Show Notes
Across the 370s AD, displaced Gothic tribes had flooded into the eastern Roman empire seeking refuge and settlement – but what they found instead was hardship and desperation. Such appalling ill treatment soon ignited a furious revolt that the Romans were determined to crush swiftly. However, these attempts to dampen resistance would instead culminate in one of Rome’s most disastrous defeats, the death of an emperor and a legacy that would ultimately bring western empire to its end. In this first series of History’s Greatest Battles, Emily Briffett heads back to the ancient Roman empire in the company of historian Dr Adrian Goldsworthy. And in this episode, they chart the pivotal battle of Adrianople in 378 AD.
History’s Greatest Battles is produced by HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Listen to our other podcasts History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, History’s Greatest Scandals, History’s Greatest Cities, HistoryExtra Long Reads and the HistoryExtra podcast at historyextra.com/podcast.
For more fascinating stories from the past, check out BBC History Magazine or head to HistoryExtra.com.
We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch.
You can listen ad-free to this episode and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://apple.co/4fgRA1d.
This episode was hosted by Emily Briffett and produced by Jack Bateman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from History's Greatest Battles
In 1485, England stood at a crossroads, scarred by decades of civil war. Against this grim backdrop, two armies headed for a fateful confrontation: one led by a battle-hardened king determined to ensure the success of a dynasty he had fought to protect for years; the other by a new challenger in an old conflict.In this final episode of our History’s Greatest Battles series charting the Wars of the Roses, Emily Briffett is joined by historian and author Lauren Johnson to explore how, in one fateful meeting on one remarkable day, a new king would be crowned – and history would never look the same again.-----GO BEYOND THE PODCASTCurious to find out more about the Wars of the Roses? Check out HistoryExtra’s archive of essential reading, listening and watching here: https://bit.ly/4qCI8KQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Survivors desperately fleeing to the apparent safety of a nearby abbey. A young prince on the brink of death. A dynasty on the precipice. The battle of Tewkesbury, which played out during May 1471, certainly had its fair share of high drama, and high stakes, as armies clashed and the Lancastrian cause was shattered.
April 1471: a thick, blinding fog smothered the fields near Barnet, swallowing banners, muffling orders and turning friend into foe. Opposing armies became disoriented – and then one mistake proved fatal.In this third episode of our History’s Greatest Battles series charting the Wars of the Roses, Emily Briffett joins historian and author Lauren Johnson to chronicle the clash at Barnet, in which lines buckled and trust collapsed.–––––GO BEYOND THE PODCASTCurious to find out more about the Wars of the Roses? Check out HistoryExtra’s archive of essential reading, listening and watching here: https://bit.ly/4qCI8KQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the bitter spring of 1461, the freezing fields of Yorkshire became a blood-soaked battlefield in which two rivals fought for the throne of a divided nation. But who would emerge victorious? In this second episode of our History’s Greatest Battles series charting the Wars of the Roses, Emily Briffett joins historian and author Lauren Johnson at the 1461 battle of Towton.
History’s Greatest Battles is back! This time around, Emily Briffett and historian and author Lauren Johnson will be chronicling the most momentous clashes of the Wars of the Roses. In this first episode, they explore 1455’s First Battle of St Albans, a bitter brawl that sparked a dynastic struggle and set in motion a chain of events that would redefine power in England for centuries to come.