Much of Sri Lanka’s recent history has been dominated by the conflict between the majority Sinhalese population and its Tamil minority. And of course, a lot of this episode deals with this issue and seeks to highlight its historical origins. Sri Lanka’s history, however, is much more complex and profound than just this. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode, Luke guides us through the long, complicated but infinitely fascinating history of Japan. Join us as we wade through Japan’s many distinct periods, beginning with the first identifiable Neolithic culture, the Jōmon, through to the regions Sinification under the Kofun, and to the eventual rise and fall of the Samurai (and many more, of course).

Today, Monaco is one of the richest countries in the world. Even if we look back to Medieval times, we find that its inhabitants have always done pretty well. Monaco’s historical trajectory, however, is not a simple story of steadily accumulating wealth. There have been, to borrow a cliché, plenty of bumps in the road. Join us in exploring those bumps and everything else in between!

On our first episode of 2021, we return to the wonderful continent of Africa to discuss Botswana. Today, Botswana is one of Southern Africa’s most prosperous, peaceful and politically sophisticated nations. Tune in to learn about how this cattle-herding country of old has evolved into what it is today.

Of all the countries we will cover in this series (which is all of them), China’s history is perhaps the most jampacked. As we are sure you can understand, this makes telling its history in under an hour (or just over) quite the task. However, we think Luke did a pretty good job guiding you through China’s various periods of wholeness and fracture.

This small country in the centre of Balkans is steeped in an intriguing, complicated and at times traumatic history. Much of this has to do with its ethnic composition, which has ebbed and flowed between Serb and Albanian dominance through time. The balance between these two groups has not always led to acrimony, but in recent times it has tipped into disaster. In this episode we explore the historical reasons behind how this came to pass.

“We are not Swedes, we do not want to become Russians, let us therefore be Finns”. First uttered some time in the early 19th century, this affirmation of Finnish national identity provides a rather snappy insight into Finnish history and its timeline. As you might have guessed, Sweden and Russia have played significant parts at different points. But, no matter how hard they tried, the local culture of the Finns and its various indigenous groups could never quite be tempered. Tune in to find out more.

All Central Asian countries have one thing in common – their history is complicated. But with complications comes great intrigue, and Azerbaijan is the perfect example of this fact. It has been predominantly Pagan, Zoroastrian, Christian and Muslim at different points in time, and it has been conquered and ruled over by many an empire from both West and East. Its borders have also been in a constant state of flux, which, when we look to the present, continues to cause problems for the stability of the Caucasus region. Tune in to find out more.

Ahh Liechtenstein. This small principality in central Europe has led an interesting existence... it was once dominated by ancient Alpine tribes such as the Helvetians before being integrated into the Roman province of Raetia under Tiberius. The Germanic Alemanni took control of it a bit later, then the Franks had their turn, and thereafter it remained a dominion of the Holy Roman Empire until well after it was purchased by the Liechtenstein dynasty in 1699. But, as the title implies, they didn't take much of an interest in the territory at first... tune in to find out more!

Ah, Bermuda. Small, sunny yet frequently stormy – this small ensemble of islands has done quite a lot in its 700-year history. Despite the uphill battle posed by its limited resources, the early colonists of Bermuda quickly made a success of it; first by specialising in tobacco, then shipbuilding, salt, and international finance later on. Tune in to find out more about how this small agglomeration of islands tells a rather big story.