The rise and fall of empires and the events that shaped world history.
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires.
From the British Empire to the Ottomans to Ancient India, history is shaped by power struggles and territorial conquests. How does it continue to affect the world today?
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181. The Dragon Empress: Chinaβs Game of Thrones
Season 7 Β· Episode 8
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 β’ Duration 34:14
The inculcation of Buddhism from India as the state religion in China was enabled by the violent rise of Chinaβs only ever woman Emperor. Raised by pious Buddhist parents, Wu Zetian left a trail of bodies in her wake as she charted a path to absolute power. From a lowly ranked concubine in the imperial harem to the corridors of power, she used Buddhism to legitimise her unprecedented claim to rule. Listen as William and Anita discuss the unstoppable rise of Chinaβs only woman Emperor to rule in her own right, and what this meant for Ancient Indiaβs empire of ideas.
To fill out the survey: survey.empirepoduk.com
To buy William's book: https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition
Twitter: @EmpirePodUK
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Evan Green
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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180. Gold & God: Connecting India & Ancient Rome
Season 7 Β· Episode 7
Monday, August 26, 2024 β’ Duration 41:09
It was actually India, not China, that was the greatest trading partner of the Roman Empire. During this era, itβs clear that sea travel was the fastest, most economical and safest way to move people and goods in the pre-modern world, costing about a fifth of the price of equivalent land transport. The Golden Road of early eastβwest commerce, in other words, lay less overland, through a Persia often at war with Rome, and much more across the open oceans, via the choppy waters of the Red SeaΒ and the Indian Ocean. Listen as William and Anita discuss the trade links between India and Ancient Rome.
To fill out the survey: survey.empirepoduk.com
To buy William's book: https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Evan Green
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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171. The Bengal Famine: Chaos in Calcutta
Season 1 Β· Episode 25
Wednesday, July 24, 2024 β’ Duration 43:51
By 1943, the price of rice was beyond unaffordable for most in Bengal, and people were dying in the streets. Despite government censorship of letters, news spread about the famine and the tide turned with the introduction of a new Viceroy. Yet when aid eventually did arrive from other regions of India, it was so chaotically handled that some food shipments were halted at the station. Listen as Anita and William are joined again by Kavita Puri to explore the legacy of what is sometimes dubbed βChurchillβs Famineβ.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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82. Crimea: The War on Repeat
Season 4 Β· Episode 11
Thursday, September 21, 2023 β’ Duration 58:32
A slow grind of sieges and massacres. Long distance bombardments and gruelling inch-by-inch trench warfare. Battles for Sevastopol, Odessa, and control of the Black Sea. Is it 1853 or 2023? The parallels between the Crimean War and what is happening now in Ukraine are startling. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Orlando Figes to discuss this totemic 19th century clash and all of its modern-day resonances.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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81. The Graveyard of Empires
Season 4 Β· Episode 10
Tuesday, September 19, 2023 β’ Duration 53:50
After the calamitous retreat from Kabul left thousands of British dead, the East India Company wants revenge. They will call upon the Army of Retribution which will leave Afghanistan, once the Crossroads of Civilisation, a desolate wasteland. But once the last sepoy has descended the Khyber Pass, who will rule Afghanistan - and how will the Russians respond? Listen as William and Anita finish the story of the First Anglo-Afghan War and discuss whether Afghanistan really is the Graveyard of Empires, and whether China will be the next foreign power to burn its fingers in the Afghan furnace.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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80. 1842: The Retreat from Kabul
Season 4 Β· Episode 9
Thursday, September 14, 2023 β’ Duration 50:04
As the British occupation of Kabul collapses, the troops flee. What follows is one of the darkest events in British imperial history. A treacherous journey through mountain passes in crippling winter conditions leaves the British at the mercy of the Afghan forces. Over 15,000 men, women, and children leave the capital, legend says only one man survives. Listen as William and Anita discuss the bloody, brutal, first retreat from Kabul.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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79. Invading Afghanistan: The Return of a King
Season 4 Β· Episode 8
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 β’ Duration 54:57
It is 1839 and Britain has declared its intention: to invade Afghanistan and return Shah Shuja to the throne. Despite its vast size, the British invasion force is not impressive. Overstocked with luxuries and understocked with necessities, how will it fare as it enters the Bolan Pass and the inhospitable terrain of Afghanistan? Listen as William and Anita tell the Return of a King.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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78. The Battle of the Spies
Season 4 Β· Episode 7
Thursday, September 7, 2023 β’ Duration 50:11
The rivalry between Russia and Britain continues to grow as both of their attentions begin to centre more and more on Afghanistan. In a bid to gain influence in the region, both empires send young, daring spies to infiltrate the region. Alexander Burnes and Jan Prosper Vitkevich will both battle to gain the upper hand. Listen as William and Anita discuss these two spies and their thrilling roles in the Great Game.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
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Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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77. The Great Game Begins
Season 4 Β· Episode 6
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 β’ Duration 52:56
It will all begin on the banks of the River Niemen. Tsar Alexander forms a pact with Napoleon; the Russian Empire, along with the French, will try to take control of British India. The British increasingly become nervous about losing their prized possession and hostile towards Russia. What will follow has come to be known as the Great Game in Britain and the Tournament of Shadows in Russia. It is the ultimate imperial rivalry; Britain and Russia, the two greatest powers of the day, vying for control of the centre of the world. Listen as William and Anita tell the story of the origins of this battle for power.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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76. The Empress & The General
Season 4 Β· Episode 5
Thursday, August 31, 2023 β’ Duration 52:20
With her reign in peril in three separate arenas, Catherine begins to turn her attention to a young soldier, Grigory Potemkin. What follows is one of the great partnerships (and love affairs) of history. Together, they consolidate her rule then rapidly expand; seizing vast parts of modern Ukraine, annexing Crimea, building Kherson and Sevastopol, and taking the Russian Empire to its apogee. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Simon Sebag Montefiore for the final time as they tell the tale of the Russian Empireβs finest moment.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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