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Goalhanger

How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?

William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.

Empire

Raja Birbal is a man of such exceptional wisdom and wit that he will become the stuff of legends. Birbal is just one of the Nine Gems Akbar surrounds himself with, remarkable people who will help the emperor enact a series of wide reaching and radical reforms. The ruler takes it upon himself to absorb the teachings of all religions he has access to, which includes the Portuguese Jesuits who are making Goa their home. In rejecting tradition in the pursuit of reason, how will Akbar foster open minded religious debate? And how, amidst all this peaceful dialogue, does he still manage to wage war and expand his kingdom? 

Listen as William and Anita discuss how Akbar revolutionised his governance and promoted religious tolerance in his realm. 

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis & Alice Horrell

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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210. Akbar the Great: Revolutionising Religious Tolerance (Ep 2)

As a dyslexic child, Akbar explored his curiosities about the world through visual wonders, and by having literature read aloud to him. As an adult, his love of art evolved as he became the patron of a multicultural group of calligraphers, painters, poets and more. A now infamous Mughal artistic style developed from his court, with iconic paintings full of bright colours and meticulous details. How did Akbar shape this style? And how was his art and architecture impacted by the religious tolerance he promoted?

Listen as William and Anita explore the art and architecture that emerged from Akbar’s court.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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211. A Beautiful World: The Art of Akbar (Ep 3)

The truth behind the story of the Three Wise Men has more connections to empire than many of us realise…

Featured in every Nativity scene in school plays, churches, and art around the world, the Three Wise Men are key characters in the Christmas story. They are only mentioned once in the Bible, appearing in Matthew’s gospel described as the Magi - meaning Persians of a priestly caste from Persia. But who were they? Where were they from? And what was the meaning behind their gifts?

Listen as Anita and William are joined by Professor Lloyd Lewellyn-Jones to discuss how the story of the Magi highlights the intermingling of Persian and Jewish culture at the time, as well as tensions between two great empires: the Parthians and Rome…

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis & Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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212. Who Were The Three Wise Men? (Ep 1)

The story of the Three Wise Men has been reinterpreted since it was first written down. The gift-bearing visitors to the newborn Jesus were initially described as “Magi”, meaning Persians of a priestly caste, but by the 4th century they were given the individual names of Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar. And in Medieval Europe they were described not as Three Wise Men, but as Three Kings. Yet there’s more to the evolution of the Magi than Western ideas, in Syriac Christian traditions there are up to 24 Magi, and in the Ethiopian church they are named Hor, Karsudan, and Basanater. So how have these ideas developed over time?

Listen as William and Anita are again joined by Professor Lloyd Lewellyn-Jones to discuss the evolution of the story of the Magi, and the influence of British imperialism on their symbolism…

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis 

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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213. How Three Wise Men Became Three Kings (Ep 2)

“The Nabateans are a silent partner in everything that goes on in the high summer of the Ancient period” - Bettany Hughes

By the time of Jesus’ birth, a mysterious empire had built its wealth through trading two of the gifts present at the Nativity: frankincense and myrrh. Aromatic crystals harvested from the sap of gnarled trees, frankincense and myrrh were highly desirable commodities known as the tears or the breath of the gods. Based along the coast of the Red Sea, the nomadic Nabatean people were engineers, mariners and savvy traders, and they cleverly placed themselves as the middlemen in the trade of this incense. The Nabateans gave the world Arabic, and had a kingdom that even Alexander the Great could not siege - so why do so many of us know nothing about them?

Listen as Anita and William are joined by Bettany Hughes to discuss how the Christmas gifts of frankincense and myrrh powered a mysterious and innovative kingdom… 

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis & Evan Green

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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214. The Empire of Frankincense & Myrrh

Prince Salim grows up in the continuously expanding empire of his father, Akbar. The young prince is being primed to take on this legacy, but he is more interested in studying the natural world with intense curiosity by dissecting animals and observing their mating rituals. Later, with Akbar dead and Salim ready to rule, he fights off claims to power from his own son, blinding him as punishment for his insubordination. In 1605, Prince Salim becomes Emperor Jahangir, but is it his love of nature or his brutish desire for revenge that characterises his rule? Is he more David Attenborough or Hannibal Lecter? 

Join Anita and William as they debate this question and explore the early life of the fourth Mughal Emperor.

Twitter: @Empirepoduk

Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com

Goalhangerpodcasts.com

Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis & Alice Horrell

Producer: Callum Hill

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn

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215. Jahangir: A World of Light And Darkness (Ep 1)

How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?

William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.

The first series looks at the British in India, covering the East India Company, the Raj, Gandhi, Independence and Partition.
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Trailer

Welcome to Empire, a brand new history podcast hosted by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand.

The first series looks at the British in India: The East India Company, The Raj, Gandhi, Independence and Partition.

In the opening episode, William and Anita discuss the rise of The East India Company, exploring how a small corporation founded in Tudor England - with only a handful of employees - came to rule India.

LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire

Twitter: @EmpirePodUk
goalhangerpodcasts.com
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1. The East India Company

Emerging victorious from the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, The East India Company cements its grip on power in India.

Join Anita and William as they discuss the nature, horrors, and key figures of 'Company Rule' in India at its height in the early 19th Century.

LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire
Twitter: @EmpirePodUk
goalhangerpodcasts.com
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2. Company Rule in India

In 1857 tensions in Company-controlled India came to a head in what the British called 'The Indian Mutiny', now referred to in India as the First War of Independence. The uprising and bloody reprisals sent shockwaves through the Empire, ended the rule of the East India Company, and led to the creation of the Raj.

LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire
Twitter: @EmpirePodUk
goalhangerpodcasts.com
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Trailer

Trailer

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