Troubadours: everything you wanted to know

What's the difference between private and public life – and where should we draw the line between the two? Over the centuries, these boundaries have often been blurred, as Tiffany Jenkins explores in her book Strangers and Intimates. In this episode, she speaks to Lauren Good about everything from the rigid separation of public and personal spheres in ancient Athens, to the privacy-busting spectacle of Big Brother. (Ad) Tiffany Jenkins is the author of Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and Fall of Private Life (Pan Macmillan, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fstrangers-and-intimates%2Ftiffany-jenkins%2F9781529034165. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Was Elizabeth I holding England back from establishing itself upon the global stage? Speaking to James Osborne, Professor Anna Whitelock explores how the accession of the new king James VI & I, and the arrival of the Jacobean era, tilted the Britain's gaze toward the future. (Ad) Anna Whitelock is the author of The Sun Rising: James I and the Dawn of a Global Britain (Bloomsbury, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sun-Rising-Dawn-Stuarts/dp/1408863510/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the latest episode of our monthly podcast series, regular panellists Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter are joined by Frank Trentmann to discuss the historical parallels behind recent developments in the global trade war – plus the tumultuous history of papal elections, and the surprising connection between Katy Perry and Alexander the Great. Hear more from Frank Trentmann on the history of tariffs: https://link.chtbl.com/3is-MbBu The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the English take Manhattan from the Dutch in the 17th century without firing a single shot? Speaking to Elinor Evans, historian Russell Shorto explains a many-layered colonial history, including pragmatic deals, personal rivalries, and ideological divides, that led to the ultimately peaceful takeover of New Amsterdam in 1664. (Ad) Russell Shorto is the author of Taking Manhattan: The extraordinary events that created New York and shaped America (Swift Press, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Ftaking-manhattan%2Frussell-shorto%2F9781800754966. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Composing songs of courtly love and war in the High Middle Ages, the troubadours were the poet-musicians of western and southern Europe – especially southern France. But were they really the lovesick wandering minstrels popular culture would have us believe? Or was there more to their artistry? Speaking to Emily Briffett, Linda Paterson answers your top questions on the troubadours and their enduring poetic and musical legacy. (Ad) Linda Paterson is the author of The Troubadours (Reaktion Books, 2024). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-troubadours%2Flinda-m-paterson%2F9781789149197. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Historians have counted lots of things in the Bayeux Tapestry – animals, ships, hands and plants. But nobody had counted the number of penises it contained until Oxford historian Professor George Garnett decided to take on the challenge. David Musgrove invites George to discuss his findings, and explain why this is, in fact, serious research that helps us better understand this vital account of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the summer of 1565, the might of the Ottoman empire faced off against a few hundred Knights Hospitaller and their allies on the island of Malta. The outcome might have seemed inevitable but the events of the subsequent siege were far from predictable, as the defenders waged a desperate battle for their home and their lives. Speaking to Rob Attar, Professor Marcus Bull chronicles the events of a dramatic clash with far-reaching consequences. (Ad) Marcus Bull is the author of The Great Siege of Malta (Penguin Books, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-great-siege-of-malta%2Fmarcus-bull%2F9780241523650. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Richard the Lionheart is well-known for his travels to distant lands, time on crusade, and wrangling with international politics… But, less well known is the fact that his sister, Joanna Plantagenet (otherwise known as Joan of England, Queen of Sicily) led a life of adventure and danger to rival that of her famous brother. A princess, queen, prisoner and power player, she navigated the turbulent world of medieval politics with resilience and careful judiciousness. Emily Briffett speaks to author and historian Catherine Hanley to chart Joanna’s extraordinary life and uncover why she deserves the title of the medieval 'Lionessheart'. (Ad) Catherine Hanley is the author of Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet (The History Press, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Flionessheart%2Fcatherine-hanley%2F9781803995168. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry VIII lorded it over England. Francis I dominated France. Charles V was the main man in central Europe. Yet arguably none was as powerful as Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent – a true heavyweight of the 16th century. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, author Christopher de Bellaigue discusses a man who had designs on becoming 'world emperor', only to be hamstrung by bloody infighting among his own family. (Ad) Christopher de Bellaigue is the author of The Golden Throne: The Curse of a King (Bodley Head, 2025). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Golden-Throne-Curse-King/dp/1847927424/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lasting from the ninth century BC right up until Roman conquest in the first century BC, the Etruscans were a powerful ancient civilisation who inhabited Etruria in ancient Italy, and rubbed shoulders with the other iconic ancient cultures of their day. Often painted as a mysterious people whose culture has now largely vanished from view, researcher Lucy Shipley instead presents us with a very different picture. Speaking to Emily Briffett, she delves into the archaeological and written records to bring us closer to this fascinating civilisation – and uncover why it captivated the likes of the Medici, DH Lawrence and the Roman emperor Claudius. (Ad) Lucy Shipley is the author of The Etruscans: Lost Civilizations (Reaktion Books, 2017). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Etruscans-Lost-civilizations-Lucy-Shipley/dp/1780238320/?tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty. The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices