Empire: World History

Latest Episodes:

147. Queen Victoria: Empress of India (Ep 4) May 08, 2024

Show notes

In 1877 Queen Victoria took on the title Empress of India, a nation which she undoubtedly had close to her heart. Yet, under her reign and that of her successors, India was exploited. At the same time, she takes Abdul Karim, known as the Munshi, into her court. Many of her courtiers despised this Indian man and his influence, but Victoria stuck by him. Undoubtedly, Empire was central to Victoria and she saw it as a force for good, but how do we see that and the rest of her reign now? Listen as William and Anita discuss Victoria’s final years and her legacy.

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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146. Queen Victoria: The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets (Ep 3) May 06, 2024

Show notes

Across 1851, over 6,000,000 people went to London to see the Great Exhibition. Designed to showcase the very best of what Britain and the empire could offer the world, the event was an incontrovertible success which cemented Britain’s status as the nation at the centre of the world economy. But, with the events of 1857 in India and the extreme levels of violence that came with it, followed by the death of Albert in 1861, Victoria’s rule was not plain-sailing even at this point. Listen as William and Anita discuss Victoria and her interactions with the empire on which the sun never sets.

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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145. Victoria & Albert (Ep 2) May 01, 2024

Show notes

It is one of the great love affairs of history. Upon meeting again shortly after her 18th birthday, Victoria and Albert became smitten with each other and within 5 days Victoria asked him to marry her. Whilst initially an unpopular match, the spectacle of the Royal Wedding dispelled some of the public’s misgivings about Albert. However, all was not well in the first decade of Victoria’s reign. The turbulence of 1840s Europe is ripping through Victoria’s nation. Listen as William and Anita discuss the first years of Victoria’s reign as she deals with assassination attempts and the Irish famine.

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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144. The Making of Queen Victoria (Ep 1) Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

Born on the 24th May 1819, Alexandrina Victoria was fifth in line to the throne at a time in which the monarchy’s popularity was declining. Yet, over the course of her reign, which at the time was the longest of any British monarch, Victoria transformed the monarchy, Britain, and its place in the world. She endured a tortured childhood in which she was controlled and mollycoddled to the extent she could not even walk down the stairs without holding someone’s hand. But, before she was even 20, she was crowned to much jubilation - Britain had entered a new era. Listen as William and Anita discuss the formative years of Queen Victoria.

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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143. Isabella of Castile: The Spanish Inquisition, the Conquest of Granada, and Columbus Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

For centuries Spain had been an outlier in Europe due to its religious diversity; Christians, Jews, and Muslims all existed reasonably peacefully across the Iberian peninsula. Under Isabelle of Castile that all changed. She began the Spanish Inquisition and brought to the fore a religious fundamentalism that would eventually force out of the country the muslims and the jews. In the epoch defining year of 1492, she also conquered Granada with her husband Ferdinand, ending the era of Islamic Spain, and gave patronage to Columbus as he took his first voyage to the new world. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Brian Catlos.

**Empire Live**

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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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142. Isabella of Castile: Uniting Spain Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

To some she is Europe’s first great queen, to others she is one of history’s great villains, but there is no doubt that Isabella of Castile holds one of the most significant legacies in European history. Born third in line to the throne of Castile, she asserted herself and rose to be queen of Castile and then through her fiery marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon, laid the foundations for the unification of Spain. But as soon as she rose to dominance, she made it clear that she was willing to use terror to enforce her rule. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Brian Catlos to discuss the rise to power of Isabella of Castile.

**Empire Live**

Empire live show tickets are ON SALE NOW!! Join Anita and William at the London Barbican 8 July 2024! Buy your tickets here or here.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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141. Nur Jahan: The Most Powerful Mughal Woman Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

With Jahangir sliding into more of an opium and alcohol fuelled slumber with each passing day, Nur Jahan took the reins of the Mughal Empire. In this she demonstrated her political prowess, but she was also a remarkable woman. She hunted tigers, greatly improved her family's standing, and at one point led an army of men on elephant-back. But her most significant legacy lies in the tomb she designed for her father, which in turn helped to influence the architecture of the famous Taj Mahal. Listen as William and Anita discuss Nur Jahan at her peak.

**Empire Live**

Empire live show tickets are ON SALE NOW!! Join Anita and William at the London Barbican 8 July 2024! Buy your tickets here or here.

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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140. Nur Jahan: The Light of the World Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Nur Jahan was born on a roadside as her well-to-do parents fled from Safavid Persia for the tolerant court of the Mughal emperor. Her first marriage was respectable although unremarkable, but then her husband died and she entered the imperial harem. From here, she rose through the ranks and managed to charm one of the most powerful men in the world, the emperor Jahangir. Listen as William and Anita discuss the rise of one of the most powerful women in Indian history.

**Empire Live**

Empire live show tickets are ON SALE NOW!! Join Anita and William at the London Barbican 8 July 2024! Buy your tickets here or here.

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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139. Mrs Genghis Khan Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

Börte came from a powerful nomadic tribe and in many ways her marriage to Genghis Khan set him up to become the great conqueror we know. They married young and when they were twenty, he brought his new bride back to his camp. But their newlywed life was turned upside down when Börte was kidnapped. He formed important alliances to retrieve her and seek revenge. Once reunited, Börte became a key advisor to her husband as he laid the foundation of the Mongol Empire, establishing a dynasty that lasted for centuries. Listen as Anita and William are joined by Marie Favereau to discuss the life of Börte.

**Empire Live**

Empire live show tickets are ON SALE TODAY from 9am UK time!! Join Anita and William at the London Barbican 8 July 2024! Buy your tickets here or here.

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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138. The Graceful Reed: Ruling the Islamic Empire Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both instances she wielded extraordinary power. In the court at Baghdad - the very heart of the civilised world - al-Khayzuran had major influence and it is possible that during her lifetime, she was the most powerful woman in the world, determining politics from Morocco to Afghanistan. Some even say she assassinated one of her sons, and put a second on the throne. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Hugh Kennedy to discuss the extraordinary life of al-Khayzuran.

**Empire Live**

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Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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