Tides of History

Tides of History is actually the second podcast by Washington State native and history PhD and raconteur Patrick Wyman following up on his successful “The Fall of Rome.”

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The majority of episodes are centred on particularly important events and periods of developments within Europe and the Near-East beginning around the time of the Black Death and taking journeys forward in time and laterally in place up to the mid-16th century (so far). Wyman is interested in unravelling the story of how we got here. He uses the personal stories of actual historical figures like Mehmet the Conqueror or Charles V or composite characters based on the spotty records we have for every day workers and merchants to help tell a narrative story to make sense of broader changes and processes.  The production team at Wondery chips in with musical cues and the odd sound effect,one really feels in situ as scenes are set and the story unfolds.

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There are also any number of one-on-one interview episodes with noted historians and experts in a variety of fields that help the listener understand their writing and research. Some contributors even appear more than once and the chemistry between them and the host is a great contrast to the narrative episodes written and narrated by Wyman alone.

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I highly recommend Tides of History for any listener who takes their History seriously, and wants to digest it in an entertaining way.  But if you’re looking for a “Ra-Ra”cheerleader ‘cast about one particular region, ethnicity, creed or economic model this is not the one for you.

Essential First Listens:

Classic Tides: The Black Death Revisited

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The Crusades: An Interview with Dan Jones pt 1 and pt 2