Echoes of History

Assassin's Creed Syndicate incorporates technology into its gameplay and story more than any other game in the series. Its setting in Victorian London represents the culmination of a remarkable period of British history known as the Age of Invention. Or does it? Did the Age really end, and are we still living in it?

To help Matt Lewis get to grips with the vast and fascinating Age of Invention, he's joined by Dr Anton Howes, aut...

Assassin's Creed Chronicles India begins in the glorious Amritsar Summer Palace, and allows players to climb, jump and fight over its rooftops against the spectacular backdrop of the capital of the Sikh Empire.

The Palace was the brainchild of Ranjit Singh. To help conjure the experience of visiting the Summer Palace, and to understand its wider significance, Matt Lewis is joined once again by Davinder Toor.

Echoes of History...

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India puts players in the heart of the Sikh Empire in 1841, at a time when only the Sikh Empire remained unconquered by the British. Perhaps inevitably, this decade witnessed the bloody Anglo-Sikh Wars. These conflicts would ultimately determine the fate of British power in India, and by extension, the power of Britain worldwide for the next century.

To shed light on these complex events, Matt is joi...

Of the many empires that have risen and fallen throughout history, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India draws our attention to one of the mightiest and most short-lived: the Sikh Empire in the early 19th century.

One man is considered essential to the Empire's formation and success: Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a self-taught, one-eyed warrior who commanded the respect of the British Empire. In this episode, Davinder Toor helps Matt Lewi...

5. Assassin's Creed Shadows Review

Assassin's Creed Shadows is now available to play! Matt Lewis had advanced access to the new game and stepped into the shoes of a samurai and shinobi in medieval Japan, armed with the knowledge he's gained about Japan's legendary warriors from this special series.

He's joined by historian and video game narrative designer Holly Nielsen, who brings her experience to review how the developers of A...

Assassin's Creed Shadows gives us the chance to explore the places where history occurred. One such place is recreated in remarkable detail: Azuchi Castle. Built by Oda Nobunaga as his ultimate stronghold, not only was its site of huge strategic significance, but it revolutionised Japanese castle-building and lent its name to a new era of Japanese history: the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

Professor Oleg Benesch, author of Japanese Ca...

Chasing Shadows 4. Warfare

Assassin's Creed Shadows gives players the chance to experience history as two icons of medieval Japan: samurai and shinobi (known today as ninja). In this special series, Matt Lewis and Professor Eric Rath from the University of Kansas take an in-depth look at how these legendary warriors lived and answer the question, what is the difference between samurai and shinobi?

This episode thrusts us int...

Assassin's Creed Shadows introduces us to some of Japan's mightiest historical leaders. Yet, "beside every great man is an ever greater woman". One of the women behind the great unifiers of this era was Lady Nene. Wife of Toyotomi HIdeyoshi, one of the highest-ranking men in Sengoku Japan, she arguably wielded as much political sway as her husband… 

Matt Lewis is joined once again by Lesley Downer to explain the role Lady N...

Chasing Shadows 3. Weapons

Assassin's Creed Shadows gives players the chance to experience history as two icons of medieval Japan: samurai and shinobi (known today as ninja). In this special series, Matt Lewis and Professor Eric Rath from the University of Kansas take an in-depth look at how these legendary warriors lived and answer the question, what is the difference between samurai and shinobi?

This episode dives into the...

Assassin's Creed Shadows transports players to a formative period in Japanese history - the Sengoku era, when warlords vied for control of Japan, and new technology changed samurai warfare forever: the introduction of matchlock guns.

Nate Ledbetter joins Matt Lewis to recount the events of the celebrated Battle of Nagashino - and to present a new perspective on the battle that saw samurai traditions confront the power of the g...

Chasing Shadows 2. Politics

Assassin's Creed Shadows gives players the chance to experience history as two icons of medieval Japan: samurai and shinobi (known today as ninja). In this special series, Matt Lewis and Professor Eric Rath from the University of Kansas take an in-depth look at how these legendary warriors lived and answer the question, what is the difference between samurai and shinobi?

This episode explores the ...

Assassin's Creed Shadows gives players the chance to visit the imperial capital of medieval Japan. But today, we're heading to a mountain lying just northeast of the capital: Mount Hiei, a sacred site that was protected by a powerful army of warrior monks.

Dr Chris Harding, Senior Lecturer in Asian History from the University of Edinburgh, returns to help Matt Lewis understand what life was like on Mount Hiei during the late S...

Chasing Shadows 1. Culture

Assassin's Creed Shadows gives players the chance to experience history as two icons of medieval Japan: samurai and shinobi (known today as ninja). In this special series, Matt Lewis and Professor Eric Rath from the University of Kansas take an in-depth look at how these legendary warriors lived and answer the question, what is the difference between samurai and shinobi?

This episode explores...

In the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the legendary Hattori Hanzo embodies both samurai and shinobi warriors, and earned himself the nicknam "The Demon". How did Hanzo reach such legendary status? And what does his story tell us about the loyalties of samurai and shinobi in Sengoku Japan?

Joining Matt Lewis to answer these questions and more are Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, authors of Ninja Attack!: True Tales Of Assassins, Sam...

Assassin’s Creed Unity puts players right into the Parisian streets where the bloody events of the Reign of Terror occurred, and gives us the chance to see the gruesome guillotine up close.

But were public executions all there was to the Terror? How did such a notorious period come about? And what lessons can we learn from it today? To answer these questions,

Matt Lewis talks to returning guest Prof. David Andress from the U...

Assassin’s Creed Unity allows us to confront one of the most controversial men in history: Maximillien Robespierre. What made him such a successful leader, yet so despised by his followers?

To get a better understanding of the man behind so much death, Matt Lewis speaks to Dr Ruth Scurr from the University of Cambridge, author of Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolutionaries.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast,...

Notre Dame is arguably the world’s most famous cathedral and has watched over the Parisian skyline since its construction in the Middle Ages. But we are lucky that it remains standing at all.

Dr Emma Wells joins Matt Lewis to reveal how Notre Dame acquired this symbolic status. How was it built? And how did the French Revolution nearly destroy it?

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit.&nbs...

Assassin’s Creed Revelations lets us meet a young Suleiman before he became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and long before he became “the Magnificent”. 

Matt Lewis is joined by Prof. Giancarlo Cassale to explain how Suleiman earned his epithet, and how the game’s presentation of him compares to reality.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. 

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Tim Arst...

Associate Professor Nilay Özlü from Istanbul Technical University joins Matt Lewis to help him understand the Ottoman's most significant mark on the landscape of Istanbul, that players can freely explore in Assassin's Creed Revelations: Topkapi Palace.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. 

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Robin McConnell

Produced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnell

Senior Produ...