The Spanish Armada - In Our Time

When I was at school the Spanish Armada was described as being a huge threat to English independence that was heroically fought off against the odds by plucky seamen who used their skill to defeat a much stronger foe.

Since then it has been steadily downplayed, including this broadcast which suggests that there really wasn't that much danger of it unless it linked up with the troops.  And the wind played the biggest role in its defeat.

This is an interesting show, but at this rate before long we'll be saying the biggest risk the Armada posed was that England might have run out of sticking plasters for a few extra blisters caused by doing a bit more sailing about than usual.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v1qyb

Edward I - Rex Factor Podcast

England enters its medieval Edwardian period in 1272 with the accession of Edward I and after two difficult reigns there is another powerful king. Edward was every bit the medieval warrior king, going on Crusade, conquering Wales and building some of the most magnificent castles in Britain. Learning the lessons of his father's troubled reign, he also strives to make his kingdom more just and well ordered. Every bit the great king, but he bites off more than he can chew when he takes on Scotland and has some rather unpleasant personality traits which make him somewhat less sympathetic to modern sensibilities. One half of the team has been waiting the whole series to bask in Edward's triumphs, but will he do enough to please them both and win the coveted Rex Factor?

http://rexfactor.podbean.com/2011/04/13/25-edward-i/

Dan Carlin releases 5 and a half hour history podcast!

The last of Dan Carlin's Death of the Republic series has just appeared in my download queue.   And it is just short of five and a half hours long.


I don't know how long it will take to download.  This must be some kind of historic event in its own right!   I can't think of any other history podcast anywhere near this in length.

William the Conqueror subjugates England - History of England Dave Crowther

It was by no means a foregone conclusion that even after the battle of Hastings William would be able to hold on to the throne of England.  In this episode we learn just how precarious his hold on the place actually was.

http://historyofengland.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/23-william-the-conqueror-and-the-subjugation-of-england.html

Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control James Fleming - New Books in History

 

One  of the big problems facing mankind is that we are unwittingly changing the weather by burning fossil fuels.  The extent to which this is happening, and whether there is anything we either can or should do about it is debatable.  But what may come as a surprise is that humans have been trying to control the weather for longer than you might think.  In fact, just about every bit of new technology that has come along has been used to attempt precisely that.  The results?  Total failure every time.  Fascinating stuff, and with the climate debate ranging topical stuff as well.


http://newbooksinhistory.com/2010/10/20/james-fleming-fixing-the-sky-the-checkered-history-of-weather-and-climate-control/

Stamford Bridge - In Our Time

Melvyn tackles the other big battle of 1066 joined by a group of rather indecisive historians.  It turns out that not much is actually known about this particular battle, and the experts were keen to talk about how poor the sources available are.  This got in the way of a good telling of the story and frankly, was getting on Melvyn's nerves.   Not a bad programme, though given that there was a much bigger and more important battle only a few weeks later it is a bit hard to get excited by this one.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011jvlt

1066 and Goodbye to all that - History of England Dave Crowther

 This podcast so far has been about stuff that not many people know much about. In this episode for the first time we hear stuff that everyone in England knows all about.  1066 is notoriously the only date that most English people ever remember from their school history.

Dave acknowledges that he isn't coming up with much new and graciously invites people who know the story already to give this week's episode a miss.  To be honest, if you do know the story you might as well.  But if you don't, this is pretty much the standard version you can find anywhere and is as good a place to learn it as anywhere else.  If you want a really good account of the battle, sadly not yet podcasted anywhere, by anyone Edward Creasey's chapter from 15 Decisive Battles of World History is superb.  (Thanks to Colin of History Books Review for pointing that one out to me.)

http://historyofengland.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/22-1066-and-goodbye-to-all-that.html