About
English historian, author, and podcaster known for his books including Rubicon, Persian Fire, In the Shadow of the Sword, Dominion, and Pax. He is also known for being the co-host of the popular The Rest Is History podcast which is known for having more than 20 million monthly downloads and views along with his work on BBC documentaries.
Before fame
He studied English at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he earned a double first, and began doctoral work at Oxford before leaving it to begin working. He first wrote fiction before he shifted into history writing after his interest in history deepened during research for an earlier novel. He published his first history book Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic in 2003 and eventually expanded into broadcasting through BBC Radio 4's Making History.
Trivia
He won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize in 2004 for Rubicon and the Anglo-Hellenic League's Runciman Award in 2006 for Persian Fire. His podcast The Rest Is History received the British Academy President's Medal in 2023.
Family life
He is the older brother of historian James Holland. He married Sadie Lowry in 1993, and they have two daughters together.
Associated with
He was working on a doctoral dissertation on Lord Byron while at Oxford before he dropped out of his PhD program to pursue writing.
