
Plague, famine and chivalry: a human history of the 14th century
HistoryExtra podcast
06/03/25
•52m
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Plague, war, regicide, famine, revolt – during the 14th century, life for people in England was turned on its head. Historian Helen Carr charts this extraordinarily turbulent period through the lives of three very different monarchs, each with their own idea of what it meant to wield power. Exploring the humanity of those on the throne, she speaks to Emily Briffett to shed new light on this pivotal period of English history, and the people who lived through it.
(Ad) Helen Carr is the author of Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century (Hutchinson Heinemann, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=1657&awinaffid=489797&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fsceptred-isle%2Fhelen-carr%2F9781529151657&clickref=historyextra-social-histboty.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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WW2 legacies and Magna Carta: history behind the headlines
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•45m
In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the past behind the present, historians Rana Mitter and Hannah Skoda explore the ways the Second World War continues to shape the world of today. Plus the medieval manuscripts hitting the headlines, and an express history of rail nationalisation.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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(Ad) Daniel Swift is the author of The Dream Factory: London's First Playhouse and the Making of William Shakespeare (Yale University Press, 2025). Buy it now from Waterstones: https://go.skimresources.com?id=71026X1535947&xcust=historyextra-social-histboty&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waterstones.com%2Fbook%2Fthe-dream-factory%2Fdaniel-swift%2F%2F9780300263541.
The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.
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