Was Napoleon III the world's first populist leader?

Napoleon III's family was, in the words of historian Edward Shawcross, “the most cutthroat mafioso soap opera in the world”. Exiled to Switzerland as a boy and disowned by his own father, he spent years as a laughing stock of French politics, twice arrested trying to seize power. Here, in conversation with Danny Bird, Edward traces Louis-Napoleon's strange path from mocked pretender in exile to Emperor of the French, and explores whether Napoleon III can really be regarded as an early populist dictator. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about Napoleon III's long-suffering consort, Eugénie de Montijo, don't miss our podcast episode on her relationship with Empress Sisi of Austria, in conversation with author Nancy Goldstone: https://bit.ly/3SfJfVR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bayeux Tapestry exhibition at the British Museum is set to be the biggest historical event in decades. In conversation with David Musgrove, its curator Michael Lewis gives the lowdown on what the exhibition is all about, and how you should make the most of your trip if you do get a ticket to the show. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Check out David Musgrove's 6-part Academy series on the Bayeux Tapestry for HistoryExtra: https://bit.ly/3SWpfYC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What can DNA tell us about who we are and where we came from? Professor Turi King – who previously appeared on the podcast to discuss her research into Adolf Hitler’s DNA – returns to explore modern genetics and its role in solving some of history’s biggest mysteries. Speaking to Jon Bauckham, Turi discusses the surprising origins of DNA fingerprinting, common misconceptions surrounding testing, and her role in the groundbreaking discovery of King Richard III. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Listen to Turi King discussing her research into Hitler's DNA in an episode of the HistoryExtra podcast from November 2025: https://bit.ly/4gaHcKt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did Lucy Worsley have 'the best job in history'? And what did she do when she worked in it? In this episode, Lucy reflects on her career so far, her time as Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces and how the job has changed her perspective on some of our favourite monarchs from royal history... ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about Lucy Worsley's role in changing our understanding of royal history, then check out this feature which she wrote for HistoryExtra: https://bit.ly/4hNBgtr Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Before Rome's republic and the age of emperors, there were kings… or so the story goes. Beginning with Romulus, and ending with Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, these rulers loomed large in the Roman imagination – but is their narrative fact or fiction? In this episode, Emily Briffett is joined by ancient historian Christopher Smith, as they sift myth from memory, and uncover how seven legendary figures shaped Rome’s ideas of power and identity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

King Philip Augustus of France was the Plantagenets’ ultimate enemy. A ruler with an iron fist and sharp political instincts, he consistently exploited the squabbles of the English dynasty, all while transforming France into a dominant power in Western Europe. Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian and author Catherine Hanley reveals the cunning and ruthless tactics he employed against the English kings to become medieval England’s most formidable foe. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST 1217 is not one of the most famous years in English history. But with a major French invasion looming and a brutal war that wracked both towns and the countryside, this was a year that could have altered the nation's history beyond recognition. Hear from Catherine Hanley as she discusses Prince of Louis of France's invasion of England: https://bit.ly/4bQ8Yuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s 'Little House' books have captivated generations with tales of family, hardship and survival on the American frontier. But how closely did Wilder’s fiction reflect her real childhood – and what should we make of its more controversial portrayals? In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to author and biographer Pamela Smith Hill about the tragedies that Wilder omitted from her stories, her complex collaboration with daughter Rose Wilder Lane, and the groundbreaking realism that helped to make her work a sensation. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about the real history in Little House on the Prairie, don't miss our explainer to the series, available at https://bit.ly/3TYZ6bN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America's Gilded Age is often remembered for rapid expansion and opportunity, but beneath the surface lay a brutal society in which it paid to be a bully. In this episode, Elinor Evans speaks to historian Andrew Wender Cohen about his new book Gangster of New York: A Violent Life in Nineteenth-Century America. Following the remarkable career of Louis Bieral – a boxer, gambler, political enforcer and American Civil War veteran – Cohen uncovers how one man's life illuminates the brutal realities of the 19th-century US, from slavery and organised crime to political corruption and the struggle to establish the rule of law. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about the craze for pedestrianism mentioned in this episode, listen to our podcast series The Tiger Tamer Who Went To Sea', which chronicles the remarkable life of Bob Carlisle, a Victorian-era showman, sailor, and early endurance athlete: https://bit.ly/4wNcMEw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Bayeux Tapestry is making headlines as it is loaned to the British Museum to be shown in England for the first time in almost a thousand years. It holds many mysteries, including the famous Aelfgyva scene, where an enigmatic woman is portrayed alongside a curious priest. David Musgrove is joined by Michael Lewis and Emily Winkler to investigate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

'Keep calm and carry on' has long been held up as the defining spirit of wartime Britain. But was the nation really as united, stoic and unquestioning as popular memory suggests? In this episode, Steven Casey takes Isabel King through the often surprising reality of Britain's wartime morale. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To find out more about the experience of evacuees during the Second World War, check out our 2025 'everything you wanted to know' episode with Joshua Levine: https://bit.ly/4bF3gvB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices