History Rage

The Crusades reshaped Europe far beyond Jerusalem — and we’ve forgotten it

For most people, the Crusades begin and end with Jerusalem, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. But that narrow view hides a far bigger story. In this episode of History Rage, medieval archaeologist Professor Aleks Pluskowski takes aim at the myth that crusading was confined to the eastern Mediterranean — and reveals how crusades transformed northern and eastern Europe in ways that still shape the modern world

Drawing on decades of archaeological research and historical evidence, Aleks explains how the Baltic Crusades were longer, more successful, and ultimately more influential than those in the Levant. From the rise of the Teutonic Order to the foundation of cities like Riga and Tallinn, this conversation exposes a forgotten chapter of European history that fundamentally reshaped societies, borders and identities

You’ll hear why crusading was a papally authorised penitential war, how it expanded beyond Jerusalem to target pagans, heretics and political enemies, and why northern Europe became the Crusades’ most enduring battlefield. Aleks also unpacks the diversity of pre-Christian belief systems in the Baltic, the realities of conquest and settlement, and how crusading ideology became a template for later colonialism and modern nationalist myths

The episode also tackles how the Teutonic Order evolved from a humble hospital in Acre into a powerful military state, why it succeeded where the Levantine Crusader states failed, and how its image was later distorted by 19th-century nationalism and Nazi propaganda. This is not just military history — it’s a story about how Europe learned to dominate, govern and remember its past

If you think you know the Crusades, this episode will make you rethink everything.

Guest: Professor Aleks Pluskowski
Professor of Medieval Archaeology, University of Reading
Aleks Pluskowski is a leading authority on crusading in northern Europe, with extensive fieldwork experience across Poland and the Baltic region. His research focuses on material culture, landscapes of conquest, and the long-term impact of crusading societies.

Book
The Black Cross: The Medieval Baltic Crusades
Buy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780300279061

About History Rage
History Rage is the podcast that hunts down historical myths and kicks them into the long grass. Hosted by Paul Bavill, each episode invites leading historians to vent their fury at what everyone gets wrong about the past — loudly, passionately, and with evidence.

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From exploding kings to civil wars, Britain’s royals were never respectable.

Comedy legend, author and podcast host Charlie Higson joins History Rage to dismantle the myth that today’s monarchy is uniquely scandalous. From William the Conqueror’s warring sons to murderous Plantagenets, abusive Hanoverians and Edward VII’s infamous Parisian “sex chair”, Charlie argues the Royal Family has always been gloriously dysfunctional.

Drawing from his brilliant new book Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee, Charlie takes Paul Bavill on a whirlwind tour through a thousand years of royal chaos, revealing why modern headlines about Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew are tame compared to the behaviour of their ancestors.

Expect exploding corpses, imprisoned wives, civil wars, royal affairs, fathers and sons at war, and the astonishing truth behind Britain’s longest-running soap opera.

In this episode:
Why William the Conqueror’s family immediately descended into violence
The endless cycle of Plantagenet betrayal and civil war
Why Edward II may have been too normal to be king
The shocking dysfunction of the Georgian monarchy
The real story behind George IV and Queen Caroline
Edward VII’s scandalous private life and surprising political successes
Why the monarchy survives despite centuries of scandal

Charlie also explains why Britain remains fascinated by royalty — and why countries that abolished monarchies still recreate them through celebrity dynasties and political families.

Charlie Higson will be appearing at the Chalke History Festival on Sunday 28th June. Tickets available here:
https://www.chalkefestival.com/

Buy Charlie’s book here:
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780008741051

Follow Charlie Higson:
https://x.com/monstroso

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If you enjoy sharp historical debate, outrageous true stories and irreverent takes on Britain’s past, subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Mary Queen of Scots wasn’t stupid — history’s verdict is dangerously wrong.

Was Mary, Queen of Scots really a reckless, lovestruck failure — or has history judged her by impossible standards? In this explosive History Rage counter-rage, acclaimed historian Linda Porter takes aim at one of the most persistent myths in British history and argues that Mary was anything but a “bloody stupid woman”.

Drawing directly on political context, dynastic logic, gendered double standards, and Scotland’s uniquely volatile sixteenth-century landscape, Linda dismantles the lazy comparison between Mary and Elizabeth I. She reveals why Mary’s marriages made sense at the time, how Scottish politics stacked the odds against her, and why hindsight has been weaponised against a queen ruling in near-impossible circumstances.

This episode dives deep into:
Why Mary’s upbringing in France is misunderstood — and misused against her
The unfair Elizabeth I vs Mary, Queen of Scots comparison
The dynastic logic behind the Darnley marriage
Why the Bothwell marriage looks far more like coercion than romance
How trauma, pregnancy, betrayal, and political violence shaped Mary’s decisions
Why calling Mary “stupid” says more about historians than history

If you care about women in power, Tudor and Stuart history, Mary Queen of Scots, or how myths harden into “fact”, this episode is essential listening.

About the guest: Linda Porter

Linda Porter is one of Britain’s leading historians of the Tudor and Stuart period, known for her sharp analysis and willingness to challenge historical orthodoxies. She has written extensively on queenship, power, and dynastic politics.

Buy the Book:
The Thistle and The Rose: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781801105798

About History Rage
History Rage is the no-nonsense history podcast where leading historians get angry about myths, bad history, and lazy storytelling. Hosted by Paul Bavill, the show strips away comforting narratives and replaces them with evidence, context, and expert fury.

Follow & support History Rage:
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If you enjoy this episode, tell someone. One recommendation keeps independent history alive.

Related episodes you might enjoy
Episode 216 — Mary Queen of Scots: What a Bloody Stupid Woman (with Tracy Borman) https://pod.fo/e/2e60bd
Episode 186 — Katherine Parr (with Linda Porter): https://pod.fo/e/2b3cc9
Episode 80 — Catherine of Braganza (with Linda Porter): https://pod.fo/e/1ef377

Mary, Queen of Scots wasn’t stupid — and after this episode, neither will you be about her.
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Weimar Was a Real Place Before It Became a Political Warning

The “Weimar Republic” has become shorthand for collapse, extremism, and economic chaos — but as historian and author Katja Hoyer argues in this episode of History Rage, Weimar was first and foremost a real town with a rich cultural history stretching back centuries. Home to Goethe, Schiller, Liszt and Nietzsche, Weimar was long considered the spiritual and intellectual heart of Germany before it ever became associated with democratic failure.

In this fascinating conversation, Katja dismantles the clichés surrounding interwar Germany by exploring how ordinary people experienced extraordinary political change. Through the lives of Weimar residents — bookbinders, teachers, social democrats and shopkeepers — she reveals how hope, apathy, fear and economic despair gradually transformed a fragile democracy into a dictatorship.

From the optimism surrounding Germany’s first truly democratic elections in 1919 to the devastation of hyperinflation, the Great Depression, and the rise of Nazism, this episode explores how extremism becomes acceptable when people feel abandoned by politics. Katja explains why the Nazis initially remained a fringe movement, how the economic crash of 1929 changed everything, and why so many ordinary Germans convinced themselves to look away from the horrors developing around them.

The discussion also examines Weimar’s proximity to Buchenwald concentration camp and the uncomfortable realities of what civilians knew — or chose not to know — as Nazi brutality escalated. This is a powerful exploration of how democratic societies fracture, and why understanding the everyday experience of historical change matters now more than ever.

Katja’s new book, Weimar: Life on the Edge of Catastrophe, is available here:
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780241681244

You can also hear Katja on her podcast Reichs and Republics, and follow her work here:
Substack: https://www.katjahoyer.uk/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/hoyer_kat
🎟️ Katja Hoyer will also be appearing at the Chalke History Festival on Friday 26 June. Tickets available here:
https://www.chalkefestival.com/
If you enjoy History Rage, please follow, rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify — it genuinely helps new listeners discover the show.

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Roman slavery myths shattered with brutal truths historians can’t ignore

Roman slavery is often portrayed as mild, civilised, or even preferable to poverty—but that comforting myth collapses under scrutiny. In this explosive episode of History Rage, historian and author Emma Southon unleashes her fury at the persistent sanitising of Roman slavery and reveals the stark, violent realities behind the Roman Empire’s power.

Drawing on archaeological evidence, ancient writings, and modern scholarship, Emma dismantles the comforting fiction that Roman slavery was temporary, humane, or somehow “not that bad.” Instead, she exposes a system built on terror, exploitation, and absolute lack of human rights—where millions lived in constant fear of violence, separation, and death.

You’ll hear how people became enslaved—from war captives to children born into bondage—and why slavery was so embedded in Roman society that even modest households often owned enslaved people. Emma also reveals the chilling legal reality: for centuries, enslaved people had virtually no protections, and violence against them was both legal and culturally accepted.

From the myth of the “happy slave” taught in school textbooks to the romanticised portrayals in television and fiction, this episode challenges everything you thought you knew about Rome—and shows why understanding slavery is essential to understanding the empire itself.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why Roman slavery was widespread across every level of society
How people entered slavery through war, birth, crime, or kidnapping
The reality of daily life under constant threat of violence
The truth about manumission and why freedom was rarer than often claimed
How myths about Roman slavery developed—and why they still persist
Why slavery may have slowed Roman technological innovation

About the Guest
Emma Southon is a historian specialising in the Roman Empire and the social realities behind its power. She is the author of “Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire”, a groundbreaking exploration of slavery’s central role in Roman society.
Emma is also co-host of the History Is Sexy, where she explores the ancient world through stories often overlooked in traditional history.

Follow Emma Southon:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmasouthon
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/emmasouton.bsky.social
📚 Buy Emma’s book “Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire “ from the History Rage Bookshop:
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781399741255

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⭐ Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favourite app
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If you’ve ever been told Roman slavery “wasn’t that bad,” this episode will leave you questioning everything—and maybe feeling a little angry too.
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