Dr Johnson is one of the most famous Brits to ever exist. A raucous, genius of a giant, he is remembered for writing the dictionary. Much less is known about his black servant and heir, Francis Barber. Listen as William and Anita are joined this week by Peter Moore to discuss the life of Francis Barber. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter...
Jun 20, 2023•46 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast The stage is set. It's 1760 and the enslaved people of Jamaica are ready to rise up. It will begin with Tacky. William and Anita are again joined by Vincent Brown, Professor at Harvard and co-founder of Timestamp Media, to discuss the climax of Tacky's Revolt. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Produc...
Jun 15, 2023•45 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast What was life like for enslaved people on the plantations? How did white people treat their slaves? What economic model did plantation owners operate on? William and Anita are joined this week Vincent Brown, Professor at Harvard and co-founder of Timestamp Media, to discuss Tacky's Revolt and in this episode they focus upon the horrific circumstances that slaves had to endure. **TRIGGER WARNING: this episode contains graphic descriptions of the brutal treatment of slaves, do not listen with chil...
Jun 13, 2023•50 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast The Royal African Company has a monopoly on the trading of slaves, given directly by the Stuarts. But the Glorious Revolution sweeps in and they are deposed. How will The Company fare? And, more importantly, how will this affect the transatlantic slave trade? Listen to William and Anita to find out. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @E...
Jun 08, 2023•47 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast The Royal African Company was at the heart of England's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. From its inception to the abolition of the trade, it was responsible for shipping more enslaved people across the Atlantic than any other organisation. Join William and Anita as they discuss the beginnings of the transatlantic slave trade and the company at the centre of it. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by B...
Jun 06, 2023•41 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Slave raids on the south coast of Britain. Islamic executioners from Exeter. North African pirates in the Mediterranean. The Barbary slave trade is quite extraordinary. Listen this week as William and Anita are joined by Nabil Matar to discuss it. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hi...
May 30, 2023•52 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Born in Ethiopia, 1548, Malik Ambar was taken from his people at the age of 12 and sold into slavery. First he was sold to an owner in Baghdad, where he converted to Islam, but he ended up in India, on the Deccan plateau. From there, his star rose, eventually to become ruler of the Sultanate Ahmadnagar and the arch-rival of the Mughal Empire. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Manu Pillai to discuss this extraordinary figure. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB...
May 23, 2023•57 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Indian beads found on a Viking in Britain, how did this come to be? The story includes the origin of the word slave, a surprising trade, and a horrific funeral ritual. Listen this week as Anita and William are joined by Cat Jarman to discuss the Viking slave trade. ***Tickets for the live show can be bought at the following link from 9am on Wednesday 10th May: https://robomagiclive.com/empire-podcast-live/. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empi...
May 16, 2023•51 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Was Rome a slave society? Did Caesar really take a million Gauls captive? And what is the real story of Spartacus? Listen as William and Anita are joined by Mary Beard to discuss slavery in Ancient Rome. ***Tickets for the live show can be bought at the following link from 9am on Wednesday 10th May: https://robomagiclive.com/empire-podcast-live/. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therap...
May 09, 2023•57 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Is slavery hardwired into society? Is hierarchy inevitable? Who built the pyramids? Listen as William and Anita are joined by David Wengrow to discuss slavery in the world’s most ancient civilizations. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more ab...
May 04, 2023•57 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast One series ends, another dawns. With the Ottomans now behind us, we move on to the history of slavery. Listen as William and Anita discuss what will be covered in the next series, why they want to do it, and tease a few of the jaw-dropping facts to come. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Ca...
May 02, 2023•16 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Annie Besant. BG Horniman. Satyanada Stokes. Madeleine Slade. What do they call have in common? They were all Rebels Against the Raj. Listen as Anita and William are joined by Ram Guha to discuss what this means. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Le...
Apr 27, 2023•42 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast The Mau Mau emergency began in 1952. Over the next eight years, the British abused thousands of Kenyans; detaining them, torturing them, murdering them. Yet, when Caroline Elkins published her book detailing this in 2005, she was slated for a lack of documentary evidence. Now, one court case and one incredible discovery later, she has been proved totally right. Join William and Anita as they are joined by Caroline Elkins to tell the story in this very special bonus episode of Empire. Sign up to ...
Apr 25, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did the Ottomans see themselves as the successors to the Roman Empire? Was the Ottoman harem more progressive than others? How tolerant was the Ottoman Empire? And where are the descendants of the Empire today? Listen as William and Anita answer these questions and more in the very last episode in this series on the Ottomans. Sign up to The Knowledge here: www.theknowledge.com/empire/ LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp...
Apr 20, 2023•39 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast How did Ataturk view the Ottomans? What is the status of the Ottoman Empire today? Who was Gertrude Bell? And how did Ottomans wear such big turbans? Listen as William and Anita answer your questions in our end of series Q&A. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...
Apr 18, 2023•46 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast A Saud. A Bin Laden. A Philby. They all, along with the discovery of oil and a BBC demon, come together in the birth of the modern state of Saudi Arabia. Join William and Anita as they are joined by Steve Coll to discuss Ibn Saud and the creation of Saudi Arabia. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more ...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast The Greeks are retreating to Smyrna in the face of Ataturk’s victory. The city, once one of the jewels of the Ottoman kingdom, is set to face devastation hitherto unknown. William and Anita are once again joined by Giles Milton as they discuss the catastrophe that occurred in Smyrna in 1922 and the central role this played in the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. To hear Giles' podcast - Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets - on the great unsolved Cold War mystery of Lionel 'Buster' Crabb, follow this li...
Apr 06, 2023•51 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast The First World War is over. There is unrest across Anatolia, exacerbated by the Greek invasion coming through Smyrna. Turkish forces are swelling to fight back against the Greeks, and at their head... Mustafa Kemal. Otherwise known as Ataturk. Join William and Anita this week as they are twice joined by Giles Milton to discuss the events of Smyrna in 1922 and the rise of Ataturk. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com...
Apr 04, 2023•54 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast The Balfour Declaration was published on the 9th November 1917. It stated the intent of the British government to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This week, William and Anita are joined by Tom Segev to discuss the declaration and the ensuing British mandate for Palestine. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Daven...
Mar 28, 2023•52 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Often understood through Peter O’Toole’s iconic display, who really was Lawrence of Arabia? His role in the First World War and the Arab Revolt had a defining effect on the Middle-East. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Anthony Sattin to discuss his life. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more ...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast 3 characters. 2 nations. 1 disastrous deal. The Sykes-Picot agreement is often blamed as the cause for much of the unrest in the Middle-East today, but what was it exactly? Listen as William and Anita are joined by James Barr to discuss this historic agreement to carve up the Middle-East. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: ...
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast The secret orders have been given. The Armenian community is to be destroyed. Ordered to march across the desert, to unsupplied camps in Deir ez-Zor. Listen as William and Anita are, for the final time, joined by Eugene Rogan to discuss the end of the Genocide and its aftermath. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Daven...
Mar 09, 2023•40 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast The Armenian community has ancient, deep roots in Anatolia. But from the late 19th century onwards, violence and forced deportations at the hands of the Ottoman Empire puts them in doubt. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Eugene Rogan as they discuss one of the most tragic events of world history. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer:...
Mar 07, 2023•44 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast The Great War has begun. The British want to open supply lines through the Black Sea to support their Russian allies. Therefore they must take the Gallipoli peninsula. Cue one of the most famous events of the First World War. Listen as William and Anita are again joined by Eugene Rogan to discuss the attempts to take Gallipoli and the brutal fighting that ensued. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitte...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast The winds of nationalism are blowing through Ottoman territory in the Balkans. Unrest is rife and the Empire is bankrupt. The young sultan Abdülhamid is at the helm. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan to discuss whether the Ottoman Empire really was the sick man of Europe in the run-up to the First World War. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/empirepod. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts....
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast She was a pioneering scientist, proto-feminist, and letter writer extraordinaire. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu escaped a marriage to Clotworthy Skeffington to become one of history's most incredible women. Listen this week as William and Anita are joined by Katie Hickman to tell the tale of her life. IRC link: https://www.rescue.org/uk DEC link: https://donation.dec.org.uk/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a t...
Feb 14, 2023•58 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Evliya Çelebi travelled for 41 years. He documented his adventures, which included interactions with vampires, humans transforming into chickens, and dervishes riding rhinos. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Caroline Finkel to discuss this man and the vivid descriptions he provided of the Ottoman Empire. *This episode was recorded before the devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected.* LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Twitter: @Empirep...
Feb 07, 2023•50 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Coffee is everywhere today, but where does it come from? Was it originally a sex drug? What is the connection between Starbucks and a medieval goat herder? Why are coffee houses political? Listen as Anita and William are joined by Cemal Kafadar to discuss the history of the substance. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 31, 2023•56 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast What was life like for women in the Ottoman Empire? Was the Sultanate of Women the golden era? What was the role of the Harem? Listen as William and Anita are joined by Bettany Hughes to discuss the role of women in the Ottoman Empire. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Slave raids in Cornwall. Englishmen spying for the venetians. The East India Trading Companies’ older brother. Join William and Anita this week as they discuss the relationship between Britain and the Ottoman Empire, all of which centre around the Levant Company. LRB Empire offer: lrb.me/empire Twitter: @Empirepoduk Goalhangerpodcasts.com Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jan 17, 2023•56 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast 
