HistoryExtra
type: channel
link: https://www.historyextra.com
description: Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast
date: 2026-04-19T07:54:04.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: How Alfred the Great saved the Anglo-Saxons from the Vikings
items: 16 of the worst monarchs in history
items: Would you eat a mummy to cure a disease?
items: Think you know everything about the Tudors? Here's 15 facts that will prove you wrong
items: The rise of Alfred the Great
items: Why Tudor England was more multicultural than you might think
items: How the Vikings pushed Anglo-Saxon England to the brink
items: Could Tudor sleep tips fix your insomnia? Here’s what they got right (and wrong)
items: Inside a Roman villa: luxury life in ancient Britain
items: Were the Tudors really THAT superstitious?

How Alfred the Great saved the Anglo-Saxons from the Vikings
type: item
date: 2026-04-19T07:53:42.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: Viking Britain
description: Dr Eleanor Barraclough tells the story of Alfred the Great's journey from his lowest ebb, to his ascent to reclaim his throne
encoded: As the Viking Great Heathen Army advanced to the borders of Wessex, the conquest of Anglo-Saxon England appeared all but complete. In the third episode of this four-part series on the Viking invasion of Anglo-Saxon England in the latter half of the ninth century, James Osborne is joined by historian Dr Eleanor Barraclough to examine how Alfred the Great rose from the cusp of defeat, to a stunning military victory at the battle of Edington. Want to know more about the struggle between Alfred and the Vikings? James Osborne rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores this pivotal moment in Viking and Anglo-Saxon history – including insights into Viking culture, the everyday experience of Anglo-Saxon communities, Alfred’s use of religion and learning as tools of political renewal, and the long legacy of the Danelaw on English identity and culture. Go beyond the podcast

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16 of the worst monarchs in history
type: item
date: 2026-04-17T11:12:27.000Z
creator: Jonny Wilkes
subject: General Modern
subject: Medieval
subject: Period
subject: Roman
subject: Stuart
subject: Tudor
subject: Victorian
subject: British queens
subject: Evergreen
subject: Medieval kings and queens
description: From the morally bankrupt to the staggeringly inept, Jonny Wilkes guides us through the lives of 16 rulers who wrote their names into the history books for all the wrong reasons
encoded: The past has no shortage of disastrous kings, queens, and other rulers; such a list could easily have been filled with the worst Roman emperors alone. Some have been homicidal, like Nero or Genghis Khan; simply incompetent, like Edward II; completely untrustworthy, like Charles I; or amiable but inadequate, like Louis XVI of France. But who are truly the worst, and why? Jonny Wilkes makes the case against 16 rulers from history… <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/04/GettyImages-520718487-44a3fc9-e1776420577392.jpg" width="1498" height="1000" alt="A medieval battle scene shows armoured soldiers fighting with spears and shields, while two mounted knights dominate the centre and right. The figures wear ornate gold-and-black armour, and richly decorated horses move through the fray. Stone buildings and a towered structure rise in the background." title="King Tarquin and his family were expelled from Rome in 509 BC, paving the way for the creation of the Roman Republic (Image by Getty Images)" /> 1. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus King of Rome, 534–509 BC Before Rome had emperors, it had a line of kings going back to the city’s mythical founder, Romulus. The last, however, presided over a reign of terror so bad that the people gave up on the monarchy altogether, heralding the dawn of the Republic. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (commonly known as ‘Tarquin the Proud’) had seized the throne by planning the assassination of his own father-in-law, then once in power he killed senators on a whim and imprisoned or executed anyone suspected of disloyalty. His undoing came when his son raped a noblewoman, which caused such outrage that a revolt broke out that saw the tyrannical king overthrown and exiled. In his doomed attempts to regain the throne, he persuaded neighbouring cities to attack Rome, seemingly unfazed by the damage this would do to his erstwhile kingdom. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/7/2026/04/Getty…

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Would you eat a mummy to cure a disease?
type: item
date: 2026-04-17T08:43:54.000Z
creator: Elinor Evans
subject: Ancient Egypt
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
description: Why, in the past, did people eat bits of dead body? And what sort of ailments were they believed to cure? HistoryExtra's Elinor Evans explains more
encoded: Why, in the past, did people eat bits of dead body? And what sort of ailments were they believed to cure? During the early-modern period, corpse medicine became a widely accepted practice throughout Europe. From the blood of the dead to the ground-up remains of mummies – and even, in Ancient Rome, fresh body parts – throughout history human bodies have been treated as potent remedies. Drawing on expertise from historians including Dr Richard Sugg and Dr Campbell Price, HistoryExtra's Elinor Evans traces the history of this chilling historical practice. View Green Video on the source website Read more | Early-modern cannibal doctors: why mummified corpse was considered medicine

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Think you know everything about the Tudors? Here's 15 facts that will prove you wrong
type: item
date: 2026-04-12T15:00:00.000Z
creator: Tracy Borman
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: British queens
subject: Henry VIII's wives
subject: Tudor kings and queens
description: Tracy Borman shares a selection of surprising insights into England’s most famous royal dynasty – from Mary I’s love of gambling to the truth about Henry VIII’s extramarital affairs
encoded: 1. The Tudors weren’t known as the Tudors Although we use ‘Tudor’ as a nifty shorthand for both the era and the dynasty, it wasn’t used at the time either by the monarchs or their people. Neither did they see it as a distinct period: in fact, Henry VII went to great lengths to emphasise the continuity with his royal predecessors, even down to using the same tailor whom Edward IV had employed. He also emphasised his Lancastrian roots and tried to downplay his Welsh origins, aware that his grandfather Owen Tudor had married well above him when he bagged Henry V’s widow Catherine of Valois as a bride. Throughout the period 1485–1603, the people identified as subjects of each successive king or queen, as well as taking pride in their local affiliations, rather than seeing themselves as ‘Tudor people’. 2. They had a pretty dodgy claim to the throne When Henry Tudor won the crown from Richard III at the battle of Bosworth in 1485, he was quick to stress his legitimacy. But there was more than a hint of protesting too much. In fact, the Tudors were descended from Edward III’s fourth son, John of Gaunt, and his long-standing mistress, Katherine Swynford. Moreover, Henry VII’s father Edmund was the child of Henry V’s widow, Catherine of Valois, by her Welsh attendant. With such a dubious bloodline, it’s little wonder that England’s first Tudor king wasted no time in marrying Elizabeth of York, the eldest child of Edward IV. Their marriage united the warring houses of York and Lancaster and, crucially, gave the Tudors some much-needed legitimacy. 3. Henry VII was no miser The first Tudor king has a reputation for penny-pinching. But while he kept a close eye on his expenditure, he knew how to splash the cash when it was to his advantage. In the early years of his reign, when he was under constant threat from rivals and pretenders and many of his subjects questioned his right to be king, he spent lavish sums on dressing the part. Just over a week after defeating Richard III at…

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The rise of Alfred the Great
type: item
date: 2026-04-12T09:07:55.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: Viking Britain
description: Dr Eleanor Barraclough follows the Great Heathen Army on its rampage across Anglo-Saxon England
encoded: As the Viking Great Heathen Army refused to leave Anglo-Saxon England, the pressure mounted on the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to respond, placing the future of the land in the hands of Alfred the Great. In this second episode of our four-part HistoryExtra podcast series on the Viking invasion of ninth-century England, James Osborne and historian Dr Eleanor Barraclough explore the regions overrun by Viking forces and the rise of Alfred the Great amid the collapse of Anglo-Saxon resistance. Want to know more about the struggle between Alfred and the Vikings? James Osborne rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores this pivotal moment in Viking and Anglo-Saxon history – including insights into Viking culture, the everyday experience of Anglo-Saxon communities, Alfred’s use of religion and learning as tools of political renewal, and the long legacy of the Danelaw on English identity and culture. Go beyond the podcast

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Why Tudor England was more multicultural than you might think
type: item
date: 2026-04-06T09:00:11.000Z
creator: Emily Briffett
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
description: Tracy Borman circumnavigates the 16th-century globe, exploring Tudor England’s position within it
encoded: The 16th century is often seen as a 'golden age' of exploration, which witnessed England's emergence as a major player on the European stage. But it was also a period in which the English became embroiled in international wars and slave trading. In this fifth and final episode of our series Tudor England: the big questions, Emily Briffett and Tracy Borman venture out in search of unknown lands and riches – and come face to face with Tudor England’s major allies and rivals. Watch the full episode, or listen ad-free at the link below: View Green Video on the source website

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How the Vikings pushed Anglo-Saxon England to the brink
type: item
date: 2026-04-05T07:00:30.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: Anglo-Saxon
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: Viking Britain
description: Dr Eleanor Barraclough tells the story of the Great Heathen Army, and explains what it was like it live within it
encoded: During the latter decades of the ninth century, the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms faced an existential threat as Viking forces launched an assault on a scale never seen before. In this opening episode of a four-part series on how the Viking Great Heathen Army pushed Anglo-Saxon England to the brink, James Osborne is joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough to discuss the coming of the Great Heathen Army and take a closer look at the everyday lives and motivations of the people who would soon lay waste to much of Anglo-Saxon England. Want to know more about the struggle between Alfred and the Vikings? James Osborne rounds up essential reading from the HistoryExtra archive that explores this pivotal moment in Viking and Anglo-Saxon history – including insights into Viking culture, the everyday experience of Anglo-Saxon communities, Alfred’s use of religion and learning as tools of political renewal, and the long legacy of the Danelaw on English identity and culture. Go beyond the podcast

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Could Tudor sleep tips fix your insomnia? Here’s what they got right (and wrong)
type: item
date: 2026-04-04T14:57:04.000Z
creator: James Osborne
subject: General Early Modern
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
subject: Discover / Apple News
description: What did the people of the early modern period, including the Tudors, believe about sleep?
encoded: If you ever have trouble sleeping – as many people do – you might consider seeking the assistance of a book. Or perhaps, a new mattress, or fancy blackout curtains. One method you likely haven’t tried is putting a cold apple on your head. But, centuries ago, the Tudors and other people of early modern Britain believed that this was an effective sleeping aid. The apple on the head is only one part of a much broader – and deeper – school of thought about how to achieve the best sleep. People in Tudor and early modern Britain treated good rest as something that needed conscious preparation, discipline and care. And, the fact is, much of their thinking still has value today. “I do think we can learn about sleep hygiene from the early modern period,” says Professor Sasha Handley, “partly because sleep was a much more prominent concern in day-to-day life.” So what did the Tudors do when they couldn’t sleep? Speaking on the Life Lessons From History series of the HistoryExtra podcast, Handley explains their tips and tricks, and sets out how they align – and misalign – with modern thinking “People’s sleeping habits were part of an interconnected ecosystem of lifestyle habits that were meant to keep the body healthy and prevent illness,” Handley explains. “Sleep was one of six lifestyle behaviours widely identified by physicians, medical practitioners, and ordinary people as things they had to take regular care of in order to stay healthy in the long term.” “It’s part of this preventative healthcare culture that we don’t really have anymore,” Handley says. As well as dictating the value of sleep, this culture also shaped where people slept, what they slept on, what they ate before bed, and what they did when they woke in the night. No such thing as a modern bedroom One of the biggest differences from modern life is spatial. “The word ‘bedroom’ is not used terribly often,” Handley notes. That is partly because beds were not usually confined to a room used only for sleep. “Dep…

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Inside a Roman villa: luxury life in ancient Britain
type: item
date: 2026-04-03T09:57:50.000Z
creator: Kev Lochun
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Roman
subject: Tudor
description: HistoryExtra’s Rachel Dinning and Kev Lochun introduce the underfloor heating, fine mosaics and elegant rooms of Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire, that reveal the surprising luxury of life in Roman Britain
encoded: Step into one of the grandest Roman homes ever discovered in Britain, and explore the secret luxuries of Roman Britain, as we head inside Chedworth Roman Villa in Gloucestershire, now in the care of the National Trust. HistoryExtra’s Rachel Dinning and Kev Lochun introduce the underfloor heating, fine mosaics and elegant rooms that reveal the surprising luxury of life in Roman Britain. You’ll hear how this countryside retreat functioned, who lived here, and what it tells us about wealth, identity and culture under Roman rule. With thanks to all at Chedworth Roman Villa View Green Video on the source website

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Were the Tudors really THAT superstitious?
type: item
date: 2026-03-31T09:00:17.000Z
creator: Emily Briffett
subject: Membership
subject: Period
subject: Tudor
description: From the Reformation to witchcraft, Tracy Borman delves into Tudor religion and superstitious belief
encoded: The English Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries were major milestones in 16th-century England, shaking the very foundations of Tudor religious belief. But while the nation moved back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism, how much did ordinary people continue to rely on age-old customs and folklore? In this fourth episode of our series Tudor England: the big questions, Emily Briffett and Tracy Borman unpick the complex web of Tudor beliefs – from the devout to the superstitious – and explore how religious upheaval rocked the nation. Watch the full episode, or listen ad-free at the link below: View Green Video on the source website

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