27 Best Western Civilization Podcasts to Listen to (2026)

The classical education you never knew you were missing. Join scholar and writer Spencer Klavan on a tour through the great works of the West. In a world gone mad, we're not alone: the great men and women who went before us have wisdom to guide us. With their help, we can recover truth, beauty, and the stuff that matters. more

Michael Knowles and special guests discuss great literature that has shaped Western Civilization.

The rise of Western Civilization through its political and military conflicts. Sarcasm throughout but still as grounded to reality as possible, there's no reason this can't be fun. Multiple episodes on a specific time period or leader with a different metal intro for every episode more

Take a deep dive into History's biggest moments with Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook. Explore the stories of History's most brutal rulers, deadly battles, and world-changing events. From the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the Nazi conquest of Europe, and Hitler's evil master plan for world domination, to the French Revolution, the sinking of the Titanic, or the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Tom and Dominic bring the past to life with gripping storytelling and expert analysis, as they unpack the high-drama moments that shaped our world. Join The Rest Is History Club: Unlock the full experience of the show with exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to every series and live show tickets, a members-only newsletter, discounted books from the show, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at therestishistory.com. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. more

Season 12 premiered October 20, 2024 a nonfictional account of The Martian Revolution of 2247.Mike Duncan is taking everything he's learned from 12 seasons of historical revolutions - the repeating arcs, characters, ideas, events, and patterns which all revolutions seem to follow - and created a fictional history of the Martian Revolution of 2247. The series is written from the point of view of a historian working hundreds of years after the Martian Revolution and will be presented in the style and format of previous seasons of Revolutions. It will look, sound, and feel like a Mike Duncan history podcast…but will instead be a fictional narrative of a gripping science-fiction epic.Revolutions is a podcast that covers the great political revolutions that have defined the modern world. Each season is a long-form narrative covering a different defining revolutionary epoch across three hundred years of history. It explores in great detail the people, ideas, and events that challenged and toppled outdated regimes and replaced them with new governments. After more than 350 episodes over ten seasons of narrative nonfiction, the 12th season is a fictional account of the Martian Revolution of 2247.*BREAKING NEWS*In the fall of 2025, the Revolutions podcast will return to its roots by diving into the great revolutions of the 20th century. The new run of episodes begins with the story of Irish Independence, a dramatic upheaval in the wake of WWI that saw Ireland free itself from centuries of English rule. Full of inspiring personalities, tragic events, and thrilling triumphs, Irish Independence is one of the most gripping events in revolutionary history. Future seasons will plunge ahead through the turbulent 20th century, and include the Spanish Civil War, the Cuban Revolution, and the Algerian War of Independence. more

Everywhere around us are echoes of the past. Those echoes define the boundaries of states and countries, how we pray and how we fight. They determine what money we spend and how we earn it at work, what language we speak and how we raise our children. From Wondery, host Patrick Wyman, PhD ('Fall Of Rome') helps us understand our world and how it got to be the way it is. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Tides of History ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. more

Hillsdale College's John J. Miller discusses classic works within the Western literary canon.

Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King's College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, 'without any gaps'. www.historyofphilosophy.net more

A podcast on European conflicts from the perspective of each side to provide an alternative to the traditional national narratives. Going chronologically from the Ancient Greeks onwards I described to some extent how each battle was won or lost by particular decisions, tactics, technology or fortune. But the aim of each main narrative will be to place each battle in the context of the overall history of Europe.New series on the Interwar Years 1918-1945 begins 18th July 2025 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. more

The most influential biographies ever written, admired by leaders, creators, soldiers, and thinkers for nearly 2,000 years: Plutarch's Parallel lives. Essential listening for anyone striving after greatness. Alex Petkas, former professor of ancient philosophy and history, revives and dramatically retells these unforgettable stories for modern audiences. The subjects are statesmen, generals, orators, and founders; pious and profane, stoics and hedonists. The stakes bear on the future of Western civilization. The cost of glory is always great. Visit costofglory.com to find out more. more

The podcast that transports you to the ancient world and back, with some good conversation along the way. It's not just about ancient Greece. It's about a huge chunk of human history that the Greek texts give us access to: from Egypt and Babylon, to Persia, to Carthage and Rome, we'll sail the wine-dark sea of history with some expert guides at the helm. Topics will include archaeology, literature, and philosophy. New episode every month. more

A narrative history of the German people from the Middle Ages to Reunification in 1991. Episodes are 25-35 min long and drop on Thursday mornings every 2 weeks. 'A great many things keep happening, some good, some bad'. Gregory of Tours (539-594) So far we have covered: Ottonian Emperors (# 1- 21) - Henry the Fowler (#1) - Otto I (#2-8) - Otto II (#9-11) - Otto II (#11-14) - Henry II (#15-17) - Germany in 1000 (#18-21) Salian Emperors(#22-42) - Konrad II (#22- 25) - Henry III (#26-29) - Henry IV/Canossa (#30-39) - Henry V (#40-42) - Concordat of Worms (#42) Early Hohenstaufen (#43-69) - Lothar III (#43-46) - Konrad III (#47-49) - Frederick Barbarossa (#50-69) Late Hohenstaufen (#70-94) - Henry VI (#70-72) - Philipp of Swabia (#73-74) - Otto IV (#74-75) - Frederick II (#75-90) - Epilogue (#91-94) Colonisation of the East (#95-108) The Hanseatic League (#109-127) The Teutonic Knights (#128-137) From the Interregnum to the Golden Bull (#138 -185) - Rudolf von Habsburg (#139-141) - Adolf von Nassau (#142) - Albrecht von Habsburg (#143) - Heinrich VII (#144-148) - Ludwig the Bavarian (#149-153) - Karl IV (#154-163) The Reformation before the Reformation - Wenceslaus the Lazy (#165) - The Western Schism (#166/167) - The Ottomans (#168) - Sigismund (#169-#184 The Empire in the 15th Century - Mainz & Hessen #186 - Printing #187-#188 - Universities #190 - Wittelsbachs #189, #196-#199 - Baden, Wuerrtemberg, Augsburg, Fugger (#191-195) - Maps & Arms (#201-#202) The Fall and Rise of the House of Habsburg - Early Habsburgs (#203-#207) - Albrecht II (#208) - Friedrich III (#209-#215) - Maximilian I (#215- more

This podcast will explore the development of the art, architecture, culture and history in Italy, from ancient Roman times through the Renaissance. Listeners will develop an understanding of Italy's role in the development of Western civilization and an ability to appreciate and understand works of art in their historical context. more

A fast-moving history of the western world from the ancient world to the present day. Examine how the emergence of the western world as a global dominant power was not something that should ever have been taken for granted. This podcast traces the development of western civilization starting in the ancient Near East, through Greece and Rome, past the collapse of the Western Roman Empire into the Dark Ages, and then follows European and, ultimately, American history as the western world moved into a dominant world position. more

Welcome to Ascend!We are a weekly Great Books podcast hosted by Deacon Harrison Garlick and Adam Minihan.What are the Great Books?The Great Books are the most impactful texts that have shaped Western civilization. They include ancients like Homer, Plato, St. Augustine, Dante, and St. Thomas Aquinas, and also moderns like Machiavelli, Locke, and Nietzsche. We will explore the Great Books with the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition.Why should we read the Great Books?Everyone is a disciple of someone. A person may have never read Locke or Nietzsche, but he or she thinks like them. Reading the Great Books allows us to reclaim our intellect and understand the origin of the ideas that shape our world. We enter a 'great conversation' amongst the most learned, intelligent humans in history and benefit from their insights.Is this for first-time readers?YES. Our goal is to host meaningful conversations on the Great Books by working through the texts in chronological order in a slow, attentive manner. Our host Adam Minihan is a first-time reader of Homer. We will start shallow and go deep. All are invited to join.Will any resources be available?YES. We are providing a free 115 Question & Answer Guide to the Iliad written by Deacon Harrison Garlick in addition to our weekly conversations. It will be available on the website (launching next week). Go pick up a copy of the Iliad!We look forward to reading Homer with you in 2024. more

Welcome to Echoes of Empires. If you're looking for a podcast about history, you've come to the right place! Because you'll find over a hundred episodes here about the Roman Empire, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphates, Charlemagne's Empire, the Dark Ages, the Crusades and I'm adding to them all the time. WANT A FREE EBOOK? Then head directly to my website www.nickholmesauthor.com. more

Like the early philosophers and theologians before us, we are seeking to nourish our souls, discover the truth, and live in the world, but not of it. Welcome to the Magnus Podcast where John Johnson and Larissa Bianco hope to connect contemporary thinkers to conversations from the catacombs in the classical, Christian tradition before us. The Magnus Podcast is a production of the Albertus Magnus Institute, Inc. Dedicated to the promotion of another sort of learning, the Albertus Magnus Institute seeks to invite all into the truth, 'Omnes ad Veritatem.' more

The Medici might not have the decadent drama of the Borgias, but they took center stage in the story of the formation of the modern Western world, from helping mold the Renaissance to trying to quell the Protestant Reformation to sponsoring and then trying to help shut up Galileo. This podcast looks at the story of the Medici and that of the fractured, tumultuous Italy they carved out a place in. Join us to see how a clan of middle-class bankers would up joining the ranks of European royalty and leaving a mark on the world.Website: https://medicipodcast.com/Venmo: @ Chad-Denton-15 more

Welcome to The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind, a podcast that tells the story of the prophets, philosophers, and poets who created the West. In this podcast, Rabbi Dr. Mitchell Rocklin guides listeners through more than 3,000 years of Western history, offering a coherent, civilizational story of how the West came to be—along with a deepened understanding of the challenges it now faces. While many of the texts discussed will be familiar to students of the humanities, Rabbi Rocklin offers a new framework for understanding them—a framework in which the teachings of the Jewish religious tradition play a central role. For, as Rabbi Rocklin explains, Western civilization can only be understood as the product of a transformative and ongoing collision between the great traditions of Jerusalem and Athens—between the religious spirit of the Jews and the philosophical spirit of the Greeks. more

A Podcast dedicated to bringing ancient wisdom to modern minds. This podcast is provided by Classical Wisdom, to learn more check out www.classicalwisdom.com more

The Middle Ages—a time often dismissed, yet it is the crucible where the foundations of our modern world were forged. This era, full of brutal power struggles, explosive change, and unexpected alliances, laid the borders, cultures, and traditions we live by today. Through relentless research and gripping storytelling, this podcast resurrects the forgotten world of our medieval ancestors, unraveling the tangled web spanning innumerable stories. The modern world was never born in isolation—it was fought for, built, and connected across continents. Buy Me A Coffee: coff.ee/FWPodcast more

'The Cause' is a movement to recover the wisdom, books, education, character, and culture we have inherited. Our mission is to help ordinary people rediscover our heritage and put its traditional wisdom back into practice. Please join me in embarking on the Harvard Classics Series by Dr. Charles Elliot. This series dates back to around 1910 and is a collection of literature that I believe needs to be revived and rediscovered. I look forward to reading and discussing all 50 volumes with you as we learn about the great ideas of those who came before us. In this series, we will dive into Greek and Roman history, the American Founders, works from Francis Bacon, John Milton, and many more. We will cover Shakespeare and Chaucer and also some fictional works like Don Quixote which are all included in the Harvard Classics. We will also review other books on this podcast that fit the classical education theme. This series is being created for those passionate about classical education and as a supplement to homeschool curriculums. I truly hope these classical works of literature bring you as much joy as they do me. Feel free to reach out with any questions as I would love to hear from you! Rob Pirie more

Welcome to the official podcast of Thomas Aquinas College.Each week, senior members of the teaching faculty open a window into the intellectual life of the College through conversations rooted in the Great Books and the pursuit of first principles. Together, they explore the foundational questions that have shaped Western civilization.Grounded in the liberal arts tradition, the podcast invites listeners into the same kind of thoughtful, rigorous dialogue that defines the classroom experience. From ancient mathematics and astronomy to philosophy, theology, and modern science, each episode seeks to understand the truth of things by returning to first principles.Occasionally featuring guest scholars and educators, the show offers rich discussions on the Great Books, liberal education, and the enduring relevance of classical learning.New episodes air weekly.Subscribe and join the conversation. more

Entertaining lectures on European history by college professor Dr. Jason Hansen (Furman University) that help explain how the modern world came to be.  Covers culture and technology in addition to politics, with focus on France, Germany, England, Russia and more. Latest episodes help explain history of Israel and Palestine conflict and the Russia Ukraine war. more

The history of Europe from 376 and beyond the Fall of Rome.Barbarian invasions, kings, queens, and saints, myths and legends.It's the history they skipped. more

A series making sense of the past 202 decades of Western History. Each episode examines a single decade of history, from 1 AD to the present day. more

A podcast, in twelve series, about the history of western culture and traditions.