The Commanders: The Best of the Rest

For the third episode in our mini-series on the Crusades, we dive into the 1291 Siege of Acre - the desperate, violent last stand that ended two centuries of crusading in the Holy Land. We hear how, outnumbered, divided and desperate, the Christian defenders decided to fight to the bitter end against the Mamluk forces of Al-Ashraf Khalil.For this series, we're joined by Steve Tibble, author of many books on the Crusades, including 'The Crusader Strategy: Defending the Holy Land'.Produced by James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, and edited by Jhenelle White.We need your help! Let us know what you want from Dan Snow's History Hit by filling in our anonymous survey here: https://forms.gle/PvgayWLkWGjYT4St6Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful figures of the medieval world: twice a queen, a crusader, a rebel and the architect of an empire. Through her marriages to Louis VII of France and Henry II of England, she helped create the vast Angevin Empire and reshape European politics. She led forces on the Second Crusade, rebelled against her husband and played a decisive role in the rise of her sons, including Richard the Lionheart and King John.Historian Dr Elena Janega, host of Gone Medieval, joins the podcast to explore Eleanor’s extraordinary life - from the vibrant court of Aquitaine and the failure of the Second Crusade, to her dramatic divorce, imprisonment, and enduring political influence. This episode reveals how Eleanor’s authority and intelligence held a volatile dynasty together until her death.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.Listen to Richard the Lionheart.Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/richard-the-lionheart/id1042631089?i=1000714361834Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Pm3oWHAeOHfzLdufvqlDS?si=ZKlCSV_YRwGvS64dQCiWzgListen to The Greatest Knight That Ever Lived: William the Marshal.Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-greatest-knight-that-ever-lived-william-the-marshal/id1042631089?i=1000726107916Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5h09dhQsoEN3MEPUGmPyLL?si=ZV4Z4gMDRtKaRBiK2PmmfgWe need your help! Let us know what you want from Dan Snow's History Hit by filling in our anonymous survey here: https://forms.gle/PvgayWLkWGjYT4St6Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the second episode in our mini-series on the Crusades, we explore the legendary rivalry between two extraordinary medieval orders: the Assassins and the Templars. Separating myth from history, we uncover their beliefs, covert operations and lasting legacy, revealing how truth and legend became forever entwined.For this series, we're joined by Steve Tibble, author of many books on the Crusades, including 'Assassins and Templars: A Battle in Myth and Blood'.Produced by James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, and edited by Jhenelle White.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the final episode in our 'Commanders' series, we've drawn on your suggestions to pay tribute to the commanders who didn’t make our main episodes, but left a lasting mark on the Second World War.Joining us is Jonathan Bratten, a historian and serving Major in the Maine National Guard.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover the story behind one of history’s most powerful and controversial eras in our three-part mini-series on the Crusades.From a complete guide to every major Crusade, to the shadowy world of the Assassins and Knights Templar, and finally the dramatic Siege of Acre, we uncover the people, battles and turning points that reshaped Europe and the Middle East. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To launch our mini series on the Crusades, we've put together your complete guide to almost two centuries of holy war - from start to finish. We untangle faith, politics and myth, and reveal how the Crusades reshaped Europe, the Middle East and relations between Islam and Christianity forever.For this series, we're joined by Steve Tibble, author of many books on the Crusades, including 'The Crusader Armies: 1099 - 1187'.Produced by James Hickmann and McKenna Fernandez, and edited by Jhenelle White.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marshal Georgy Zhukov was undoubtedly one of the Second World War's most formidable figures. Rising from humble peasant origins, Zhukov became the archetype of the Soviet warrior. He commanded vast armies of millions in some of the biggest, bloodiest and most pivotal battles not just of the Second World War but, in all human history. He was celebrated as the saviour of Moscow and the commander who captured the capital of the Third Reich, and is believed by many to be one of history’s greatest military leaders. But his immense popularity and success may also have sown the seeds of his political vulnerability at home in the paranoid Soviet system.In this episode of Dan Snow's History Hit, part five of The Commanders series, we go beyond the legend to explore the man behind the myth. What made Zhukov the leader he became? How did he not only survive the tumultuous world of Soviet politics but thrive? And, does he truly deserve his towering reputation or were his victories at the expense of the men who served under him?Our guide to explore Zhukov's life is the renowned historian Geoffrey Roberts. He is an emeritus professor of modern history at University College Cork and a leading expert on Soviet military history. He is also the author of Stalin's general: the life of Georgy Zhukov, so there is no one better to unpack the life, decisions, and legacy of the man who helped shape the outcome of the Second World War, and examine the fine line between glory and danger in Stalin’s Soviet Union.If you would like to read more of Geoffrey's work, his latest book is Wartime Letters – Kathleen HarrimanProduced and edited by Dougal Patmore.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we step beyond the slow-motion swagger and into the gritty, complex reality of the Peaky Blinders. Who were the gangsters behind the myths? And what was life actually like in the backstreets of late 19th and early 20th-century Birmingham?We’re joined by social historian Carl Chinn to uncover the true story of Birmingham’s infamous gangs. Carl is the author of ‘PEAKY BLINDERS: The Real Gangs and Gangsters’, and features in the documentary ‘Peaky Blinders: The Real Story’.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the mastermind of the “sneak attack” on Pearl Harbour that dragged the United States into the Second World War. His strategy stunned the Allies and allowed the Japanese military to make gains across the Pacific that took years of hard, bloody fighting to reverse. But Yamamoto was a commander who understood the folly of war with the United States and its allies, yet paradoxically did more than most to bring war about. The failure to finish the job at Pearl Harbour, his overconfident, flawed planning at Midway and his unwillingness to commit to a decisive battle at Guadalcanal ultimately meant the very tools he had perfected were turned back against Japan with ruinous consequences.In the fourth episode of our Commanders series, we peel back the myth and propaganda to explore the enigmatic admiral at the very heart of the Pacific War. What can the real Yamamoto tell us about hubris, strategy, and the tragedy of inevitability? Joining us is the historian Mark Stille, who, after a nearly 40-year career in the intelligence community, is the author of numerous books on naval history in the Pacific theatre, including Pearl Harbour: Japan's Greatest Disasterand Midway: The Pacific War's Most Famous Battle.Produced and edited by Dougal Patmore.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In September 1999, just weeks after 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Russia’s prime minister, a series of apartment bombings ripped through Russian cities, killing hundreds as they slept and plunging the country into fear. The government blamed Chechen militants—but questions soon emerged. Some journalists and investigators began to suspect Russia’s own security services, the FSB, successor to the KGB. Those who pursued the story, including former agent Alexander Litvinenko, paid a heavy price. To this day, the truth remains fiercely contested. What is clear is the impact: out of the chaos, Putin rose as a leader promising order and revenge—an ascent that would reshape Russia’s future.Dan is joined by journalist Helena Merriman, who hosts a brand new podcast from BBC Studios called The History Bureau that delves into this story and asks the journalists who were there - what did we miss the first time around? You can listen to The History Bureau on the BBC Sounds app or wherever you get your podcasts.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Matthew Wilson.Dan Snow's History Hit is now available on YouTube! Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.You can also email the podcast directly at [email protected]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.