November, 1957 On Christmas Island and Malden Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a British Valiant jet bomber flies overhead. It is about to drop a single bomb just off the coast. This is Operation Grapple, Britain's efforts to acquire the hydrogen bomb. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn…

Five Kings and Some Romans 513 to 552 CE Putting on the afterburners to get through about fifty years of Visigothic history, as the Balt dynasty runs out into the sand, and uncertainty and internal division opens the door to outside powers. Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/07/21/50-five-kings-and-some-romans/ This episode spons…

Dr Ambrogio Caiani returns to the show to discuss the reign of King Louis XVI of France, 250 years after he ascended to the throne in 1774. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.By Jonathan Brown

Conquest and Crisis: Visigoth Hispania, Pt. 1 456 to 513 CE After beating up on the Suevi it was the Visigoths’ turn to be beaten up by the Franks. After years of expansion, the Visigoths are forced to realign themselves south, under a new, unlucky king. Webpage for this Episode https://darkagespod.com/2024/07/02/conquest-and-crisis-visigoth-hispan…

The Kingdom of the Suevi C.418 to 470 The Suevi have been the unloved stepchildren of the Dark Ages Podcast for far too long, and finally get their own episode! They’re going to have to be happy with it because I don’t see anything else coming their way. We’ll trace their origins in the forests of Germania, their establishment of a kingdom in north…

Ireland has always been a rural country and as such, who owns land has always been a thorny issue and has spawned protests, murders, wars and eventually a social revolution. Myles Dungan, author and broadcaster of Irish TV and radio, joins me to talk about his new book which explores the changes and conflicts surrounding Irish land ownership. Cover…

C.406 to 452 And we’re back! Thank you to everyone for your patience and kind emails and messages, they meant a lot to me and kept me motivated to come back. Hispania was a peaceful and prosperous part of the Roman Empire for much of its history, and a popular retirement destination. The arrival of the Vandals, Suevi, and Alans, followed by the Vis…

Part 2 of this episode about the 80th anniversary of D-Day, where I'm joined by Angus Wallace of the WW2 Podcast to talk about the operation in Normandy itself and its wider legacy, especially in cinema. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay…

In Part 1 of this episode, I'm joined by Angus Wallace, creator and host of the WW2 Podcast to talk about D-Day and its legacy 80 years on since 6th June 1944. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones take a whistle stop tour through British prime ministerial politics from the 1700s to the present day and pick out one PM from each century that ranks as the worst. But who will be the ultimate loser? Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive Music…

Emboldened by the July-August 1943 raids on Hamburg, Bomber Command sets its sights on Nazi Germany's capital city. But Berlin is an altogether different target... Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

Dr Mark Lawrence returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, "Anglo-Hispania", which details the relationship between Britain and Spain across the centuries, from the Spanish Armada to the Peninsular War and from Franco to Brexit. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archi…

The Fall of Italy March 538 - May 540 The Gothic War grew in intensity after the siege of Rome, and Belisarius had to deal with threats both from without and from within his own army as he fought to bring it to a successful conclusion. The war spread across northern Italy, with devastating consequences for the civilian populace. Instagram Sources S…

What happens when I wander off topic into the wilds of Magical Practice in Byzantine Egypt? You get a bonus episode, that’s what! This one explores a story of one particular Egyptian saint, and the strange case of the woman transformed into a horse. It’s just a bit of anthropological fun. We’ll be back to Belisarius in the next episode. Instagram S…

Wives, Lovers, and The Worst Year Ever This episode is all over the place. It features marital infidelity, official corruption, Swiss glaciers, an Icelandic volcano, and an attempt at an Irish accent that inevitably slides into a Scottish one in less than four words. Enjoy. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacL…

Series Finale: Jonathan Brown and Dr Ambrogio Caiani review "Napoleon", the latest film by Ridley Scott and discuss how it fits into other cinematic portrayals of Napoleon Bonaparte. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

November 536 to March 538 Belisarius continues moving up the Italian Peninsula, to bring his army to attack the greatest prize: Rome itself. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects fr…

Jonathan Brown and Dr Ambrogio Caiani discuss "Losing a Kingdom, Gaining the World", Dr Caiani's latest book about the history of the Catholic Church from 1700-1903. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

Theodahad’s Thirty Pigs 535 to 536 The death of Amalasuintha triggered the Gothic Wars, wherein the Eastern Empire, under Justinian, attempted to claw back what it had lost in Italy. This episode follows the war up to the siege of Naples by Belisarius in the autumn of 536. Transcript Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by …

Queen of the Goths 526 to 535 The death of Theodoric brought his youngest daughter Amalasuintha to power, as regent to her son Athalaric. She was the first queen of a post Roman state to openly wield authority, and inherited a realm divided against itself. This episode tells her story. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" b…

May, 1945. Nazi Germany lies smashed and defeated at the mercy of the Allies. The country is carved up into four zones of occupation, with the British being given control over the zone in the north-west. They face problems of near-famine, housing shortages, refugees and the trauma of the post-war world. How did they deal with these crises? Dr Danie…

As Germany goes to war in 1914, it has put itself on a path to destruction, a path that will end in the rise of the Nazis. Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones talk about the state of Germany from 1914 to 1923, which became the background to the Beer Hall Putsch, the attempted Nazi coup in Munich, which is now a century old. Cover artwork: "Comfort of B…

Jonathan Brown and Robert Jones talk about the Beer Hall Putsch. On 8th-9th November 1923, a group of ex-soldiers, anti-Semites and thugs gathered in beer halls in the city of Munich and attempted to seize power in a coup. It became known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The putschists: Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. With this event now being 100 years o…

September 533 - March 534 Things go from bad to worse for the Vandals in Africa. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com…

533 The first of Justinian’s wars in the West begins, as Belisarius leads an army to Africa. Early victory makes the war seem like a slam dunk, and Procopius is there to tell us all about it. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://cr…

Jonathan Brown and Professor John Wills talk about "Threads", a BBC TV film first broadcast in 1984, which depicts a fictitious nuclear attack on Sheffield. (Spoilers for "Threads" follow). Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

518 to 532 Justinian is probably the best-known “Byzantine” emperor to the general public. We’ll introduce the man and some of his circle, and explore some of the most important events at the beginning of his reign. Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By A…

476 to 533 The Vandal Kingdom has had its ups and its downs since the fall of the West. Four kings work to maintain Gaiseric’s legacy in the face of a hostile populace and a looming threat in the East. Website for this episode Instagram Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Co…

From the formation of militia units and regiments from New York to Louisiana in 1861 to the conditions in POW camps to the blood-soaked Battle of Fredericksburg, Irish American soldiers were everywhere throughout the American Civil War. Jonathan Brown and Dr Catherine Bateson talk about this involvement of Irish Americans on both sides in the Civil…

Jonathan Brown reviews "Oppenheimer", Christopher Nolan's biopic of the father of the atomic bomb, currently in cinemas and seeing how well it compares to the history of the bomb. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

Jonathan Brown is joined by John Hardman to talk about his latest book, a biography of the French revolutionary Antoine Barnave. France, 1791. With King Louis XVI and the French revolutionaries arguing over the new constitution, one man steps up to try to solve the situation: Antoine Barnave, who makes a deal with the queen, Marie Antoinette, to go…

On 7th September 1978, Georgi Markov, an anti-communist Bulgarian defector, was walking to his job at the BBC in London. Crossing Waterloo Bridge, he suddenly felt a sharp sting and saw a man near him fumbling with an umbrella. Incredibly, this was the start of an assassination attempt. Jonathan Brown and Eleanor Brown talk about this most infamous…

490ish to 526 A whirlwind tour around Europe, checking in on what’s been going on in the years up to Theodoric’s death. Webpage for this episode Instagram https://darkagespod.com/2023/07/11/2-14-consolidation-and-conversion/ Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By At…

Jonathan Brown and Julie Miller talk about the witchcraft trials that took place in Maldon, Essex, during the 16th century. England in the 16th century is being transformed by the Reformation from top to bottom. But one element of medieval religious belief remains: the crime of witchcraft. In the river town of Maldon in Essex, a series of witch tri…

In the summer of 1944, the people of Britain believe that the worst of the Second World War is now behind them but the Nazis have one more sting in their tail: on the 13th June 1944, they launch their vengeance weapons at Britain, the V-1 "doodlebug" and the V-2 rocket. But the Allies are determined to fight back. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed o…

493 (maybe?) to 511 We finish off the career of Clovis I, and then backtrack to talk about his conversion to Catholicism, and what it all meant. Webpage for this episode Instagram Facebook Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons…

Adam of the UK True Crime Podcast joins me as we talk about the phenomenon of people who vanish in Britain and stay missing. From Madeleine McCann to Lord Lucan, people have disappeared without a trace throughout history. The question remains: what happened to them? Link to Adam's podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gT6XIH3PNi6EEkMjTKsHi C…

History between the Lines is back with a brand new series, where we'll be going to many different places, events and people throughout history. Series 5, coming soon to wherever you get your podcasts! Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

486 to 508 Clovis and his army carve a new thing, called France, out of old Roman Gaul. Webpage for this episode Instagram Facebook Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sound effects from freesound.com…

Jonathan Brown and Matthew Vincent talk about the fall of the British island-colony of Singapore to the Japanese during the Second World War. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.By Jonathan Brown

c. 400 to 486 CE We review the sources for the reign of Clovis the First, and review the scenario in northern Gaul when he came to power. Webpage for this episode Instagram Facebook Sources Support the Show Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/li…

Jonathan Brown and Dr Erik Mathisen talk about the daily struggles and experiences of enslaved African Americans on plantations in the South of the United States during the years before the Civil War. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.…

Jonathan Brown and Dr Edward Roberts talk about the wedding between Otto, heir to the East Frankish kingdom and Theophanu, a princess of the Byzantine Empire in 972, an unheard of pairing of West and East. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixab…

The legends and literature that came out of the Dark Ages are rich and stirring tales of heroism that have inspired both great art and terrible crimes. In this episode, I retell three stories from the many contained in the sagas and epics of Germany and Scandinavia. Transcript Title Music: "The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com) Incidental …

From gods to barbarians, Gaul became a cornerstone of the Roman Empire in so many ways. Jonathan Brown and Ryan Hearn talk about the Roman province of Gaul, one of the most fascinating parts of Roman history. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pi…

Jonathan Brown and Ryan Hearn talk about the Gallic Wars. Julius Caesar is a Roman general looking for a military campaign to make his name and to make him a celebrity amongst Romans. He finds it in 58 BC across the frontier amongst the Celts. The Gallic Wars have begun... Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Loo…

Final episode of the mini-series on Fascist Italy. As Mussolini's dreams of empire crash and burn, the war threatens to come onto Italian soil itself. As German troops prepare to defend it and the Western Allies prepare to invade it, what will happen to Italy when it becomes one of the war's battlefields? Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" …

511 to 526 CE "Lying in a featherbed will not bring you fame, nor staying beneath the quilt, and he who uses up his life without achieving fame leaves no more vestige of himself on earth than smoke in the air or foam upon the water." --Dante The last years of Theodoric's reign in Italy saw the erosion of confidence, and increasing internal strife, …

By the middle of the 1930s, Benito Mussolini and his fascist regime are ready to embark on their quest of imperial glory and are determined to rebuild the Roman Empire in a new fascist form, even if that means taking Italy into the abyss of the Second World War... Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Lea…

Jonathan Brown and Matthew Vincent talk about the East India Company's opium trade and the corporation's eventual destruction in India in 1858. Cover artwork: "Comfort of a Bed of Roses" by James Gillray, courtesy of Look and Learn History Picture Archive. Music by Lexin Music from Pixabay.By Jonathan Brown