Queen Njinga, the 17th-century ruler of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern-day Angola, established an impressive reputation for her skills as a warrior and diplomat. At a time when Portuguese colonists were ramping up operations in the region, Njinga had to fight tooth and nail for survival, and make difficult decisions to protect her people. Luke Pepera tells Ke ... Show More
Mar 2023
317: African Amazons
A story spanning modern-day Ghana, Angola, and Benin, historian Luke Pepera joins Tom and Dominic to discuss the tradition of African queens, female warriors, and military commanders. Through the lives of Queen Nzinga of Ndongo, the Dahomey warriors, and the Ashanti Queen mothers ... Show More
53m 11s
Jun 2020
The Bloody Queen of Madagascar
<p>Stories from history are not kind to Queen Ranavalona of the Kingdom of Imerina. They call her bloodthirsty, mad, a "female Caligula." People were killed under her rule—lots of them, and cruelly. But "madness" doesn't tell the whole story. Ranavalona was a canny political lead ... Show More
27m 18s
Jan 2024
Boudica
The legend of Boudica has survived for two millennia, although much of her life still remains a mystery - some historians dispute whether she existed at all. For those who do believe in her, she personifies liberty, defiance, and female power, while for others, she was a barbaric ... Show More
50m 25s
Jan 2024
Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate
<p>The Warring States period brought Japan to its knees. It was a time of turbulence and treachery, with rival warlords fighting bitterly for control of the land. But by the dawn of the 17th century, one of Japan's 'Great Unifiers' had emerged victorious - Tokugawa Ieyasu, the fi ... Show More
29m 30s
Jul 2023
63. Creating Sierra Leone: The Land of the Free
These former slaves have fought valiantly for the British and have been promised a new life. With things not working out in North America, eyes turn toward Africa. Could their homeland, from which they had been so brutally torn, offer sanctuary? Listen as William and Anita are ag ... Show More
44m 47s
Jun 2023
2 Slavic Queens: Olga of Kyiv (Ukraine) & Jadwiga of Poland
Olga was the wive of Igor, the Grand Prince of the Kievan Rus’, a federation of people whose capital was the city of Kyiv, now the capital of modern day Ukraine. When her husband was brutally murdered by a subsidiary tribe, Olga went on a legendary campaign of cunning and ruthles ... Show More
42m 34s