How Rasputin helped doom the Romanovs

Ireland's capital may be famous today for its nightlife and literature, but it has experienced more than its fair share of conflict and oppression alongside periods of great cultural and religious flourishing. To mark St Patrick's Day, we're revisiting an episode of our History’s Greatest Cities series, in which journalist and travel writer Paul Bloomfield is joined by historian Gillian O'Brien to chart Dublin’s remarkable story. ----- HISTORY'S GREATEST CITIES The new series of History's Greatest Cities launches next week, featuring expert historical insights into locations including Siena, Vienna and Kyoto. For more information and to catch up on past episodes, visit: https://play.megaphone.fm/c5cztjplrk-auflexxavta Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The life of Grigori Rasputin, the Siberian peasant healer who wielded influence over the family of Russia’s last tsar, has fascinated the world for more than a century. Historian Antony Beevor speaks to Danny Bird about the man behind the myth and rumour, charting Rasputin’s humble origins in Siberia, his hold over Nicholas II and Alexandra, and his dramatic assassination at the hands of the imperial couple’s own relatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

By 1559, Elizabeth I had secured the crown – but holding on to power would prove far more challenging. In this second episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the Tudor monarch, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore Elizabeth’s early reign, from her coronation and the urgent task of stabilising a divided kingdom to the pressures of ruling as a female monarch in a deeply patriarchal society. They also examine the influential figures who shaped her court and the high-stakes marriage negotiations that helped forge the enduring image of the ‘Virgin Queen’. ––––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about Elizabeth I and her remarkable reign? Rachel Dinning rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores Elizabeth's early life, rise to power, court intrigues, and the legacy that made her one of history's most iconic monarchs: https://bit.ly/4qfjCiO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What can Charlie Chaplin's life tell us about the experiences of poor working-class people in 19th- and early 20th-century London? Quite a lot, it turns out. Speaking to Charlotte Vosper, author and historian Jacqueline Riding reveals the world of poverty, tragedy and joy that played out in the streets of Lambeth and Walworth – and how Chaplin can help us uncover other, less-well known stories. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To learn more about the life and times of Charlie Chaplin, don't miss Rob Baker's HistoryExtra article exploring Chaplin's return to London as a famous film star after the First World War: https://bit.ly/4jyvQRJ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have women been relegated to the footnotes of French history? Katherine Pangonis – whose latest book is A History of France in 21 Women – tells Charlotte Vosper about why their stories have been pushed to the sidelines, and highlights some of the pioneering personalities who deserve to be better known. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST For more on change-making historical women from Katherine Pangonis, you can read all about the formidable queens who ruled and fought in medieval Jerusalem in this HistoryExtra article: https://bit.ly/4jvr0Vi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Few people had as much impact on the course of the 20th century as Vladimir Lenin – from his years as an émigré across the capitals of western Europe, to his role in the October Revolution of 1917 and the inception of the world’s first self-described ‘socialist’ state. In this episode, historian Lara Douds speaks to Danny Bird about the revolutionary leader, from his radical theories and his elevation in some quarters to a saintlike figure, to his contested legacy in Putin’s Russia and around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1920s and 30s were golden decades for extremism. Across Europe, dictators including Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini goose-stepped their way into power, but in Britain, it was a different story. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Alwyn Turner explains why – with a little help from the football pools, the Women's Institute and the Lambeth Walk – parliamentary democracy reigned supreme. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST  If you'd like to hear more from Alwyn, you can listen to him discuss 1950s Britain on the HistoryExtra podcast: https://bit.ly/4qaQWra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth I is one of history's most iconic monarchs, but her path to the throne was anything but secure. In this first episode of our four-part Sunday Series on the 16th-century royal, Rachel Dinning is joined by historian Nicola Tallis to explore Elizabeth’s turbulent early years – from the execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to the political and personal dangers she faced as she navigated childhood, illegitimacy, and the treacherous Tudor succession. Together, they uncover how these formative experiences helped shape the woman who would become a formidable queen. –––– GO BEYOND THE PODCAST Want to know more about Elizabeth I and her remarkable reign? Rachel Dinning rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores Elizabeth's early life, rise to power, and the legacy that made her one of England’s most iconic monarchs: https://bit.ly/4qfjCiO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can you do justice to the story of 1,300 years of English history? Through verse, according to cultural historian Catherine Clarke – whose latest book is A History of England in 25 Poems. She takes Lauren Good on a poetic journey through time, exploring how it could be used for spiritual uplift and social change – and how it can offer uniquely human insights into key moments in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mount Rushmore is one of the most iconic images in US history – but its story is far more complex and controversial than that of a simple sculpture. In this episode, historian Matthew Davis joins Elinor Evans to discuss his latest book, A Biography of a Mountain, which delves into the layers of myth and meaning behind the granite. Davis explains how the Black Hills – sacred to the Lakota Nation – were seized in violation of treaties, and how sculptor Gutzon Borglum, a man with ties to the Ku Klux Klan, came to carve the faces of four presidents on to a mountainside. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices