Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator

Late Antiquity & Early Middle Ages

75 Episodes 19 Series 76 Figures 36 Events 205 Books 149 Authors

Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (roughly 3rd–10th centuries) are covered through several focused series and individual episodes examining political, religious and cultural change across Europe, the Mediterranean and beyond. Series include "12 (or 13) Days of Christmas" (events dated 25 Dec–4 Jan from early Christian history to later African modernization), a multi‑part Alfred the Great series on ninth‑century Viking pressures, governance and reform, a Baghdad sequence tracing late Umayyad decline and the Abbasid revolution, a Charlemagne trilogy from Merovingian collapse to the 800 coronation, and episodes on England’s ties with Denmark, Ukraine, Germany and Italy. Topics and episodes treat battles (Yarmouk, Tours), Heraclius’ campaigns, the Danelaw, the Umayyad–Berber wars, figures such as Arius, Theodora, Honorius, Harald Bluetooth and Theophano, and cite works including Procopius’ On Buildings, Palace in Split, Dominion and Dictionary of the Khazars.

Timeline Subway

Episodes Series Figures Events Books Authors

Episodes by year

Showing 12 of 75

2022

12 episodes

London: Places (Ep 2)

London Week · Part 2

This episode is part of the hosts' London-themed week and focuses on two very different London places. Tom recounts a l…

Historical Love Island: THE WINNER

Historical Love Island · Part 2

This is a special “results” edition of The Rest Is History in which hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook announce th…

RIHC: Boring Monarchs, The New York Times, and Dominic Sandbrook's Pleasure Island

This bonus episode is an informal, wide-ranging conversation between Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. They begin with…

RIHC: Biff & Chip, Dominic vs. Science, and The Divine Comedy

This episode is a wide-ranging listener Q&A and discussion. Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook field questions about sci…

Crucifixion

In this Easter episode Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland examine crucifixion: its origins, mechanics, social function i…

Saint Patrick

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the historicity and legend of Saint Patrick. They foreground Patrick's …

RIHC: The 'Dark Ages' (Livestream)

This episode of The Rest Is History is a wide-ranging discussion of the so-called Dark Ages/late antiquity. Tom Holland…

When did the Roman Empire fall? (Part 1)

The End of the Roman Empire

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook debate when — and whether — the Roman Empire actually fell, arguing that no single da…

Byzantium and the Ghosts of Rome (Part 2)

The End of the Roman Empire

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook continue their multipart discussion about when — and how — the Roman Empire end…

ARCHIVE: Ukraine and the United Kingdom

This episode, originally recorded in June 2021 and re-uploaded in February 2022, is a special on Anglo‑Ukrainian relati…

Ukraine and Russia

This special edition episode is a rapid historical sweep through Ukrainian history prompted by recent Russian actions. …

ARCHIVE: The Vikings and the birth of Kyiv

Vikings in the East · Part 3

This episode of The Rest Is History (recorded early February 2022, re-airing material first published January 2022) exa…

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Series in this era

19 series

Baghdad

4 episodes Aired: 2023-10-08 – 2023-10-09

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas

3 episodes Aired: 2021-12-25

Alfred the Great

3 episodes Aired: 2022-11-05 – 2022-11-16

Charlemagne trilogy

3 episodes Aired: 2024-12-16

Great World Cup Saga

3 episodes Aired: 2022-11-22 – 2022-12-13

Justinian and Theodora

3 episodes Aired: 2022-08-08

Vikings in the East

3 episodes Aired: 2022-02-07 – 2022-02-23

Warlords of the West (The Franks)

3 episodes Aired: 2024-12-09

Coronations

2 episodes Aired: 2023-05-04

Holidays

2 episodes Aired: 2022-08-10 – 2022-08-22

Historical figures

76 tagged

Alfred the Great (King of Wessex)

16 episodes

Æthelstan, King of England (Athelstan)

16 episodes

Constantine I (Constantine the Great)

15 episodes

Charlemagne (Charles I, King of the Franks / Emperor)

14 episodes

Justin I, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire

12 episodes

Muhammad

10 episodes

Theodora (Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire)

9 episodes

Edgar I of England (Edgar the Peaceable)

7 episodes

Saint Augustine of Hippo

7 episodes

Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne

6 episodes

Historical events

36 tagged

Abbasid Revolution (c.747–750)

6 episodes

Arab conquests (7th century)

6 episodes

Crisis of the Third Century (3rd century AD)

6 episodes

Lindisfarne raid (793)

6 episodes

Battle of Tours (732, France)

5 episodes

Coronation of Charlemagne (25 December 800)

5 episodes

Baptism of Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 988)

3 episodes

Christianization of the Roman Empire (4th century)

3 episodes

Danelaw (Viking occupation of eastern England, 9th–10th centuries)

3 episodes

Nika (Nike) Riots (532 CE, Constantinople)

3 episodes

Books

205 tagged

In the Shadow of the Sword

Author: Tom Holland

7 episodes

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (standardized)

Author: Edward Gibbon

7 episodes

Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom

Author: Tom Holland

4 episodes

Pax: War and Peace in Rome's Golden Age

Author: Tom Holland

4 episodes

The Secret History

Author: Procopius (Procopius of Caesarea)

4 episodes

Dominion

Author: Tom Holland

3 episodes

Ladybird books

Author: L. Du Garde Peach (and various)

3 episodes

Quran (Koran)

Author: Traditional Attribution or Various

3 episodes

The Arabian Nights

Author: Traditional Attribution or Various

3 episodes

The Last Kingdom

Author: Bernard Cornwell

3 episodes

Authors

149 tagged

Tom Holland

21 episodes

Traditional Attribution or Various

17 episodes

Bernard Cornwell

7 episodes

Edward Gibbon

7 episodes

Procopius (Procopius of Caesarea)

4 episodes

Robert Graves

4 episodes

Anonymous

3 episodes

Einhard

3 episodes

Neil Price

3 episodes

Peter Brown

3 episodes