HistoryExtra Long Reads

Banished. Exiled. Died. Widowed. Berated. Survived. The ladies-in-waiting to Henry VIII’s wives were serious political operators with unparalleled access to the royal inner sanctum. In this Long Read written by Nicola Clark, we reveal how six of the most influential navigated the vipers’ nest that was the Tudor court.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ferrying troops to the beaches wasn’t the only contribution sailors made during the Allied invasion of Normandy. In this special Long Read written by Nick Hewitt, we mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day by revealing how the Allied navies played a pivotal – and often overlooked – role in the Normandy invasion.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the June 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Breaking news coverage of outrageous, taboo-busting or immoral behaviour has horrified - and captivated - societies for centuries. And the Victorians were no different. In this Long Read written by historian Rosalind Crone, we investigate eight scandals that shocked Victorian Britain, from widespread panic about a "killer sweet" to an adultery trial that threatened to bring down the prime minister.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rome’s slaves were brutalised, mocked, exploited – or simply ignored. Yet, writes Guy de la Bédoyère in this Long Read, the Roman empire could hardly have functioned without the labours of this captive population.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

William of Normandy sailed across the Channel and swiftly conquered England in 1066 – or at least that’s how the story goes. But, in this Long Read written by Sophie Thérèse Ambler and James Morris, we reveal how the northern stronghold of Cumbria remained untouched for another 26 years.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The work of Britain's wartime cryptanalysts is now well known, but there is one woman whose contribution has gone largely unrecognised – Emily Anderson. In this Long Read, written by Jackie Uí Chionna, we examine the life of the linguist and musicologist who became the nation's most senior female codebreaker.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the British Empire Exhibition opened its doors in Wembley a century ago – featuring exotic pavilions, sporting spectacles and even a replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb – it wowed visitors. But, as we explore in this Long Read written by Matthew Parker, it also spoke of a superpower in decline.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the May 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Helen Cowie marks the RSPCA's 200th anniversary by returning to its roots campaigning against vicious Victorian animal crueltyThey rescued mutilated dogs, prosecuted bull baiters, and denounced the slaughter of exotic birds. As the RSPCA marks its 200th anniversary, this Long Read, written by Helen Cowie, reveals how campaigners took the fight to animal abusers in the 19th century.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nicky Nielsen traces the progress of a brutal 15th-century BC battle that saw supercharged the rise of Egypt's greatest warrior pharaohRecovering the stories of ancient battles that happened thousands of years ago can be very difficult. But as one of the first battles to have been recorded in relatively reliable detail, the brutal battle of Megiddo, fought in 15th century BC, stands out in the historical record. In this Long Read written by Nicky Nielsen, we tell the story of a battle that supercharged the rise of Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nick Lloyd considers why, despite its scale and legacy, the First World War's Eastern Front has been overshadowed by its Western counterpartIn both scale and ferocity, the fighting on the Eastern Front from 1914 to 1917 outdid even the Western Front. So why has Eastern Europe become the forgotten theatre of the First World War? In this Long Read, written by Nick Lloyd, we explore an understudied, but equally horrifying, side to the conflict.HistoryExtra Long Reads brings you the best articles from BBC History Magazine, direct to your ears. Today’s feature originally appeared in the April 2024 issue, and has been voiced in partnership with the RNIB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices