Linked by History

Why is Liu Bei the hero? He's not exactly a "good guy" compared to the other main players. Don't get me wrong. He's not a bad guy either, and ultimately that is why I think he gets the nod. He doesn't do the actual worst things, so by default, he's kind of the best. It's a form of logic, and good enough for framing the Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel the way i...

Gladiator II's Lucilla may have been fit the plot better, but the real Lucilla is so much more interesting...and at the risk of being obvious, is more realistic. She's rather flawless in the movies but the actual person from history is imperfect like the rest of us. #history #gladiator #gladiator2 #romanhistory #historytok #historicalfigures #movietok #podcastsoftiktok

Lucius Verus was a real person. Lucius Verus from the movie is a fiction. That's not surprising. Movies are made for entertainment, not education. But just how much of his life in the movies was made up? Well, pretty much all of it.#history #historyfacts #gladiator #gladiator2 #romanhistory #historicalfigures #historyshorts

The historical truth of Gladiator's 2 co-emperors, Geta and Caracalla. Part of that reality is my inability to pronounce Caracalla. Oh well. #history #romanhistory #gladiator2 #gladiatorii #historicalfigures #knowyourhistory #history

Maximus Decimus may have been a fictional character created for the movie Gladiator, but that doesn't mean there's not a hint of truth to his story. With multiple key similarities to a man named Tiberius Claudius Pompeianus, one could argue that part of Maximus was historically accurate. The question: how much? I'll be posting another short soon about Lucius Verus, the boy from Gladiat...

Females that have founded religions are a rare breed, and Wei Huacun (252 - 334 AD) did it first. Thanks to her efforts in the late 3rd century, the founding tenets of Shangqing Taoism were given life. Though the Taoist sect didn't technically start until Huacun's successor organized the religion, he gave full credit to her as the founder. Barely anybody practices Shangqing Taoism anymor...

Sun Quan (182-252 AD) grew up in one of China's most tumultuous eras, The Three Kingdoms period. At birth, no one expected anything of him or his family. Yet, this chaotic period, filled with rebellions, plagues, and civil war, offered his father the chance to catapult his family into the limelight. For the first 18 years of Sun Quan's life, his father, and later his elder brother, domin...

While most people familiar with Lucilla (150 - 182 AD) know her from the Gladiator Cinematic Universe, she differed significantly in real life from her movie character. Enchanted by power and all of its trappings, this one-time Roman empress blended nobility and greed in a unique combination. Just an example: whereas she and Maximus Decimus got along swimmingly in Gladiator, the actual Lucilla str...

What do you get when you combine a naturalist with a disciplined soldier? None other than Pliny the Elder (23 - 79 AD). With a work ethic few could match, he produced tome after tome of insights into the natural world. He did all of this while primarily working as either a soldier, lawyer, or governor until meeting his end in Pompeii. Ever dedicated to the empire, the only thing Pliny loved more t...

Adherent to Confucianism corrupted by absolute power or clever plotter who feigned virtuousness to usurp the throne? The life of Wang Mang (45 BC - 23 AD) was full of contradictions. He lived a virtuous life throughout his early years, staying in the good graces of his aunt, Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun. Her influence over the young Western Han emperors who succeeded her husband paved the way for...

What happens when you raise a boy as a warrior from birth, then give him the reins to conquer all the neighboring tribes and kingdoms on your border? He develops into one of the greatest champions of one of the world's most peaceful religions, Mahayana Buddhism. Obviously. Kanishka the Great (79 - 150 AD) may have earned more credit than he deserved, but there's no doubt his influence in...