Om episode
"The First Emperor will die and his land will be divided….” The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, left behind him a monumental legacy: an Empire which would last millennia, the foundations of the Great Wall of China, and an eerie Terracotta Army - 8000 warriors who would protect the Emperor in the afterlife. His deeply autocratic reign, and the brutal tactics he used to conquer rival states and establish the Chinese Empire, have seen him cast as the archetype of the “bad emperor”. And when compared with Qin Shi Huang, Mao boasted that “when you berate us for imitating his despotism, we are happy to agree!”. But was Chinese unification under one empire inevitable, or did it need a ruthless figure to centralise power? And to what terrifying lengths did the first Emperor go to secure immortality…? Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the fantastical First Emperor of China - one of the world’s most powerful and formidable rulers. From warring kingdoms and ruthless suppressions, to necromancy, mythical beasts, doom-ridden prophecies, and even 20th century Chinese Communism. *The Rest Is History LIVE in 2024* Tom and Dominic are back onstage this summer, at Hampton Court Palace in London! Buy your tickets here: therestishistory.com Twitter: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Nyeste episoder
455. Fall of the Sioux: The Ghost Dance (Part 2)
454. Fall of the Sioux: Death of Crazy Horse (Part 1)
453. Custer's Last Stand: The Final Showdown (Part 8)
452. Custer's Last Stand: The Battle of the Little Bighorn (Part 7)
451. Custer's Last Stand: The Charge of the 7th Cavalry (Part 6)
450. Custer's Last Stand: Death in the Black Hills (Part 5)
449. Custer vs. Crazy Horse: Rise of Sitting Bull (Part 4)
448. Custer vs. Crazy Horse: Horse-Lords of the Plains (Part 3)
447. Custer vs. Crazy Horse: The Winning of the West (Part 2)