This is History: History’s Greatest Fails

Elizabeth Day grew up in Belfast and would as a child walk past the most bombed hotel in Europe. Dan Jones recalls a Croatian widow whose husband went out for bread and never returned. In this final episode of History’s Greatest Fails, Dan and Elizabeth name war as history's ultimate failure and reflect on the changes that follow societal collapse. Together, they draw on conflicts that have changed the course of world history, such as the Hundred Years' War, the World Wars, the Troubles, and the breakup of Yugoslavia. Plus, Elizabeth delves into a special area of interest: How societies choose to remember war and how that has influenced the evolution of art, literature, and architecture. So what can we learn from history’s ultimate failure? – As always, Dan’s royal favourites can chime in anytime on the royal court on Patreon at patreon.com/thisishistory. And don’t forget to listen to this season’s accompanying bonus episodes for this miniseries, where Dan and Producer Al are dissecting the biggest historical failures as submitted by the royal favourites. In this episode, they attempt to answer why invading Russia is never a good idea, and the futility of France’s Maginot line amid the 20th-Century’s rapid technological change. – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices –– Presented by Dan Jones and Elizabeth Day Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Researcher - Phoebe Joyce Executive Producer - Louisa Field Executive Producer - Dan Jones Executive Producer for Daylight Productions - Elizabeth Day Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production Coordinator - Eric Ryan Head of Content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don’t forget! Dan’s gifted you his favourite bonus episode from this season. To listen for free, simply search for the last episode before this one. England is descending into mob rule. Henry VI has presided over a catastrophic loss over almost all of the Plantagenet possessions in France, and many in the realm want a scapegoat. Assassinations of powerful officials including the Duke of Suffolk, William de La Pole ensue. And in the summer of 1450, the violence comes to a head. Rebels led by military captain Jack Cade storm London in an echo of the Peasants’ Rebellion of 1381. Remember, you can delve deeper into the history behind this episode by subscribing to our bonus episodes. This week Dan and Producer Al elaborate on the rebellion of 1450, while Dan reads a poignant letter from William de La Pole. Addressed to his eight-year-old son, the text documents England on the brink of all-out civil war. – And don’t forget, you can now WATCH every This Is History episode on YouTube. Subscribe at youtube.com/@thisishistorypod – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices – Written and presented by Dan Jones Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator - Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Royal favourites, we want your voice notes in our new miniseries on historical failures. Look out for Producer Al’s callout post on patreon.com/thisishistory Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester — Henry V’s last surviving brother — is lost in delusion. He still believes England can somehow hold its possessions in France, even as its soldiers are exhausted, its treasury is drained, and its enemies grow stronger by the day. Across the Channel, King Charles VII of France hardly needs to fight; he simply needs to wait for England to collapse under the weight of its own war. But in Westminster, reality is catching up. William de la Pole, Henry VI’s most trusted advisor, summons a special parliament to confront the crisis head‑on — a moment designed to force the kingdom, and Humphrey himself, to face the truth. What happens next delivers the biggest shock of Humphrey’s political life, sending ripples through the court and reshaping England’s future. In this episode of This Is History: A Dynasty to Die For, historian Dan Jones unpacks a turning point where denial meets destiny — and a proud duke discovers the cost of refusing to see the world as it is. – And don’t forget, you can now WATCH every This Is History episode on YouTube. Subscribe at youtube.com/@thisishistorypod – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices – Written and presented by Dan Jones Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator - Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Owen Tudor is running out of time. With Queen Mother Catherine de Valois dead, their once‑secret marriage — and the Tudor bloodline it produced — is suddenly exposed. The English court is alarmed, the line of royal succession is in question, and powerful enemies are closing in. But political panic is only the beginning. When Eleanor Cobham is accused of witchcraft and plotting against King Henry VI, England is convulsed by one of the most explosive scandals of the 15th century. Accusations of sorcery, prophecies of regicide, and ruthless factional battles collide at the heart of the medieval court. Power, prophecy, and the birth of the Tudor dynasty meet head‑on in this gripping chapter of medieval English history — as paranoia, ambition and fear push a fragile kingdom toward chaos. – Want to delve deeper? Become a This Is History Royal Favourite subscriber on Patreon, where you can listen to this week’s bonus episode — ad-free— with Dan and Producer Al. In this episode, they discuss all things medieval astronomy and witchcraft, and why Catherine de Valois’ death is such a big dynastic deal. Plus, you get ad free listening, exclusive behind the scenes videos, and lively chat rooms over at patreon.com/thisishistory And don’t forget, you can now WATCH every This Is History episode on YouTube. Subscribe at youtube.com/@thisishistory – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices – Written and presented by Dan Jones Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator - Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can now WATCH this episode over on YouTube at youtube.com/@thisishistorypod Henry VI now rules England… as a kid. As the adults take charge around him, the English war effort in France has been held together increasingly with a shoestring. But now the English have a new problem on their hands: a peasant girl who says she has God on her side. Her name is Joan of Arc. – Want to delve deeper? Become a This Is History Royal Favourite subscriber on Patreon, where you can listen to this week’s bonus episode with Dan and Producer Al. In this episode, they discuss the origins of Joan of Arc, and why England continued to pin its hopes on a seven-year-old. Plus, you get ad free listening, exclusive behind the scenes videos, and lively chat rooms over at patreon.com/thisishistory – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices – Written and presented by Dan Jones Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator - Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

England’s greatest warrior-king is gone and on the throne… a baby. In season 9 of This Is History: A Dynasty to Die For, acclaimed historian Dan Jones charts the turbulent story of Henry VI, an infant monarch whose reign is beset by relentless struggles for power both at home and abroad as we enter a brutal era of English civil war - the Wars of the Roses. Scandal, madness and witchcraft form a backdrop to the young king’s troubles in England, while in France, Henry V’s hard-won legacy begins to crumble as Joan of Arc enters to rally the French fightback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The story continues as the holy family make their way to Bethlehem for a Roman census. Along the way they meet classic characters from the Nativity including an inn keeper and some shepherds who, while watching their flocks, get jump scared by an angel into going to visit a baby in a manger. But why is Luke, the gospelist, telling us all this? Who is the Jesus Christ he is trying to present in this gospel? Want to delve deeper? Become a This Is History Royal Favourite subscriber on Patreon. You get ad free listening, exclusive behind the scenes videos, and a weekly bonus episode. On this week’s bonus episode, Dan and resident Nativity expert Professor Helen Bond zoom into the intentions behind Luke’s Gospels. What was the manger really trying to convey — to early Christians and the Romans looking over them? Listen to that episode here: patreon.com/thisishistory – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Written and presented by Dan Jones. Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator: Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content – Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices