In this special episode, we are honoured to be joined by Karen Jennings, a former Booker Prize longlist nominee, to discuss her powerful new novel, The First of December.

Set in South Africa during the final days of November 1838, the book explores the fraught moment of full emancipation for the enslaved. We delve into the brutal reality of the "apprenticeship" system that followed the 1833 Abolition Act, the unique Asian roots of Cape slavery under the Dutch East India Company, and the cynical economics of a system where human beings were mortgaged like property.

Karen shares the deeply personal and unsettling family history that inspired the novel—from ancestors who were French Huguenot settlers to a shocking discovery about a colonial forebear. We also discuss the enduring legacy of these injustices, connecting the dashed hopes of 1838 with the ongoing struggles for equality in South Africa today.

It's a profound conversation about history, memory, and why the fight for liberation is never truly "happy ever after."

The First of December will be available in March but here in the meantime is a selection of Karen's writing

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

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In this episode of Explaining History, Nick dives into the technical and strategic realities of the Battle of Britain. Moving beyond the "few" narrative of heroic fighter pilots, we explore the structural advantages that allowed the RAF to survive the onslaught of the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940.

Drawing on Richard Overy's The Bombing War, we examine the genius of Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding and his integrated air defense system. How did radar, the Observer Corps, and telephone networks combine to give British pilots a critical edge? And why did the German high command consistently underestimate the resilience of Fighter Command while simultaneously asking too much of its own exhausted pilots?

From the muddle-headed strategy of Hermann Göring to the sheer physical limits of aerial warfare, this episode unpacks why Hitler's plan to knock Britain out of the war was doomed from the start.

Plus: Information on our upcoming Nazi Germany Masterclass in March and how to access the recordings of our previous sessions!

Key Topics:

• The Dowding System: How radar and communication saved Britain.
• German Intelligence Failures: Why the Luftwaffe underestimated the RAF.
• Attrition: The physical and mental exhaustion of pilots on both sides.
• Strategic Confusion: Hitler’s lack of focus and Göring’s incompetence.

Books Mentioned:

• The Bombing War by Richard Overy
• Forgotten Armies by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

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Here is the complete package for this episode, which includes the podcast description, a detailed blog post, and the tidied transcript.

Title: The Last Aztec Empress: Survival, Conquest, and the Life of Isabel Moctezuma

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Explaining History, Nick talks to author Sofía Robleda about her new historical novel, The Other Moctezuma Girls.

We delve into the extraordinary and often overlooked life of Isabel Moctezuma (born Tecuichpoch), the daughter of the last Aztec Emperor. Surviving the Spanish conquest, the smallpox epidemic, and six marriages, Isabel navigated a world collapsing around her to become one of the wealthiest landowners in New Spain.

Sofía and Nick explore the brutal realities of the conquest, the complex racial hierarchies of colonial Mexico, and the strategic marriages that allowed the Spanish to legitimize their rule. From the role of Malintzin as Cortés' translator to the legacy of the silver mines, this episode uncovers the resilience of indigenous women in the face of imperial destruction.

Key Topics:

• Isabel Moctezuma: The "last Aztec Empress" who sued the Spanish crown and won.
• The Conquest: How Cortés exploited internal divisions and disease to topple the Mexica empire.
• Caste and Colorism: The casta paintings and the racial stratification of colonial Mexico.
• Strategic Marriage: How Spanish conquistadors married indigenous nobility to secure land rights.

Books Mentioned:

• The Other Moctezuma Girls by Sofía Robleda
• Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson

Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.

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