"The streets will run with blood!": the uprising that shook Victorian Britain
HistoryExtra podcast
02/18/26
•32m
About
Comments
Featured In
In 1838, a 6ft Cornishman going by the name of Sir William Courtenay led an insurrection in rural Kent. Courtenay claimed he was Jesus Christ – and a lot of people believed him. And when those supporters clashed with troops at Bossenden Wood, the result was carnage. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Ian Breckon describes the last battle fought on English soil and considers what it tells us about Victorian Britain.
-----
GO BEYOND THE PODCAST
Don't miss the new HistoryExtra podcast series History's Greatest Battles, back for a new run exploring the Wars of the Roses. For more details, click here: https://play.megaphone.fm/nl_id4hhr2s5izmxcjam3g
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Previous Episode
Pocahontas: life of the week
February 17
•42m
Pocahontas's life is shrouded in myth – but how much of that lore is true? Speaking to Emily Briffett, historian Camilla Townsend brings us face to face with the real Pocahontas, revealing how she acted as a diplomatic bridge in a fragile encounter with English colonists – and considering the way in which her legacy still shapes our view of American history.
-----
GO BEYOND THE PODCAST
The story of Native American societies decimated by European arrival is a familiar one. But, while undoubtedly important, that’s only one part of the story. In this podcast episode, Kathleen DuVal looks back at 1,000 years of Native American history to uncover a rich, complex picture of North America's Indigenous people: https://bit.ly/49UZg9M.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Next Episode
How to be a Victorian
February 20
•34m
The Victorian period was a time of great economic, cultural and technological change. But what was it like to actually live through it? Speaking to Isabel King, author Jamie Camplin – whose latest book is Being Victorian – charts the highs and lows of the era, from the lasting legacy of the 1851 Great Exhibition to what today's society can learn from the 19th century.
-----
GO BEYOND THE PODCAST
To find out more about the significant changes that took place in the Victorian period, don't miss our HistoryExtra Academy course on Victorian Britain, with historian Ruth Goodman: https://bit.ly/3NEj6xi
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted