Great storytelling meets historical rigour in the podcast that brings the 17th century vividly to life. 

China at the start of the 17th century was wealthy, strong and well-governed – the Ming dynasty had been ruling for nearly 250 years and is generally thought of as one of the high points of Chinese civilisation. But within a few decades it suffered a cataclysmic collapse that some estimate cost the lives of 25 million people.

Paul and Miranda's guest in this episode is historian Timothy Brook, who believes that the Ming collapse was due not to administrative and political failure, as many earlier historians have argued, but to wider factors including economic hardship, globalisation and climate change. And Tim believes that the story of 17th century China is interlinked with events in Europe and the New World. 

Timothy Brook's book 'The Price of Collapse: the Little Ice Age and the Fall of Ming China' is published by Princeton University Press.

'1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music is by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Sam Gunn.