The Cage of the Ottoman King

When Puyi was a child, he became Emperor of China. But when China became a republic, he and his court remained in the Forbidden Kingdom, a tiny world of ritual with no power, Dana is joined by historian Paul French to discuss his new book. Support Noble Blood:—ORDER 'THE ARCANE A ...  Show more

Double, double, toil and trouble... Almost everyone has heard of Macbeth, in the context of Shakespeare's famous play. But Macbeth was also a real king, and Shakespeare wrote about him for a very specific reason. Support Noble Blood:—ORDER 'THE ARCANE ARTS'— Bonus episodes, stick ...  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

When we last left Kosem Sultan, she was already super powerful, but with the death of her eldest son, Murad IV, she's now about to start a life of a new kind of power under her unwell son, Ibrahim. Ibrahim, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire has gone down in history as Ibrahim the Mad, ...  Show more

Henry VIII lorded it over England. Francis I dominated France. Charles V was the main man in central Europe. Yet arguably none was as powerful as Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent – a true heavyweight of the 16th century. Speaking to Spencer Mizen, author Christopher de Bel ...  Show more