Why Wars Happened History Podcast

A war that raged for over a century — and decided the fate of Europe.

Lord Jonathan Sumption, UK Supreme Court justice and historian, joins Why Wars Happened to expose the brutal politics, shocking trials, and bloody battles of the Hundred Years’ War.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to the Why Wars Happened History Podcast

00:50 Introducing Lord Jonathan Sumption

01:29 The Epic Journey of Writing About the 100 Years War

02:39 Challenges in Writing a Neutral History

04:29 Overview of the 100 Years War

10:54 Joan of Arc's Trial and Medieval Justice

14:31 Significant Battles and Figures

20:24 Impact on Civilians and the Aftermath

24:00 Debates and Unanswered Questions

29:21 Future Projects and Conclusion

#HundredYearsWar #JoanOfArc #MedievalHistory #FranceVsEngland #WhyWarsHappened

Crusades, cathedrals, and kings who fought their way to empire.

Historian Justine Firnhaber-Baker joins Why Wars Happened to reveal how France was built through power struggles, chivalry, and wars that set the stage for centuries of European conflict.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Meet Justine Firnhaber-Baker

01:38 – The Capetian Dynasty’s legacy

02:39 – Personal research insights

04:16 – Medieval maps & shifting borders

06:56 – Power dynamics in France

13:37 – Origins of the Hundred Years’ War

16:29 – The Mayor of the Palace’s role

22:30 – Sources & historical debates

29:07 – Closing thoughts

#MedievalFrance #Crusades #Chivalry #HundredYearsWar #WhyWarsHappened

They fought Hitler — but almost turned on each other.

Historian Tim Bouverie joins Why Wars Happened to expose the secret rivalries, betrayals, and mistrust that nearly shattered the Allied powers during WWII. Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt — the alliance was never as solid as you were told.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Meet today’s guest: Tim Bouverie

01:10 – What Allies at War is all about

01:42 – Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill—and their complicated ties

04:31 – U.S.–Britain relations before the war

08:49 – How the Allied powers worked (and clashed)

12:53 – Seeing the war from Stalin’s point of view

24:08 – The Yalta Conference: what was really going on

29:09 – Wrapping it all up

#WWII #AlliedPowers #Churchill #Stalin #Roosevelt #WhyWarsHappened

What’s it like to command a war you can’t control?

General George Casey Jr., former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, pulls back the curtain on the Iraq War — the decisions, the chaos, and the lessons the military didn’t want you to see.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:50 – Meet General George Casey

01:32 – Role & responsibilities of the U.S. Army Chief of Staff

04:50 – How the Army transformed post-9/11

09:12 – The 2008 Operations Field Manual

13:02 – Casey’s command during the Iraq War

14:49 – Living in a VUCA world

18:40 – Future Combat Systems Program

22:36 – Reflections on 9/11 & Iraq

34:25 – Closing thoughts

#IraqWar #USArmy #MilitarySecrets #GeneralCasey #WhyWarsHappened

They jumped into darkness with almost no chance of survival.

Bestselling author James Donovan joins Why Wars Happened to reveal the untold story of the 82nd Airborne on D-Day — chaos, courage, and the impossible mission that made victory possible.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

01:08 – The 82nd Airborne’s D-Day mission

03:34 – Strategic importance of bridges

05:53 – Challenges & obstacles

09:55 – The chaotic night jump

14:43 – Eisenhower’s contingency letter

19:26 – Battle of the Bulge connections

20:17 – Casualties & courage

22:37 – Leadership of Ridgeway & Gavin

26:59 – Training & initiative

31:59 – Lafayette Bridge assault

35:15 – Legacy & remembrance

37:03 – Donovan’s research & connection

#DDay #82ndAirborne #WWII #Paratroopers #MilitaryHistory #WhyWarsHappened

A single code cracked. A single battle turned the war.

Bestselling author Martin Dugard joins Why Wars Happened to take you inside the Battle of Midway — code-breaking, naval showdowns, and the fight that changed the Pacific forever.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:52 – Meet Martin Dugard

01:22 – The success of the Killing series

03:47 – Writing cinematic history

06:39 – Strategic importance of Midway

10:32 – Japan’s expansion & resource needs

12:12 – Churchill’s risky WWII moves

15:54 – Admiral Chester Nimitz: Risk taker

17:38 – The power of code-breaking

20:02 – Admiral Yamamoto’s strategy

22:52 – Key moments of the Battle of Midway

26:21 – U.S. vs Japanese military tactics

27:54 – American production advantage

29:50 – Future projects

31:40 – Conclusion

#BattleOfMidway #WWII #PacificWar #CodeBreaking #WhyWarsHappened

Before Braveheart, the real fight for Scotland was even bloodier.

Historian Michael Brown (University of St. Andrews) joins Why Wars Happened to uncover the shocking truth about the Wars of Independence — Wallace, Robert the Bruce, brutal battles, plagues, and the birth of the Stewart dynasty. This isn’t just legend — it’s the story of freedom, identity, and survival.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:48 – Meet Michael Brown

01:20 – Scotland in the 13th century

02:02 – Language & identity shifts

03:35 – Population & clans

07:22 – Lords & nobles in Scotland

11:34 – Anglo-Scottish conflicts

14:10 – Challenges of research

16:51 – Debates in Scottish history

19:21 – Internal change in the 13th–14th c.

23:06 – Agriculture, plague & colonization

25:08 – Warfare & population shifts

26:38 – Robert the Bruce’s tactics

28:03 – “What if” scenarios

32:37 – The rise of the Stewarts

34:59 – Misconceptions about Scotland

38:17 – Conclusion

#ScottishHistory #WilliamWallace #RobertTheBruce #Scotland #MedievalHistory #WhyWarsHappened

Weapons that didn’t exist. Myths that fueled invasion. Secrets from inside the White House.

Journalist Robert Draper (NYT, To Start a War) reveals how Bush’s team pushed America into Iraq — the intelligence failures, the power struggles, and the legacy still haunting U.S. policy.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Why Wars Happened

00:49 – Robert Draper & his access to sources

02:32 – The Gulf War’s impact on 2003

06:17 – WMDs & the Iraq Survey Group

15:40 – Saddam Hussein & Al-Qaeda myths

21:38 – Post-war planning conflicts

27:12 – The legacy of the Iraq War

28:57 – Conclusion

#IraqWar #BushAdministration #WMDs #RobertDraper #WhyWarsHappened

 Hey guys, welcome back to the Why Wars Happened History podcast, where you learn about the causes of wars and things like, why did it happen? Was it inevitable? Who was involved? Sometimes I go back hundreds of years just so we can understand what happened. And if you want to talk more about war, we also have authors, historians, war generals, royalty, actors, filmmakers, a whole bunch of people come on as guests.

And we talk about everything about before, during, and after war. So let's go!

#AmericanRevolution

#Historypodcast

#Interviews

#WWII

#Warsinhistory

#War

#War

He was in the room when the invasion was planned.

Colonel Kevin Benson takes us inside Operation Iraqi Freedom — the war games, the chaos, and why “catastrophic success” became the Army’s nightmare phrase.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Why Wars Happened

00:45 – Meet Colonel Kevin Benson

01:30 – Operation Iraqi Freedom overview

04:52 – Challenges & planning the Iraq War

08:11 – Naming operations & historical context

09:31 – Colonel Benson’s military career

17:52 – Impact of 9/11 on operations

20:28 – Logistics & planning complexities

27:19 – Introduction to “Snowflakes”

30:35 – Tactical execution challenges

31:50 – War gaming & adjustments

41:13 – Exit strategy & post-war planning

44:07 – Catastrophic success explained

49:52 – Final reflections

#IraqWar #OperationIraqiFreedom #MilitarySecrets #USArmy #WhyWarsHappened