A two part podcast on Japan's Christian century. Jonathan Clements wrote a brilliant book called Christ's Samurai about the Shimabara rebellion of 1638. We cover the story in two parts - this is part 1 and tells of the early successes and later disasters of the efforts to bring christianity to Japan. Part 2 will cover the story of the rebellion itself.

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Hampton Sides loves to tell stories of people fighting against impossible odds.

The story of the Jeannette's voyage is right in that vein. His book is called In the Kingdom of Ice and the subtitle sums it up - the Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette.

Look forward to hearing about US naval officer George de Long's polar expedition of 1879, including:

• a rich and eccentric newspaper owner
• a syphilitic navigator
• a mentally unbalanced German cartographer
• a wonderful love story

and courage and endurance beyond all belief.

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Spring Heeled Jack was an uncatchable villain from Victorian times. His speciality was attacking young women, raking their faces and clothes with metal claws and sometimes breathing fire in their faces. We have good evidence for his existence with newspaper reports and police and courts involved. But the more historian Mike Dash peels away the layers the harder it becomes to be sure of anything. A proper historical investigation into a proper mystery!

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The 'spice wars' between the Dutch and the English in the 1600's were quite something. Giles Milton told the story in his remarkable book Nathaniel's Nutmeg. What I hadn't realised until reading this was how feeble and disorganised the English were compared to their competitors. And the Dutch in particular were as ruthless as they were capable.

Visits to the court of Ivan the Terrible, a knight of the realm imprisoned in a cupboard under the stairs, horrific torture, courage and persistence beyond belief - and much much more. Giles, as ever, tells the story just brilliantly.

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We are back with Jonathan Clements for part 2 of our podcast on the history of Japan. In this episode we start with the remarkable story of Taiwan's 50 years as a colony of Japan. And Jonathan then takes the story through the White Terror up to the current day.

And to remind you:

Rebel Island

Jonathan's blog

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Jonathan Clements has written a number of histories of East Asia. His latest, Rebel Island, is a history of Taiwan from the earliest times up to today. If you have any interest in the history of the region this book is an absolute must read. And while it is a serious and meticulously researched history it is also genuinely gripping with 'Blimey! I didn't know that!' moments on every other page. Really terrific stuff.

We ran rather long so I split it into two parts. Part 1 takes us all the way up to the eve of the arrival of the Japanese who established it as a colony in 1895. Jonathan was a hugely entertaining and enthusiastic guest and the depth of his learning really shines through.

And do check out Jonathan's blog, the eccentrically named Schoolgirl Milky Crisis. Full of fascinating history and, indeed, reviews of Finnish cinema!

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Delighted to have Professor Ed Watts back on the show. This time he is talking about the 4th Crusade which turned into one of history's great catastrophes. People give many possible dates for the fall of the Roman Empire and Ed argues persuasively for 1204 when the crusade reaches its heartbreaking climax.  

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Professor Ed Watts is a reliably brilliant guest on the show. In this episode he looks at Sulla's career and the blight the cast on the Roman Republic. Ed argues that it is impossible to understand any the great characters - Caesar, Cicero, Cato, Pompey and so on - without understanding the scarring effect of Sulla's rule. In Ed's view Caesar emerges from all this as a man with terrible ambition and many faults but ultimately redeemed by his refusal to follow Sulla's example. Refreshingly revisionist stuff.

You can read more about the issues we talk about in Ed's book Mortal Republic. It is extremely entertaining and fast paced without sacrificing scholarship. Highly recommended.

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I can't remember enjoying a story more than Peter Marshall's Mother Leakey and the Bishop.

The way Peter tells the story is absolutely brilliant with walk on parts from some very famous characters.  At heart though it is a ghost story and the story of how an Anglican Bishop came to be hanged for the crime of sodomy in Dublin in the winter of 1640.

Peter is one of the leading historians of the Reformation and won the Woolfson prize for his book Heretics and Believers.  And as I say in the introduction to the podcast the story he has uncovered here is 'an absolute banger!'

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We cover the miserable tale of the 4th crusade, the Latin Empire and Anthony gives advice on how to write a Byzantium based historical novel. We had fun with this one and I hope you enjoy it.

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