Empire The Empire Club
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- History
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How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.
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143. Isabella of Castile: The Spanish Inquisition, the conquest of Granada, and Columbus
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**
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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142. Isabella of Castile: Uniting Spain
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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Bonus: Sacred cows, tantric magic, and BC vs BCE
When did cows become sacred in India? What magic was happening in the ancient university of Nalanda? What were the Persian influences on the Mughal Empire? When did Greeks become Greeks? When do you use BC/BCE and AD/CE? What’s the “dessert room” at Oxford university? Listen as William and Anita answer these questions and more.
**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:
1) https://www.aegpresents.co.uk/event/empire-live/
2) https://www.axs.com/uk/events/536925/empire-live-tickets?aff=ukaffgtf
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn -
141. Nur Jahan: The Most Powerful Mughal Woman
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
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
140. The Light of the World & Empress of India
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
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
139. Mrs Genghis Khan
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
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Amazing podcast series
Dalrymple love of India and history shines through. Entertaining, informative and fun. Reading the anarchy by Dalrymple and loving it.
Rare to find someone able to pain such a vivid history of the past in such and engaging way.
Annoying but interesting
There’s really interesting content here and some wonderful storytelling. But the annoying dynamic between WD and AA often gets in the way.
WD giggles inanely a lot. There are a lot of in jokes and teasing which is clearly between the two of them and I feel I’m not really in on the joke.
When they’re serious and focused they are a heavyweight duo who tell a cracking story.
Spoiler alert: pretty much all roads lead to India and how bad was the British empire. Other than that…
Unlistenable.
Jolly hockey sticks and self important.