Episode 30: Suleiman bin Abdulmalik

Sulayman’s underwhelming time in charge ended with a twist, and Omar ibn Abdulaziz proved to be a real surprise. The famously pious Umayyad had a vision for the umma, and he used his new position to impose an order unseen since the early, predynastic days of the caliphate. Althou ...  Show more

Yazid came to power following the transformative reign of the pious Omar II. The new caliph faced some immediate resistance, and after dealing with it he went about undoing all his predecessors reforms, effectively returning the caliphate to what it had been before. While the cra ...  Show more

Who is Selim the Grim? How does a slave come to be one of the most powerful members of Suleiman’s court? How does Suleiman anger the Christian powers? Listen as William and Anita are joined by Marc Baer to discuss the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent, in particular his love inter ...  Show more

The Ottoman Empire's Suleiman the Magnificent was a head of state, a poet, a reformer of the military and a goldsmith. His reign had a significant impact on the law, literature and art of the Ottoman Empire.

Host Greg Jenner is joined by historian Professor Michael Scott and comedian Shappi Khorsandi to head back to 480BCE for one of history’s most notorious naval battles - The Battle of Salamis. On a journey through the events leading up to the battle and beyond we will uncover one ...  Show more

Ottoman Sultan Ibrahim (1616-1648) believed he was the sort of ruler that came out of legend, so he ordered a massive tax to fund the decoration of his palace in sable fur. He also preferred full-figured women and commissioned his advisers to find for him the largest woman in his ...  Show more