Cesare Borgia

Was Elizabeth I really as angry and bad tempered as history has always claimed? How did some of her most secret state letters come to be penned by a Spaniard, while England was at war with Spain?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb breaks the news of groundbreaking research that proves El ...  Show more

How did the French Revolution, built on liberty, become ruled by fear? And how did Robespierre - the man who had sent kings, nobles and priests to their deaths - himself end up beneath the blade of the guillotine?Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Professor Marisa Linton explore the ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Borgias, the most notorious family in Renaissance Italy. Famed for their treachery and corruption, the Borgias produced two popes during their time of dominance in Rome in the late 15th century. The most well-known of these two popes is Ale ...  Show more

The Borgias are a lynchpin in the history of the Italian Renaissance. Their tale of intrigue, corruption and cut-throat ambition still inspires storytellers, and they appear as primary villains in Assassin's Creed II.But is their reputation deserved? To reveal how much history ha ...  Show more

Julius Caesar is one of history’s most famous figures. But before his legendary conquests and romance with Cleopatra, how did he rise to power?

In this episode of The Ancients, host Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Catherine Steel to explore Caesar’s ea ...

Have you ever heard of the Emperor who made his horse a senator? Seems like a top bloke, right? Today on Betwixt the Sheets we’re going to meet (possibly) the most debauched Roman Emperor.From stealing brides from their wedding days to an unhealthy obsession with his sister, who ...  Show more