logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
1h 8m

International, part 5: Hürrem Sultan: Fr...

Vulgar History | Realm
About this episode
Hürrem Sultan, aka Haseki Sultan, aka Roxelana, was born around 1502 and was captured and sold into slavery as a young girl. She caught the attention of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and wound up shattering all kinds of glass ceilings for women, the enslaved, and concubines as she ascended to become his Queen.    References:   The Ottoman History podcast ... Show More
Up next
Nov 19
Regency Era Heiresses and the History of Enslavement
Regency Era heiresses are a part of most Jane Austen novels, as women with fortunes men want to marry into. Some of these fortunes were from old family money, but many of them were new wealth founded on human exploitation on Caribbean plantations. Our guest, Dr. Miranda Kaufmann ... Show More
44m 33s
Nov 12
Anne Lister: Regency-Era Power Lesbian
Join our Patreon to enjoy this as a video episode! Anne Lister was many things: secret sex diarist, land-owner, mountain climber, womanizer, power lesbian. How did she find a way to thrive during the patriarchal Regency Era, and what does her life story mean to today's queer comm ... Show More
1h 33m
Nov 5
Jane Austen: The Life of a Regency Era Literary Icon
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of England's best-loved and most-read authors. This year is the 250th anniversary of her birth in December 1775, and her works are as popular as they ever were. But her own story is far less known than that of her her ... Show More
56m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Theodora, the rags to riches Empress
<p><br></p><p>Dr. Eleanor Janega and author Stella Duffy dive into the extraordinary life and legacy of Empress Theodora.</p><p>A woman who rose from the lowest ranks of society as a prostitute at the Hippodrome to capture the heard of an emperor to become the most powerful woman ... Show More
46m 50s
Jul 2025
The Queen of Sheba
<p>A figure of wealth, wisdom, and global fascination - how did the Queen of Sheba become one of history’s most enduring royal icons?</p><br><p>In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Jillian Stinchcomb to trace the enduring story of the Queen of Sheba — from her biblical ... Show More
52m 16s
Dec 2024
Elizabeth I & the Sultan of Morocco
<p>Elizabeth I and Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur of Morocco shared a common goal of empire building, despite their cultural, political and religious differences. Their alliance resulted in the transformation of sugar from a luxury item to a widespread commodity and their little-known co ... Show More
43m 9s
May 2025
The Ottoman Empire
For over six hundred years the Ottoman Empire ruled swathes of the Middle East, North Africa, and Southern Europe. As an Islamic superpower centred on what is now Turkey, theirs is a story of surprising alliances and enemies, trade, war and progress. But who were its leaders? How ... Show More
59m 52s
Aug 2024
Constantinople
From humble beginnings as a modest Greek colony, through its later grandeur as part of the Roman and Ottoman Empire, the city of Constantinople has witnessed centuries of transformation. A melting pot of cultures and religions, it was the bridge between the East and West, where i ... Show More
56m 55s
Sep 8
Rise of the Habsburgs
In the first of a special four-part series on the Habsburgs, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb traces the unlikely rise of Europe’s most enduring imperial family. Emerging from a modest Swiss noble house in the 10th century, the House of Habsburg would go on to dominate the political, ... Show More
44m 43s
Sep 2024
Mansa Musa: History's Wealthiest Man?
<p>Mansa Musa's wealth is a thing of legend. It's impossible to know exactly how much he was worth, but he himself spread rumours that gold grew like a plant within the Mali Empire. When he embarked on a storied pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, he gave away so much gold in Egypt that ... Show More
27m 28s
May 2025
Women who ruled over Africa
From rainmaking queens to dogged isolationists, the lives and reigns of Africa’s female rulers have long been shrouded in mystery, misunderstanding and misogyny. Over the centuries and throughout the continent, these individuals navigated the rigid traditions of their own culture ... Show More
39m 58s
Oct 2024
Nefertiti: The Greatest Ancient Egyptian Queen?
<p>Ancient Egyptian rulers, incest, the Nazis and female empowerment, all in one episode! 'But how?' You say. 'What story could possibly bring all of these things together?'</p><br><p>This is the story of Queen Nefertiti and her bust. Kate is joined by Joyce Tyldesley and Monica ... Show More
1 h
Oct 5
296. Ottoman Gaza: Gunpowder Conquests & Rising Nationalism (Part 6)
In 1516, the Ottomans defeated the mighty Mamluk Empire in the Middle East, taking control of Gaza. How did Ottoman forces roll out scorched-earth tactics on Gaza City to punish those who had rebelled against them? How did the citrus and cotton industries develop in Ottoman Pales ... Show More
57m 1s