Blind History

To the Spanish he was a conquering hero, a conquistador, spreading Christianity to the 'savage tribes' of the new world. To the Aztecs and the native people of Central America, he was a harbinger of death, a destroyer of culture, and a frightening apparition that heralded the end of their civilisation. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

We know you love the bad guys, but this one is close to impossible to like. The fact that he perpetrated his crimes against humanity only three generations ago makes it somehow more monstrous. When the story of humanity is told, King Leopold II of the Belgians will not find himself covered in glory. Join us on this journey into the Heart of Darkness... Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The fearsome northmen in all their violence, strength, courage and ferocity probably shouldn’t be summarised in one lowly episode, but we’ll tell you how much more they gave us, and not just words like pillage and ransack. Their gods, society, women and sophistication were every bit as crucial as their raids, and we’re finding out more about the Vikings every day... Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Cleopatra VII lived at a great intersection of history... where Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome collided. She was undoubtedly one of the personalities of the age - and a woman of tremendous power and influence. While the story ended in Shakespearean tragedy, to have seen history unfold through her eyes was to have a front row seat to the destiny of the world. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Robert Sobukwe was one of the great thinkers and leaders of the struggle for democracy and freedom in South Africa. A humble man of academic bent, he ended up founding the Pan-Africanist Congress and was sentenced to solitary confinement on Robben Island. His story is both sad and inspiring, but without him, we would be living in a very different world. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The longest reigning King of England watched the birth of America, the French Revolution, the dawn of modern science and the Agricultural revolution without ever leaving England. In fact, he hardly left Windsor. He was proud to be English and his bizarre eccentricities eventually proved to be real madness - but the people loved him. They called him 'Farmer George’ and he set a moral and respectable example of what the monarchy should be, one that has trickled down right to the present day.  Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Before the words ‘gangster', ‘thug', ‘mafia' and 'mob boss' were used by pretenders, rappers and small-time thieves, those words were used to describe really dangerous, wily, streetwise and charismatic underworld people... people who started modern organised crime in America. Al Capone was the most real of them all. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Blind History has spanned centuries of incredible people and events. We’ve marvelled at the heroic efforts of titans, and could scarcely believe the evil of some of history’s villains. But, good or bad, they’ve all helped shape the world in which we live. And someone who helped to bring these stories to life is Simon Sebag Montefiore: an award-winning author, academic and historian whose writings not only provided research material for some of the episodes, but whose love of history is an inspiration to Blind History hosts, Gareth Cliff and Anthony Mederer. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The Terror! That’s what they called it. Nobody was safe from the depraved madness of the peak of the French Revolution… and the fearsome man who became virtual dictator - Maximilien Robespierre. He came from humble origins, but bore the scars of a life of rejection - and he took it out on the people of France. Join us on this journey into the mind and life of one of the real revolutionaries of history. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Torquemada! The name that struck fear into Spanish conversos and just about everyone else in Spain in the 15th Century. Torquemada! Grand Inquisitor and the all-powerful religious zealot who burned thousands and tortured many more thousands in his quest to rid Spain of sin. Torquemada - who had the ear of the Queen of Spain and extracted confessions out of the guilty and the innocent with equal zest. Today we’re the ones judging him... and history will be as unkind as he was then. WARNING: Graphic content! Taylor Blinds & Shutters

In this episode of Blind History, we take you on a rollercoaster ride featuring some of the terrifying men (and women) who ruled the seas. Were the most famous pirates of history one-eyed, one-legged, parrot-on-the-shoulder caricatures, or were they - like so many of the greatest characters from our past - complex and flawed people, with a certain set of maritime skills they used to their advantage and everyone else’s disadvantage? Find out as we board the ship... Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The dirty, smelly Siberian peasant was a bizarre fixture at the richest, most extravagant court in the world, and for a time, he might have been the most powerful man in the Empire. Grigori Rasputin was a celebrity, a priest, a seducer of women and a healer. He was also impossible to kill… Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The modern Englishman can only dream of a life of adventure, exploration, excitement and provenance. Sadly, those days may be gone. For the enduring spirit of T.E. Lawrence, his influence on the Middle East is still being felt. Lawrence of Arabia may only be familiar to you because of the movie, but his real life was perhaps even more epic. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

The name Lucrezia Borgia is synonymous with poison, the name Cesare Borgia with murder, and the name Rodrigo Borgia with orgies, incest and nepotism. Maybe that’s why he changed his name to Pope Alexander VI when he was elected by the college of cardinals. Were the Borgias really the worst family in Rome? Find out in this episode of Blind History… Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Simón Bolívar was the Napoleon of South America - although if you called him that, he might have cut your head off. He could have had the easy life of a rich landowner in Venezuela, but chose instead to create a new Europe in South America. Bolívar made a mark on South America that endures to this day... and is one of the few men in history to have a country named after him.  Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Pol Pot sounds like the kind of dish you’d order at a Cambodian restaurant - but it’s actually the name of one of the most horrific people ever to walk the Earth. For some reason he never makes it to the first division of truly maniacal, genocidal monsters of history... he’s always in the second tier, despite his own murderous efforts to make his mark. In his effort to socially engineer Cambodia, he killed more than a third of his people - and millions of bodies in mass graves are his grisly monument. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Although he was born Stefanus, nobody ever called him that. Paul Kruger went from pioneer, hunter and farmer to being the loneliest old man in Switzerland, dying on the banks of Lake Geneva. The part in between was remarkable.  Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Che Guevara is a pop icon and an inspiration to the rebels of the world. But many don’t know that he was a medical student, an adventurer, and a husband. This episode of Blind History takes us from Argentina to Guatemala, then from Mexico to Cuba. We even stop in the Congo... with our journey finally ending in Bolivia. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

George Washington - father of the United States of America, with terrible teeth. He may have led the Continental Army, but poor George never smiled. Find out whether he and Martha had a happy marriage, or children... and if he really was a brilliant military mind. Taylor Blinds & Shutters

Ancient Israel, place of mystery and cradle of religion. King David and King Solomon are referred to in the great tapestry of Middle Eastern history as being paragons of kingship. All through the Middle Ages, kings tried to live up to their example. But who were the ancient kings, how much evidence do we have for their existence - and what are the modern political implications for the descendants of King David in that part of the world? Join us on our journey through history as we start a new season in the place where so much began... Taylor Blinds & Shutters