We investigate Silla, one of the three kingdoms of old Korea. We follow their epic battles against Paekche and Gogoryo, their love-hate relationship with ancient China and how Silla became the foundation of the Korean state we know today. Expect queens, kings and plenty of Kims! Check out the website: ctdeapod.com and follow us on Facebook, X, BlueSky and Insta @ctdeapod
Jul 03, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 12
It's another one from the archives as we revisit our interview with YouTube sensations, Map Men. We talked to Jay and Mark about how they make their videos and quiz them on their Inca knowledge with Knot Truth or Not Truth.
Jun 19, 2025•38 min•Season 6Ep. 11
Ed's getting married, so this time we're digging out an episode from the archive - the Inca Empire. Hopefully this will Quipu you entertained before normal service is resumed.
Jun 05, 2025•51 min•Season 6Ep. 7
We met up with comedian and CTDEA alumnus Mike Shephard at a pub in Forest Hill, South London - the place where Bertie Sheldrake was offered the crown of Islamestan. What were Bertie's motivations? Why would anyone want to be a king? And what happened to Europe's leftover royalty? Join us for an enjoyable pint-fuelled ramble. Visit ctdeapod.com and contact us on Instagram, X, Facebook and Bluesky @ctdeapod
May 22, 2025•50 min
It's a CTDEA double king double bill! First, we hop to Patagonia Auracania, where a French lawyer in a tries to become champion of the Mapuche people. Then we head East to find a London pickle maker try to become overlord of the Chinese Islamic kingdom of Islamistan. It's a king-king situation! Head to ctdeapod.com for articles and more. Follow us @ctdeapod on Facebook, X, Bluesky and Instagram.
May 08, 2025•38 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Phil & Ed pop to Rochester Castle, an original Norman conquest castle in Kent, to experience the epic scale of an 11th century castle. From a 1215 siege by King John that brought down a tower to a hook up spot for Henry VIII, Rochester Castle has seen it all. So now it's our turn. Follow along with pictures on our blog: https://www.ctdeapod.com/post/ctdea-on-the-road-rochester-castle...
Apr 24, 2025•40 min•Season 6Ep. 7
In part 2 of our Gwynedd epic, we find out how Gwynedd deals with the Norman Kings - from William the Conqueror to Edward I. We also meet a couple of Llewellyns and loads of Dafyds. And we ask the question - how did the Welsh come to be Welsh?
Apr 10, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 6
The Kingdom of Gwynedd was a Medieval powerhouse from the departure of the Romans right up to the conquest of Edward I. It helped establish the things that helped the Welsh find a distinctive identity, including cattle-based revenge and Hywel's Law of Wales. Join us for blindings, burning and castle building. Check out our website at ctdeapod.com and follow us on X, Facebook & Bluesky @ctdeapod. Leave a review and send your questions and answers to ctdeapod@gmail.com....
Mar 27, 2025•36 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Ed & Phil explore some of the ways Angkor Wat has been used in film. From a split second cameo on Transformers to a Tomb Raider trope. Phil then uncovers some of the darker aspect of the Khmer Rouge and Ed watches Jungle Atlantis to find out just how much he got wrong about Angkor Wat. Please send in questions and answers to ctdeapod@gmail.com or go to ctdeapod.com
Mar 13, 2025•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
We cover the temple-addicted, hydraulic super power known as the Khmer Empire. How did they tame the monsoon to become the greatest power in Southeast Asia? Not only does Angkor Watt remain a wonder if the world, but its suburbs stretched for miles and miles - making it the largest city in pre-industrial history. How did they achieve such power and organisation - and where did it go wrong? Website: ctdeapod.com Follow us on X and Facebook @ctdeapod...
Feb 27, 2025•41 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Phil and Ed visit take a sailing tour of the Dalmatian coast, hitting up some of the key places featured in the history of the Republic of Ragusa. Starting outside the Republic in Split, we then visit Hvar, Korcula, Mijet, Dubrovnik and even Cavtat. Read our travel blog at: https://www.ctdeapod.com/post/ctdea-croatia-sailing-diary Check out our top historical spots in Dubrovnik: https://www.ctdeapod.com/post/dubrovniks-top-historical-sites
Feb 13, 2025•35 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Imagine King's Landing from Game of Thrones without the dragons and poor pacing. That's better isn't it? Welcome to the Republic of Ragusa, the maritime power focused on Dubrovnik that sprung out of the Roman Empire, flourished in the Medieval period and lasted to the modern age. Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com Website: ctdeapod.com X and Facebook: ctdeapod
Jan 30, 2025•43 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Put more historical entertainment into your 2025 with season 6 of Countries That Don't Exist Anymore. Forget dieting and fitness. Focus on ancient Cambodian culture and Welsh medieval kingdoms instead! Plus join us on a virtual yacht trip off the coast of Croatia. Coming at you soon....
Dec 31, 2024•4 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Was Atlantis really an Ice Age super advanced civilisation? Or was the Atlantis described by Plato really a confused account of the ancient Minoans? We dip into conspiracy theories, pseudo-history and a world of legendary bull. Leave us a review or get in touch at ctdeapod.com.
Mar 07, 2024•41 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Who were the Minoans of Crete? Were they really Europe's first civilisation? Ed travels to the Palace of Knossos for CTDEA On The Road to find out if it was the real home of the Minotaur or if the Greek myths were a load of old bull. Check out ctdeapod.com and follow us @ctdeapod on Facebook or X. Please leave us a review wherever you listen.
Feb 22, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Ed & Phil watch the 1964 Christmas classic Zulu starring Michael Caine. Does it hold up in 2024, did Caine ever say "Stop chucking those bloody spears at me?" and more importantly - is it historically accurate? Please leave us a review or donate at our website: ctdeapod.com .
Feb 01, 2024•44 min•Season 5Ep. 7
How did a cow-obsessed pastoralists go from 1500 people to a fighting force that could defeat the British Empire? Who were the Zulus, why were they called the Black Spartans and why were they so into cow poetry? Follow us at @ctdeapod on Facebook and Twitter. Or leave a donation at ctdeapod.com .
Jan 18, 2024•49 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Past Phil and Ed sat down to watch the movie Edge of the World, featuring James Brooke, the Raj of Sarawak (S03 E05). In real life, James Brooke was a towering pillock, but can Jonathan Rhys Myers do him justice? No. Check out our orginal episode on the Raj of Sarawak: S03 E05 Raj of Sarawak - Countries That Don't Exist Anymore | Podcast on Spotify and visit our website: ctdeapod.com
Jan 04, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 5
When the sons of Louis the Pious separated the Holy Roman Empire into three, everybody thought it would be temporary. But it wasn't. But why did Middle Francia look so weird? And was it the most important kingdom in European history? Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com where you can donate to the show. Follow us @CTDEApod on X and Facebook and never miss another update.
Dec 07, 2023•46 min•Season 5Ep. 4
This week we profile poet turned dictator Gabriele D'annunzio and his rowdy, partying state The Endeavour of Fiume. But was he the father of fascism or just a very naughty boy? Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com where you can donate to the show. Follow us @CTDEApod on X and Facebook and never miss another update.
Nov 27, 2023•59 min•Season 5Ep. 2
You might know that Alexander the Great invaded India, but did you know that Greek colonists and founded their very own Athens in Afghanistan? Find out about the Ancient Greeks of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Plus is melon oil as good as olive oil? Spoilers: no. Check out our website: ctdeapod.com where you can read articles, get in touch or donate to the show. Follow at @ctdeapod on Facebook or X/ Twitter. If you like the show, please leave a review! This episode was greatly inspired by The...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 3
It's the long-awaited series 5 of Countries That Don't Exist Anymore! Ed & Phil head to sub-Saharan West Africa to check out the glittering Medieval empire of Wagadou (AKA the Ghana Empire). Did a 7-headed python god really rain gold? Did the fun-hating Almoravids end it all? We examine on the myths and mysteries of Wagadou! Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com where you can donate to the show. Follow us @CTDEApod on X and Facebook and never miss another update.
Sep 07, 2023•38 min•Season 5Ep. 1
We discuss Prey, the latest movie in the Predator franchise very unexpectedly set in 18th century Comancheria. (Never would have predicted that one.) In this movie we follow Naru, a Comanche hunter who takes on an alien visitor...and our preconceptions. Oh yeah! We give our verdict, talk historical accuracy and wonder whether Jordan Peterson would like it. Spoilers: no. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod . Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com . Follow us @C...
Sep 22, 2022•44 min•Season 4Ep. 12
We return to Comancheria to follow the Comanche as they take on first the Texas Rangers and then the US Army. And we follow the story of the charismatic Quanah Parker - half Texan, half Comanche - as he leads the last stand of the Quahadi band. Warning: mild language. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod . Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com . Follow us @CTDEApod on Twitter and Facebook and never miss another update....
Sep 08, 2022•47 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Who were the finest light cavalry in the world in the early nineteenth century? Who were the toughest and most brutal of the "Plains Indians" ? Whose very name meant "man who wants to kill me all the time" ? Meet the Comanche and their prairie empire of Comancheria. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod . Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com . Follow us @CTDEApod on Twitter and Facebook and never miss another update....
Aug 25, 2022•40 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Phil & Ed chat through their favourite countries in the show so far: Alt Clut Sarawak Bavarian Soviet Republic Aksum Taiping Inca Empire What's yours? Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com . Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod . Follow us @CTDEApod on Twitter and Facebook and never miss another update....
Aug 11, 2022•45 min•Season 4Ep. 9
We have a very informal fireside chat with comedian and writer Mike Shephard about Alt Clut, British identity and the underwhelming lives of Medieval saints. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod . Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com . Follow us @CTDEApod on Twitter and Facebook and never miss another update.
Jul 28, 2022•38 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Don't miss the greatest hits of Countries That Don't Exist Anymore, the giant platinum mega hit edition. Coming soon to Patreon! New regular episode of next Thursday. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod. Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com and read the history games article. Follow us @CTDEApod on Twitter and Facebook and never miss another update.
Jul 21, 2022•4 min•Season 4Ep. 8
What was the last great Brythonic kingdom of the Old North? Alt Clut, the Kingdom of the Rock. Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod. Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com. Follow us @CTDEApod on Twitter and Facebook and never miss another update.
Jul 07, 2022•30 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Imagine forming own country...but it only lasting a day? In 1939, this is was the Ruthenians of Czechoslovakia did to defend themselves against Hungarian aggression. These days, they're part of Ukraine and having to fend off yet another tyrant. But looking back, who was Avgustyn Voloshyn? What was the Sic? And why did their governor work out of a museum giftshop? Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/ctdeapod . Contact us at ctdeapod@gmail.com or at our website: ctdeapod.com . Follow us @CTDEApod...
Jun 23, 2022•31 min•Season 4Ep. 4