Echoes of History

Using targeted political murder to protect humanity from injustice and abuse of power, the Assassins are infamous as much for their secrecy as for their actions. The story of the Nizari branch of Ismaili Muslims goes right back to the start of Islam, and continues to this day. Dr Farhad Daftary joins Matt Lewis to tell us what the Assassins stood for, how they interacted with Christians and other Muslims, and why the Old Man of the Mountain was so important.An original Ubisoft series, produced by History Hit with post-production by Paradiso Media.If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to this website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Islamic, Christian and Jewish blood spilled across three centuries in the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant, all under the sanction of the Latin Church. The impact of the eight Crusades reverberated across the Medieval world. So, what was the fighting about? Were the relationships between Islamic and Christian groups always hostile? And what are the lasting legacies of the Crusades? Jonathan Phillips joins Dan Snow to find out.An original Ubisoft series, produced by History Hit with post-production by Paradiso Media.If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to this website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.You can take part in our listener survey here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Painter, scientist, engineer, inventor, anatomist, sculptor, architect, urban planner, botanist, musician, philosopher, writer : Leonardo Da Vinci was all that and even more. The Italian Renaissance polymath artist brought his touch to every field of knowledge possible in his time and is now widely considered as one of the greatest minds ever. But what do we really owe him ? The real impact of his inventions and artistic work is still subject to debate today.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: Music from Assassin's Creed 2 / Composed by Jesper Kyd / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso MediaIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, rate & review.To find out more go to www.assassinscreed.com or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

History has not been kind to Lucrezia Borgia. Daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI, she has suffered from her family name (her father was known for his deviant sexual activities). In his eponym play, written more than 300 years after her death, Victor Hugo created a black legend around Lucrezia Borgia, based on allegations of incest, poisoning, and murder on her part. But these rumors, mostly spread by the Borgias’ rivals, were never proven to be true. Nowadays, historians attempt to rehabilitate her legacy and demonstrate that Lucrezia Borgia was a victim of a cruel period for women.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso Media.If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Polo is a name engraved in the legend of exploration. Sure, Marco did a lot for that by describing thoroughly his trip to China and his life alongside the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. But Marco Polo owes a great deal to his father Niccolò and his uncle Maffeo. These two merchants started by establishing trading points on the road to western Europe and Asia before making the full trip to China… twice ! The second time, they brought young Marco, who was then 17, with them, marking the beginning of his legend. But there’s no reason why the two brothers should remain in the shadow of their descendant.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: Music from Assassin's Creed / Composed by Jesper Kyd / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso MediaIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

His name has inspired poems, novels, songs… Paul Revere remains forever attached to his greatest accomplishment : his "Midnight Ride" on April 18th-19th 1775. A long night of horse riding from Boston to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams of the British Army movements. A night that would change the course of the war and of the soon-to-be United States of America. But what history has forgotten is that Paul Revere was more than just a rider. He was a very active member of the Sons of Liberty and worked in the shadows to help the Revolution.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: Music from Assassin's Creed 3 : Liberation / Composed by Winifred Phillips / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso MediaIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think of pirates and there’s a great chance that the first image that comes to your mind is a Blackbeard look alike : a cruel captain with a long beard and a hat, thirsty for blood, yelling at his men from the upper deck of his ship as he prepares to board an unfortunate merchant’s boat. Well, this has been the image of Blackbeard, alias Edward Teach, over the centuries. But the real Teach was not especially cruel and tyrannical, at least no more than any other pirate back in the days.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: Music from Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag / Composed by Brian Tyler / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso MediaIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the only person to have signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778, Treaty of Paris in 1783, and U.S. Constitution in 1787, Benjamin Franklin remains in history as perhaps the most important Founding Fathers of the United States. And this even though he never ruled, earning him the title of "the only president of the United States who was never president of the United States". But behind the politician lies a great man of science responsible for a variety of inventions, starting with the lighting rod.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: Music from Assassin's Creed Rogue Original Game Soundtrack / Composed by Elitsa Alexandrova / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso MediaIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and philosopher, the Marquis de Sade is a very controversial figure because of its texts, where erotism and pornography had an important place, along with cruelty, rape and murders. To such an extent that his name gave the root of the word "sadistic". Because of his work and his deviant behavior, he spent more than a third of his life in prison. But how did the heir of an ancient French noble family become this despicable yet legendary character ?Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: “The Marquis” from the Assassin's Creed Unity Dead Kings Original Game Soundtrack / Composed by Cris Velasco / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing // “On Father’s Watch” from the Assassin's Creed Unity, Vol, 1 Original Game Soundtrack / Composed by Chris Tilton / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / “Ballroom Fight (Invention No.13 in D Minor)” from the Assassin's Creed Unity, Vol, 2 Original Game Soundtrack // Composed by Sarah Schachner / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso Media/If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who is Jack the Ripper ? More than 130 years after the horrendous crimes that terrified the Whitechapel borough in London, the identity of the most famous English serial killer is still unknown. The number of murders and the killer’s motive also continue to inspire many theories. Nowadays, Jack the Ripper remains a myth as pop culture has taken its toll on him. Time to put the light on the facts.Writer: Abdelhakim RezguiHost: Danny WallaceProduction: Axelle Gobert, Clément LesaffreProduction assistant: Aimie FaconnierRecording: Théo AlbaricMixing and editing: Adrien Le Blond, Jimmy BardinInternational coordination: Martin StahlOriginal music: David SpinelliPre-existing music: “Bloodlines” and “Family” from the Assassin's Creed Syndicate Original Game Soundtrack Collector’s Edition / Composed by Austin Wintory & Jesper Kyd / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft Music // “Cobblestone and Fog” “Theme from Assassin’s Creed Jack the Ripper” from the Assassin’s Creed Syndicate: Jack the Ripper (Original Game Soundtrack) / Composed by Bear McCreary / Published by Ubisoft Music Publishing / Courtesy of Ubisoft MusicIllustration: © Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.Executive producers: Lorenzo Benedetti, Louis Daboussy, Benoit Dunaigre, Julien Fabre, Etienne BouvierUbisoft: Etienne Allonier, Aymar Azaizia, Leslie Capillon, Louis Raynaud, Justine VilleneuveAn original Ubisoft series, produced by Paradiso MediaIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review.To find out more go to website or find us on Facebook & Twitter.Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.