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What Happened To The French Crown Jewels?
52:32|What really happened to the French crown jewels? On the 19th October, 2025, a gang of thieves disguised as construction workers broke into the Louvre. Their target: the Gallery of Apollo, where the French Crown Jewels were on display. They made off with eight pieces of the crown jewels, worth around $100 million. It was all over in eight minutes.History repeats itself. In September 1792, the crown jewels of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were stolen. Assassin's Creed Unity lets players take part in the aftermath of this daring robbery, recovering the last of the lost jewels in the "French Crown Jewels" Paris Story. But what happened to the other extraordinary treasures owned by the royal family when the monarchy was abolished during the French Revolution?Matt Lewis joins Dr David Gilks from the University of East Anglia to find the answers. He’s the author of Quatremére de Quincy: Art and Politics during the French Revolution. The tentative title of his next book is How to Become a French Revolutionary Hero. Read David's blog HERE - https://bit.ly/3Tt1o36Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Monarch Enemy by Christ TiltonNothing Is True by Chris TiltonThe Mob Accuses by Sarah SchachnerIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
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Life During The Russian Revolution
55:47|What were the main causes of the Russian Revolution? Why were the Romanovs murdered?Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia transports us to the tense atmosphere of World War One as Russia made the difficult transition from an imperial state to a socialist republic. But what was it like for the ordinary person on the streets of Moscow, or in the wheatfields of Kursk? Did they passionately pursue the political shifts that were underway? Or did they just fear the threat - and the fact - of violence while they looked for their next meal?To help Matt Lewis understand the experience of the worker during the Russian Revolution, he's joined by Professor Sarah Badcock from the University of Nottingham, author of Politics and the People in Revolutionary Russia; A Provincial History.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this episode on YouTube.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Michael McDaidProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic by Aaron Miller, Mark RutherfordIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
Who Was The Greatest Cleopatra?
50:12|Was Cleopatra actually Egyptian?It's a surprisingly important question. When most people think of Cleopatra, they have a specific person in mind. The Egyptian queen who married Julius Caesar and loved Mark Antony, and nearly ruled the Roman Empire for herself. But she was merely the final chapter in the long story of the Ptolemaic rulers of ancient Egypt. Who were the women who came before her? And though she is the most famous, does that mean she was the greatest Cleopatra?Matt Lewis and Dr Deirdre Klokow unpack the mighty and sometimes mysterious legacy of the Cleopatras. Keep an eye out for her book, The Seleucids And Their Land, coming out in 2027.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic: Ptolemy's Lament by Sarah SchachnerThe Alexandrian Pleiad by Sarah SchachnerIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MKTell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
Athens vs Sparta: The War That Changed History
56:20|The unforeseen consequences of this war led to the first scientific history book, the birth of philosophy. and the rise of Alexander the Great. Assassin's Creed Odyssey puts us at the heart of the expansive conflict that occurred when Athens went to war with Sparta: the Peloponnesian War. Guest host Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Roel Konijnendijk to recount the causes, events and legacy of this pivotal war in the ancient Greek world.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™.Hosted by: Tristan HughesEdited by: Michael McDaidProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Delphi by The FlightPirates, Thugs and Bandits by The Flight, Michael GeorgiadesIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here. You can watch this episode on YouTube.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
A Pirate's Life In Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
55:10|Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Benjamin Hornigold... Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced recreates the key people, places and events of the Golden Age Of Piracy. The game puts players in the salty shoes of Captain Edward Kenway as he rubs shoulders with real historical pirates as they fight for their freedom from the British and Spanish empires.In the final episode of this special series, Matt Lewis is joined by the game’s Narrative Director Joel Janisse, and Level Design Director Julien Koch to find out how Ubisoft meticulously recreated the world of pirates with new historical details; and what were the biggest challenges of revisiting a fan-favourite game?Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this interview on YouTube.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:A Short Life But A Merry One by Brian TylerAssassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Theme by Brian TylerIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.comChapters00:00 - Introduction02:09 - Did you reuse assets from the OG Black Flag?09:31 - New decade, new tech: how did you stay faithful to Black Flag?12:21 - Did you do new historical research?14:10 - What's your favourite historic detail?16:31 - Why is it called "Resynced"?20:07 - Narrative vs Level Design21:49 - Does History get in the way of Gameplay?26:09 - 2013 vs 2026: the changes to working on Black Flag 29:48 - What's your favourite level/mission in the game?30:15 - New Crew: are they based on historical people?33:56 - Avoiding Pirate Tropes37:28 - Did Matt Ryan re-record his performance as Edward Kenway?39:31 - Why remake Black Flag?44:17 - Why did Ubisoft remove the Abstergo sequences?45:56 - Combat gameplay: fighting like a true pirate47:56 - What did you learn making this game?50:23 - What other games will be Resynced?
How Was The Minotaur Created?
39:10|How did Theseus escape the Labyrinth? Is the Labyrinth real? Who created the Minotaur? Assassin’s Creed Odyssey immerses players in the mythology of Ancient Greece. In particular, they can walk in the footsteps of Theseus through the Labyrinth and come face to face with the mythical Minotaur. Archaeology reveals the real roots of the myth and how it developed over time.How is the myth connected to Knossos palace on Crete? Prof Nicoletta Momigliano guides Tristan Hughes from The Ancients podcast through the maze of myth vs reality that is the Minoan Labyrinth.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.Hosted by: Tristan HughesEdited by: Alex JonesProduced by: Robin McConnell, Anne-Marie LuffSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Phoibe the Orphan by The Flight, Michael GeorgiadesThe Minotaur by The FlightBarnabas by The Flight, Michael GeorgiadesIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com
The Golden Age Of Piracy: Myths vs Reality
52:01|Did pirates really bury treasure, fly the Jolly Roger and walk the plank?Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced avoids many of the clichés of pirate fiction. Yet staying true to history still includes tropes of pop culture pirates - there may be no talking parrots, but they still drink a lot of rum. Matt Lewis rejoins Dr Rebecca Simon to debunk pirate myths!Chapters00:00 - Introduction06:08 - Did Pirates Use Black Flags?12:30 - What does "Jolly Roger" mean?13:24 - Peg Legs & Eye Patches18:47 - Pets!20:59 - Pirate Bling23:54 - Did Pirates force folk to Walk the Plank?25:07 - Did Pirates Maroon Enemies?26:32 - The Pirate Code32:32 - Did Pirates Bury Their Treasure?37:16 - X Marks The Spot?38:24 - Where Is The Rum?41:10 - What's Your Favourite Pirate Myth?42:15 - Why do Pirate Myths persist?48:52 - Enter the Animus: which myth do you want to prove?Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:The Buccaneers by Brian TylerConfrontation by Brian TylerFare Thee Well by Brian TylerIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com