Posts in History
Death of a conflicted character

My latest for The Rebel: August 4 of 1265 marks the death in battle of Simon de Montfort, hero and… um… anti-Semite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x22RzATpu_A

The audio-only version is available here: [podcast title="Rebel, August 4, 2016"]http://www.thejohnrobson.com/podcast/John2016/August/160804Rebel.mp3[/podcast]

 

History, PodcastJohn Robson
Henry beheads Thomas Cromwell

My latest for The Rebel: On July 28 of 1540, Henry VIII beheaded yet another former close associate, Thomas Cromwell, his right-hand man in his break with Rome including beheading Thomas More, and later in beheading Anne Boleyn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BrIcTxcqkg

The audio-only version is available here: [podcast title="July 28 Rebel"]http://www.thejohnrobson.com/podcast/John2016/July/160728Rebel.mp3[/podcast]

History, PodcastJohn Robson
Hitler bans political parties

My latest for The Rebel: On July 14 1933 Adolph Hitler banned all political parties in Nazi Germany except his own. Which was obviously in retrospect part of a plan to impose totalitarianism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVo6ergLQKc

The audio-only version is available here: [podcast title="Rebel audio, July 14"]http://www.thejohnrobson.com/podcast/John2016/July/160714Rebel.mp3[/podcast]

History, PodcastJohn Robson
The Seven Immortals

My latest for The Rebel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w0BYHSJ9pI

On June 30, in 1688, William of Orange received a letter from the “Seven Immortals” inviting him to bring an army to England, oust James II and assume the throne along with his wife, James’s Protestant daughter Mary.

The “Immortals” were aristocratic toffs, Earls, Viscounts and Bishops, not the sort we’d expect to champion the rights of ordinary people. Indeed not people whose names we can recall today without Googling.

But they were statesman who crossed party lines and risked reputation, estate and life to defend the liberty of citizens. Whereas today the studiously common-touch politicians we elect by mass voting are partisan hacks who continually expand the powers of the state.

Perhaps we should recall the Seven Immortals after after all.

The audio-only version is available here: [podcast title="Rebel, June 30"]http://www.thejohnrobson.com/podcast/John2016/June/160630Rebel.mp3[/podcast]

History, PodcastJohn Robson