Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator
Great Library of Chatham High Street
An in-depth catalogue and library of every episode in the archives of the Rest is History podcast. Every historical event and figure mentioned can be found here. Every book, author and guest can be discovered with links to the episodes they have appeared in. AI powered Q&A lets you find that elusive moment you remember, but can't quite place the episode - letting you jump straight to the point where Dom cracks up about Chatham wrestlers, or to discover the truth about the ancient British sport of Dwyle Flonking. Based on complete transcripts of the entire archive.
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Myths, legends and origin stories.
Mythic & Legendary
Background image depicting the Mythic & Legendary era.
King Arthur: The Once & Future King (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the legend of King Arthur’s final battle, death and possible return, using Sir Thomas Malory’s Le…
EpisodeKing Arthur: Lancelot and the Round Table (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore how Chrétien de Troyes made Lancelot and his adulterous devotion to Guinevere central to Arthuria…
EpisodeKing Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend (Part 4)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the sparse and disputed evidence for a historical King Arthur. They scrutinize Nennius’s ninth-ce…
EpisodeKing Arthur: The Mysteries of Merlin (Part 3)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Geoffrey of Monmouth’s influential creation of Merlin and the Arthurian story in his History of t…
Classical worlds from Mesopotamia to Rome.
Ancient Civilisations & Classical Antiquity
Background image depicting the Ancient Civilisations & Classical Antiquity era.
Cicero: Defender of the Republic
In this bonus episode, Tom Holland is joined by classicist Catherine Edwards, author of Orator: The Life of Cicero and the End of the Roman…
EpisodeMary Beard on What Made The Romans Different
Recorded live at The Rest Is History Club Festival at Hampton Court Palace, Tom Holland interviews classicist Dame Mary Beard about what ma…
EpisodeThe General Who Made Rome Invincible
In this bonus episode of The Rest Is History, host Tom Holland welcomes scholar Bret Devereaux to discuss the long‑standing debate over Gai…
EpisodeRoman Civil War: Rise of the General (Part 1)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the turbulent late 2nd century BC Roman Republic, focusing on the rise of Gaius M…
Bridging Rome to medieval Europe.
Late Antiquity & Early Middle Ages
Background image depicting the Late Antiquity & Early Middle Ages era.
King Arthur: The Mysteries of Merlin (Part 3)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Geoffrey of Monmouth’s influential creation of Merlin and the Arthurian story in his History of t…
EpisodeKing Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend (Part 4)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the sparse and disputed evidence for a historical King Arthur. They scrutinize Nennius’s ninth-ce…
EpisodeRIHC: Ancient Iran, Cyrus the Great, and Persian Nationalism
This bonus episode of The Rest Is History features Tom Holland interviewing Professor Ali Ansari about how post‑revolutionary Iran has trea…
EpisodeRIHC: Corrupt US Presidents, Wartime Prime Ministers, and the Birth of Byzantium
This bonus episode reunites Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook for a Rest Is History club Q&A. They open by referencing recent episodes (Sir…
Crusades, kingdoms and cathedrals.
High & Late Middle Ages
Background image depicting the High & Late Middle Ages era.
King Arthur: Lancelot and the Round Table (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore how Chrétien de Troyes made Lancelot and his adulterous devotion to Guinevere central to Arthuria…
EpisodeKing Arthur: The Once & Future King (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the legend of King Arthur’s final battle, death and possible return, using Sir Thomas Malory’s Le…
EpisodeKing Arthur: The Mysteries of Merlin (Part 3)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine Geoffrey of Monmouth’s influential creation of Merlin and the Arthurian story in his History of t…
EpisodeKing Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend (Part 4)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the sparse and disputed evidence for a historical King Arthur. They scrutinize Nennius’s ninth-ce…
Renaissance, reformations and global voyages.
Early Modern & Renaissance
Background image depicting the Early Modern & Renaissance era.
The History of Satire, with Ian Hislop
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Private Eye editor Ian Hislop at the Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court Palace about the long British t…
EpisodeWhy A United Ireland Isn't Part of the UK
In this bonus episode recorded at The Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court, Dominic Sandbrook speaks with historian Paul Rouse about w…
EpisodeWas Elizabeth I England's Greatest Monarch?
In this bonus episode recorded at the Restless History Festival in Hampton Court Palace, Tom Holland is joined by regular co‑host Dominic S…
EpisodeThe Tudor Da Vinci Code
In this bonus episode of The Rest Is History, host Tom Holland welcomes Tim Ashton, a farmer whose family has long owned Soulton Hall in Sh…
Ideas, empires and revolutions reshaping the world.
Enlightenment & Age of Revolutions
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Did the Illuminati Control the French Revolution?
Tom Holland speaks with historian Michael Taylor about the real Bavarian Illuminati and the conspiracy theories that grew around it. Founde…
EpisodeWhy The French Revolution Turned Violent with Simon Schama
Dominic Sandbrook welcomes historian Simon Schama to discuss why the French Revolution descended into the Terror. Schama emphasizes the pre…
EpisodeThe Man Who Painted The Terror
Tom Holland and art critic Laura Cumming explore Jacques-Louis David’s painting The Death of Marat and David’s role as artist, revolutionar…
EpisodeThe Terror: Death at the Guillotine (Part 4)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the downfall and execution of Georges Danton in April 1794, setting his fate within the escalatin…
Steam, empire and the long 19th century.
Industrial & Imperial Age (Long 19th Century)
Background image depicting the Industrial & Imperial Age (Long 19th Century) era.
The Mad Emperor's Lost Son
This bonus follow-up to Queen Victoria’s Revenge returns to the 1868 British expedition to Abyssinia through three figures largely left out…
EpisodeQueen Victoria’s Revenge: The Mad Emperor of Abyssinia (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook introduce the British Expedition to Abyssinia through the extraordinary reign of Emperor Tewodros II. Beg…
EpisodeQueen Victoria’s Revenge: Storming the Citadel (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook conclude the story of the British Expedition to Abyssinia. After Lord Derby’s government authorises milit…
EpisodeWhy A United Ireland Isn't Part of the UK
In this bonus episode recorded at The Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court, Dominic Sandbrook speaks with historian Paul Rouse about w…
Total war, upheaval and the uneasy peace between.
World Wars & Inter-war Era
Background image depicting the World Wars & Inter-war Era era.
Did the Illuminati Control the French Revolution?
Tom Holland speaks with historian Michael Taylor about the real Bavarian Illuminati and the conspiracy theories that grew around it. Founde…
EpisodeWere the Troubles Inevitable?
This bonus Q&A sees Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook revisit their four-part series on the Troubles through listener questions. They consi…
EpisodeThe Troubles: Murder in Belfast (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook open their series on the Troubles by tracing the foundations of Northern Ireland’s sectarian conflict fro…
EpisodeThe Successor to the Mayerling Murder
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook delve into the extraordinary life of Franz Nopcsa, a self‑taught Hungarian‑Transylvanian …
Superpower stand-offs and post-war recovery.
Mid-20th Century & Cold War
Background image depicting the Mid-20th Century & Cold War era.
Were the Troubles Inevitable?
This bonus Q&A sees Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook revisit their four-part series on the Troubles through listener questions. They consi…
EpisodeThe Troubles: Murder in Belfast (Part 1)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook open their series on the Troubles by tracing the foundations of Northern Ireland’s sectarian conflict fro…
EpisodeThe Troubles: The Brink of Civil War (Part 2)
Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the rapid escalation of the Northern Irish conflict between 1968 and 1969. They begin with Prime …
EpisodeThe Troubles: Return of the IRA (Part 3)
In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the rapid escalation of the Northern Ireland conflict in 1970‑71. They begin by r…
Globalisation, technology and the present day.
Contemporary Era (Post-1991)
Background image depicting the Contemporary Era (Post-1991) era.
Did the Illuminati Control the French Revolution?
Tom Holland speaks with historian Michael Taylor about the real Bavarian Illuminati and the conspiracy theories that grew around it. Founde…
EpisodeThe History of Satire, with Ian Hislop
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Private Eye editor Ian Hislop at the Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court Palace about the long British t…
EpisodeWere the Troubles Inevitable?
This bonus Q&A sees Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook revisit their four-part series on the Troubles through listener questions. They consi…
EpisodeThe Death of History
In this Rest is History bonus episode, host Tom Holland welcomes Omar Mohammed – known as the Mosul Eye – to discuss his experiences docume…
Cross-era specials, biographies and deep dives.
Thematic / Biographical series
Background image depicting the Thematic / Biographical series era.
Why The French Revolution Turned Violent with Simon Schama
Dominic Sandbrook welcomes historian Simon Schama to discuss why the French Revolution descended into the Terror. Schama emphasizes the pre…
EpisodeThe Man Who Painted The Terror
Tom Holland and art critic Laura Cumming explore Jacques-Louis David’s painting The Death of Marat and David’s role as artist, revolutionar…
EpisodeThe History of Satire, with Ian Hislop
Dominic Sandbrook interviews Private Eye editor Ian Hislop at the Rest Is History Festival at Hampton Court Palace about the long British t…
EpisodeJack The Ripper: The Killer Strikes Again (Part 3)
Dominic and Tom delve into how Jack the Ripper managed to kill twice in one night without capture. They explore the possibility of an accom…