- Home
- Period
- General History
- Beyond the podcast: History's Greatest Leaders
Beyond the podcast: History's Greatest Leaders
In our new series, entrepreneur Mike Soutar – author of Next Gen CEO and advisor on BBC One’s The Apprentice – talks to eight expert historians about some of the past’s most powerful people. Here, we’ve compiled our picks of the best reading, listening and viewing to help you learn more about each of these leaders, the periods in which they lived, and their lasting legacy
- Matt Elton
Published: July 20, 2026 at 12:01 AM
25 items
- Share on facebook
- Share on twitter
- Share on whatsapp
- Email to a friend
From Elizabeth I and Catherine the Great to Walt Disney and Winston Churchill, our new podcast and video series profiles eight individuals who set out to achieve remarkable things despite the odds – using their skills and talents to shape the world around them.
And here we’ve put together a wealth of content from the HistoryExtra archive, bringing you all the context you need to make sense of their life and times.
Showing 1 to 24 of 25 results
-
The real Joan of Arc
Helen Castor endeavours to isolate the fact from the fiction in the tumultuous, tragic story of a French national icon...
-
Genghis Khan: the Mongol warlord who almost conquered the world
From being rejected by his clan as a boy and having to claw his way to power, Mongol leader Genghis Khan came to believe he was destined to rule the world. He all but succeeded...
-
Hypocrite, reactionary, usurper, sex maniac: is Catherine the Great's reputation justified?
Catherine the Great’s reputation has come under sustained attack over the past two centuries. But do the charges against her stand up to scrutiny? Historian Janet Hartley has her doubts…
-
Cartoon Century: Disney at 100. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
John Wills traces Disney's story from its early animations to global blockbusters
-
Where history happenedJoan of Arc. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
On what is believed to be the 600th anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc, Charlotte Hodgman talks to historian Kelly DeVries about this saint and national heroine of France, and visits eight related places
-
The real Toranaga in Shōgun: how Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan
While Shōgun may tell the story of the fictional warlord Yoshii Toronaga, his exploits are based on the life of a real historical figure who ruled Japan – the revered Tokugawa Ieyasu
-
Who moulded Winston Churchill?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
David Reynolds reveals how the likes of Stalin, Mussolini and Gandhi left their mark on Britain’s wartime leader
-
The brutal brilliance of Genghis Khan
Yes, he was a ruthless killer, but the Mongol leader was also one of the most gifted military innovators of any age...
-
10 milestones in Disney's 100-year history
As the Walt Disney Company celebrates its centenary, John Wills traces the story of the ‘House of Mouse’ through 10 milestones…
-
Procrastinate like Elizabeth I. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
What can we learn about decision-making, and the art of proactive procrastination, from the Virgin Queen?
-
Did Catherine the Great really have sex with a horse?
It is well overdue that this particular rumour about Russian empress Catherine the Great is sent to the glue factory
-
What is a shōgunate in Japanese history?
FX’s samurai civil war series Shōguntakes us deep into feudal Japan, where warlords vie to be named 'shōgun' – but what does that title mean, and what was a shōgunate?
-
Walt Disney had a singular vision for his theme park – the eponymously named Disneyland. Teething problems and last-minute construction may have made 17 July 1955 better known as ‘Black Sunday’, not that the thousands of (mostly young) visitors seemed to notice. It was a feat, writes Richard Snow, that only a man of Disney's ambition could have achieved
-
This curated five-part series from popular historian Tracy Borman charts the changing fortunes of the monarchy, from the bloody Norman conquest of 1066 through the upheaval of civil war in the 17th century to the reign of our current queen, Elizabeth II. You can also learn more about the evolution of the crown and explore the secrets behind its remarkable survival...
-
What is a rōnin in Japan, and how is it different to a samurai?
To be a samurai meant position and prestige, but it could all be taken away in an instant, plunging the once-proud warrior into shame and dishonour – and becoming a rōnin
-
Over two decades ago, a BBC poll named the wartime British prime minister as the Greatest Briton. Now, on the 150th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s birth, David Reynolds ponders whether he deserves to remain as top dog in the pantheon of British history
-
Christopher Harding responds to listener queries and popular search enquiries about the history of Japan, ranging from the ancient past to the Second World War and beyond.
-
Season 6Elizabeth I
From the 'Virgin Queen' to 'Gloriana', the many faces of Elizabeth I are explored in this four-part podcast series with expertise from historian Nicola Tallis
-
Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn: the Tudor queen’s undying love for her mother
The Virgin Queen lionised her “dearest father” in public, despite a childhood in which she was made illegitimate and neglected by Henry VIII. Yet, writes Tracy Borman, examine what Elizabeth did – as opposed to what she said – and it’s evident that her sympathies lay with her mother, Anne Boleyn...
-
10 things you (probably) didn’t know about the Spanish Armada
The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 – a fleet of Spanish ships led by Spanish commander Medina Sidonia with the purpose of overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I – is considered one of England's greatest military achievements, and one that served to boost the monarch's popularity. Here, Robert Hutchinson, the author of The Spanish Armada, shares 10 lesser-known facts…
-
In this four-week course, you’ll discover everything you need to know about the Normandy landings, guided by historian, author and broadcaster Taylor Downing
-
Robert Dudley: Queen Elizabeth I's great love
The 'Virgin Queen' never married, but one suitor came closer to her than any other. Tracy Borman explores the complex and sometimes scandalous relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley
-
In the latest episode in our series on the prime ministers that experts believe accomplished most, Jeremy Black nominates Winston Churchill
-
Churchill's toughest decision. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.
Edward Abel Smith considers a devastating Royal Navy attack on the French fleet in the summer of 1940, and whether it was justifiable
Load next
Authors
Matt EltonPodcast editor
Matt Elton is the podcast editor at HistoryExtra
Ad
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Ad
Loading...