Entirely Unofficial Rest is History Catalogue and Interrogator

Late Antiquity & Early Middle Ages

77 Episodes 21 Series 77 Figures 36 Events 209 Books 152 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 77

2022

4 episodes

Ukraine and Russia

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

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…

The Birth of Russia

Vikings in the East · Part 2

This episode is the second part of a mini-series focused on the Vikings in the East and the origins of Kievan Rus. Tom …

The Vikings Go East

Vikings in the East · Part 1

In this episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the Vikings in the East, tracing Scandinavian river routes in…

2021

8 episodes

25 Dec: Coronation of Charlemagne and the collapse of the Soviet Union

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas · Part 2

This Christmas Day episode of The Rest Is History (the first of a 12 Days of Christmas mini-series) features Tom Hollan…

26 Dec: Good King Wenceslas and the first Gilbert & Sullivan

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas · Part 3

In this Boxing Day episode Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook present two light musical-themed items as part of their se…

6 Jan: Alfred the Great and Pepys' 'Fanatiques'

12 (or 13) Days of Christmas · Part 14

This episode, the final instalment of the hosts' 12 Days of Christmas special, pairs two historical vignettes. First, T…

Ancient Olympics

The Olympics · Part 1

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the ancient Olympic Games, exploring origins, mythic founders and the festiva…

England v Denmark

England Games at the European Cup (November 2021)

This episode of The Rest Is History, hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook, traces Anglo‑Danish relations from th…

Muhammad

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the life of Muhammad and the problems historians face reconstructing early Is…

Culture Wars

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook discuss the long historical roots and character of "culture wars," debating whe…

Persia

Persian Wars · Part 3

Hosts Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook welcome Ali Ansari, professor of Iranian studies, to argue for Persia/Iran's ou…

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Series in this era

21 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

77 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

209 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

152 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