Historical Podcasts Blog

How long do the customs of diplomatic relationships that we read about on the Internet and in the newspapers every day go back? If this podcast is right, then as far back as written records.

One of the things about this podcast series that I don't always like myself is that Marshal Poe is often very interested in the methods of history. This is an interesting enough subject, but I am a bit impatient and I usually want to get straight onto the actual history. But in this case it is fascinating to think that a whole history laid buried for thousands of years on clay tablets that nobody alive knew how to read.

And that is what this podcast is about - the diplomacy of the ancient world as revealed by one of the most enduring forms of information technology humans have come up with yet.

http://newbooksinhistory.com/2010/08/19/amanda-podany-brotherhood-of-kings-how-international-relations-shaped-the-ancient-near-east/

Saturday, 9 July 2011

Death of the Republic - Hard Core History Dan Carlin

The notorious 5 and a half podcast has taken me so long to listen to it has actually a hiatus in this week's podcast reviews. Sorry for missing a couple of reviews this week.

So is it any good? Yes it is, if you have the time to listen to it. There are no natural breaks so if you can't block off half a day to listen in a single sitting you might just as well stop at any point.

Did it need to be that long- well maybe not. It could have been edited down a bit without too much loss.

But there is something quite relaxing about knowing whose company you are going to be in for the next few podcast listening sessions. I enjoyed it. It is a bit like having a child. You don't regret doing it, but you would think twice about doing it again.

Friday, 8 July 2011

Death of the Conqueror - History of England Dave Crowther

This week's podcast is basically a thumbnail of the character of William, a few jokes about the Doomsday Book and an account of his death.

All good entertaining stuff and well worth a listen. He hasn't really done much to set up the next reign so he has some work to do next time. But if you haven't heard any of the previous issues, I'd say that this one is a good sampler for the series.

http://historyofengland.typepad.com/blog/2011/07/25-death-of-a-conqueror.html

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Revolt of the Earls - History of England Dave Crowther

One of the things that William did that was to have a big impact on English history was to replace all the Saxon nobles with Norman ones. In hindsight that all seems logical enough, it was a Norman invasion after all. What did they expect, a brainstorming session? But in fact it doesn't seem to have been part of the original plan at all. William only got rid of the big Saxon aristocrats when they rebelled against him. Even then he gave some of them a second chance. Hear all about it on this podcast. Personally I enjoy them more when they are dealing with the guys we don't know so much about, like this one.

http://historyofengland.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/24-revolt-of-the-earls.html

Monday, 4 July 2011

Bismarck by Jonathan Steinberg - New Books in History

Nobody did more to shape the Twentieth Century in Europe than Bismarck. He united the disparate German states to create Germany, instigated regime change in France and basically redrew the map and rewrote the rulebook. But the man himself is an enigma. Was Bismarck a liberal or a conservative? What were his values? How did he see his role, and what was his motivation. This podcast doesn't really answer any of these questions but you do feel yourself getting to know the man a bit more.

http://newbooksinhistory.com/2011/05/24/jonathan-steinberg-bismarck-a-life-oxford-up-2011/