the mystical lady of the lake have been cast as heroins, virtuous women and wicked femme fatals by the many people who have retold the legend of King Arthur over 1500 years. I'll sketch the highlights of the story, galloping past the oft ... Show More

What chores did medieval women have to get through each day? How could plucking your eyebrows in the Middle Ages land you in hell? And why did people believe that older women’s looks could kill? In our latest “Everything you wanted to know” episode, medievalist Dr Eleanor Janega ... Show More