Born in poverty at a time when the Roman Empire was in danger of cracking up and disintegrating, Helena was set for a life of obscurity as a stable hand, bar maid, and, according to some, a prostitute. Yet, in the most improbable tale she rose through the social hierarchy to be proclaimed Empress, then later canonised, and declared by some as queen of the world. Not only was she mother and most trusted advisor to the Emperor Constantine, but she played a pivotal role in the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity. Whilst on pilgrimage in the Middle-East she was said to have discovered the one true cross and helped to set a template for Christian pilgrimages that would last for centuries. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Peter Sarris to discuss St Helena and her unprecedented rise through Roman society to the position of supreme power.
A key source for St Helena's life is Helena Augusta: Mother of the Empire, by Julia Hillner.
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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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39. Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt
38. Sykes-Picot: Carving up the Middle-East
37. The Armenian Genocide: Death Marches
36. The Armenian Genocide: Road to the Deportations
35. Gallipoli: Death at the Cliff Edge
34. The Sick Man of Europe
33. Lady Mary: Our Woman in Constantinople
32. The Greatest Ottoman Adventurer
31. Conquering the Night: The History of Coffee
30. Sultanas to Slaves: Voices from the Harem
29. The Tudors and the Turks
28. The Battle of Lepanto
27. The Siege of Cyprus
26. Suspicion and Sorrow in Suleiman's Court
25. Suleiman the Magnificent
24. The Fall of Constantinople
23. The First of the Ottomans
22. Byzantium and the Rise of the Turks
21. The Ottoman Empire
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