x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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

history

All Episodes

49:43

102. Alexander the Great: The Conquest of Persia

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/30

Darius III rules Persia and he has already demonstrated his heroism and skill in battle. The Empire itself, despite having been through a period of court intrigue, was stable. Yet, coming through their western border, originally from Macedonia, was a young man bent on conquering the whole world. His name, Alexander the Great. Listen as William and Anita retell one of the greatest stories in history. For bonus episodes, ad-free listening, reading lists, book discounts, a weekly newsletter, and a

en

48:39

101. Salamis: Athens’ Revenge

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/28

Leonidas and the 300 have been defeated at Thermopylae, leaving the way to Athens open. With the Persians advancing, many Athenians flee to the island of Salamis in the hope it will give them shelter. From there, they see flames lick the sky as the Persians burn Athens. But their leader, Themistocles, has readied the fleet for one last battle with Xerxes. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to discuss the Battle of Salamis and the end of the Persian invasion of

en

54:06

100. Thermopylae: Xerxes, Leonidas, and the 300

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/23

August 480BC; the might of the Persian army, roughly 100,000 soldiers, face down a few thousand Greeks, led by Leonidas and his brave 300. In light of their overwhelming advantage, an embassy of Xerxes asks the Spartans to lay down their weapons. Their response, 'come and get them'. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Paul Cartledge to discuss the heroic last stand of Leonidas and the 300 at Thermopylae. For bonus episodes, ad-free listening, reading lists, book discounts, a weekly

en

44:46

99. Marathon and the Rise of Greece

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/21

Ionia has revolted and so Darius turns his gaze away from India and towards Greece. He crushes the rebellion, quelling all resistance. He then looks to take much of the Greek mainland and many city states acquiesce before his envoys, but not the Athenians. So the might of the Persian army land at Marathon, ready to face down the belligerent Greeks. What follows is one of history’s most famous battles. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to discuss the Battle of

en

51:00

98. Darius the Great: Ruling from India to the...

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/16

The Persian Empire that Darius took control of was already mighty and powerful; his predecessor, Cambyses, had conquered Egypt, further expanding its territory. But it was under Darius it reached its zenith. Stretching all the way from the Mediterranean in the west to India in the east, from the Gulf of Oman in the south to southern Russia in the north, Persia under Darius was truly a global superpower. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to discuss the life of

en

54:58

97. Cyrus the Great: Building the First Superpower

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/14

Born the son of a khan, a tribal chieftain, Cyrus would go on to be a titanic figure of world history. He took Persia from being a minor regional power to the first superpower the world has ever seen. Conquering all of modern day Iran, then Turkey, and finally defeating the power of the day, Babylon: Cyrus undoubtedly deserves the sobriquet of the Great. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to discuss the life of the founder of the Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great. For

en

7:57

96. Series 5: Empires of Iran

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/09

Persia was the first great superpower. The empire built by Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes and the rest of the Achaemenids stretched from India in the east to the Mediterranean in the west, from Russia in the north to the Gulf of Oman in the south. It laid the foundation for empires of the future. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great, but Iran has risen many times since. In this series we'll look at the ancient Persian empire, but also their successors; the Sassanians, who fought against Rome, in a vast

en

53:37

95. The History of Putin's War

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/07

Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022, but how did we get to this point? After the brutality of the Second World War, Ukraine was completely under the control of Moscow. Then in the 1980s, with Chernobyl as the catalyst, the Ukrainian nationalist movement regained momentum and on 24th August 1991 declared independence. This was never accepted by Russia and all the tension, discord, and conflict since then has led us to the devastating war of today. Listen as William and Anita are once

en

11:45

Welcome to the Empire Club

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/06

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you the Empire Club. Do you want bonus episodes? Do you want discounts on the books mentioned in the weeks podcast? Do you want reading lists? Do you want ad-free listening? Well now you can. All you need to do is join the Empire Club to access all of these benefits and more. Sign up at https://empirepod.supportingcast.fm/ Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn Learn

en

51:45

94. The Bloody History of Russia & Ukraine

Empire: World History ·

2023/11/02

The history of Russia and Ukraine has been irrevocably entwined for centuries. When the Bolsheviks took over and Civil War erupted across the Russian Empire, Ukraine was one of the bloodiest centres of the conflict. Antisemitic pogroms and wanton violence destroyed whole communities. Then during the 1930s Russia inflicted upon Ukraine one of the deadliest famines in history, the death toll is estimated to be around 4m. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Pulitzer-winning historian Anne

en

46:44

93. Murdering the Romanovs: The End of a Dynasty

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/31

Dawn breaks on 16th July 1918. For Nicholas, Alexandra, and the rest of the Romanov family this is just another day in exile. They sit down for breakfast - today it is eggs - and then go about their usual business. The Romanovs had been out in the cold ever since Nicholas II's abdication over a year earlier. First they had lived in their own home, then they were moved to Siberia. Now they have ended up in Ekaterinburg. Outside their compound, the Civil War was going badly for the Bolsheviks. The

en

47:30

92. Killing Rasputin

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/26

Born in Siberia to a peasant family, Rasputin was an incredibly charismatic, physically striking, and politically savvy figure. He was a holy man, a mystic, who found his way to the centre of Imperial Russian power. Once he met Nicholas and Alexandra, he gained a central place in the court as the only man who could stop the tsarevich, Alexei, from bleeding. As his influence grew, his reputation among the Russian aristocracy declined. In the end, they felt they had to act. And so, on the night of the

en

60:28

91. Lenin and The Rise of the Bolsheviks

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/24

The Tsar has abdicated and the provisional government rules Russia, but Petrograd is overflowing with revolutionaries who want more radical change. Lenin has returned from exile and is looking to seize power for the Bolsheviks. Their momentum is growing and with Russia still in the First World War, Kerensky and the provisional government's authority is draining away. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by the great Antony Beevor to discuss the October Revolution and the Bolsheviks'

en

56:01

90. The Russian Revolution: Overthrowing the Tsar

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/19

Russian politics is fast destabilising. Strikes, assassinations, and famines have made Russia increasingly turbulent at the turn of the century. Revolutionary politics is on the rise, as is dissatisfaction with the tsar. When compounded by the strains of the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the nation stands on the verge of implosion. And on Europe's horizon is the Great War... Listen as William and Anita are joined by the great Antony Beevor to discuss the build-up to the revolution and the events

en

57:37

89. The Final Act of the Great Game

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/17

Fearing Russian designs on the region, the eyes of the British turn towards Tibet. Francis Younghusband, the Victorian adventurer and elite player of the Great Game, and Lord Curzon decide that with the Russians distracted by their conflict in Manchuria, now is the time to seize the territory. This is their chance to one-up their imperial rival. In this classic tale of the Great Game, British and Russian officers face each other down in far-off mountain ranges, before things take a darker turn as a

en

49:40

88. The Russo-Japanese War: Asia Strikes Back

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/12

1905 was one of the most pivotal moments in history. Japan, the supposedly weaker Asian power, overwhelmingly defeated the mighty Russian Empire. The effects of this rippled through the 20th century, inspiring nationalism across Asia. The Indian independence movement, through figures like Gandhi, Nehru, and Tagore, took direct inspiration from it, as did Chinese nationalists like Sun Yat-Sen. Russia was equally rocked by this disastrous defeat, putting it well on the road to revolution. Listen as

en

54:23

87. Tolstoy: War and the Russian Empire

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/10

Tolstoy was one of the greatest writers of all time. His books have constructed how we think about Russian imperial history. But he was not just an observer, he was also a participant. As a young man, Tolstoy fought in several of Russia's imperial wars– against the Chechens and the Ottoman Turks, then against both the French and the British in the Crimea. As he matured he grew far more critical of Russian Empire building and lamented the futility of war and conquest. His writings were a driver of

en

46:08

86. Crushing the Khans: Russia Seizes the Centre of...

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/05

As the other European empires were consolidating their holdings in Asia, Russia took 1.5million square miles of territory. Moving south from the Orenburg line, the Russian Empire swallowed up the Khanates of Central Asia with minimal casualties to their own troops. Depicting the citizens of Kokhand, Khiva, and Bokhara as insolent and inferior, this conquest serves as one of classic European colonialism. Listen as William and Anita delve into the story of the conquest of Central Asia. Twitter:

en

53:53

85. The Russian Conquest of America

Empire: World History ·

2023/10/03

In the 18th century Vitus Bering went from Russia's east coast and landed in America. Over the next 150 years, Russia colonised more and more land, first taking Alaska and then working down America's west coast, eventually claiming areas as far south as California. Whilst this venture did fail, this failure was not inevitable. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Owen Matthews to discuss the most improbable story of Russia and its (almost successful) attempts to colonise large parts of

en

54:09

84. A Tale of Two Nurses: Seacole & Nightingale

Empire: World History ·

2023/09/28

The Lady with the Lamp, the great nurse who forever changed public health for the better: Florence Nightingale lives large in the national consciousness. Mary Seacole, however, has been largely forgotten by history, even though she too played a significant role in the Crimean War. Both were lauded by the press. Both were famous in Britain upon their return. Remarkable forces of will, both were women ahead of their time. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Helen Rappaport to discuss the lives

en

364 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Biography Flash

Inception Point Ai