Home Podcasts THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR
THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR

THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR

Sony Music Entertainment 176 Episodes Sep 15, 2026

This is a story of three brothers, one crown, and not an ounce of loyalty between them. It’s the beginning of the end for England's most storied royal dynasty, the Plantagenets. Dan Jones brings you the story of the Yorkist King, Edward IV – tall, golden, ferocious – a young king who wins his throne on the battlefield and then destabilises it in the bedroom. His secret marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, a Lancastrian widow of minor nobility, detonates the political order. The old guard revolts. The Earl of Warwick aka the Kingmaker, emerges as a lethal enemy. What follows is a sequence of betrayals so baroque they border on the operatic. Alliances invert overnight as Warwick makes daring political moves. Kings drown in malmsey wine, princes mysteriously disappear from Towers and Richard III becomes England’s last ever Plantagenet king. Through this carnage emerges a family that will define English history: The Tudors. In a freezing Welsh castle, a thirteen-year-old Margaret Beaufort delivers a son she will spend decades manoeuvring towards the throne. Henry Tudor's claim is thin. His exile is long. His invasion, when it finally comes, is a bet against every reasonable odds.

Episodes

Who’s afraid of Henry Tudor?
Who’s afraid of Henry Tudor? Sep 15, 2026 144 He’s the man who schemed, smashed and slashed his way to power. But as it turns out, winning a crown is far easier than keeping one. This Is History: The Tudors traces the unlikely rise of King Henry VII — the man responsible for creating England’s most iconic royal family.  Their story begins on 22 August 1485, a day that changed English history forever. At the Battle of Bosworth Field, H
Paul Greengrass: Turning Andrew Garfield Into a Medieval Rebel
Paul Greengrass: Turning Andrew Garfield Into a Medieval Rebel Sep 8, 2026 2063 The story of disgruntled citizens feeling the need to rise up against a rigged system and distant elites is one that defines our moment. But we’re not unique in that feeling. Mistrust of the elite goes back a long way — like when England’s peasants almost toppled the ancien regime of King Richard II in 1381. And that’s the focus of Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass’s latest film, The Up
What King Arthur Reveals About Ourselves
What King Arthur Reveals About Ourselves Sep 1, 2026 2052 Did King Arthur exist? Amy Jeffs isn't fussed. In this episode, the historian and artist behind Arthur: A New Life takes Dan Jones beyond Camelot and the search for a "real" Arthur, into a world of Welsh myth, Breton storytelling, medieval chronicles, haunted landscapes and hyperbolically violent kings. Together, they try to understand why one of Britain's most compelling legends has endured,
Did the Hundred Years war ever really end?
Did the Hundred Years war ever really end? Aug 25, 2026 2042 Two men and two hundred years of history… On this week’s This Is History: In Conversation, Dan Jones meets Mike Livingston — award-winning historian and novelist from across the pond — to discuss the Hundred Years War.  A former Secretary-General for the United States Commission on Military History and professor at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, Livingston knows a thin
You May Also Like: The Infamous Ghost Ship | HIDDEN HISTORY with Dr Harini Bhat
You May Also Like: The Infamous Ghost Ship | HIDDEN HISTORY with Dr Harini Bhat Aug 18, 2026 3111 Dr Harini Bhat is a clinical pharmacist and science storyteller obsessed with questions that don't have answers. Every week she unravels real events from history that still can't be fully explained. Mass hysterias. Medical oddities. Vanished civilisations. Strange signals. Unexplained phenomena that keep repeating, centuries apart, as if history is trying to tell you something. In this episode, u
Dan Snow is taking Dan Jones places
Dan Snow is taking Dan Jones places Aug 18, 2026 2140 It’s time for a Dan-off. To celebrate the return of This Is History: In Conversation, Dan Jones meets the other history podcaster called Dan. Dan Snow’s an award-winning historian, best-selling author, and host of Dan Snow’s History Hit. Together, the history Dans have racked up quite a lot of air miles, and in this special episode, they discuss their FAVOURITE destinations teeming wit
S10 E12 | To Bosworth
S10 E12 | To Bosworth Aug 11, 2026 1976 Richard III’s son and heir, Edward of Middleham, dies unexpectedly. Then tragedy strikes twice: his wife Queen Anne dies, too.  Richard, who ruthlessly diverted the line of succession away from his nephews, now has to contend with a dynastic line reset to zero.  His solution? Incest.  His niece, Elizabeth of York — daughter of late King Edward IV — is being pitched as England’s n
S10 E11 | Last Hope
S10 E11 | Last Hope Aug 4, 2026 1953 *THIS IS HISTORY — A DYNASTY TO DIE FOR*  *Season 10, Episode 11: Last Hope* It’s 1482.  Margaret Beaufort and her husband, Thomas Stanley hold the most power in Northwest England…and they’re hungry for more. They’ve asked their pal, King Edward IV, to organise a royal pardon for their exiled son, Henry Tudor, who’s in Brittany. The aim? To marry Edward’s daughter, Elizabeth of York a
S10 E10 | The Princes In The Tower
S10 E10 | The Princes In The Tower Jul 28, 2026 1982 Richard Duke of Gloucester has the crown in his sights. But first, he needs to clear the room.  Allies become enemies. Councillors are arrested. Lord Hastings is dead. And Edward IV’s heirs are locked in the Tower of London.  Then Richard needs to sell himself. A preacher declares Edward IV’s children illegitimate while Richard positions himself as the antidote to his brother’s salacio
S10 E9 | Kidnap
S10 E9 | Kidnap Jul 21, 2026 2123 Edward IV finally has it all. With his enemies vanquished, the Yorkist king can now focus on what really matters to him — pleasure. But, after one fateful fishing trip, he drops dead at 41. The kingdom is now left to his 12-year-old son, Edward V.  It’s not like England hasn’t seen this before. After all, Henry VI ascended to the throne at nine-months-old. So the realm expects another royal
S10 E8 | No Mercy
S10 E8 | No Mercy Jul 14, 2026 1963 A grieving George Duke of Clarence wants someone to blame for the tragic death of his wife and spare heir.  Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence, dies during childbirth in December 1476. Their infant son dies shortly afterward.  It’s a moment that would push anyone to the brink, but in George’s hands, it turns bloody. He sets his sights on two low-ranking staff members in the Clarence h
S10 E7 | The Tribute Act
S10 E7 | The Tribute Act Jul 7, 2026 2024 In 1475, nobody wants a Henry V impersonator, but Edward IV goes ahead and does his best impression anyway.  Edward, buoyant from vanquishing his enemies at home, now wants to re-unite the kingdom against its longtime enemy: France. He wants the family heirlooms back: Normandy and Gascony.  So he assembles the biggest army in living memory — about 13,000 strong — and launches an assault on Paris

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