History Rage

Why history’s greatest Athenian leader may be wildly misunderstood today

Was Pericles really the mastermind behind Athens’ Golden Age — or have historians spent centuries exaggerating his importance?
In this explosive episode of History Rage, acclaimed classicist and Cambridge professor Paul Cartledge tears apart the modern obsession with “Periclean Athens” and argues that ancient democracy was far more complex than the story of one great man. From the origins of democracy and demagogues to the brutal realities of Athenian politics, this is a fascinating deep dive into Ancient Greece, the Peloponnesian War, Sparta, rhetoric, and political power.

Paul explains why Pericles could never have ruled like a dictator, why Athens executed failed politicians, and why modern comparisons between Pericles and modern autocrats completely miss the point. He also explores the cultural mythmaking around the Parthenon, the famous Funeral Oration, and the role of Thucydides in shaping Pericles’ legendary reputation.

The conversation also shines a spotlight on Aspasia of Miletus — often unfairly dismissed as Pericles’ “mistress.” Paul argues passionately that Aspasia was Pericles’ intellectual equal and one of the most misunderstood women in ancient history.

If you love Ancient Greek history, classical civilisation, democracy, Sparta vs Athens, Greek philosophy, or the politics of historical memory, this episode is essential listening.

In this episode:
Was Pericles really responsible for Athens’ Golden Age?
How Athenian democracy actually worked
Why the word “demagogue” changed meaning
The truth about Aspasia of Miletus
Pericles, Sparta and the outbreak of total war
Ancient rhetoric and political persuasion
Why historians still argue about Pericles today

Paul Cartledge’s book:
Pericles: Statesman, Demagogue, Eccentric
Buy through the History Rage Bookshop:
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781836392002

See Paul at Chalke History Festival
Paul is speaking at the on Wednesday 24th June.
Tickets available here:
https://www.chalkefestival.com/

Follow Paul Cartledge:
https://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/directory/paul-cartledge

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When history gets reduced to lazy moral takes, it misses the real Cold War truth.

In this episode of History Rage, historian and broadcaster Guy Walters tears into the misunderstandings surrounding Nazi scientists, rocket technology, and one of the most consequential intelligence grabs of the 20th century: the post-war scramble for expertise that became Operation Paperclip.

At the heart of the discussion is the extraordinary story of the V2 rocket programme and the Polish resistance operation that recovered an intact missile from occupied territory during the chaos of 1944. That single recovery effort fed directly into Allied intelligence assessments and helped shape how Britain and the United States understood Germany’s technological leap forward in rocketry.

Guy argues that the real story isn’t about moral purity—it’s about survival in an emerging Cold War. As the Iron Curtain fell, the question wasn’t whether these scientists were compromised. It was who would get them first: the West or the Soviet Union.

From covert recoveries in wartime Poland to the intelligence race over German aerospace expertise, this episode reveals how fragile the balance of power really was in 1945—and how close the Soviets came to dominating early rocket science.

Guy also dismantles the idea that Operation Paperclip was uniquely scandalous. In reality, every major power—US, UK, USSR, and others—was racing to absorb German technical knowledge. The Cold War, he argues, was shaped as much by captured minds as by captured territory.

The discussion explores:
The Polish resistance recovery of a near-intact V2 rocket
Why Allied intelligence needed it so urgently
Whether Nazi rocket science could have changed WWII or only the Cold War
The ethical grey zone of recruiting former Nazi scientists
How figures like Wernher von Braun influenced the space race and beyond

This is not just a story about rockets. It’s about power, pragmatism, and the uncomfortable truth that technological supremacy often comes with moral compromise.
If you think the Cold War was won by ideals alone, this episode will challenge that assumption. If you already suspect history is messier than textbooks suggest, this is a deep dive into exactly how messy it gets.

Buy the book featured in this episode
📘 Stealing Hitler’s Rocket by Guy Walters
👉 https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781035910854

Follow the guest
Instagram: @guyebwalters
X / other platforms: @GuyWalters

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Tell someone else about the show and spread the Rage

In this episode, history doesn’t behave. It collides with ethics, necessity, and Cold War fear—and leaves us with uncomfortable answers about who really shaped the modern world.
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The Crusades reshaped Europe far beyond Jerusalem — and we’ve forgotten it

For most people, the Crusades begin and end with Jerusalem, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. But that narrow view hides a far bigger story. In this episode of History Rage, medieval archaeologist Professor Aleks Pluskowski takes aim at the myth that crusading was confined to the eastern Mediterranean — and reveals how crusades transformed northern and eastern Europe in ways that still shape the modern world

Drawing on decades of archaeological research and historical evidence, Aleks explains how the Baltic Crusades were longer, more successful, and ultimately more influential than those in the Levant. From the rise of the Teutonic Order to the foundation of cities like Riga and Tallinn, this conversation exposes a forgotten chapter of European history that fundamentally reshaped societies, borders and identities

You’ll hear why crusading was a papally authorised penitential war, how it expanded beyond Jerusalem to target pagans, heretics and political enemies, and why northern Europe became the Crusades’ most enduring battlefield. Aleks also unpacks the diversity of pre-Christian belief systems in the Baltic, the realities of conquest and settlement, and how crusading ideology became a template for later colonialism and modern nationalist myths

The episode also tackles how the Teutonic Order evolved from a humble hospital in Acre into a powerful military state, why it succeeded where the Levantine Crusader states failed, and how its image was later distorted by 19th-century nationalism and Nazi propaganda. This is not just military history — it’s a story about how Europe learned to dominate, govern and remember its past

If you think you know the Crusades, this episode will make you rethink everything.

Guest: Professor Aleks Pluskowski
Professor of Medieval Archaeology, University of Reading
Aleks Pluskowski is a leading authority on crusading in northern Europe, with extensive fieldwork experience across Poland and the Baltic region. His research focuses on material culture, landscapes of conquest, and the long-term impact of crusading societies.

Book
The Black Cross: The Medieval Baltic Crusades
Buy here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780300279061

About History Rage
History Rage is the podcast that hunts down historical myths and kicks them into the long grass. Hosted by Paul Bavill, each episode invites leading historians to vent their fury at what everyone gets wrong about the past — loudly, passionately, and with evidence.

Follow History Rage
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From exploding kings to civil wars, Britain’s royals were never respectable.

Comedy legend, author and podcast host Charlie Higson joins History Rage to dismantle the myth that today’s monarchy is uniquely scandalous. From William the Conqueror’s warring sons to murderous Plantagenets, abusive Hanoverians and Edward VII’s infamous Parisian “sex chair”, Charlie argues the Royal Family has always been gloriously dysfunctional.

Drawing from his brilliant new book Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee, Charlie takes Paul Bavill on a whirlwind tour through a thousand years of royal chaos, revealing why modern headlines about Harry, Meghan and Prince Andrew are tame compared to the behaviour of their ancestors.

Expect exploding corpses, imprisoned wives, civil wars, royal affairs, fathers and sons at war, and the astonishing truth behind Britain’s longest-running soap opera.

In this episode:
Why William the Conqueror’s family immediately descended into violence
The endless cycle of Plantagenet betrayal and civil war
Why Edward II may have been too normal to be king
The shocking dysfunction of the Georgian monarchy
The real story behind George IV and Queen Caroline
Edward VII’s scandalous private life and surprising political successes
Why the monarchy survives despite centuries of scandal

Charlie also explains why Britain remains fascinated by royalty — and why countries that abolished monarchies still recreate them through celebrity dynasties and political families.

Charlie Higson will be appearing at the Chalke History Festival on Sunday 28th June. Tickets available here:
https://www.chalkefestival.com/

Buy Charlie’s book here:
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780008741051

Follow Charlie Higson:
https://x.com/monstroso

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If you enjoy sharp historical debate, outrageous true stories and irreverent takes on Britain’s past, subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Mary Queen of Scots wasn’t stupid — history’s verdict is dangerously wrong.

Was Mary, Queen of Scots really a reckless, lovestruck failure — or has history judged her by impossible standards? In this explosive History Rage counter-rage, acclaimed historian Linda Porter takes aim at one of the most persistent myths in British history and argues that Mary was anything but a “bloody stupid woman”.

Drawing directly on political context, dynastic logic, gendered double standards, and Scotland’s uniquely volatile sixteenth-century landscape, Linda dismantles the lazy comparison between Mary and Elizabeth I. She reveals why Mary’s marriages made sense at the time, how Scottish politics stacked the odds against her, and why hindsight has been weaponised against a queen ruling in near-impossible circumstances.

This episode dives deep into:
Why Mary’s upbringing in France is misunderstood — and misused against her
The unfair Elizabeth I vs Mary, Queen of Scots comparison
The dynastic logic behind the Darnley marriage
Why the Bothwell marriage looks far more like coercion than romance
How trauma, pregnancy, betrayal, and political violence shaped Mary’s decisions
Why calling Mary “stupid” says more about historians than history

If you care about women in power, Tudor and Stuart history, Mary Queen of Scots, or how myths harden into “fact”, this episode is essential listening.

About the guest: Linda Porter

Linda Porter is one of Britain’s leading historians of the Tudor and Stuart period, known for her sharp analysis and willingness to challenge historical orthodoxies. She has written extensively on queenship, power, and dynastic politics.

Buy the Book:
The Thistle and The Rose: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781801105798

About History Rage
History Rage is the no-nonsense history podcast where leading historians get angry about myths, bad history, and lazy storytelling. Hosted by Paul Bavill, the show strips away comforting narratives and replaces them with evidence, context, and expert fury.

Follow & support History Rage:
🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app
💥 Ad-free listening: £3/month on Apple Subscriptions or Patreon
🔥 Full supporter perks (£5/month on Patreon): live streams, asking guest questions, and the coveted History Rage mug

Support the podcast:
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If you enjoy this episode, tell someone. One recommendation keeps independent history alive.

Related episodes you might enjoy
Episode 216 — Mary Queen of Scots: What a Bloody Stupid Woman (with Tracy Borman) https://pod.fo/e/2e60bd
Episode 186 — Katherine Parr (with Linda Porter): https://pod.fo/e/2b3cc9
Episode 80 — Catherine of Braganza (with Linda Porter): https://pod.fo/e/1ef377

Mary, Queen of Scots wasn’t stupid — and after this episode, neither will you be about her.
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