The Battle of Tours (Encore)

At the turn of the 20th century, a Russian physiologist made a discovery that would fundamentally change how we understand learning and behavior. What began as research into digestion unexpectedly revealed that animals, and humans, could be trained to associate one stimulus with ...  Show more

After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, hopes for democracy gradually gave way to decades of instability and dictatorship. By the early 20th century, frustration with the long rule of Porfirio Díaz finally erupted into revolution. What followed was a decade of coups, ...  Show more

Why was the greatest and most climactic battle of the Great Northern War, the Battle of Poltova, one of the most important in all European history? What drove Charles XII of Sweden to invade Russia in the Summer of 1707, in the lead up to that totemic clash? Exactly what happened ...  Show more

Vicious civil wars. Gruelling sieges. Rebellious provinces, galling betrayals and tribes seeking revenge… Join us for the first series of History’s Greatest Battles, where we’re heading back to the Roman empire. Emily Briffett is joined by historian Dr Adrian Goldsworthy to look ...  Show more

What was Britain's first military move following the outbreak of the First World War? Where did the French launch their initial attack on the Germans? Whose army was the biggest and best of all the participants in the war? And, what unfolded at the pivotal Battle of the Ardennes ...  Show more

Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who ...  Show more