In the 6th century, the Roman Empire was split and its future hung in the balance.

Emperor Justinian dreamed of restoring it to its former glory. That was until the first great plague devastated Constantinople.

Thousands died, bodies were piled in the streets - even the Emperor fell ill.

How did this effect ambitions to restore the Empire to its former glory? And how did citizens react to this deadly disease?

Joining Anthony and Maddy is Kyle Harper, historian and author of The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Against a time of radical change, a gothic masterpiece was written by the teenage Mary Shelley.

Published in 1818, Frankenstein takes us into a dark world where man and monster meet in mutual torment. A world of raw, animalistic fear.

How was this story influenced by the tragedies in Mary Shelley's own life, and the early 19th century obsessions with playing God?

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Last week we heard about Mary's formative years. Today we get to her reign, the infamous burnings and ask ourselves if Bloody Mary was as bad as people think.

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

In the aftermath of the bloody Russian revolution, the Romanovs went from being a glittering royal family, to vulnerable everyday citizens who were soon murdered.

In the wake of their deaths, the that one family member survived, began to gain traction.

How do the claims of Princess Anastasia's survival begin? Why did people want her to survive? And why do humans need to believe in myths?

Joining Anthony and Maddy today is author and historian Leonid Trofimov.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. It was produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Charlotte Long.

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary. Mary I is known as a brutal tyrant. But what was the reality? In the next two episodes Anthony and Maddy will explore Mary's story. Today they explore the traumatic early years that shaped her.

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

Today’s story is one that takes us to a very familiar setting - the Tower of London - but shows it in a new light. Edward Francis was an enslaved man who lived in the Lion Tower. In 1691 he decided to poison his enslavers. Maddy and Anthony are joined by (friend of the pod) Dr Misha Ewen who helped bring this history to light. Misha is the author of "The Virginia Venture: American Colonization and English Society, 1580-1660".

Edited by Tomos Delargy. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link, and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you!

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

It wasn't made by Druids (or Aliens or Merlin the wizard). But it was a garden centre. Get ready for the 10 strangest facts (mostly) about Stonehenge! Maddy Pelling takes Anthony Delaney back among the stones.

Edited by Amy Haddow. Produced by Freddy Chick. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

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You're laid out on the surgeon's table. Wide awake. He stands over you knife in hand and behind him, in the stands, is a noisy crowd all joking, smoking and scoffing oysters, waiting for the show to start. Welcome to Victorian surgery! Could you survive?

Joining Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney this week is Sara Yorath, from the Old Operating Theatre museum in London.

Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.