The Rest Is History

Tom Holland and art critic Laura Cumming discuss Velázquez's 'Las Meninas' (1656), which Cumming considers the greatest painting of all time. Cumming describes her transformative first encounter with the painting in the Prado, where she briefly mistook the painted figures for real people due to the work's extraordinary illusion of presence and reality.

This episode covers the climactic Battle of Zama where Scipio defeats Hannibal, ending the Second Punic War, followed by both commanders' declining final years as they face political persecution and exile.

This episode covers the early phase of Scipio's rise to prominence during the Second Punic War, focusing on how the young Roman general secured Spain from Carthaginian control and set the stage for his ultimate confrontation with Hannibal. The narrative culminates with Scipio's decisive victory over the remaining Barca brothers in Spain and his preparation to take the war to Africa itself.

This is an introduction to a series analyzing famous paintings in historical context, featuring art critic Laura Cumming discussing Jan van Eyck's 15th-century Arnolfini Portrait. The episode begins exploring the mysterious painting's hyper-realistic details and puzzling elements that have led to changing interpretations over time.

This episode examines Hannibal's failure to capitalize on his devastating victory at Cannae in 216 BC, where he annihilated a massive Roman army but chose not to immediately march on Rome. The episode explores the aftermath of this decision and Rome's refusal to negotiate, setting up the prolonged conflict that followed.

The episode examines the final stages of the Iranian Revolution from November 1978 to August 1979, covering Ayatollah Khomeini's exile in Paris, the Shah's flight from Iran, Khomeini's triumphant return, and the parallel oil crisis devastating Jimmy Carter's presidency in America.

This episode examines the events leading up to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, focusing on Jimmy Carter's ill-timed toast to the Shah of Iran on New Year's Eve 1977, just days before violent protests erupted. The hosts explore the backgrounds of both the Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini, setting up the dramatic confrontation between modernizing monarchy and Islamic revolution.

This episode covers the early life and career of Captain James Cook, from his humble Yorkshire origins to his appointment to lead the HMS Endeavour expedition to observe the transit of Venus in the Pacific. The hosts explore how Cook rose from farm laborer's son to master navigator, and introduce the key figures and scientific objectives that would define his historic first voyage.

This episode explores Baghdad's pivotal role in shaping Islamic law through the development of jurisprudence schools, its massive translation project that preserved Greek knowledge, and the Arabian Nights stories that emerged from this golden age. The hosts examine how these developments influenced both Islamic civilization and Western intellectual traditions.

This episode explores the historical origins of public schools in Britain, tracing their development from William of Wickham's founding of Winchester in 1382 through the violent 18th-century period to Dr. Arnold's reforms. The discussion connects these educational institutions to Hogwarts in Harry Potter, examining how J.K. Rowling drew on centuries of British school traditions.

This episode explores the biblical origins and mysteries of the Ark of the Covenant, from its description in Exodus through its disappearance from Solomon's Temple. The hosts trace how Raiders of the Lost Ark draws on genuine biblical traditions about this powerful artifact and examine various theories about its ultimate fate.

This episode examines J. Robert Oppenheimer's post-Manhattan Project career, focusing on his growing opposition to the hydrogen bomb, his conflicts with Lewis Strauss, and the 1954 security clearance hearings that destroyed his political influence. The discussion explores how Oppenheimer evolved from celebrated atomic bomb creator to Cold War martyr.

This episode covers Columbus's second voyage to the Caribbean with 1,500 colonists, where he encounters evidence of cannibalism, establishes failed settlements, and begins enslaving indigenous people. The Spanish crown becomes increasingly concerned about his brutal methods and poor leadership, leading to growing tensions between Columbus's ambitions and Catholic Spain's desire to convert rather than enslave the native population.

A comprehensive examination of Hatshepsut, arguably Egypt's greatest female pharaoh who ruled around 1500 BC during Egypt's recovery from foreign occupation. The episode traces her rise from regent to self-proclaimed king and her 20-year reign marked by architectural achievements and successful governance.

This episode explores the failures of the Weimar Republic and Hitler's rise from fringe political figure to Nazi leader through the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. The hosts examine how economic catastrophe, political instability, and cultural upheaval created conditions for extremist movements to grow.

This episode examines the rise of Nazism in Germany leading up to Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933. The hosts explore how democratic mechanisms were used to destroy democracy itself, and how a sophisticated nation like Germany fell under Nazi control through a combination of post-WWI trauma, economic collapse, and extremist ideologies that had been developing since the 1880s.

This episode covers two Roman historical events occurring on January 1st: the mutiny of Rhine legions against Emperor Galba in 69 AD that triggered the 'year of four emperors,' and the ascension of Romanus IV as Byzantine Emperor in 1068 AD, whose reign ended disastrously at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071.

A comprehensive discussion of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) with historian Dan Snow, examining how this global conflict between Britain and France shaped world history through British victories in North America, India, and at sea, while Prussia's Frederick the Great fought in Europe.

James Holland discusses 1940 as the pivotal year of WWII, arguing that while France's rapid defeat shocked the world, German invasion of Britain was never realistic due to the Royal Navy's supremacy and logistical impossibilities. He contends that Britain's decision to fight on rather than negotiate peace effectively sealed Germany's fate.

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the Wild West as both historical reality and cultural myth, exploring the violent expansion westward, the near-extermination of buffalo and Native Americans, and how the mythology of cowboys and gunslingers became central to American identity and global popular culture.