Subject to Change

Oct 07 2024 78 ep. 67 mins 145

Subject to Change Podcast artwork

A lot of history episodes and a lot of film episodes. A few other subjects in between!

History TV & Film Education

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Giles Milton on Nathaniel’s Nutmeg

Oct 07 2024 55 mins

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 Terrib

Rebel Island - Jonathan Clements on the history of Taiwan - part 2

Sep 12 2024 64 mins

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 IslandJonathan's blog

Rebel Island - Jonathan Clements on the history of Taiwan - part 1

Sep 10 2024 50 mins

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 ever

The 4th Crusade and the final fall of the Roman Empire - with Ed Watts

Aug 23 2024 84 mins

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.

In Sulla's shadow - Ed Watts reappraises Caesar

Jul 24 2024 61 mins

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 ter

Mother Leakey and the Bishop

Jun 01 2024 56 mins

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 histori

Kaldellis on Byzantium - part 2

May 02 2024 38 mins

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.

Anthony Kaldellis on Byzantium (Part 1)

Apr 30 2024 65 mins

If you have any interest at all in Byzantium or in the Roman Empire generally I think you should really enjoy this episode. Professor Kaldellis is one of the leading scholars on Byzantium (East Rome?) and his book The New Roman Empire - A History of Byzantium takes you all the way from the founding of Constantinople to its fall to the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century, more than a

Hampton Sides - the last voyage of Captain Cook

Apr 08 2024 51 mins

Hampton has been on the podcast before and if you haven't yet found his books of narrative history I urge you to seek them out. Absolutely thrilling stories but told with real historical skill. Today we talked about Captain Cook's last voyage which ended in 1779. Hampton's book is called The Wide Wide Sea and he pays attention to all parts of the story - Cook was very much only a p

The Sin Eater

Mar 01 2024 48 mins

I am a huge fan of Mike Dash's books. We have talked about Batavia's Graveyard and Tulipomania in past episodes. But Mike also has a fascination for weird semi folkloric stories and in this episode he unearths the truth about that remarkable creature, the Sin Eater.