
History Is Sexy
History is Sexy is a podcast presented by historian Dr Emma Southon and writer Janina Matthewson answering listener questions about history. What did the Romans do for us? Where did marrying for love come from? What was world war one all about? Produced and edited by Oliver Kealey. Theme music by Ketsa.
Latest episodes

Feb 6, 2024 • 1h 15min
Episode #83 - The Borgias
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The most devious, murderous cut-throat family of renaissance Italy.. or misunderstood victims of slanderous propaganda? Emma and Janina take a look at one of Italy's most infamous families, their rise, and fall.

Jan 24, 2024 • 56min
Episode #82 - What Makes The Dark Ages "Dark"?
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... and were they really so dark?
Listener survey link: https://forms.gle/78wMyX42uQvpHf1Y8
Show notes: https://historyissexy.com/show-notes/episode-82-what-makes-the-dark-ages-dark

Dec 20, 2023 • 1h 2min
Episode #81 - History is Rexy! Anne Boleyn (feat. Rex Factor)
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Graham and Ali from Rex Factor are here and we're talking about England's most consequential Queen Consorts, and all the skulduggery she got up to!
⚠ Listener survey! ⚠
We want to get to know our wonderful audience (that's you) a little better, and find out how we can improve our podcast to be the best that it can be. To help us figure this stuff out, please answer whichever questions you can (none are mandatory, if you don't want to answer, just skip it).
-> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5BqExg24ETNNN0Z3roCcyDpW6rlQ3qsaGeS2Nrb3YQEtl5A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Nov 30, 2023 • 1h 19min
Episode #80 - What's The Deal With Empress Elisabeth?
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy
Willkommen in Österreich! Emma is joined by History Is Sexy producer and Austria Correspondent Oliver to have a look at a story that's captured Austrian hearts for a hundred years, the life of Empress Elisabeth.
⚠ Listener survey! ⚠
We want to get to know our wonderful audience (that's you) a little better, and find out how we can improve our podcast to be the best that it can be. To help us figure this stuff out, please answer whichever questions you can (none are mandatory, if you don't want to answer, just skip it).
-> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5BqExg24ETNNN0Z3roCcyDpW6rlQ3qsaGeS2Nrb3YQEtl5A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Nov 15, 2023 • 43min
Episode #79 - The Ptrouble With Ptolemys - Part 2! (Feat. HR Owen)
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy
Emma is joined by HR Owen once again to discuss the most dramatic family in Classical Egypt!
⚠ Listener survey! ⚠
We want to get to know our wonderful audience (that's you) a little better, and find out how we can improve our podcast to be the best that it can be. To help us figure this stuff out, please answer whichever questions you can (none are mandatory, if you don't want to answer, just skip it).
-> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5BqExg24ETNNN0Z3roCcyDpW6rlQ3qsaGeS2Nrb3YQEtl5A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Nov 4, 2023 • 1h 8min
Episode #78 - The Ptrouble With Ptolemys, Part 1 (feat. HR Owen)
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy
Janina's on a bit of a break, but history never sleeps, so Emma is joined by acclaimed podcaster HR Owen for a deep dive into perhaps one of the most dramatic families in history, the Ptolemys.
⚠ Listener survey! ⚠
We want to get to know our wonderful audience (that's you) a little better, and find out how we can improve our podcast to be the best that it can be. To help us figure this stuff out, please answer whichever questions you can (none are mandatory, if you don't want to answer, just skip it).
-> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5BqExg24ETNNN0Z3roCcyDpW6rlQ3qsaGeS2Nrb3YQEtl5A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Sep 21, 2023 • 1h 12min
Episode #77 - Why Is The UK "United"?
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy
How did the various states that've existed on the British Isles/North Atlantic Archipelago coalesce, fracture, and coalesce over and over until it became the country we know today? A thousand years of history, all in just over an hour!
⚠ Listener survey! ⚠
We want to get to know our wonderful audience (that's you) a little better, and find out how we can improve our podcast to be the best that it can be. To help us figure this stuff out, please answer whichever questions you can (none are mandatory, if you don't want to answer, just skip it).
-> https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5BqExg24ETNNN0Z3roCcyDpW6rlQ3qsaGeS2Nrb3YQEtl5A/viewform?usp=sf_link

Sep 6, 2023 • 55min
Episode #76 - The Story of Boudica
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In 60CE, Boudica, Queen of the Iceni, led a violent uprising of unprecedented scale that tore across the southeast of Britannia, burning London and shocking the Roman world. But what's the real story? Was she real? Was she a literary construct? How are our modern conceptions of Boudica affected by the Victorians and Elizabethans?

Aug 16, 2023 • 1h 11min
Episode #75 - On Debutantes, Balls, and "The Season"
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy
Put on your gown and get ready to enter high society, as Emma and Janina walk you through the bizarre world of Debutantes, Balls, and "The Season"

Jul 28, 2023 • 1h 6min
Episode #74 - What's The Deal With Matriarchal Societies In History?
Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/historyissexy
This time, Dr Emma Southon and Janina Matthewson take a deep dive into matriarchal societies in classical and pre-history, did they really exist?