Historically Speaking Podcast

It was a political scandal that rocked France to its core and proved to be a watershed event for European antisemitism. A French officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was accused of passing military secrets to the Germans. He was found guilty by a military tribunal and sent to Devil’s Island, one of the most notorious penal colonies in the world. What happened next will shock and appall you as it did not only France but the entire world. Here in Episode 49, we explore just how far the French military went to cover up their colossal mistake in what would become known as The Dreyfus Affair.

Books:

• Five years of My Life: 1894-1899 by Alfred Dreyfus
• The Man on Devil’s Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the Affair That Divided France by Ruth Harris
• The Dreyfus Affair: “J’Accuse and Other Writings of Emile Zola
• The Dreyfus Affair: The Scandal That Tore France in Two by Piers Paul Read
• The Collapse of The Third Republic by William Shire

Film:

• I Accuse (1958) with José Ferrer as Captain Alfred Dreyfus
• Papillon (1973) with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman

There have been many impostors throughout history and in this 48th episode we deal with six of them, two related to English history and four related to Russian history. All at one time or another had many who believed in them (or at least tried to use them for advantage). All six went a long way to pulling off their ruse and we discuss many of the details in this episode.

Episode Notes:

• Ivan IV (the Terrible) was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and Czar of Russia from 1547 to 1584.

Books:

• The Earlier Tudors by J.D. Mackie
• Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders by Nathen Amin
• A Short History of Russia's First Civil War: The Time of Troubles of and the Founding of the Romanov Dynasty by Chester S.L. Dunning
• A History of Russia by Nicholas V. Riasanovsky
• A Romanov Fantasy: Life at the Court of Anna Anderson by Frances Welch

Film:

• Ivan the Terrible (2014) Documentary
• Anastasia (1956) Starring Ingrid Bergman

After a six-week hiatus, we’re back and with a fast-paced adventure story that rivals even the best of Hollywood. It’s the story of Hannibal Barca. When outnumbered by the Roman military two to one, this fearless Carthaginian general, complete with eye patch and riding atop a black stallion, defied all odds in one of the bloodiest battles in all of antiquity, thus becoming one of the greatest military commanders the world has ever known. Join us as we delve into the life and times of this extraordinary man.

Episode Notes:

• The immediate predecessor of Hannibal in Spain was his brother-in-law, Hasdrubal the Fair (not to be confused with Hannibal's brother, Hasdrubal), who ruled from 229-221 BC., after which Hannibal in 221 at the age of 26 took over Carthaginian Spain.
• According to some ancient sources, Hannibal did marry an Iberian woman named Imilce and they had a son, but we do not know this for certain.

Books:

• The Punic Wars by Adrian Goldsworthy
• A History of Rome by Michael Grant
• Hannibal: The Military Biography of Rome’s Greatest Enemy by Richard Gabriel
• The Histories by Polybius
• A History of Warfare by John Keegan

Film:

• Hannibal (2006) BBC Film
• Hannibal: A March on Rome (2018) Documentary
• Hannibal in the Alps (2018) PBS Documentary

Imagine being hung three times... unsuccessfully. That’s exactly what happened to Englishman, John “Babbacombe” Lee in 1885. Or in the case of Herman Göring, being slipped a cyanide pill just hours before you were scheduled to be hung. Or foiling your pursuers by killing yourself first and being laid out in full regalia upon their arrival. Here in Episode 46, we explore seven individuals who cheated the hangman one way or another.
Books:

• Antony and Cleopatra by Adrian Goldsworthy
• Queen Elizabeth I by J.E. Neale
• Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
• "Babbacombe" Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang by John Lee
• Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Casebook by Richard Wittington Egan
• Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer

Film:

• Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor
• Benedict Arnold: Hero Betrayed (2021) Documentary
• Jack the Ripper (2017) Documentary with Trevor Marriott
• Judgement at Nuremburg (1961) with an all-star cast
• Downfall (2005) with Bruno Ganz as Hitler

“Let them hate me, so they but fear me.” ~ Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula)

Caligula, the third Julio-Claudian emperor of the great Roman Empire, was known as a cruel, erratic, sex-crazed and delusional tyrant. Not only did he decree that his horse was a Roman consul, but he also marched his troops all the way to the English Channel only to have them pick up seashells, and he’s also said to have committed incest with all three of his sisters. Was he a madman or a victim of an undiagnosed medical condition? Here in Episode 45, we take an in-depth look at not only Caligula, but all five of the emperors who reigned during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, including Claudius and the famed Nero.

Books:

• From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 BC to AD 68 by H.H. Scullard
• History of Rome by Michael Grant
• The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
• Roman History by Dio Cassius

Film:

• I, Claudius (1976) 12 Episodes by BBC
• Caligula (1979) terrible cult film, but incredible cast including Peter O’Toole, Helen Mirren & Malcolm McDowell