We’ve reached the end of the road as far as Abbasid authority is concerned. Although it had waxed and waned before, there would be no recovering from the lows it had fell to this time. The caliph had no independent authority, helpful counselors, loyal generals, powerful armies, not even any money; all he had was the inherited legitimacy of his lineage. He la ... Show More
Sep 2024
Episode 89: Al Muttaqi, al Mustakfi, and al Muti’
The Abbasid fall from grace was long and messy. It’s been a while since the dynasty produced a powerful caliph, the last one being the almighty restorer al Mu’tadid who reigned until the opening years of the 10th century. The subsequent decades saw a sustained and accelerating er ... Show More
25m 51s
Sep 2024
Episode 88: Amir al umara’
The creation of the role of amir al umara’ transformed the political landscape in Baghdad. It attracted men of influence to court, and they did not come seeking to serve the caliph, but to dominate his metropolis. Ibn Ra’iq was the first such aspirants, but he and others soon lea ... Show More
29m 26s
Dec 2024
524. Charlemagne: Pagan Killer (Part 2)
“Here was a program to wet the ambitions of warlords as well as scholars, and to send men into battle beneath the fluttering of banners, the hiss of arrows, and the shadow of carrion crows…”
The year is 777 and Charles the Great - Charlemagne - has ruled as joint king of the Fran ... Show More
55m 51s
Apr 2024
10 | Watch The Throne | Mansa Musa and The Mali Empire
Had there been a version of the Forbes list in the early 14th century, a 20-something-year-old Malian king would reign supreme. Dubbed the “richest man of all time," Mansa Musa’s wealth is unmatched to this day. However, Musa paid a hefty price for his position. In the early year ... Show More
41m 34s
Nov 2024
Unity and Disunity | The Diadochi Successors
Hubris, an excessive pride in oneself, is a common trait among history's greatest figures. In the decades that followed the death of Alexander the Great, the Diadochi "successors" fought each other for control of the vast empire their leader had built. In the end, the unity creat ... Show More
17m 42s
Dec 2024
Comment un inconnu est-il devenu Empereur dans la Rome antique ?
Dans l’histoire de Rome, certains empereurs ont gravé leur nom grâce à des exploits ou des réformes, d’autres sont tombés dans l’oubli. Macrin, qui régna brièvement de 217 à 218, appartient à cette seconde catégorie. Sa trajectoire, pourtant singulière, illustre les intrigues com ... Show More
2m 18s
Dec 2024
523. Charlemagne: Return of the Kings (Part 1)
The Frankish king, Charlemagne the Great, is one of the titanic figures of European history, simultaneously renowned and shadowy. His rise to supreme power is a staggering story of warring religious empires, betrayal, battle, blindings and brutal conquest. How, then, did this one ... Show More
52m 31s
Feb 2025
537. Emperors of Rome: Claudius, Paranoia and Poison (Part 4)
Following the bloody assassination of the twenty-eight year old Emperor Caligula, Rome found herself without a leader. Who then should fill the enormous power vacuum left by the death of an emperor? Should Rome return to a Republic? Then, one overlooked candidate - a scion of the ... Show More
1h 8m
Dec 2024
525. Charlemagne: Emperor of the West (Part 3)
“And from that moment on, he was addressed as emperor and Augustus!”
The coronation of Charlemagne on Christmas Day 800 AD, is one of the landmark moments in all world history. More than three centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the emperors had returned onc ... Show More
1h 5m