Rome

How did certain people come to be called ‘the Great’? Is the notion of great men and women outmoded? Can anyone today be reckoned ‘great’? Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook take a wide rang…

On the eve of a huge sporting encounter in Rome between the English and Ukrainian football teams, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the history binding the two nations. Crimea, The Light Briga…

No country has enjoyed a greater influence on the English than Italy. Ahead of the European Championship final, Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore the history of Rome, Italy and England. A…

Henry VIII had the most notorious marital relations of any king in history. Tom and Dominic discuss the six women who became his queen. How did they influence the course of the Reformation? And which…

Oh, to be Dutch in the seventeenth century. Or Roman in 150 AD. Or British in the 1990's. Tom and Dominic debate the merits of various "Golden Ages" in history, and ask whether we might have seen the…

To kick off our 12 Days of Christmas mini-series, Tom and Dominic remember the birth of the Holy Roman Empire and Mikhail Gorbachev's resignation *The Rest Is History Live Tour 2023*: Tom and…

In a distinctly Roman start to 2022, Tom sets the scene for Rome's "Year of the four Emperors", while Dominic recounts a battle which was the beginning of the end for the Byzantine Empire. *The Re…

Julius Caesar crossed the banks of the Rubicon river with his legion on this day (maybe) over 2000 years ago. In the first of a two-parter, Tom explains how Caesar rose to become powerful enough to ta…

Now ready to take on Pompey and the Senate, Julius Caesar must take the final step and cross over into Italy with his legion. Join The Rest Is History Club for early access, ad-free episodes, bonu…

Tom and Dominic explore what Edward Gibbon called “the greatest, perhaps, and most awful scene in the history of mankind”: the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Join The Rest Is History Club f…

What happened to the Roman Empire after its fall? In the second of two episodes, Tom and Dominic discuss where Rome endured, how its ghost still haunts 21st century geopolitics, and which member o…

Crucifixions were a form of public execution so heinous that the Romans themselves were reluctant to document their gory details... In this Easter special, Tom and Dominic trace the origins and ev…

"The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans: a thrilling, terrible, and blood-soaked story." Following on from last week's episode on the Crucifixion, Tom and Dominic take us back to Judea to diss…

Join Tom and Dominic for the second episode of this four part mini-series on Cleopatra, where they discuss her relationship with Julius Caesar and the role this relationship played in the politics of…

After centuries of Cleopatra and Mark Antony’s relationship being told and fictionalised by Plutarch and Shakespeare alike, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook uncover what history tells us about this p…

Join Tom and Dominic for the fourth and final instalment in their Cleopatra mini-series, as they discuss Octavian's propaganda, the war he waged against Antony and Cleopatra, and their ultimate demise…

Tom and Dominic are joined by friend of the show Kyle Harper to discuss how pandemics and disease played a far greater role in the decline of the Roman Empire than previously understood. On the sh…

After just 45 days, Liz Truss has resigned. Join Tom and Dominic for this special episode to discuss her place in history. Is she Britain's worst ever Prime Minister? Is this the worst crisis in p…

Alfred the Great is under invasion from the Vikings. Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Alfred's anointment by the Pope in Rome, his duality as both a fearsome warrior and a man of poetry, plus…

"In conditions of chaos, people from outside the Roman social elite can rise to the top." Join Tom and Dominic for their World Cup episode on Croatia, where they discuss the extraordinary life of…