Revolutions

Revolutions

From the expeditions of Captain Cook to the famous battles of the Napoleonic Wars, enjoy our large range of documentaries, interviews with historians such as David Olusoga and podcasts on this fascinating period in history. The period between the 18th and mid-19th Century saw a complete transformation of Western Culture. The Age of Revolution saw long-established monarchies, religious institutions, social systems and hierarchies challenged from below and a philosophical search for human improvement. Ideas of equality, liberty and religious tolerance traversed Europe, creating social upheaval, revolution and change. It was also a period of intense domestic and global conflict. Born out of increased globalisation was a brutal, transatlantic slave trade and the rise of imperialism.

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Revolutions
  • Great Excavations! Digging Charles Dickens' Workhouse with Sir Tony Robinson

    Sir Tony Robinson comes to History Hit to present a special film about a remarkable excavation in central London, the workhouse that inspired Charles Dickens to write his famous novel, “Oliver Twist”.

    In the middle of the capital, archaeologists are digging deep to find out more about the lives ...

  • The Incredible Story of William J. Bankes - Adventurer, Collector, Spy

    Tristan Hughes follows in the adventurous footsteps of William John Bankes. From the deserts of Egypt to the elaborate interiors of Kingston Lacy, he explores the incredible achievements of this 19th century daredevil.

    Bankes was the Georgian Indiana Jones - an adventurer, collector and spy, cha...

  • Sir Joseph Banks: Pioneer of British Botany

    ‘Dictator of British Botany’. ‘Autocrat of the Philosophers’. Sir Joseph Banks has been called many things over the past few centuries. A towering figure in the development of British botany and British natural history during the 18th century, he voyaged across the World with famous navigators su...

  • American Revolution - Commemorating the Fallen of the Battle of Camden, 1780

    History Hit has been up close to a remarkable story from the American War of Independence, exploring the history and attending the commemorations for the dead of the bloody battle of Camden, 1780.

    Travelling to South Carolina for this special film, Dan Snow investigates some exceptional histo...

  • 1833: The Year Britain Abolished Slavery (Part 1)

    Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833.

    In Episode 1 of this two-part documentary series, Luke Tomes explores the rebirth of an abolition movement in Britain with the formation of the Anti-Slavery Society in 1823, driven by the ambitious goal of e...

  • 1833: The Year Britain Abolished Slavery (Part 2)

    Documentary series exploring the abolition of Slavery in the British Dominions in 1833. In Episode 2 of this documentary series, we see the gradual deterioration of the West India Interest, its power base weakened by political reform in the United Kingdom, a decline in the value of sugar and an i...

  • Waterloo: Bones in the Attic

    BREAKING NEWS: The bones of up to 10 soldiers killed in the Battle of Waterloo have been discovered - the largest cache of Waterloo casualties ever found.

    Uncovered by a team of Belgium and German academics, it's believed these bones belong to a mix of Prussian, French and British Soldiers all ...

  • Queen Victoria's Favourite - Disraeli and Hughenden

    Hughenden - a beautiful house owned by the National Trust is set deep in the rolling greens of the Buckinghamshire countryside. This was the home of Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister - Benjamin Disraeli. But Disraeli was so much more than a Queen's favourite. He was a writer, a performer,...

  • George Washington: The First Battle

    Dan Snow goes to Pittsburgh to explore the extraordinary story of how an over-ambitious young George Washington fought for the British and helped to fire the shots that started the Seven Years War, the world’s first global conflict.

  • Quicksilver: The Magnificent Mail Coach

    Mike Loades climbs aboard a high-speed transport revolution. 250 years ago the Mail Coach was a sensation, the fastest vehicle on the road - carrying with it the promise of news from afar.

    It was the symbol of a modern, more connected world - at the vanguard of a social revolution.

    For the fi...

  • History Through Statues: The Early American Republic and the War of 1812

    In the second talk of a three part series, Steven Bishop will pick up where we left off last time at the Declaration of Independence to examine the first decades of the newly formed United States. How did George Washington rise to become the first President and a national hero? How were the Bill ...

  • 1807: The Year Britain Abolished its Slave Trade (Part 1)

    Documentary, using the academic expertise of Professor Christer Petley at the University of Southampton, exploring the rise of the Abolition movement in Britain in the late 18th century and its ultimate success in passing a bill (1807 Abolition Act) that outlawed the trade in Africans across the ...

  • 1807: The Year Britain Abolished its Slave Trade (Part 2)

    Documentary, using the academic expertise of Professor Christer Petley at the University of Southampton, exploring the rise of the Abolition movement in Britain in the late 18th century and its ultimate success in passing a bill (1807 Abolition Act) that outlawed the trade in Africans across the ...

  • Mayflower 400: Beyond the Journey

    On 16 September 1620, 400 years ago, a merchant ship called the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, on a voyage to America. Its passengers sought a new life, for some this meant religious freedom and for some a fresh start in a new land. They would go on to be known as Pilgrims, and influe...

  • Turner on Tour

    Joseph Mallord William Turner is one of Britain's greatest artists. He was the ‘master of light’ who pioneered radical techniques to interpret the changing world around him.

    In this documentary, Alice Loxton heads to the National Gallery to examine some of Turner’s most remarkable works, includ...

  • The Making of Wellington: The Battle of Vimeiro

    On 21st of August 1808, the 39-year-old Sir Arthur Wellesley (later to become the Duke of Wellington) stood at the head of an Anglo-Portuguese army numbering approximately 14,000.

    His army was positioned on the blind side of a slope, awaiting the advance of a French Army under General Jean-Ando...

  • The Making of Wellington: The Lines of Torres Vedras

    In this film, military historian Mike Loades investigates one of the most impressive and successful creations of the Napoleonic Wars: The Lines of Torres Vedras. Mike explores the spectacular lines of forts that ran from coast to coast across the neck of the Lisbon Peninsular, defending the Portu...

  • The True History of Dick Turpin and the Highwaymen

    Mike Loades goes behind the mask to uncover the brutal truth about the myth of the highwayman. Unlike many other criminals, they've been glamorised and idolised, their names enduring as legends. They are considered by many as dashing romantic heroes, courageous adventurers and champions of the un...

  • Powerhouse: Reckoning

    For nearly two hundred years, the north led the way in developing new technologies and industries that would completely re-shape societies, economies and the world order.

    Presented by northern writer Daniel Gray, Powerhouse; Industrial Revolution in the North tells the story of the birth of the ...

  • Powerhouse: Ex Machina

    For nearly two hundred years, the north led the way in developing new technologies and industries that would completely re-shape societies, economies and the world order.

    Presented by northern writer Daniel Gray, Powerhouse; Industrial Revolution in the North tells the story of the birth of the ...

  • Powerhouse: The Rise of the Machines

    For nearly two hundred years, the north led the way in developing new technologies and industries that would completely re-shape societies, economies and the world order.

    Presented by northern writer Daniel Gray, Powerhouse; Industrial Revolution in the North tells the story of the birth of the ...

  • Eyes of War

    The army that defeated Napoleon at Waterloo is often remembered as an iconic English redcoat force. A little known fact is that most of the men under the Duke of Wellington's command weren't English at all. Using unpublished accounts, the story of the battle is told from the perspective of those ...

  • Last Stand at Waterloo

    The army that defeated Napoleon at Waterloo is often remembered as an iconic English redcoat force. A little known fact is that most of the men under the Duke of Wellington's command weren't English at all. Using unpublished accounts, the story of the battle is told from the perspective of those ...

  • Waterloo Uncovered: The Bones of the Battlefield

    A major breaking story filmed by History Hit.

    Incredibly rare bones of men and horses have been discovered in July 2022 at the Waterloo Battlefield - and History Hit has been there to record the excavations as they unfold.

    The veterans support charity 'Waterloo Uncovered' returned to the Water...