You all really need to subscribe to @empirepoduk.bsky.social with @anitaanand.bsky.social & @willdalrymple.bsky.social. The John Buchan bonus episode with Murray Pittock was great craic, as he & william went full clanjamfrie. Brilliant stuff. Buchan in the shopping cart.

Episode 2 of our Orwell miniseries out NOW.. 🪖Fighting Fascism In The Spanish Civil War🪖 Like Hemingway and Laurie Lee, the idealist writer George Orwell joined the Republican forces in Spain to fight General Franco, with his experiences inspiring Homage To Catalonia...

As the ceasefire in Gaza comes into action, today's Empire episode goes back to the 1920s when the British occupied the region. The Black and Tans, fresh from the Irish War of Independence, arrive in Mandate Palestine to violently impose imperial order, & tensions are rising...

Richard The Lionheart and Saladin are lionised in popular culture, and the Crusades is a story that many Europeans know well - but how does this epic history crossover with the history of Gaza?

THE HISTORY OF GAZA SERIES CONTINUES... Episode 4 ☪︎ Gaza & The Islamic Conquest ☪︎ @willdalrymple.bsky.social and @anitaanand.bsky.social are joined by Peter Sarris to discuss how the Arabs rapidly conquered vast territories in the seventh century, including Gaza...

Our Gaza series continues... ANCIENT GAZA: FROM THE ASSYRIANS TO THE ROMANS @willdalrymple.bsky.social and @anitaanand.bsky.social are joined by @josephinequinn.bsky.social to discuss the 5 ancient empires that conquered Gaza...

I was so honoured to talk to @empirepoduk.bsky.social about Gaza. Nothing else to say: please listen.

⭐NEW SERIES LAUNCH DAY⭐ Gaza is one of the oldest urban centres on Earth, and today we start a series in which we explore its long history... In Episode 1, @anitaanand.bsky.social and @willdalrymple.bsky.social are joined by Josephine Quinn to discuss Philistines and Pharaohs in Ancient Gaza.

Who's been listening to our SUEZ CRISIS series? Episode 4 is out today! How did Britain and France almost start World War 3 in 1956? Who was Anthony Eden and why did he hate Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser? Why was the Suez Canal so vital to European oil supplies in the 1950s?

Did Eden deceive the Queen about collusion with Israel over Suez? The episode made for one of the most gripping episodes of The Crown- but what was the truth? Don't miss the latest episode @empirepoduk.bsky.social to discover!

💥 NEW SERIES LAUNCH DAY 💥 🌏The Five Partitions That Reshaped Modern Asia🌏 Episode 1... INDIA'S FIRST PARTITION: BURMA'S BREXIT @anitaanand.bsky.social and @willdalrymple.bsky.social discuss Burma's dramatic separation from India in 1937.

New from @empirepoduk.bsky.social The French Attempt to Build the Panama Canal

NEW EPISODE OUT TODAY... Canada's Dark Secret: Stolen Children, Unmarked Graves, & Survival Stories What was life like for Indigenous children forced to attend Residential Schools in Canada in the and 1900s?

The next chapter in our @empirepoduk.bsky.social Canada miniseries is OUT TODAY 🇨🇦 Colonising Canada: The Truth Behind 'The Last of The Mohicans' Is there any truth in the film 'The Last of The Mohicans' and how did the French and Indian War that it's based on change the make-up of Canada?

The History of the countries on Trump's Shopping List Continues with... Canada 🇨🇦 🇨🇦NEW EPISODE OUT TODAY🇨🇦 Colonising Canada: Kidnapping, Scurvy, & Fool's Gold

⚔️NEW SERIES LAUNCHES TODAY! ⚔️ We explore the history of the countries on Trump's Shopping List, starting with Greenland! Episode 1... 🧊Viking Greenland: Erik The Red & Horny Zombies 🧊

All 5 of our episodes on the YALTA CONFERENCE are out now! 80 years on since the pivotal conference between the Big Three - Stalin, FDR, & Churchill - what really happened behind the smiley photos and the grand feasts as the post-war world was carved up?

New from @EmpirePodUK THE BURNING OF THE IMPERIAL SUMMER PALACE: The Second Opium War & the Century of Humiliation

Have you been enjoying our series on VICTORIAN NARCOS - The Opium Wars? Episode 6 out today: SELLING DRUGS TO QUEEN VICTORIA

New from @EmpirePodUK NARCOGEDDON- HOW THE EAST INDIA COMPANY FLOODED CHINA WITH OPIUM

In the final chapter of our Ireland story @willdalrymple.bsky.social and @anitaanand.bsky.social are joined by the brilliant @fotoole.bsky.social to discuss how Ireland has transformed since the mid-20th century. Ireland Transformed: From Banning Condoms to Exporting Viagra ✨EPISODE OUT TODAY✨

Episode 2 of our Troubles 4-parter is out today... BLOODY SUNDAY & THE BRITISH ARMY IN BELFAST What was the British Army’s policy of “Internment” in Northern Ireland, and how did it drive membership for the Provisional IRA? Who was General Kitson?

As we reach the last few chapters of our series on Ireland and Empire, we begin our 4-parter on THE TROUBLES A complex violent conflict that was both an anti-colonial uprising and a sectarian war, The Troubles put Northern Ireland on the global stage as violence continued for 30 years...

✨🗺️ 🍺☕ TICKETS ON SALE NOW☕🍺🗺️ ✨ This summer join your favourite historians @willdalrymple.bsky.social and @anitaanand.bsky.social LIVE in Glasgow, Birmingham, York and Bristol to discuss the fascinating imperial history of Booze & Brews!! Buy your tickets here: aegp.uk/EmpireLive2025

NEW EPISODE IN OUR IRELAND SERIES Colonising Ireland: The First Plantations What’s the difference between plantations in Ireland and plantations in the Caribbean? What is the history behind Derry/Londonderry being referred to as "Stroke City"?

NEW SERIES LAUNCH DAY... Ireland & Empire Ireland was used by England as a laboratory for imperialism, and it was the site of bloody colonial wars for centuries, yet many people in the neighbouring United Kingdom have little understanding of Ireland’s history.

How did Brexit, Russia-Ukraine, & Trump's re-election affect the fate of Britain's last colony, The Chagos Islands? In today's episode @anitaanand.bsky.social and @willdalrymple.bsky.social are joined by Philippe Sands to discuss his case against the British government...

On a map they appear as specks in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos Islands have been in the news a lot lately.

Why has Britain's last colony dominated news headlines in recent months? In today's episode @anitaanand.bsky.social and @willdalrymple.bsky.social are joined by the lawyer who went up against the British government, Philippe Sands, to discuss the story of the Chagos Islands...

Our new series launches today! 🌵🪴🌴EMPIRE OF PLANTS 🌴🪴🌵 How did plants power imperialism? In our first episode, @sathnam.bsky.social joins @willdalrymple.bsky.social and @anitaanand.bsky.social to discuss the colonial history of Kew Gardens...

✨NEW EPISODE✨ Battle of Brothers: The Puritan vs The Mystic The battle of succession that erupted during a severe illness of Shah Jahan is often regarded as one which determined the fate of India...

Have you listened to our recent episodes on The Taj Mahal? Within days of his beloved wife’s death, Shah Jahan starts designing his grandest architectural project yet to express his love for her.

The latest episode of @empirepoduk.bsky.social . The story behind the Taj - a tale of love and loss….

NEW FROM @empirepoduk.bsky.social To close 2024 @anitaanand.bsky.social & I talk to @nandinidas13.bsky.social about the chaotic first attempts of the English crown to open diplomatic relations with Mughal India THE ROOTS OF THE RAJ- Sir Thomas Roe at the Court of Jahangir linktr.ee/empirepoduk

Happy New Year! Want to know the Empire producers' favourite episodes of this year? Well let us introduce... 🥇SIX PRODUCER PICKS OF 2024:🥇

Still in need of some festive history? Look no further than our episode on the empire built on frankincense and myrrh with the brilliant @bettanyhughes.bsky.social By the time of Jesus’ birth, a mysterious empire had built its wealth through trading two of the gifts present at the Nativity...

The Three Wisemen, the Three Kings, the Magi... who were they? In our newest episode, we explore the true history behind the visitors from the East who brought gifts to the Nativity. And it has more connections to empire than you may expect... 🎁🌟🎁🌟🎁🌟🎁🌟

If you've listened to our recent Humayun episode, you'll understand this reference to his Astrological Twister carpet... #NoContextEmpirePod

New episode out today - our next Mughal Emperor - Humayun. Is he as much of a hopeless hippie as we once thought? From library camels to an adventurous river escape - this episode is full of twists and turns.... 🐪

Part Three of our Babur Trilogy is out today... 🕌✨ Against all odds, Babur defeats Sultan Lodi and captures Delhi. He is a masterful tactical ruler, and begins to shape a Mughal government that he will soon pass down to his descendants.

Don't miss our new @empirepoduk.bsky.social double bill- The Foundations of The Mughal Empire: From Samarkand and Kabul to the Gates of Delhi

New from @empirepoduk.bsky.social The Second Episode in out Mughal Series: Panipat 1526 The Conquest of Lodhi Delhi

Our first #NoContextEmpirePod of the new series... (Episode 2 of Babur out today!)

New series alert!! 🕌 💫THE GREAT MUGHALS 💫🕌 From poetry to religion and from architecture to astrology, the Mughal Empire left lasting impacts on India. But who were the emperors who shaped it? Today's episode looks at the early life of the first Great Mughal: Babur

New from @EmpirePodUK To coincide with the acclaimed Mughal Exhibition: Art, Architecture and Opulence @V_and_A we are today embarking on a major new series on The Great Mughals, telling the story of the lives, courts, writings, battles, art and architecture of the first six Mughal Emperors

What do you think our next series is on? Hint: if you've listened to the end of our last episode you may have a clue... 👀

To conclude our Pirates series, our newest Empire episode looks into the real history behind one of the most famous fictional pirates - Captain Hook. Peter Pan is a story that has continued to inspire generations, but the truth behind its creation is wrapped up in tragedy and darkness... 🧚🏴‍☠️🧚🏴‍☠️🧚🏴‍☠️🧚🏴‍☠️

In honour of our post on Blue Sky, here's a few 🦋blue🦋 images from Empire pod and the stories that come with them... From our Persian series: Ferdowsi The iconic poet who wrote the world's longest epic poem in 1010CE and revived Persian art and language 📘