In the third century BC, China was a land fractured by war - a patchwork of rival kingdoms struggling for dominance. Out of this chaos rose a single, extraordinary figure who would reshape the course of history: Chin Shrr Hwong, the First Emperor of China.
His achievements were monumental, but his reign was marked by ruthlessness, so how did this teenage ... Show More
Jun 29
Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle, a doctor, war volunteer, campaigner for justice, politician, and believer in the spirit world, created one of literature’s most famous characters. In his lifetime, he wrote ghost stories, political pamphlets, historical novels, and fantastical adventures. But ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2024
204. Babur: The First Mughal Emperor
“To wander from mountain to mountain, hopeless and homeless, has nothing to recommend it” - Babur
Before he became the father of the Mughal dynasty, and the author of one of the most important memoirs in world history, Babur was a provincial young prince in modern-day Uzbekistan. ... Show More
52m 59s
Feb 2022
E33: Qin Shi Huang: China’s First Emperor
This week, Chris, James and Michael pay a visit to Qin Shi Huang, China’s very first emperor. He unified ancient China, oversaw the construction of the Great Wall and commissioned the Terracotta Army, hoping it would protect him in the afterlife. But he was also a brutal tyrant w ... Show More
1h 28m
Apr 21
A Concubine Rises to Rule China
April 27, 1856. In Beijing’s Forbidden City, one of the emperor’s consorts, a woman named Cixi, has given birth to a son – the emperor’s first heir. This landmark event is met with mass celebration. But in just five years time, the emperor will be dead and Cixi will be planning a ... Show More
42m 10s
Mar 2025
Genghis Khan and the Mongols, Part 1 of 2
We're in the Mongol lands of Central Asia in the late 1100s. This is a place of nomadic warriors, a region divided between tribes. But one man will emerge to unite them. Armed with the greatest military mind of his age, he will lead the Mongol peoples far beyond their own borders ... Show More
53m 44s