Burma: Medieval Superpower

In 1095, Pope Urban II’s fiery sermon lit the fuse for a so‑called holy war in the Holy Land. In the first episode of a new series, Dr. Eleanor Janega and Matt Lewis unpack the First Crusades, when this Christian armies fought against Muslim lords for possession of the arid deser ...  Show more

Scotland’s history is filled with war, betrayal, political intrigue. At the heart of it were powerful Queens; from saintly rulers to strategic alliances, the women behind the throne were anything but passive.Matt Lewis is joined by historian Sharon Bennett Connolly to explore the ...  Show more

Would you be able to survive in ancient Babylonia?

In this episode, Tristan is joined once again by Amanda Podany from California State Polytechnic University to discuss the realities of daily life in this fascinating empire. Together, they discuss everything fr ...

The Warring States period brought Japan to its knees. It was a time of turbulence and treachery, with rival warlords fighting bitterly for control of the land. But by the dawn of the 17th century, one of Japan's 'Great Unifiers' had emerged victorious - Tokugawa Ieyasu, the fi ...

The Ottoman Empire was gigantic; at one point it reached the walls of Vienna to the Persian Gulf and beyond. It was established at the end of the 13th century with its centre in what is now modern Turkey. It held swathes of Europe for centuries right up to the First World War. ...

One of the oldest religions in the world, Buddhism is practiced by over 400 million people today, but where did it originate from? Pioneered by the Buddha - a wandering ascetic - it emerged in northern India in the fifth century BC as a new path that challenged the elitist str ...