Podcasts by AGE OF VICTORIA PODCAST

EP044 SEX RELIGION AND WEDDING NIGHT BLUES–VICTORIA SEX PT2 from 2022-04-06T15:07:43

Our dive under the covers continues. How did sex and religion come together in the Victorian era? How was the bible such an influence on men&women’s sexuality? Should a religious Victorian be ha...

EP043 VICTORIAN SEX PT1: GETTING DOWN TO IT. from 2022-03-09T22:52:08

Why yes, we will be asking what Victoria did with Albert. We will be asking about the how’s and why’s of Victorian sex&sexualities. There’s a lot to say, so we are getting started with just how ...

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2021–TICKLING THE CHRISTMAS IVORY from 2021-12-22T19:50:50

What could be more of a traditional Victorian Christmas than carols by candlelight with an orchestra, piano and harp? Quite a bit actually. Victorian piano’s were a late addition and the carols ...

EP042 EARLY DAYS OF A ROYAL MARRIAGE from 2021-12-05T18:54:50

Marriage isn’t easy, even in the early days, especially a royal marriage. It’s even harder if you are an intellectual who dabbles in cutting edge music, but your wife only thinks of you as a sex...

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 2021 from 2021-10-31T16:08:22

An ancient tradition, but surely one that the Victorians didn’t celebrate? Wrong, they did celebrate. Oh boy was it a big dangerous, flaming drunken party of a holiday. Join me to explore a Vict...

EP041 ROOTS OF BLOOD from 2021-10-03T14:01:33

With the hardships of the voyage across the ocean over, the settlers had to build a life in South Africa. An unsettled land, with slavery, war, opportunity, growth and social conflict, early col...

EP040 ACROSS THE SEAS from 2021-09-09T21:28:03

An empire lives on the backs of people; its own or those it conquers. For the British, South Africa needed colonists to clear the forests, build the farms, and man the armies. But getting them f...

EP039 BLOOD ON THE LAND from 2021-08-09T21:23:37

The story of the British Empire in South Africa continues. The first battles were being won, but the cost was blood on the soil, spilt by the British and shed by the native peoples as well as th...

EP038 A TOEHOLD IN AFRICA from 2021-07-01T09:57:42

The British Empire was vast, but it didn’t spring up over night. South Africa was a vital imperial staging post, then a fledgling colony. The story of how it got to be is intimately linked to th...

EP037 INSIDE THE GATES OF HELL from 2021-06-02T20:26:23

Prison is never nice, but the Victorian prison of Port Arthur in Van Diemen’s Land combined starvation, deprivation, desperation, and isolation. It was considered a hell on Earth. This episode c...

4TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL–LOVELACE AND BABBAGE from 2021-05-11T11:07:33

To celebrate the 4th anniversary, the episode will be all about Lovelace and Babbage; the true inventors of the computer age. The episode covers Intro&reviews. “There must be an easier way to do...

EP036 MEET THE PRISONERS from 2021-04-18T22:24:05

At its heart, a prison is the people. But what kind of people ended up in the hellish Port Arthur Prison in Van Diemen’s Land? Was it really just for the worst of the worst? Or was it a machine ...

EP035 THE UNFORTUNATE HANNAH HERBERT from 2021-03-01T21:08:22

How does it feel to be cast out? To lose everything you’ve ever known and be sent to the ends of the world? Want to understand what being a convict transported to Tasmania feels like? This show ...

MINI0019 Men Getting Dressed 1840’s style from 2021-02-01T15:58:59

Clothes maketh the man; but how did a gent dress in the 1840s? This episode features; Intro&podcast update. Clothing, class, and mindset. Beauty standards. Aspirational dressing. Wasn’t it cold!...

AOV CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2020 from 2020-12-24T14:46:57

Merry Christmas everyone. What a year, so lets round it off in comfort. This special episode features. Thank you’s. Quick chat about Victorian Christmas Cards Introducing Mrs Beeton, and the sta...

EP034 HOW TO BUILD HELL from 2020-12-03T21:21:41

The journey into Empire continues as we look at Tasmania, known as Van Diemen’s Land. Here the European settlers, the indigenous people, the convict system, the bush rangers, the lure of food, t...

EP033 (PT2) WHO OWNS THE LAND? from 2020-11-01T22:34:59

The journey into Empire continues as we look more closely at the Australia’s, and the difficult issues of landownership, native rights, and how land can tie to identity. I also cover the culture...

EP033 (PT1) WHO OWNS THE LAND? from 2020-10-18T13:33:42

The journey into Empire continues as we look more closely at the Australia’s, and the difficult issues of landownership, native rights, and how land can tie to identity. I also cover the culture...

EP032 PHILOSOPHY OF EMPIRE–THE VALUE OF LIFE? from 2020-09-04T20:24:02

To understand the past, sometimes we need to examine our values and subject them to philosophical analysis. The British Empire was a complex, varied entity that stretched across the world and ch...

EP031 VICTORIA&ALBERT–A ROMANTIC PRINCE&A WEDDING from 2020-08-01T18:20:34

How does the Queen of Kingdom and ruler of the Empire choose a husband? This is not a choice to get wrong, so Victoria was under pressure. Was Albert the Romantic Prince and perfect companion of...

EP030 QUEEN VICTORIA’S NO GOOD, VERY BAD YEAR from 2020-07-01T17:08:10

How was Victoria coping with being Queen? She was intelligent, stubborn, cultured, but sometimes misguided and blinkered. Worse, the nation itself seemed fractured, bitter, and in danger of coll...

3RD ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL VICTORIA&ALBERT–A ROYAL, AND A ROMANTIC from 2020-06-01T16:51:47

EP030 3rd Anniversary Special: Victoria&Albert -a Royal and a Romantic. The podcast is 3 years old, so time for Victoria and Albert to become a couple. One of histories famous romances and two n...

EP029 THE COURT OF KING CHOLERA–THE GREAT VICTORIAN PLAGUE from 2020-05-08T21:22:59

EP029 “The Court of King Cholera – the great Victorian plague” explores one of the most famous pandemics in history. There was horror, death, and a little hope. Many bad decisions, anger and mis...

MINI018 RAILWAY TIME from 2020-04-16T08:57:19

MINISODE 018 RAILWAY TIME is here to take a light hearted look at the social etiquette of train travel, and the small matter of how the trains revolutionised time. This show covers Reviews and t...

EP028 BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? RAILWAY MANIA AND SOCIAL CHANGES from 2020-04-07T12:43:07

EP028 BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME? RAILWAY MANIA AND SOCIAL CHANGES is here to count the cost of progress. As railways make men staggeringly rich, people start to fly too close to the sun and g...

EP027 Pt2“made it run” from 2020-03-14T19:09:39

Railways were one of the great achievements of the Victorian Era, but they are complicated and hard to build. This show covers the process and the people involved in building these incredible pi...

EP027 Pt1“Once I built a railroad” from 2020-03-04T13:58:33

Railway building was a great achievement of the Victorian Age, but railways are complicated and hard to build. This show covers the process and the people involved in building these incredible p...

EP026 The railway is coming! from 2020-02-01T21:48:22

The railway is here. What a change Britain was about to see! A herald of a new age, and new way of life. Something new in human history. This episode covers; The English landscape and the train ...

BONUS CHAT WITH THE SIECLE PODCAST–BRITAIN AND FRANCE AFTER WATERLOO from 2020-01-21T21:26:37

Bonus episode of The Age of Victoria&The Siècle! Learn about the differences between how France and Britain experienced the years after Waterloo in a conversation between your host Chris Fernand...

MINI017 Great things are done when men and mountains meet from 2020-01-16T23:04:12

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.” -William Blake Join me for this adventurous minisode. This show has Setting the scene; literature...

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2019 from 2019-12-24T13:19:12

Victorian Christmas Time! Mistletoe and Wine; listening to Podcast time. This is a special episode for Christmas 2019. Learn about the hustle&bustle of the Victorian Christmas, with a focus on t...

EP025 The industrial revolution&shattering the energy ceiling. from 2019-12-01T17:09:26

Forged in fire, the new era is born. The British unlock a new energy source and create the industrial revolution. Humanity around the world is transformed; no longer limited by our own muscles o...

EP024 VICTORIA; CRISIS&THE CROWN from 2019-11-01T09:02:09

The time has come. Victoria must weather the final crisis on her way to the throne. Join me for an exciting conclusion to Victoria’s childhood where she finds out if she has iron in her soul. Th...

MINISODE 016 PUB QUIZ from 2019-10-18T12:05:45

PUB QUIZ. Time for you to grab a beer and a barstool like a good Victorian and have a go at testing your knowledge. Or if you have taken the pledge and joined the temperance movement, then get a...

EP023 Politics; the Whigs&the Reform Act 1832 from 2019-10-01T06:32:01

Are you eager for reform? What to change the establish? Shake up the old order? Surely the time has come to join the Whig party then? This show covers the Whigs in the 1820’s&1830’s and the land...

MINISODE 015 TITLES&TIARA’S from 2019-09-12T11:34:43

Are you confused about your Lords&Dukes? Want to know why the Baron is always popping up? Wondering just what is the Duchy of Lancaster and why its so important? Want to know your Earls from you...

EP022 Politics–The Tories&the battle for Catholic Emancipation from 2019-09-01T12:30:17

This episode on the Tories&the Battle for Catholic Emancipation continue our breakdown of the complex political system in the 1820’s&1830’s to show you how it all fits together. If you want to k...

EP021 Politics 101 The System in the 1820s/30s from 2019-08-01T11:54:31

Politics 101 is here. Every wondered if the Queen of England has any real power? Confused by your MP’s, PM’s and Lords Spiritual? Wondering how it all works in the UK if the Constitution isn’t w...

2ND Anniversary Special (pt2)–Charles Peace, Master of Disguise from 2019-07-01T21:36:48

What makes a master criminal? That type of person who goes beyond the normal petty crime or brute violence. Charles Peace was one of the most notorious criminals in the Victorian age, but why? H...

2nd anniversary special–our first murder? from 2019-06-01T11:31:42

Happy 2nd Anniversary This is my look back on the last two years, a lot of thank you’s, some listener questions and our first murder? Two years of podcasts. Time to celebrate with a Victorian mu...

MINISODE 014 FILM REVIEW“VICTORIA THE GREAT” from 2019-05-14T20:58:38

I’ve launched a Patreon and I review our first film about Queen Victoria – Victoria the Great. I also read out the latest iTunes reviews.  The show starts with the announcement about Patreon and...

EP020 PT2 WHY EDUCATE A QUEEN&WHAT SHE LEARNT from 2019-05-01T07:06:12

In Ep20 pt 2 we continue our journey through Queen Victoria’s childhood education. Pt2 explores the specifics of education, what she learnt, and crucially, how her education would fit her into t...

EP020(pt1) Why educate a Queen? from 2019-04-03T22:25:49

In Ep20 pt 1 we continue our journey through Queen Victoria’s childhood. In this 2 part show you will see how Victoria was educated; as a child, but also as a future Queen. She joined an elite g...

EP019 Queen Victoria’s childhood pt1“Life can be fragile” from 2019-03-01T23:45:41

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham for the first part of our series on Queen Victoria’s childhood. She was growing up at a time when life was fragile at best for children; between disease, p...

EP018 Early days from 2019-02-01T07:19:52

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham and discover how Victoria is dealt the first tragedy in her life. Learn about the perils and power of being a Duchess. Plus we meet the abusive and magneti...

AOV CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2018“Of traditions and ghosts” from 2018-12-25T00:22:43

Merry Christmas, join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham in learning about Victorian Traditions of the Earthly and Ghostly kind. Let me take you on a trip through history, busting myths about Chr...

EP017 A Queen (Victoria) is born from 2018-12-03T23:32:20

We meet Queen Victoria at last. This episode covers George III, the Prince Regent, the royal family tree, the succession, the death of Princess Charlotte, Victoria’s parents – The Duke&Duchess o...

MINI013 The One With The Recap from 2018-11-23T22:49:05

This minisode gives a recap of the key themes in the show since launch as we get ready for a major Victorian event. (and no this isn’t like the Simpsons playing clips of old episodes in a ropey ...

EP016 PETERLOO MASSACRE; BRITAIN’S NADIR from 2018-11-09T09:15:01

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham and explore the Peterloo Massacre 1819; one of the darkest moments of British political&social history. From poverty&hope to anger and death.   This episod...

EP015 MT TAMBORA PT3: EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND FROZE TO DEATH from 2018-10-02T06:20:33

The fledgling United States is hit by freezing storms as the fall out from Mt Tambora continues to wreck havoc around the world. Then we turn to Switzerland and see how the darkness gives rise t...

MINI012 PRINCESS ALICE DISASTER from 2018-09-21T17:10:07

Join your host Chris Fernandez-Packham in a detailed investigation of the Princess Alice disaster on the Thames in Sept 1878, the horror of her sinking, and Victorian Londons reaction. This show...

EP 014 DARKNESS FALLS: MT TAMBORA PT2 from 2018-09-02T19:33:41

Mt Tambora has devastated huge area’s in the Pacific. Now its global impact begins to be felt. In this latest monthly narrative show your host, Chris Fernandez-Packham, explores the enormous imp...

MINI011 VICTORIAN GIN–EMPIRE&RUIN from 2018-08-17T21:37:32

Roll up your shirt sleeves, push back your top hat, and throw open your coat tails. It’s time to grab a bottle of gin, and seek riches or ruin as you learn about the history of gin in the Victor...

EP013 THE VOLCANO’S WRATH: THE YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER PT1 from 2018-08-01T07:31:58

No one in 1815 thought the world was about to change, but a cataclysmic volcanic eruption was about to change the course of history. The affairs of men seemed so important, yet in the tranquil P...

MINI010 VICTORIAN FISH AND CHIPS from 2018-07-19T16:48:21

Summer heat wave is here, so it’s time for Fish&Chips. You love em. I love em. The Victorians invented them. Don’t scoff, instead join me for a gallop through the history of Victorian fish and c...

EP012 CONGRESS OF VIENNA PT 2“TURNING BACK THE CLOCK” from 2018-07-01T07:51:29

As Napoleons downfall and Frances defeat become inevitable, the hard work and hard partying of the great diplomats and statesmen of Europe reached a fever pitch. In a whirl of balls and banquets...

MINI009“A Victorian Scandal?” from 2018-06-20T11:51:27

Join me and decide who, if anyone was the truly scandalous one. The aristocrat? The banker? The Sporting Superstar?  This is a minisode that is a stand alone episode on a scandal involving Beatr...

MINI008 Announcements&thank you’s. from 2018-06-12T21:47:17

A very short update on upcoming episodes, reviews, thank you’s and a shout out to the excellent Pontifacts podcast.

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EP011 Congress of Vienna pt 1“A Brave old world” from 2018-06-01T22:43:53

Every European school child should have learnt about the Congress of Vienna. Seriously. It is actually possibly the most important series of events in modern history that no one has ever heard o...

1ST BIRTHDAY SPECIAL from 2018-05-04T21:48:35

The podcast is one year old today. Celebrate with listener questions (who should be on the Victorian Mount Rushmore?), poetry, trivia and many thank you’s to all my listeners and podcast buddies...

EP010 EXIT NAPOLEON from 2018-05-01T22:50:42

Here end the Napoleonic Wars. The revolution is over. France is beaten and it seems Britain is set to take over power in Europe, and perhaps the world. Learn how France fell, how the political b...

EASTER SPECIAL 2018 MATCH STICK GIRLS from 2018-04-01T21:06:13

Easters here! To celebrate the end of winter, learn about the struggles of the worst Victorian job and the people who did it. The Victorian matchstick girls. Exploited, downtrodden, at risk of t...

EP009 GOD, SAVE ME FROM THE SURGEON’S KNIFE from 2018-03-01T22:54:39

After the bloody day of Waterloo, many soldiers found themselves in need of a doctor. Learn how the wounded were recovered, treated and operated on in the aftermath of one of the great battles o...

Episode 008 Waterloo Pt 3: The climax from 2018-02-01T22:21:48

The climax of the Battle of Waterloo. The fate of Napoleon, France and Europe hangs in the balance. The French seem poised for victory. Can a thin line of brave Scotsmen and the dashing British ...

AOV NEW YEAR SPECIAL 2017 from 2017-12-31T19:39:17

Happy New Year. A very short special: learn about how the Victorians did New Year, some old superstitions and why Auld Lang Syne was actually a happy song.   Don’t forget to leave an iTunes revi...

AOV CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2017:“A Christmas Carol analysed” from 2017-12-24T15:56:38

Christmas Special 2017! Scrooge, Ghosts, Food, Tiny Tim. A real deep dive into the book that made Christmas……don’t miss it. Enjoy with a mince pie and something festive. Covers Why Dickens wrote...

Minisode 007 Were the Victorians influenced by the Napoleonic Wars? from 2017-12-01T21:56:51

This minisode deals with the listener question “How does the Napoleonic Era relate to the Victoria Era?” The idea of a “Napoleonic Era” and a “Victoria Era” Key concept of continuity and why lab...

Episode 007 Waterloo Pt 2: Into the cannon’s mouth from 2017-11-12T18:07:47

This episode covers the early stages of the battle, including the desperate struggle for Hougoumont which has been immortalised in art, film and British Army legend. It goes on to cover the huge...

Episode 006 Waterloo Pt1: Destiny dawns from 2017-10-01T22:37:59

The dawn of the day of Waterloo brings only fear, discomfort and suffering. This is the first in the Waterloo episodes series. It covers The feelings of the men and a most important breakfast. W...

Minisode 006 Upcoming episodes and poetry from 2017-09-09T14:13:02

Shades of McGonagall!! Actually a quick update on plans for October/November plus some poetry. Good to be back.

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Episode 005 Quatre Bras–the chance to change history from 2017-08-01T06:25:52

Europe was at war. The fate of nations and armies hung in the balance. As people made hard choices, Napoleon began his attack. He planned to beat the Prussians, but that meant Marshal Ney had to...

Minisode 005 Big Ben from 2017-07-17T21:00:38

The story of the most distinctive clock and bell in the world. Learn how a tragic fire, and a  brilliant Victorian rotter, gave us the iconic Big Ben. This minisode details the great fire at Wes...

Minisode 004 Say what about California? from 2017-07-07T21:32:51

A quick minisode announcing our new twitter address, musing on topics, and why I’m not covering Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for a “This day in history slot” my discovery of the war in California on t...

Episode 004 Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte marches to war! from 2017-07-01T13:59:48

In the trouble world of 1815, there can be no peace in Europe. Napoleon must go to war. Join me in discovering how the storm clouds of war that had gathered over Europe finally broke. This episo...

Minisode 003 Victorian Ice Cream from 2017-06-23T22:06:34

A heatwave is gripping Britain in June 2017. That can mean only one thing – ICE CREAM TIME! But how did the Victorians make it? Was it really brought to Britain by an European immigrant, or did ...

Minisode 002 The adventures of Max Havelaar from 2017-06-16T21:52:48

Join me for another mini window into the curiosities of the Victorian age as we see how drinking coffee can help you find an unlikely hero. Adventurer, rogue, gambler, dualist, womaniser and civ...

Minisode 001 Musings on service&Dickens from 2017-06-09T22:12:57

This is the first mini-episode “Minisodes” These will be mini releases to give listeners extra content between the main episodes. They will cover various topics that interested me, caught my eye...

Episode 003 The British Armed Forces in 1815 from 2017-06-01T06:54:53

This episode covers the British army in 1815, its tactics, weapons and organisation. It also explains how it differs from the other European period. I start with a general explanation of the cos...

Episode 002 Napoleon and the French Army in 1815 from 2017-05-07T21:40:09

In this episode I indulge my passion for Napoleonic history, and explore my fascination with Napoleon. I cover the great gamble of his return from exile, his struggles, the options available to ...

EP001 BRITAIN AND EUROPE IN 1815 from 2017-05-07T21:38:12

This is the first full episode. It covers the situation in Europe in 1815, and gives a feel for life in Britain on the eve of the great events of the last campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. What d...

Episode 000 Introduction from 2017-05-07T21:35:45

A quick explanation about the Age of Victoria Podcast, release schedule, contact details, why I’m podcasting and what is going to be covered.

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