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The Untitled History Podcast — History
The Untitled History Podcast

Deep dives into history’s fascinating rabbit holes.

Untitled History Podcast is the podcast that takes you beyond the textbooks to explore the untold stories of the ancient and modern worlds.

Join Gareth Edwards and a lineup of world-leading experts that lifts the lid on famous episodes and obscure global events alike.

Do you like our podcast?

Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot!

Host: Gareth Edwards

More about Gareth Edwards: ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host⁠

To comment and ask questions, please join our community:⁠ https://untitled-history.com/supporters

Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member.

Support via Paypal:⁠ http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal⁠⁠

Merchandise and Shop: ⁠https://untitled-history.com/collections/all

Our WW1 Podcast:⁠⁠ https://listen.not-so-quiet.com/

Our WW2 Podcast:⁠ ⁠⁠https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.com⁠

Battle Guide YouTube Channel:⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT⁠

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter:⁠ ⁠https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter⁠

Gareth socials

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social

Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius

Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVTGeneral Enquiries: ⁠untiteld@battleguide.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

Credits:

– Host: Gareth Edwards

– Production: Linus Klaßen

Latest Episodes:

Episode 25: 18th Century letter writing and the hidden history of women Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

In 1740, Samuel Richardson published Pamela, a novel purporting to be the letters of a young woman. In 1748, he followed this up with Clarissa, written on the same principle.
Richardson’s subjects were fake. But the activity he showed them engaging in was very real. The creation of reliable and regular postal services after the English Civil War led to an explosion in letter writing, especially for women. Through letters they could build and maintain relationships, share opinions on society or politics and reflect on life. Just as we do through messaging platforms or social media today. Indeed the intimacy and information contained within those letters could even provoke questions on how those letters should be handled after death.
Collections of those letters which do survive provide historians with a remarkable insight into the lives of people - and particularly women - within this period.
Guest
Dr Natasha Simonova is a writer and academic specialising in English literature in the long 18th century. She is currently working on a book called The Grey Ladies: The Secret Lives of 18th-Century Women.
Cats present
Cecilia, Penny (Guest kitty)
Useful links
Natasha’s website: https://natashasimonova.com
Publishing 18th Century Women’s Manuscript letters (conference talk): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BM0rCa4JUo&t=15895s
Pamela by Samuel Richardson: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6124

Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 24: How Games Workshop changed the world with Jordan Sorcery Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

In 1975, three young men sat in a grotty flat in West London decided to launch a games company. Over the next few years, they would find themselves at the centre of the growing revolution in roleplay, and then miniature gaming. Today, we’re going to talk about the history of Games Workshop and the universe it launched: Warhammer Today, Games Workshop, with its line of Warhammer games, books and more stands as one of the most successful British companies in history. So successful has it been that as of December 2024 it is a member of the FTSE 100. But behind the global business is a story of a company that played a critical role in the explosion of gaming in the UK and beyond. One whose artists, designers and writers have influenced almost every aspect of how we view fantasy and science fiction today. All launched from a small flat in Shepherd’s Bush. Guest Jordan Sorcery is a Warhammer Historian who has studied the history of Games Workshop and its various products extensively. This includes work as a documentarian and interviewer of over 100 former GW figures and employees. Cats present Cecilia, Martha (Guest kitty) Useful links Jordan Sorcery - https://www.youtube.com/@jordansorcery Designers & Dragons - https://www.designers-and-dragons.com Fighting Fantasy - https://www.fightingfantasy.com Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 23: Robin Hood: The Truth Behind the Myth Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

Lythe and listin Gentilmen, That be of freebore blode I shall tell you of a gode Yeman His name was Robyn Hode These are the opening words to The Gest of Robin Hood, first published by Wynkin de Worde in written form in 1506. They represent the first literary mention of a man who was almost certainly never real, but who has existed in the British consciousness since the middle ages. In this episode, we’re going to explore the medieval origins of Robin Hood, and how he has always reflected the society and time in which his story is being told. Guest Madeline is an architectural and cultural historian. She works on medieval Britain, and how medieval beliefs shaped the built world that we have inherited. Cats present None Useful links Madeline’s website: https://madelineodent.com Madeline on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/oldenoughtosay.com The Gest of Robin Hood: https://metseditions.org/read/976AKyAFRDDQFWvztV5Meuxbpld4M6V The Downfall of the Earl of Huntingdon: https://archive.org/details/downfallofrobert00munduoft/page/n5/mode/2up Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 22: How Piracy Actually Worked Jul 09, 2026

Show notes

Ask most people to describe a pirate and their ship, and they’ll likely conjure up an image of an eye-patch-wearing man commanding a huge ship. An image that, in most cases, could not be farther from the truth. From the middle of the 17th century onwards, European nations expanded their influence and trade into the Americas and the Indian Ocean. In doing so, they created an environment in which piracy began to flourish. That period, and the men and women who operated as pirates within it, have captured the imagination of the world ever since. Yet most of the common ideas and images about how piracy worked during that period are based on myth. On this episode, we’re going to look at how some of those myths came about, and also the equally interesting - and far more nuanced - reality hidden behind them. Guest Dr Rebecca Simon is a historian of the golden age of piracy. She is the author of The Pirates' Code: Laws and Life Aboard Ship. Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny & Mary Read. Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever, She has appeared in documentaries such as Histories Greatest Mysteries and is a lecturer in history at California State University Nortridge. Cats present Cecilia Useful links Rebecca Simon’s books: https://rebecca-simon.com A General History of The Pyrates https://archive.org/details/generalhistoryof00defo Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 21: America’s Influence on Tudor England Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

The 16th Century saw a two way exchange of objects, ideas and people between Europe and the Americas to a far greater extent than is often understood. Much of that exchange is visible in the everyday objects and trade that took place between these two different worlds. Exchange that can get lost when we frame history through the eyes and acts of individuals of recognition, renown or infamy. Today we’re going to explore the influence of the Americas on Tudor England and beyond. Guest Lauren Working is a historian at the University of York who specialises in literary sociability, material culture, and colonialism in the age of Shakespeare. Her academic work includes The Making of an Imperial Polity: Civility and America in the Jacobean Metropolis (published by Cambridge University Press in 2020) and a new introduction to The Tempest for Oxford World’s Classics. A Golden World: How the Americas Transformed Renaissance England just came out a few weeks ago with Faber & Faber. It is her first trade book. Cats present Cecilia (tail), Napoleon Useful links A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia: https://archive.org/details/briefetruereport00harr/ The Discoverie of Guina: https://archive.org/details/discoveryofguian00rale A Golden World: How the Americas Transformed Renaissance England https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-golden-world-how-the-americas-transformed-renaissance-england-lauren-working/67c60316d60d6557?ean=9780571393831&next=t Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 20: When Radium Was Put in Everything Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

The discovery of Radium in 1898 opened up new frontiers of science and medicine. But the sheer difference between the behaviour of radium and every element that had been discovered before, led to wild claims about its properties. These claims, and the mystery surrounding the new element, led to a period sometimes known as the ‘Radium Craze’. For decades, this potentially dangerous element would be used for medical experimentation and in consumer products, with news of its effects - real and exaggerated - making headlines around the world. Guest: Lucy Jane Santos is a historian whose work ranges across beauty, science, technology, popular entertainment and nightlife, uncovering fresh angles and new insights into the moments that have shaped the modern world. Cats present: Napoleon, Cecilia Useful links: https://lucyjanesantos.com https://lucyjanesantos.com/half-lives/ https://daily.jstor.org/the-serpentine-career-of-loie-fuller/ https://fuel-design.com/publishing/soviet-sanatoriums/ https://www.theradiumgirls.com/the-girls Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 19: Demonology and the Dead Sea Scrolls Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

The period of the Second Temple was a time of cultural change for Jewish communities, including in how they regarded concepts such as magic and demons. But evidence for what that meant on the ground was limited until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946, and the wealth of scholarship that followed. The picture painted is of a society looking to understand how the world, and the beliefs of other cultures around them, should be considered in relation to the Hebrew bible and beyond. Guest Tupá Guerra is a Brazilian historian specializing in demons on the Dead Sea Scrolls, with a PhD from the University of Birmingham - UK. Tupá is also a public historian and has been recording podcasts since 2015, mostly in Portuguese. Cats present None Useful links https://www.youtube.com/@umatupanotempo https://open.spotify.com/show/5g9cA7pE0CKJPphPMkD0fF Papers mentioned available to podcast members by request on our forum. Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 18: Everyday Clothing in Roman Judea Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Jesus in flowing robes. Mary, his mother, in a veil. Mary Magdalene in red with loose flowing hair. Even the disciples in short tunics bare-headed. All these, and more, are part of the standard iconography of Christianity.

Yet both here, and with Roman or Greco-Roman people in this period in general, many of our ideas about daily dress and styling are wrong.

Today, we’re going to dig into what everyday dress was like in ancient Judea and beyond, busting some myths while also showing that, in many ways, people then saw fashion no differently from how we do today.

Guest Dr Katie Turner is a historian of Second Temple Judaism and New Testament Reception. She specialises in first century clothing and how it’s represented, or, more precisely, why it’s not represented in Christian art and drama.

Cats present None

Useful links https://www.katieturnerphd.com https://www.theologyandreligiononline.com/article?docid=b-9781350928077&tocid=b-9781350928077-003 (Available to podcast members by request on our forum)

Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot!

Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host

To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member.

Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all

Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 17: The Forgotten Kingdoms That Vanished: Britain After Rome Jun 06, 2026

Show notes

The withdrawal of Rome from Britain in the 4th Century wasn’t quick. The slow decline created an environment in which small kingdoms and communities emerged as independent, or semi-independent states. Today, we’re going to explore those lost kingdoms of Great Britain. Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen

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Episode 16: Antarctica: The Nazi Whale Oil Mission May 28, 2026

Show notes

Between 1936 and 1939, Nazi Germany operated the thirds largest whaling fleet in the world. Its giant processing ships roamed the Antarctic, almost driving the Blue Whale to extinction. All to make one vital product: margarine.

Nazi Germany was not the only nation to take up whaling on an industrial scale. In the 1930s, Great Britain and Germany bought almost 85% of all whale oil in the world. The Nazi obsession with national self-sufficiency led to them becoming one of the top whaling nations in just a few short years. It also created a Nazi strategic obsession with antarctica that continues to fuel conspiracy theories today. Guest: Dr Alex Clarke: https://www.youtube.com/@DrAlexClarke

Do you like our podcast?

Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot!

Host: Gareth Edwards

More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host

To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters

Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member.

Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypalMerchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/allOur WW1 Podcast: https://listen.not-so-quiet.com/Our WW2 Podcast: https://listen.both-sides-of-the-wire.comBattle Guide YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter

Gareth socials

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social

Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius

Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT

General Enquiries: untitled@battleguide.co.uk

Credits:

- Host: Gareth Edwards

- Editing : Hunter Christensen

- Production: Linus Klaßen

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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