In this episode, a history books roundup: ‘Desk Revolutionaries: The Men of the French Directory, 1795–9’, with Prof Biancamaria Fontana, emeritus professor of the history of political ideas at the University of Lausanne, ‘The Fifth Crusade - A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt’, with Thomas Smith, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and holder of honorary research positions at Royal Holloway and the University of Kent, and ‘1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople', with Prof Anthony Kaldellis, Professor of Classics, University of Chicago.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.