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PODCAST

Empire: World History

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? Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to

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All Episodes

56:24

401. Norman Conquest: Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry...

Empire: World History ·

2026/10/04

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

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50:14

400. Stalin: A Poisonous Legacy (Part 6)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/30

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

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51:45

399. Stalin: Hitler’s Downfall At Stalingrad (Part 5)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/26

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? Join the

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42:55

398. Stalin: The Great Terror (Part 4)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/23

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

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49:12

397. Stalin: Killing Trotsky (Part 3)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/20

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. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes,

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44:04

396. Stalin: The Bolshevik Revolution (Part 2)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/16

Despite later mythology, Stalin was effectively a nobody during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Unlike Trotsky and Lenin, he was not on the frontline amongst the revolutionaries. How did he reveal his penchant for violence during the Russian Civil War in the following years? And what is the darker story behind his marriage to the young Nadya Alliluyeva?In Episode 2 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair, to discuss Stalin’s role in

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33:48

395. Stalin: The Rise of A Tyrant (Part 1)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/13

How did Stalin become one of the most ruthless dictators in World History? What was his childhood like in Georgia? How did he rise from a poet training to be a priest, to the ruler of the Soviet Union?In Episode 1 of this new series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple explore the early life of Stalin as he grew up in Georgia. Brought to you by Plaud. Empire listeners can use code 'EMPIRE' to get a 10% discount on their first order at this link: https://uk.plaud.ai/empire Join the Empire Club:

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46:16

394. Road To 9/11: Hijackers, CIA Failures, and...

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/09

How did the CIA fail to tell the FBI that known Al-Qaeda terrorists were already training inside the United States? Who was the calculated mastermind behind the scheme to hijack twenty commercial jets? What does new evidence tell us about how a Saudi official assisted the hijackers on US soil?In the final episode of this series, Williams and Anita are joined by CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen, the producer of bin Laden’s first television interview, to untangle the tragic countdown

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47:02

393. Road To 9/11: Interviewing Bin Laden In The...

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/06

What was it like to interview Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora caves? Who were the other terrorists behind the infamous 1998 fatwa? How did Monica Lewinsky derail the response to the East Africa embassy bombings?In Episode 5 of this series, Williams and Anita are joined by CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen, the producer of bin Laden’s first television interview, to discuss the terrorist leader’s declaration of war. Use code 'EMPIRE' to get an additional 2% - on top of the 10%

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43:11

392. Road To 9/11: Bin Laden vs Saudi Arabia (Part 4)

Empire: World History ·

2026/09/02

How did the Gulf War drive a permanent wedge between Osama bin Laden and the Saudi royal family? Why did the bin Laden family finally decide to disown him? How did he manage a global terror network from a farm in Sudan?In Episode 4 of this series, William and Anita are joined by Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll, author of The Bin Ladens: An Arab Family in the American Century, to follow Osama bin Laden’s descent from the Saudi establishment into international exile. Sponsored by

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44:34

391. Road To 9/11: The Rise of Osama Bin Laden (Part 3)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/30

Who were the bin Ladens, and how did they build a construction empire in Saudi Arabia?What was Osama bin Laden’s childhood like, and how was he radicalised by a puritanical PE teacher? What did a young Osama see on his television in 1982 that inspired his plan to down America’s towers? In Episode 3 of this series, William and Anita are joined by Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll, author of The Bin Ladens: An Arab in Family in the American Century, to trace the rags-to-riches rise of the House

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43:17

390. Road To 9/11: The Soviet-Afghan War (Part 2)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/26

Did the CIA actually fund Osama bin Laden during the Soviet-Afghan war?Who was Abdullah Azzam, the radical scholar who turned jihad into a global franchise? How did a bureaucratic office meeting create Al-Qaeda? In Episode 2 of this new series, William Dalrymple is joined by Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam and The Revolutionists, to discuss the founding of al-Qaeda. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code

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55:06

389. Road To 9/11: Origin of Al-Qaeda (Part 1)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/23

What were the building blocks of the rise of Radical Islamism that paved the road to the 9/11 terror attacks? How did the torture of radical members of the Muslim Brotherhood fan the flames of Islamist thought in the 1960s? Who were Sayyid Qutb and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and how did their experience in Egyptian prisons lead to the rise of extremist ideologies?In Episode 1 of this new series, William Dalrymple is joined by Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror and The

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47:20

388. Viking Mythology: Thor, Ragnarok, & Jesus Christ...

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/19

Who are Thor and Ragnarok in Norse Mythology? How did the Vikings fuse their own spiritual beliefs with Christianity? And how do Norse spiritual practices continue in some ways today through Scandinavian indigenous cultures? In Episode 6 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of the Hand, to discuss the sunset of this era, and how Vikings infused Christianity into their own spiritual practices. Try Attio for free at

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46:32

387. The Vikings Invade Britain (Ep 5)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/16

Why did the Vikings invade Britain, and how did they mix into society? What did they do with the gold they stole from churches? Which Viking stereotypes are true - and which ones are total myths?In Episode 5 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of the Hand, to discuss the dramatic arrival of the Vikings in Britain. They dismantle Viking stereotypes, and explore how the raiders reshaped British society. Summer sale is here:

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45:41

386. The Picts: Scotland’s Tattooed Warriors (Ep 4)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/12

Who were the mysterious peoples who ruled parts of Scotland for 500 years? What is the true origin of the Loch Ness Monster? Is there a secret code behind the Pictish carved stones? What do recent excavations at Rhynie tell us about the Picts?William and Anita are joined by Professor Gordon Noble, Director of the Northern Picts Project and co-author of Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North, to uncover the hidden world of the Picts. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club

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55:12

385. Saint Patrick: Slave, Rebel, & Ireland’s Patron...

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/09

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the world every year by the Irish diaspora, but what is the real history behind the patron saint of Ireland? How is the traditional story of his life almost entirely incorrect? And why were Irish people in Rome considered to be the most scholarly Christians?In Episode 3 of this series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Irish historian Dáibhí Ó Cróinín to bust myths about Saint Patrick. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club

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47:32

384. The Roman Invasion: Gods on Hadrian’s Wall (Ep 2)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/05

The Roman Conquest of Britain. The furthest western point of the empire. How did life change for ordinary people after the invasion? Why do Middle Eastern gods end up on Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England? And how does the famous gorgon face carved into stone in Bath blend Celtic and Roman spiritual beliefs?In Episode 2 of this series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough, author of Beyond the Walls: In Search of the Celts, to discuss how the arrival of the

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47:07

383. Romans vs Druids: The War For Celtic Britain (Ep 1)

Empire: World History ·

2026/08/02

Who were the Druids and what did they use Stonehenge for? Why did Romans massacre Druids in Anglesey, Wales? What is the Pagan Calendar and how is modern Halloween derived from it? What can we learn from the mysterious ‘bog bodies’?In Episode 1 of this new series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Professor Ronald Hutton, author of Pagan Britain, The Druids, and Blood and Mistletoe, to discuss the ancient spiritual practices of the British Isles. Sign up and get 10% off at

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56:51

382. Empire of AI: Karen Hao On Today’s Hidden...

Empire: World History ·

2026/07/29

Are modern AI companies the new empires? What is the hidden human cost behind chatbots like ChatGPT? How does Silicon Valley’s rhetoric echo the East India Company?In this episode, Anita is joined by award-winning tech journalist Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI, to explore the hidden colonialism behind the artificial intelligence boom. They discuss the rise of Sam Altman, the industry’s reliance on precarious workers in the Global South, and the similarities between the East India Company and

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417 results

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