Catherine the Great: life of the week

In 1708, the Spanish galleon San José was sunk by a British warship off the coast of Colombia, vanishing beneath the waves with a treasure trove of unimaginable riches. The wreck's exact location remained a mystery for centuries – until a maritime archaeologist named Roger Dooley ...  Show more

When picturing a fairy, you might imagine a childlike creature with wings. But this is a far more modern image than we might think. In this episode, Matthias Egeler tells Lauren Good about the ways in which our perceptions of elves and fairies have changed throughout history – an ...  Show more

The deliciously witty drama series ‘The Great’ tells the occasionally true story of Catherine II, Empress of Russia. It’s a wonderful example of why historic dramas should be taken as entertainment, not a history lesson. While playing fast and loose with history it actually sanit ...  Show more

Throughout their centuries-long dynasty, the Romanovs oversaw the transformation of Russia from a fragmented medieval state, into a vast empire. Despite their power though, the period of the Romanovs was plagued by violence, assassinations, and the heavy hand of autocratic rule. ...  Show more

We know the fates of Henry VIII's wives, but what were these iconic women really like?

In the first episode of this limited series, Secret Lives of the Six Wives, we'll explore the ways that Catherine of Aragon was a formidable queen and leader, and ...

Catherine of Braganza, Charles II’s Portuguese queen, faced political turmoil, religious strife, and a scandalous court—yet her influence endured. In this episode, historian Susan Abernethy joins me to discuss her book on Catherine’s remarkable life, from roya ...