The Hanseatic League was a medieval trading network that stretched across Northern Europe. Formed in Northern Germany in the 12th century, it was an economic powerhouse of the age. Over the next five centuries, it negotiated with kings, standardised regulations, created outposts across Europe, blockaded ports and even went to war to protect its trading interests.

In this episode, Dan is joined by Dr Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz, associate professor of medieval history at the University of Amsterdam, to discuss the League's unique structure, operations, and legacy. Together, they examine its innovative and flexible approach to trade, politics, and conflict management. Also, how the Hansa functioned without becoming a formal nation-state and its lasting imprint on European history and economics.

To discover more about Justyna's work, please visit: https://premodernconflictmanagement.org/ or her personal page https://justynawubs-mrozewicz.blogspot.com/

Produced by Dougal Patmore and James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

This was originally released as a subscriber-only episode in August 2025

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Tobacco, sugar, rum, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, spices, industry, borders, slavery, war - all things spread across the globe thanks to the British Empire. At its height in 1922, it was the largest empire the world had ever seen, covering around a quarter of Earth's land surface and ruling over 458 million people- that's a lot of influence. Dan is joined by journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera to measure the impact the British Empire has had on our world, for better and worse.

Santhnam's new book for kids is called 'Journeys of Empire'.

Produced by James Hickmann, McKenna Fernandez and edited by Matthew Wilson and Dougal Patmore.

Did you know you can watch this episode on YouTube? Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/@DSHHPodcast

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

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Appointed by the Romans as king of Judaea, King Herod's reign was defined by great architectural projects and canny diplomacy. But he could also be cruel and paranoid, with scandal and family intrigue marring his rule. King Herod even appears as an unlikely and unlikeable character in the Christmas tale; the king who ordered the execution of children in an effort to kill Jesus. But did this really happen?

Dan is joined by Seth Schwartz, professor of Classical Jewish Civilisation at Columbia University, to explore the life of this ancient king and the Hellenistic world in which he ruled.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.

This episode was first released in December 2023.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback - you can take part in our podcast survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on.

You can also email the podcast directly at ds.hh@historyhit.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.