Best Historiansplaining Podcasts (2025)

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Cities of Iron & Gold: West Africa Before 1700 2:15:20

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16m ago2:15:20

2:15:20

We follow the rise of civilization and of powerful empires in West Africa before the slave tade, based upon iron-working and the traffic in gold and salt across the Sahara, followed by the spread of wealth and power southward, towards the gold fields and the tropical forests, and finally the reverberating impacts of the arrival of Portuguese trader…

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Halloween Reading & Thank you to Patrons 12:49

30d ago12:49

12:49

We read ghost-related poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Lola Haskins, & Stanley Plumly, as a thank-you to patrons and a meditation on the field of history.Please sign on as a patron in order to hear patron-only lectures, and to vote in the current poll on the next archaeological discovery for the series, "Doorways in Time": https://www.patreon.c…

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"I Do Not Need a Lecture from You About Idealism" -- The Political Ideology of RWRB 2:01:44

1M ago2:01:44

2:01:44

Audio track from the new video, "Red, White & Royal Blue: A Historian's Analysis -- pt. 4: The Political Ideology of RWRB"--Intro: Why the Politics of RWRB? – 0:00:30Sec. 1: Idealism vs. Realism – 0:16:21Sec. 2: The Hidden Agenda – what is left out of RWRB – 0:52:29Sec. 3: The Trade Wars – 1:28:25Sec. 4: The Elusive Democratic Majority – 1:40:09Con…

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UNLOCKED: Myth of the Month 24: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- pt. 2: Analysis 2:55:46

29d ago2:55:46

2:55:46

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only --We examine the Epic of Gilgamesh as a piece of literature, for its strange dream-like style and form, its points of similarity to Biblical and ancient Greek and European mythology, and finally, its deep levels of psychological and political allegory, ultimately revealing the love between Enkidu and Gilgamesh…

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UNLOCKED: Myth of the Month 24: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- pt. 1: The History 1:54:05

1M ago1:54:05

1:54:05

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only: He is the earliest human being whose name and life story are known to history. We examine the origins and contents of the most ancient narrative ever found anywhere on Earth, and trace how it has been rediscovered, re-used, and re-translated in the modern world, becoming a living and evolving text in a time o…

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Ireland: From Prehistory to the Protestant Ascendancy 2:40:35

2M ago2:40:35

2:40:35

We follow how a remote landmass on the far western fringe of Europe became the home of a lasting Gaelic civilization and a major center of classical and Christian knowledge, before coming under attack by Viking raiders and Anglo-Norman invaders. We examine the English Crown’s shifting and increasingly desperate strategies to control Ireland, and th…

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Myth of the Month 25: Nations 2:40:13

3M ago2:40:13

2:40:13

Nations: What are they? Are they defined by language, by “culture,” by blood, or something else? How do you know if you are part of one? —and is everyone in the world a member of one nation or another?We follow how the rise of medieval kingdoms and universities and the print revolution made it possible for people in the West to imagine themselves a…

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The History of Deportation in America -- pt. 2: Expelling the Twentieth Century 2:14:36

4M ago2:14:36

2:14:36

We follow how deportation policy has evolved, expanding massively in the aftermaths of World War One and World War Two, while shifting its main targets -- from political radicals and dissidents, to organized criminals, to "undesirable" racial and ethnic groups including Asians and Mexicans. We examine the changing laws and judicial rulings that hav…

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UNLOCKED: The Great Archaeological Discoveries, pt. 8 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls 2:41:37

4M ago2:41:37

2:41:37

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only: The most massive and momentous manuscript discovery of modern times, the Dead Sea Scrolls blew the lid off of the long-mysterious world of messianic and apocalyptic ferment before the destruction of the Second Temple—yet it took decades of conflict and struggle to bring them to public light. We trace why the …

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The History of Deportation in America -- pt. 1: Banishment By Another Name 2:02:49

4M ago2:02:49

2:02:49

We examine the roots of the American practice of "deportation" -- from colonial banishment of heretics, through the political upheaval over Alien & Sedition Acts, to the age of Chinese Exclusion -- which paved the way for the federal government to exercise virtually unlimited & absolute power over aliens, whom they placed outside the protection of …

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Excerpt: The Keys of Heaven & Earth: The History of the Papacy -- pt. 2 12:06

5M ago12:06

12:06

For Patrons only for 1 year: We follow the tribulations of the Papacy through the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, as the Pope's loyal soldiers in the Jesuit order are expelled from Catholic states and empires, the Church comes under attack in the French Reovlution, and Napoleon takes the Pope prisoner. We then follow the Papacy's gradual r…

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The Keys of Heaven & Earth: The History of the Papacy -- pt. 1 1:53:33

5M ago1:53:33

1:53:33

We follow the paths by which the bishops of Rome – leaders of what had been a small church on the fringe of the Christian world – established themselves as the foremost spiritual leaders of Western Christendom and with time, as supreme heads of the global Catholic Church. We follow the dramatic turns in the Papacy’s fortunes, as Popes alternate bet…

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Update & Excerpt -- Italy: Nation-Building & Entry Into World War I 10:43

5M ago10:43

10:43

Update for listeners, and happy Father's Day wishes; excerpt from latest patron-only lecture on Italy between unification and the entry into the First World War.Please sign up on Patreon to hear the latest lecture and all patron-only materials! -- https://www.patreon.com/posts/italy-nation-war-131082248Podcast website: www.historiansplaining.comIma…

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UNLOCKED: Origins of the First World War, pt. 13 -- The July Crisis & the Outbreak of War 1:58:05

6M ago1:58:05

1:58:05

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only: We review the diplomatic landscape of Europe on the eve of war in the summer of 1914—and then trace the dizzying cascade of events that followed after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. We get a handle on the ensuing crisis that ricocheted through embassies, banque…

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Italy: Revolution, Risorgimento, & Unification, 1789-1870 1:46:13

7M ago1:46:13

1:46:13

We follow the convulsions of Italian society -- foreign invasion, popular revolution, peasant revolt, liberal reform, Romantic pageantry, diplomatic dirty dealings, and patriotic war -- through which the residents of a fragmented, poor, and backwards section of Europe overthrew the puppet regimes of foreign rulers and challenged the internal power …

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Korea, pt. 2 -- The Perfect Kingdom 1:49:44

7M ago1:49:44

1:49:44

We follow Korea's thousand-year struggle to maintain its integrity and independence, fending off cataclysmic invasions by the Mongols, the Manchus, and the samurai of Japan, and repeatedly transforming itself -- from a confederation of Buddhist warrior-nobles, to a strictly Confucian surveillance state, to a fledgling modern industrial nation -- be…

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Update & Excerpt -- History of the United States in 100 Obects: Beaver-Fur Hat 8:35

8M ago8:35

8:35

I give an update on the progress of the podcast, and an important caution on how to sign up as a patron while avoiding Apple's new fees. I give an excerpt from my latest episode for patrons, "History of the United States in 100 Objects -- 24: Beaver-Fur Stovepipe Hat, ca. 1590-1670" --On this episode: A tall “stovepipe” hat, which was made in the 1…

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Korea, pt. 1 -- Dragons from Small Streams 1:32:47

9M ago1:32:47

1:32:47

We examine the origins of the Korean people and state – from prehistoric migrations and technological advances, through the formation of warrior confederations, the rise and fall of the Chinese colony, the tumult and intrigue of the “Three Kingdoms” era, and the arrival of Buddhism, and finally to the unification of most of Korea under the Silla ki…

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Doorways in Time: The Great Archaeological Dicoveries -- 9: Troy -- pt. 2: Cutting the Trojan Knot 44:43

9M ago44:43

44:43

We journey through the different eras and incarnations of Troy as archaeologists have reconstructed them from the excavations at Hissarlik. We then explore the surviving evidence -- including linguistic theories, newly discovered tablets from the ancient Hittite capital, and the long-lost and rediscovered "Priam's Treasure" that Schliemann unearthe…

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UNLOCKED: Origins of the First World War, pt. 10 -- Japan 2:03:53

9M ago2:03:53

2:03:53

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only -- We trace the evolution of Japanese society, including the tensions between its peaceable, Buddhist-inspired aspect and its martial aspect; its extraordinary transformation in the Meiji period, from an antiquated hermit kingdom to a dynamic modern power; and its crucial alliance with its European mirror imag…

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Doorways in Time: The Great Archaeological Discoveries, 9: Troy -- pt. 1: The Odyssey in Reverse 1:53:42

9M ago1:53:42

1:53:42

It is one of the foundational achievements of archaeology, and one of the most momentous discoveries ever made in any field --We follow the long debate over whether and where the remains of the ancient legendary city of Troy could be found, and we see how the mystery was solved by the excavations overseen by the brilliant, ruthless, and indefatigab…

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Thank you to patrons, & Teaser: The History of Venice, pt. 3: Metropolis or Museum? 9:28

10M ago9:28

9:28

A sample from a lecture on Patreon for patrons only for one year:We trace the strugles of Venice, through conquest, revolution, and depression, to fashion a place for itself in the modern world, to channel or keep at bay the new floods -- of rising seas, of diseased canals, and of tourist hordes -- and most of all, to somehow square the circle of p…

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Life in the House of Cards: 2024 in Historical Context 3:08:47

11M ago3:08:47

3:08:47

We use a recent controversial murder case as a way to reconsider recent world events--such as war in Europe and the return of Trump--from the perspective of the epistemological crisis and the decline of trust in Truth, Facts, and Reality.CHAPTERS:0:00:20 – Intro & Disclaimers0:11:45 – The Great Witch Hunt: overview0:28:25 – The Great Witch Hunt: mi…

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The Impossible City: The History of Venice -- pt. 2: Seasons of Power & Pleasure 2:00:50

11M ago2:00:50

2:00:50

We trace Venice's remarkable flowering between the 1300s and 1500s, in which it astonished Europe as a center of commercial and imperial power, learning, and art, as well as its repeated struggles -- with the bubonic plague, the Ottoman Turks, the rival Italian states, and the Catholic Church -- that forced Venice to give up its empire, and to tran…

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The Impossible City: The History of Venice -- pt. 1: From Asylum to Empire 2:07:19

1y ago2:07:19

2:07:19

We trace the tortuous path by which a scattering of villages in a marshy lagoon, founded by refugees from violence and political breakdown, forged their own stable and cohesive independent republic which would last for a thousand years, and with it a splendrous city where East and West mingled, a sprawling trade network linking Europe, the Middle E…

Historiansplaining Podcasts

1
Historiansplaining: A historian tells you why everything you know is wrong

Samuel Biagetti

1
Cities of Iron & Gold: West Africa Before 1700 2:15:20

1
Halloween Reading & Thank you to Patrons 12:49

1
"I Do Not Need a Lecture from You About Idealism" -- The Political Ideology of RWRB 2:01:44

1
UNLOCKED: Myth of the Month 24: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- pt. 2: Analysis 2:55:46

1
UNLOCKED: Myth of the Month 24: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- pt. 1: The History 1:54:05

1
Ireland: From Prehistory to the Protestant Ascendancy 2:40:35

1
Myth of the Month 25: Nations 2:40:13

1
The History of Deportation in America -- pt. 2: Expelling the Twentieth Century 2:14:36

1
UNLOCKED: The Great Archaeological Discoveries, pt. 8 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls 2:41:37

1
The History of Deportation in America -- pt. 1: Banishment By Another Name 2:02:49

1
Excerpt: The Keys of Heaven & Earth: The History of the Papacy -- pt. 2 12:06

1
The Keys of Heaven & Earth: The History of the Papacy -- pt. 1 1:53:33

1
Update & Excerpt -- Italy: Nation-Building & Entry Into World War I 10:43

1
UNLOCKED: Origins of the First World War, pt. 13 -- The July Crisis & the Outbreak of War 1:58:05

1
Italy: Revolution, Risorgimento, & Unification, 1789-1870 1:46:13

1
Korea, pt. 2 -- The Perfect Kingdom 1:49:44

1
Update & Excerpt -- History of the United States in 100 Obects: Beaver-Fur Hat 8:35

1
Korea, pt. 1 -- Dragons from Small Streams 1:32:47

1
Doorways in Time: The Great Archaeological Dicoveries -- 9: Troy -- pt. 2: Cutting the Trojan Knot 44:43

1
UNLOCKED: Origins of the First World War, pt. 10 -- Japan 2:03:53

1
Doorways in Time: The Great Archaeological Discoveries, 9: Troy -- pt. 1: The Odyssey in Reverse 1:53:42

1
Thank you to patrons, & Teaser: The History of Venice, pt. 3: Metropolis or Museum? 9:28

1
Life in the House of Cards: 2024 in Historical Context 3:08:47

1
The Impossible City: The History of Venice -- pt. 2: Seasons of Power & Pleasure 2:00:50

1
The Impossible City: The History of Venice -- pt. 1: From Asylum to Empire 2:07:19