Empire: World History

Latest Episodes:

406. Norman Conquest: The First Crusade (Part 6) Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

How did Normans from Western Europe reach as far as Antioch in what is now Turkey? What was their role in The First Crusade? Who was the Byzantine Alexios I Komnenos and how did he summon Normans to support his campaign?

In the final episode of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Peter Frankopan, author of The First Crusade: The Call from the East, to discuss how Normans joined the first crusaders in the 1090s.

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Charlie Rodwell

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Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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405. Norman Conquest: Medieval Mafia Invade The East (Part 5) Oct 18, 2026

Show notes

They are best known for invading England in 1066, but the Normans conquered territories in the East too.

Who was Robert The Weasel, and did he operate like a Mafia boss in the 11th century? How did the Normans thuggishly conquer Sicily and Southern Italy? How did the Normans influence the iconic architecture still visible in Palermo today?

In Episode 5 of this series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Peter Frankopan, author of The First Crusade: The Call from the East, to discuss the Norman Conquest to the East.

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Charlie Rodwell

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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404. Norman Conquest: Colonising Ireland (Part 4) Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

How did the Normans conquer the Celts on the fringes of their territory after 1066? What led to the events of the Norman Conquest of Ireland, which still affects the nation’s politics today? And how did the Norman invasion of Wales change the landscape through the building of new castles?

In Episode 4, William Dalrymple is joined by Marc Morris, author of The Norman Conquest and The Anglo-Saxons, to discuss the lesser-known history of the Norman Invasion…

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Charlie Rodwell

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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403. The Norman Conquests: The Battle of Hastings (Part 3) Oct 11, 2026

Show notes

For weeks, William the Conqueror has been stuck on the Normandy coast, waiting. Then the wind changes. The Normans land in England, and the stage is set for the most famous battle in English history. The Bayeux Tapestry made these events immortal, but what really happened at Hastings in 1066?

In Episode 3 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined again by Marc Morris, author of The Norman Conquest and The Anglo-Saxons, to go through the battle moment by moment and weigh up its aftermath.

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402. The Norman Conquests: The Real Story of 1066 (Part 2) Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Who was William the Conqueror? Who was Harold Godwinson? Who was Harald Hardrada? And how did these three rivals change the course of English history forever?

In Episode 2 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Marc Morris, author of The Norman Conquest and The Anglo-Saxons, to discuss the road to the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

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401. The Norman Conquests: Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry (Part 1) Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

The Bayeux Tapestry shows one of the defining moments in English history. But look closer at its dragon-prowed ships and its warriors, and there's another story stitched into the Battle of Hastings. Why does the Norman invasion look so much like a Viking raid? Who were the Normans before 1066, and how much of their Norse past did they carry with them across the Channel?

William Dalrymple is joined by the brilliant Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of The Hands, to discuss the domino effect which takes us from Viking river invasions in Western Europe to the Battle of 1066…

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Editor: Bruno Di Castri

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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400. Stalin: A Poisonous Legacy (Part 6) Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

Fiona Hill is the leading authority on Russia and has been in the room with Putin and Trump. She joins Anita Anand and William Dalrymple to discuss how Stalin’s violent legacies have impacted Putin's approach to authority, and why he is reappropriating Stalin’s memory in Russia today.

What are the links between Stalin’s purges and the poisonings of Putin’s enemies in recent decades? How has Putin charmed Trump? And how does the memory of World War II affect both sides of the war in Ukraine today?

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399. Stalin: Hitler’s Downfall At Stalingrad (Part 5) Sep 26, 2026

Show notes

Antony Beevor wrote the definitive book on the Battle of Stalingrad. He joins William Dalrymple and Anita Anand to discuss how Hitler and Stalin’s armies faced gruelling winter conditions in the siege of the city, and how the battle became a decisive turning point in World War II.

What was the experience of soldiers on either side during the brutal urban warfare? How did women survive stuck within the siege? Did Hitler obsess over capturing the city because it bore Stalin’s name?

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Editor: Charlie Rodwell

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Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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398. Stalin: The Great Terror (Part 4) Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Soon after Stalin’s purges and mass violence, Nazi soldiers launch a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, opening up the Eastern Front of World War II.

Who was Stalin’s chief executioner who still holds a Guinness World Record for his number of executions? Why was Stalin surprised that Hitler invaded through Operation Barbarossa when his generals had been warning of an imminent attack? And how did the opening of the Eastern Front change the trajectory of the Second World War?

In Episode 4 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair, to discuss the purges, show trials, and Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union.

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Bruno Di Castri

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Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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397. Stalin: Killing Trotsky (Part 3) Sep 20, 2026

Show notes

Was it an ice axe or an ice pick? The murder of Trotsky in Mexico is infamous, but what does it say about Stalin’s willingness to seek out and destroy his rivals? Who was Leon Trotsky and why was he such a threat to Stalin by the end of his life?

In Episode 3 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair, to discuss the life and death of Trotsky.

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Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott

Editor: Charlie Rodwell

Social Producer: Charlie Johnson

Producer: Anouska Lewis

Executive Producer: Dom Johnson

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