Alistair Moffat, an esteemed Scottish historian and author, joins for a captivating discussion. He dispels myths around Macbeth, showcasing his legitimate role as a king, contrary to Shakespeare's portrayal. The conversation highlights the fierce ambitions of Scottish elites and ordinary people's desires, especially during Robert Bruce's fight for independence. Moffat also explores the complexities of Scotland's unification under King David I and traces the rise of Edinburgh as the capital, reflecting on its transformative history.

In this episode, Charlie Higson gets properly acquainted with the great knight and statesman, Simon De Montfort, who started out originally as one of Henry III's chief supporters but became increasingly enraged by how badly he thought Henry was running the country.Inevitably this led to wars and power struggles as de Montfort ended up leading the opposition to Henry as head of the baronial forces, trying to depose him, or at least curb his powers. It's a fascinating story and to help Charlie through the slings and arrows, he welcomes back Dr Sophie Therese Ambler, author of The Song of Simon de Montfort: The Life and Death of a Medieval Revolutionary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So when did The British Empire begin? Well, the idea of it was probably much earlier than you think and in this episode Charlie Higson is going to be asking questions about a time in English history when English monarchs seriously started looking at colonising other nations.And to assist Charlie in his quest, he's invited James Hawes back on the show. James is the author of The Shortest History of England and as well as looking at Empire, he also explains how England has been - and in many ways still is - split between a French elite and an English man in the street. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this third series of Willy Willy Harry Stee, Charlie Higson is looking at the interesting characters who pop up alongside the monarchs and there are few more interesting than Eustace The Black Monk. Don't be fooled by the 'Monk' part of his moniker. Eustace was a Pirate, a Mercenary and other very un-Monk-like things. To help Charlie tell his fascinating tale, he's joined by Dr Sean McGlynn, author of Blood Cries Afar: The Forgotten Invasion of England and Kill Them All: Cathars and Carnage in the Albigensian Crusade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Charlie Higson uncovers the rather amazing story of King Louis Of England."Who's that", you say? Well, just over 800 years ago Louis, son and heir of the king of France, rode through the streets of London and was acclaimed king of England by cheering crowds.And yet you've probably not heard of him. Well, lucky for us, Cath Hanley is something of an expert on Louis having written the excellent book Louis: The French Prince who invaded England and she returns from her guest appearance in Series 1 to discuss the king we never knew we had. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Helen Castor, a best-selling author and historian, dives into the captivating story of Empress Matilda, the woman who fought for control of the English throne. She discusses Matilda's political maneuvers amidst the chaos of 12th-century succession struggles and her challenges against her rival cousin, Stephen. Castor highlights Matilda's resilience as a female leader in a male-dominated society and her lasting impacts on royal lineage. The conversation also touches on the intricacies of dynastic marriages and the evolving role of women in power.

In this episode, Charlie Higson turns his attention to an incredible figure, William Marshall, dubbed The Greatest Knight In Christendom and it's easy to see why. Not only did he live into his 70's, amazing considering he was born in 1146, but he served 5 kings at a time when life expectancy in a royal court was, well, limited.Joining Charlie is Sophie Therese Ambler, author of a biography of Simon De Montfort, the man who led a rebellion against King Henry III, the last King that William Marshall served.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special Medieval guest-fest, Charlie Higson welcomes not one but THREE fabulous historians to the show, recorded live in front of an audience at the British Library, as part of Medieval Fest! which took place in December 2024. The discussion was 'How To Depose A Medieval Ruler', and Charlie was joined by a star-studded team of experts – Nathen Amin (Son of Prophecy: The Rise of Henry Tudor), Helen Castor (The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II and Henry IV) and Lubaaba Al-Azami (Travellers in the Golden Realm: How Mughal India Connected England to the World)It's a chance to take a deep dive into medieval plots, conspiracies and power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Charlie Higson gets the inside story of an extraordinary exhibition that runs at The British Library until March 2nd 2025, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words The exhibition includes some rare and wonderful documents, manuscripts and even music, so to explain its creation, Charlie chats with Ellie Jackson, one of the curators of this remarkable collection. To book your tickets to see the exhibition, click here..... https://medievalwomen.seetickets.com/timeslots/filter/medieval-women-in-their-own-words?utm_source=digital&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=medieval_women Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What was life really like for women in the medieval period? How did they think about sex, death and God? Could they live independent lives? And how can we hear their stories?Lucky for us, Hetta Howes has asked all these questions and come up with some pretty compelling answers, all neatly told in her new book Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife. In this special episode, Charlie Higson chats with Hetta about the lives of four incredible women from this period, Marie de France, a poet; Julian of Norwich, a mystic and anchoress; Christine de Pizan, a widow and court writer; and Margery Kempe, a "no-good wife".It's a fabulous listen! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.