139. Mrs Genghis Khan
Börte came from a powerful nomadic tribe and in many ways her marriage to Genghis Khan set him up to become the great conqueror we know. They married young and when they were twenty, he brought his ne...
10 Apr 202447min
138. The Graceful Reed: Ruling the Islamic Empire
Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both ...
8 Apr 202443min
137. Empress Theodora: Making Heaven on Earth
The Empress Theodora is often unfairly remembered for the salacious stories that have been told about her when she was forced to work in a brothel. She was far more than that. She used her power to im...
3 Apr 202455min
136. Empress Theodora: From the Brothel to the Throne
Placed by her mother into a brothel when she was just a child, Theodora was born into the most brutal of worlds. It was a Constantinople riven with division, whether due to theology or circus factions...
1 Apr 202441min
135. Helena: Queen of the World and Finder of the One True Cross
Born in poverty at a time when the Roman Empire was in danger of cracking up and disintegrating, Helena was set for a life of obscurity as a stable hand, bar maid, and, according to some, a prostitute...
28 Mar 202456min
134. Cleopatra: The Would-Be Empress of Rome
With Julius Caesar dead, Cleopatra turned to another of Rome’s dominant figures. She became entwined with Mark Antony, the ruler of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, but even with their enormous c...
26 Mar 202441min
133. Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile
Born in the romantic splendour of Ptolemaic Egypt, not far from the Library of Alexandria, Cleopatra was destined for greatness. She ascended to the throne at 18 and very quickly asserted her authorit...
21 Mar 202447min
132. Journey to Nalanda and the Library of Jewels
In late autumn, 629 AD, Xuanzang set out for the great university of Nalanda from Chang’an. Across the desert, over the Pamirs, and through multiple robberies, it was an epic journey. As he neared the...
19 Mar 202446min
