The rise and fall of empires and the events that shaped world history. William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires. From the British Empire to the Ottomans to Ancient India, history is shaped by power struggles and territorial conquests. How does it continue to affect the world today? Empire Club: Become…
401. Norman Conquest: Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry (Part 1)
The Bayeux Tapestry shows one of the defining moments in English history. But look closer at its dragon-prowed ships and its warriors, and there's another story stitched into the Battle of Hastings. Why does the Norman invasion look so much like a Viking raid? Who were the Normans before 1066, and how much of their Norse past did they carry with them across the Channel? William Dalrymple is joined by the brilliant Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of The Hands, to discuss the domino effect which takes us from Viking river invasions in Western Europe to the Battle of 1066… Brought to you…
Fiona Hill is the leading authority on Russia and has been in the room with Putin and Trump. She joins Anita Anand and William Dalrymple to discuss how Stalin’s violent legacies have impacted Putin's approach to authority, and why he is reappropriating Stalin’s memory in Russia today. What are the links between Stalin’s purges and the poisonings of Putin’s enemies in recent decades? How has Putin charmed Trump? And how does the memory of World War II affect both sides of the war in Ukraine today? Brought to you by Plaud. Empire listeners can use code 'EMPIRE' to get a 10% discount on their…
26 Sep 2026 · 52 min
399. Stalin: Hitler’s Downfall At Stalingrad (Part 5)
Antony Beevor wrote the definitive book on the Battle of Stalingrad. He joins William Dalrymple and Anita Anand to discuss how Hitler and Stalin’s armies faced gruelling winter conditions in the siege of the city, and how the battle became a decisive turning point in World War II. What was the experience of soldiers on either side during the brutal urban warfare? How did women survive stuck within the siege? Did Hitler obsess over capturing the city because it bore Stalin’s name? Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to…
23 Sep 2026 · 43 min
398. Stalin: The Great Terror (Part 4)
Soon after Stalin’s purges and mass violence, Nazi soldiers launch a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, opening up the Eastern Front of World War II. Who was Stalin’s chief executioner who still holds a Guinness World Record for his number of executions? Why was Stalin surprised that Hitler invaded through Operation Barbarossa when his generals had been warning of an imminent attack? And how did the opening of the Eastern Front change the trajectory of the Second World War? In Episode 4 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Giles Milton, author of The…
20 Sep 2026 · 49 min
397. Stalin: Killing Trotsky (Part 3)
Was it an ice axe or an ice pick? The murder of Trotsky in Mexico is infamous, but what does it say about Stalin’s willingness to seek out and destroy his rivals? Who was Leon Trotsky and why was he such a threat to Stalin by the end of his life? In Episode 3 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined once again by Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair, to discuss the life and death of Trotsky. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a…
16 Sep 2026 · 44 min
396. Stalin: The Bolshevik Revolution (Part 2)
Despite later mythology, Stalin was effectively a nobody during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Unlike Trotsky and Lenin, he was not on the frontline amongst the revolutionaries. How did he reveal his penchant for violence during the Russian Civil War in the following years? And what is the darker story behind his marriage to the young Nadya Alliluyeva? In Episode 2 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Giles Milton, author of The Stalin Affair, to discuss Stalin’s role in the fledgling Soviet Union during the violence that birthed it. Join the Empire Club: Unlock…
13 Sep 2026 · 34 min
395. Stalin: The Rise of A Tyrant (Part 1)
How did Stalin become one of the most ruthless dictators in World History? What was his childhood like in Georgia? How did he rise from a poet training to be a priest, to the ruler of the Soviet Union? In Episode 1 of this new series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple explore the early life of Stalin as he grew up in Georgia. Brought to you by Plaud. Empire listeners can use code 'EMPIRE' to get a 10% discount on their first order at this link: https://uk.plaud.ai/empire Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to…
9 Sep 2026 · 46 min
394. Road To 9/11: Hijackers, CIA Failures, and America’s Darkest Day (Part 6)
How did the CIA fail to tell the FBI that known Al-Qaeda terrorists were already training inside the United States? Who was the calculated mastermind behind the scheme to hijack twenty commercial jets? What does new evidence tell us about how a Saudi official assisted the hijackers on US soil? In the final episode of this series, Williams and Anita are joined by CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen, the producer of bin Laden’s first television interview, to untangle the tragic countdown and massive intelligence failures leading to September 11th. Empire listeners can use code…
6 Sep 2026 · 47 min
393. Road To 9/11: Interviewing Bin Laden In The Caves of Tora Bora (Part 5)
What was it like to interview Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora caves? Who were the other terrorists behind the infamous 1998 fatwa? How did Monica Lewinsky derail the response to the East Africa embassy bombings? In Episode 5 of this series, Williams and Anita are joined by CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen, the producer of bin Laden’s first television interview, to discuss the terrorist leader’s declaration of war. Use code 'EMPIRE' to get an additional 2% - on top of the 10% discount - for orders placed before 8th September at this link: https://uk.plaud.ai/empire For more…
2 Sep 2026 · 43 min
392. Road To 9/11: Bin Laden vs Saudi Arabia (Part 4)
How did the Gulf War drive a permanent wedge between Osama bin Laden and the Saudi royal family? Why did the bin Laden family finally decide to disown him? How did he manage a global terror network from a farm in Sudan? In Episode 4 of this series, William and Anita are joined by Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll, author of The Bin Ladens: An Arab Family in the American Century, to follow Osama bin Laden’s descent from the Saudi establishment into international exile. Brought to you by Plaud. Use code 'EMPIRE' to get an additional 2% - on top of the 10% discount - for orders placed before 8th…
30 Aug 2026 · 45 min
391. Road To 9/11: The Rise of Osama Bin Laden (Part 3)
Who were the bin Ladens, and how did they build a construction empire in Saudi Arabia? What was Osama bin Laden’s childhood like, and how was he radicalised by a puritanical PE teacher? What did a young Osama see on his television in 1982 that inspired his plan to down America’s towers? In Episode 3 of this series, William and Anita are joined by Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll, author of The Bin Ladens: An Arab in Family in the American Century, to trace the rags-to-riches rise of the House of bin Laden. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with…
26 Aug 2026 · 43 min
390. Road To 9/11: The Soviet-Afghan War (Part 2)
Did the CIA actually fund Osama bin Laden during the Soviet-Afghan war? Who was Abdullah Azzam, the radical scholar who turned jihad into a global franchise? How did a bureaucratic office meeting create Al-Qaeda? In Episode 2 of this new series, William Dalrymple is joined by Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam and The Revolutionists, to discuss the founding of al-Qaeda. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, early-access, every bonus episode, and full access to our exclusive…
23 Aug 2026 · 55 min
389. Road To 9/11: Origin of Al-Qaeda (Part 1)
What were the building blocks of the rise of Radical Islamism that paved the road to the 9/11 terror attacks? How did the torture of radical members of the Muslim Brotherhood fan the flames of Islamist thought in the 1960s? Who were Sayyid Qutb and Ayman al-Zawahiri, and how did their experience in Egyptian prisons lead to the rise of extremist ideologies? In Episode 1 of this new series, William Dalrymple is joined by Jason Burke, author of Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Islam and The Revolutionists, to discuss the seeds of Islamic terrorism. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire…
19 Aug 2026 · 47 min
388. Viking Mythology: Thor, Ragnarok, & Jesus Christ (Ep 6)
Who are Thor and Ragnarok in Norse Mythology? How did the Vikings fuse their own spiritual beliefs with Christianity? And how do Norse spiritual practices continue in some ways today through Scandinavian indigenous cultures? In Episode 6 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of the Hand, to discuss the sunset of this era, and how Vikings infused Christianity into their own spiritual practices. Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code…
16 Aug 2026 · 47 min
387. The Vikings Invade Britain (Ep 5)
Why did the Vikings invade Britain, and how did they mix into society? What did they do with the gold they stole from churches? Which Viking stereotypes are true - and which ones are total myths? In Episode 5 of this series, Anita Anand and William Dalrymple are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough, author of Embers of the Hand, to discuss the dramatic arrival of the Vikings in Britain. They dismantle Viking stereotypes, and explore how the raiders reshaped British society. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free…
12 Aug 2026 · 46 min
386. The Picts: Scotland’s Tattooed Warriors (Ep 4)
Who were the mysterious peoples who ruled parts of Scotland for 500 years? What is the true origin of the Loch Ness Monster? Is there a secret code behind the Pictish carved stones? What do recent excavations at Rhynie tell us about the Picts? William and Anita are joined by Professor Gordon Noble, Director of the Northern Picts Project and co-author of Picts: Scourge of Rome, Rulers of the North, to uncover the hidden world of the Picts. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, early-access, every bonus…
9 Aug 2026 · 55 min
385. Saint Patrick: Slave, Rebel, & Ireland’s Patron Saint (Ep 3)
Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated all over the world every year by the Irish diaspora, but what is the real history behind the patron saint of Ireland? How is the traditional story of his life almost entirely incorrect? And why were Irish people in Rome considered to be the most scholarly Christians? In Episode 3 of this series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Irish historian Dáibhí Ó Cróinín to bust myths about Saint Patrick. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, early-access, every bonus…
5 Aug 2026 · 48 min
384. The Roman Invasion: Gods on Hadrian’s Wall (Ep 2)
The Roman Conquest of Britain. The furthest western point of the empire. How did life change for ordinary people after the invasion? Why do Middle Eastern gods end up on Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England? And how does the famous gorgon face carved into stone in Bath blend Celtic and Roman spiritual beliefs? In Episode 2 of this series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Dr Eleanor Barraclough, author of Beyond the Walls: In Search of the Celts, to discuss how the arrival of the Romans altered the gods of these isles. Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire Summer sale is here:…
2 Aug 2026 · 47 min
383. Romans vs Druids: The War For Celtic Britain (Ep 1)
What are the links between the Druids and Stonehenge? Why did Romans massacre Druids in Anglesey, Wales? What is the Pagan Calendar and how is modern Halloween derived from it? What can we learn from the mysterious ‘bog bodies’? In Episode 1 of this new series, William Dalrymple and Anita Anand are joined by Professor Ronald Hutton, author of Pagan Britain, The Druids, and Blood and Mistletoe, to discuss the ancient spiritual practices of the British Isles. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/EMPIRE. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with…
29 Jul 2026 · 57 min
382. Empire of AI: Karen Hao On Today’s Hidden Colonialism (Ep 2)
Are modern AI companies the new empires? What is the hidden human cost behind chatbots like ChatGPT? How does Silicon Valley’s rhetoric echo the East India Company? In this episode, Anita is joined by award-winning tech journalist Karen Hao, author of Empire of AI, to explore the hidden colonialism behind the artificial intelligence boom. They discuss the rise of Sam Altman, the industry’s reliance on precarious workers in the Global South, and the similarities between the East India Company and OpenAI. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code…
26 Jul 2026 · 54 min
381. Musk, Bezos & The New East India Companies (Ep 1)
Are modern tech corporations the new East India Company? What is the dark history behind Silicon Valley? What do Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have in common with Cecil Rhodes? In this episode, William and Anita explore the sinister origins of Silicon Valley and the striking parallels between today’s tech billionaires and historical imperialists. They discuss the rise of tech companies like PayPal, X and Amazon, and how they have followed the historical template set by the East India Company. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's…
22 Jul 2026 · 35 min
380. Algerian Revolution: The Rise of Le Pen (Ep 6)
How is Marine Le Pen connected to the Algerian War of Independence? What can the cult film, La Haine, tell us about life in the banlieues for people of Algerian descent? What happened to Algerian protestors in Paris in 1961? In the final episode of the series, William and Anita explore how the Algerian war continues to echo in French politics today. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, early-access, every bonus episode, and full access to our exclusive members' series. Sale ends August 31st, so grab it…
19 Jul 2026 · 47 min
379. Algerian Revolution: Black Panthers, LSD, & Nina Simone (Ep 5)
How did Algiers become a centre for revolutionaries from around the world in the 1960s? What happened to the “pied noirs” white settlers after Algeria gained independence? Who was Frantz Fanon, and why did he end up in Algeria where he was inspired to write Wretched of The Earth? Why did the Black Panthers, the Viet Cong, Nina Simone and Maya Angelou all arrive in Algeria in 1969? In Episode 5 of the series, William and Anita explore the aftermath of independence in Algeria. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free…
15 Jul 2026 · 31 min
378. Algerian Revolution: Birth of Independence (Ep 4)
How did the French use systemic torture during the Battle of Algiers? Which army generals plotted to overthrow the French president? Why did the bloody birth of an independent Algeria herald further trouble to come? In the fourth episode of this series, William and Anita explore the bloody road to the declaration of Algerian Independence. They discuss France’s horrifying use of torture, the collapse of the Fourth Republic, and the historic 1962 Évian Accords. Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code…
12 Jul 2026 · 38 min
377. Algerian Revolution: The Battle of Algiers (Ep 3)
What really happened during the infamous Battle of Algiers? How did the Algerian War of Independence begin? Who was the radical mastermind who restructured the resistance movement under the noses of the French army? In the third episode of this series, William and Anita discuss the explosive start of the Algerian revolution. They discuss the guerrilla tactics of the FLN, brutal French reprisals, and the legendary female bombers of the Battle of Algiers. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, early-access,…
8 Jul 2026 · 44 min
376. Algerian Revolution: Repression and Rebellion (Ep 2)
Who were the ‘pied noirs’ and how did they come to dominate Algerian society? What was life like for the millions of Muslim Algerians living under French rule? Why did VE Day celebrations trigger horrific massacres? How did the French defeat in Vietnam inspire Algerian revolutionaries? In the second episode of this series, William and Anita explore how the harsh reality of colonial rule in Algeria paved the way for war. They discuss the infamous Sétif massacres, how World War Two radicalised young Algerians, and the creation of the National Liberation Front. Summer sale is here: get an…
5 Jul 2026 · 42 min
375. Algerian Revolution: The French Invasion (Ep 1)
How did the French colonise Algeria? Was the Algerian economy built on slavery? Who was the revolutionary priest who united Algerians against the invaders? What atrocities did the French commit in the mountains? In the first episode of this series on the Algerian Revolution, William and Anita explore how France colonised Algeria, sowing the seeds of the War of Independence. They discuss what Algeria was like before the French, the trivial diplomatic incident that sparked the invasion, and early Algerian resistance. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/EMPIRE. Summer sale is here: get an…
4 Jul 2026 · 36 min
374. Ken Burns on the American Revolution and Empire
How did the United States change from a revolutionary experiment into a global empire? Was the American Revolution really a civil war over Native American land? Why was George Washington known as the ‘Town Destroyer’? How do the Civil War and Vietnam continue to haunt America? Anita is joined by legendary filmmaker Ken Burns to discuss his fifty-year career documenting the American story and the nation’s dark imperial past. Summer sale is here: get an annual Empire Club membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, early-access, every bonus episode, and full…
1 Jul 2026 · 54 min
373. The Dark Truth About Mount Rushmore
What is the dark past of Mount Rushmore, America’s most famous national Monument? How did a sacred indigenous site become a colossal shrine to the American empire? What ties did sculptor Gutzon Borglum have to the Ku Klux Klan? Anita speaks with Matthew Davis, author of A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore, to reveal the sinister past of the beloved American landmark. They discuss the Native American wars, illegal seizure of sacred land, and the contested meaning of the iconic national memorial. Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire Summer sale is here: get an…
28 Jun 2026 · 55 min
372. The First British Indians: The Sisters Rejected By Queen Victoria (Ep 4)
Who were Princesses Irene and Pauline, the forgotten Duleep Singh sisters? Why did Queen Victoria shun them? Why did Irene choose to leave her fortune to Dr Barnado's, sparking a vicious legal battle? And why has the fate of Paulina remained a mystery to historians for decades? In the final episode of this series, William and Anita explore the darkest chapter of the Duleep Singh family saga: the forgotten lives of Princesses Pauline and Irene Duleep Singh. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live…
About Empire: World History
The rise and fall of empires and the events that shaped world history. William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires. From the British Empire to the Ottomans to Ancient India, history is shaped by power struggles and territorial conquests. How does it continue to affect the world today? Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, and access to our members’ chatroom on Discord! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Empire: World History is a English history podcast from Goalhanger. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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