Vol 4 Ep 75 - China: Ming Dynasty

Reflections on Volume 4 and looking forward to Volume 5, including the big announcement about the name of the volume and our usual review of listener messages. 

1200 - 1449 - Step into the fourteenth century, a world caught between collapse and rebirth. As the Mongol Empire fractures, new powers rise across Europe, Asia and Africa. From the birth of the Ming dynasty to the brilliance of Mali and the devastation of the Black Death, this e ... Show More

1000 - 1299 - From shattered empires to rising ideas, this episode traces a world in motion. Across continents, scholars, warriors and kings reshape faith, power and knowledge, while distant societies unknowingly edge toward collision. This is an age of transformation — where pri ... Show More

In the 15th century, Admiral Zheng He, on the orders of the Emperor of China, embarked upon a series of extraordinary voyages of exploration. These voyages were undertaken in fleets of up to 300 colossal ships, with tens of thousands of men, at great cost to the court of the Ming ... Show More

"The First Emperor will die and his land will be divided….” The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, left behind him a monumental legacy: an Empire which would last millennia, the foundations of the Great Wall of China, and an eerie Terracotta Army - 8000 warriors who would pro ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Taiping Rebellion.In 1850 a Chinese Christian convert, Hong Xiuquan, proclaimed himself leader of a new dynasty, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He and his followers marched against the ruling Qing dynasty, gathering huge support as they went ... Show More

Broadcaster and historian Michael Wood joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the world’s oldest civilisation. What were the great moments in Chinese history and why do the Opium Wars still feature so prominently in the modern Chinese school syllabus? The birth of the ... Show More

Tom and Dominic welcome back special guest Rana Mitter to discuss China's position during World War Two. This episode covers the Rape of Nanjing by Japanese forces, the military tactic of flooding the Yellow River, the deal between Chinese Nationalist Wang Jin Wei and Japan, and ... Show More

After uniting the Mongol tribes in 1206, Genghis Khan used his military prowess to assert dominance over the Ottoman Empire and the Chinese Jin Dynasty. By 1222, his empire spanned from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c ... Show More

<p>It's one of the most iconic structures in the world: The Great Wall of China.</p><br><p>But is it just one wall? And who built it and why? Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by William Lindesay OBE to delve into the ancient history of this epic structure and to answer these quest ... Show More

The second of two episodes on Genghis Khan, listen to yesterday's pod (165. The Rise of Genghis Khan) before listening to this one! 'An almost sacral figure' in the words of Tom Holland, Genghis Khan has become the paramount leader of the Mongols.  Can we call his kingdom a 'Mo ... Show More

<p>The Crusades are well-known but only part of the complex history of the medieval Near East. During the same era, the region was completely remade by the Mongol invasions.&nbsp;&nbsp;In a single generation, the Mongols upended the region’s geopolitics.&nbsp;</p><br><p>In this e ... Show More