Dan Snow's History Hit

Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful figures of the medieval world: twice a queen, a crusader, a rebel and the architect of an empire. Through her marriages to Louis VII of France and Henry II of England, she helped create the vast Angevin Empire and reshape European politics.

For the second episode in our mini-series on the Crusades, we explore the legendary rivalry between two extraordinary medieval orders: the Assassins and the Templars.

For the final episode in our 'Commanders' series, we've drawn on your suggestions to pay tribute to the commanders who didn’t make our main episodes, but left a lasting mark on the Second World War. Joining us is Jonathan Bratten, a historian and serving Major in the Maine National Guard.

Discover the story behind one of history’s most powerful and controversial eras in our three-part mini-series on the Crusades.

To launch our mini series on the Crusades, we've put together your complete guide to almost two centuries of holy war - from start to finish. We untangle faith, politics and myth, and reveal how the Crusades reshaped Europe, the Middle East and relations between Islam and Christianity forever.

Marshal Georgy Zhukov was undoubtedly one of the Second World War's most formidable figures. Rising from humble peasant origins, Zhukov became the archetype of the Soviet warrior.

Today, we step beyond the slow-motion swagger and into the gritty, complex reality of the Peaky Blinders. Who were the gangsters behind the myths? And what was life actually like in the backstreets of late 19th and early 20th-century Birmingham?

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the mastermind of the “sneak attack” on Pearl Harbour that dragged the United States into the Second World War. His strategy stunned the Allies and allowed the Japanese military to make gains across the Pacific that took years of hard, bloody fighting to reverse.

In September 1999, just weeks after 46-year-old Vladimir Putin became Russia’s prime minister, a series of apartment bombings ripped through Russian cities, killing hundreds as they slept and plunging the country into fear. The government blamed Chechen militants—but questions soon emerged.

As Supreme Commander, Eisenhower spearheaded the successful Allied invasions of North Africa, Italy and Western Europe.

In July 1863, the quiet town of Gettysburg became the site of one of the most decisive clashes of the American Civil War. Over three intense days, Union and Confederate forces fought across fields, hills and ridges in a battle that helped shape the future of the United States.

With the Iran war still unfolding, we ask the question: Can air power alone topple a government? From the First World War onward, military strategists have argued that bombing from the air could break a nation’s will and force political change without costly ground invasions.

Celebrated for his victories in North Africa and Europe, Bernard Montgomery built a reputation for meticulous planning and caution that many soldiers admired. But his record was not without controversy, from tense rivalries with his allies to the failed gamble of Operation Market Garden.

In this episode, we explore the dramatic love story between King Edward VIII and the twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson - a romance that shook the British monarchy to its core.

In the sands of North Africa, Erwin Rommel became a battlefield legend. His bold manoeuvres and audacious tactics captured the imagination of friend and foe alike. But how did he become that commander?

At the heart of Beijing sits the Forbidden City, one of the greatest architectural achievements in human history. It's the largest palace complex on Earth.

More than 350 years ago, something unprecedented happened in Britain: a reigning king was arrested, put on trial, and executed. You may have seen many news outlets refer to this historic event, given the current news agenda regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew (who denies any wrongdoing and is innocent until proven guilty), has encouraged news outlets to look at the precedent of royals falling foul of the law.

In 1381, after plague, famine and war had pushed England to the brink, a final blow sparked an extraordinary uprising. This episode explores the Peasants’ Revolt, not as a chaotic riot, but as a coordinated challenge to royal and religious power in England.

From icy seas to fire-lit longhouses, Dan heads to Iceland to trace the birth of one of the world’s most unique medieval cultures — at the very edge of the known world.

He had at least 14 known mistresses and a hoard of illegitimate children; Charles II's private life was as politically charged as it was scandalous. He presided over the Restoration court, a world of excess, intrigue, gambling, gossip and a lot of sex.

In the late 19th century, Ireland suffered a potato blight that became a mass catastrophe. Today, we explore the conditions that left millions vulnerable, and assess the role of the British government in shaping the crisis.

Today, we dive into the chaotic final act of Japan’s Warring States period, and hear about the three warlords who brought it to an end. Oda Nobunaga, the ruthless innovator who shattered the status quo on the battlefield.

The history of whaling is complicated. At its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, whaling was a global enterprise built on perilous voyages, long seasons at sea, and a fierce chase for oil and baleen that illuminated streets and homes and lubricated the industrial revolution.

Teenage peasant, visionary commander, convicted heretic, national saint - Joan of Arc's life reads like a legend. Today, Dan digs past that legend to understand who Joan really was, and why her story still provokes devotion, debate and reinvention 6 centuries later.

Snow and Professor Robert Rix from the University of Copenhagen discuss Greenland's history from Viking settlement through Danish colonialism to American military interest, including how Arctic environments shaped the cultures that survived there.

Snow and Dr. Elena Janega explore Eleanor of Aquitaine's extraordinary life: queen of France and England, crusader, political prisoner, and mother of two kings. Covers her influence on medieval politics, culture, and the idea of courtly love.

Snow and Steve Tibble discuss the 1291 Siege of Acre, the final major Crusader stronghold. Covers how the defenders fought against overwhelming Mamluk forces and what the fall of Acre meant for the end of the Crusading era.