I spoke to Christopher before about his book the Lion House. That was part 1 of a trilogy on the life of Suleiman the Magnificent. Christopher is back to talk about part 2: The Golden Throne - the Curse of a King.

From the intricate power dynamics of the Ottoman court to bloody naval battles in the Mediterranean, "The Golden Throne" recreates the world of Suleiman the Magnificent at the height of his reign. We discover an empire where Christian slaves could rise to the highest positions of power, where the harem functioned as a complex political institution, and where eunuchs served as crucial information brokers between the male and female spheres of governance. 

The life of Suleiman himself – from youthful sultan to aging monarch increasingly concerned with piety and legacy – forms the emotional core of the book. But just as interesting is the  diplomatic chess match between the four great powers of the era – Suleiman's Ottomans, Francis I's France, Charles V's Habsburg Empire, and Henry VIII's England – reveals surprising alliances that defied religious boundaries. 

The scandalous partnership between "the Most Christian King" Francis I and the Muslim Ottomans against fellow Christian powers demonstrates how realpolitik has always trumped ideological purity. Meanwhile, the Mediterranean becomes a theater of spectacular naval conflict, where the pirate-turned-admiral Barbarossa conducts raids of shocking brutality while engaging in a curious dance of mutual avoidance with his Habsburg counterpart Andrea Doria.

Perhaps most chilling is de Bellaigue's  exploration of the Ottoman succession system – the literal "Curse of the King" that gave sultans the legal right to execute their brothers upon taking the throne. As Suleiman ages and his numerous sons position themselves for power, we witness how this institutional fratricide casts a shadow over the royal family, with Hurrem (Roxelana) orchestrating a dangerous campaign to ensure her sons triumph over the popular prince Mustafa. This family drama builds toward a climactic resolution that reveals the brutal foundations of imperial power.

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Anton Howes writes the brilliant Age of Invention substack. We were supposed to talk about the history of salt and its powerful impact on people and states. We certainly did talk about that but also a lot more!

- history's efflorescences

- Henry VIII's ruthless tax grabs

- The feebleness of England (until suddenly . . .)

- Rebel space colonies

- The Spanish and English Armadas

- Lot's wicked daughters

- The Roman (non) Industrial Revolution

And amidst all our digressions I mentioned the film with more digressions than even we could manage, The Saragossa Manuscript. Highly recommended. And also the documentary about salt production in My Name is Salt which is just wonderful.

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In this episode Professor Ed Watts and I look at the brilliant career and sad life of the Emperor Tiberius. We try to understand how this most capable and intelligent man came to be seen by history as one of the most monstrous of the Roman emperors.

In researching for the podcast I came across a really stirring defence of Tiberius in the shape of a monograph by Norman Douglas. On looking into who Norman Douglas was I discovered that he was a great literary figure of the first half of the 20th century. He was also an open paedophile and quite possibly child rapist. In short some of the crimes Tiberius himself was accused of. Here is an article about the man by Rachel Hope Cleves which I found interesting and unsettling in equal measure. 

Regardless, I think Ed makes a good case for considering Tiberius to have been a good emperor but broken by age, family tragedy and an impossibly demanding stepfather.

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This is part 2 of my podcast with Jonathan Clements on Japan's Christian century. In this episode we get on to the rebellion itself. Sensitive listeners may want to brace themselves!

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A two part podcast on Japan's Christian century. Jonathan Clements wrote a brilliant book called Christ's Samurai about the Shimabara rebellion of 1638. We cover the story in two parts - this is part 1 and tells of the early successes and later disasters of the efforts to bring christianity to Japan. Part 2 will cover the story of the rebellion itself.

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Hampton Sides loves to tell stories of people fighting against impossible odds.

The story of the Jeannette's voyage is right in that vein. His book is called In the Kingdom of Ice and the subtitle sums it up - the Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette.

Look forward to hearing about US naval officer George de Long's polar expedition of 1879, including:

• a rich and eccentric newspaper owner
• a syphilitic navigator
• a mentally unbalanced German cartographer
• a wonderful love story

and courage and endurance beyond all belief.

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Spring Heeled Jack was an uncatchable villain from Victorian times. His speciality was attacking young women, raking their faces and clothes with metal claws and sometimes breathing fire in their faces. We have good evidence for his existence with newspaper reports and police and courts involved. But the more historian Mike Dash peels away the layers the harder it becomes to be sure of anything. A proper historical investigation into a proper mystery!

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The 'spice wars' between the Dutch and the English in the 1600's were quite something. Giles Milton told the story in his remarkable book Nathaniel's Nutmeg. What I hadn't realised until reading this was how feeble and disorganised the English were compared to their competitors. And the Dutch in particular were as ruthless as they were capable.

Visits to the court of Ivan the Terrible, a knight of the realm imprisoned in a cupboard under the stairs, horrific torture, courage and persistence beyond belief - and much much more. Giles, as ever, tells the story just brilliantly.

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We are back with Jonathan Clements for part 2 of our podcast on the history of Taiwan. In this episode we start with the remarkable story of Taiwan's 50 years as a colony of Japan. And Jonathan then takes the story through the White Terror up to the current day.

And to remind you:

Rebel Island

Jonathan's blog

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Jonathan Clements has written a number of histories of East Asia. His latest, Rebel Island, is a history of Taiwan from the earliest times up to today. If you have any interest in the history of the region this book is an absolute must read. And while it is a serious and meticulously researched history it is also genuinely gripping with 'Blimey! I didn't know that!' moments on every other page. Really terrific stuff.

We ran rather long so I split it into two parts. Part 1 takes us all the way up to the eve of the arrival of the Japanese who established it as a colony in 1895. Jonathan was a hugely entertaining and enthusiastic guest and the depth of his learning really shines through.

And do check out Jonathan's blog, the eccentrically named Schoolgirl Milky Crisis. Full of fascinating history and, indeed, reviews of Finnish cinema!

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