Warlords of History

Under the shadow of a crumbling Safavid Iranian Empire, torn apart by rebellions, foreign heavyweights and destined to fall to the Afghan Hotak dynasty in 1722, Nader is pulled into the chaotic maelstrom. Emerging from the rubble as a rogue warlord within Khorasan until a renegade Safavid prince (Tahmasp II) appears in the region, looking to regain the empire. Nader entering his service and quickl...

In this episode we begin uncovering the lifetime of Nader Shah (1688 - 1747), the last of the Great Asiatic Military Conquerors. A brilliant battlefield commander who reversed the fortunes of 18th century Iran, salvaging it from the teeth of internal and external foes. Beginning as the unlikely story of an insignificant and poverty stricken youth, hardened by his chaotic environment. Struggling to...

In the series finale exploring the lifetime and dazzling achievements of King Philip II of Macedon, Philip leads his unstoppable army to win scintillating victories against both familiar and new Balkan foes. Before stumbling heavily, failed sieges on Greek cities that reignites war with the Athenians, under whom a formidable Greek coalition is formed. The prelude to Philip's crowning achievement,...

In this episode, Professor Strauss, a leading expert on ancient military history and best selling author, joins the podcast as a featured guest. We explore the attributes and motivations that define those that reach the upper echelons as the most effective military leaders in antiquity. Before going deeper into one of the greatest, Octavian, the future Augustus and first Roman Emperor. Discussing...

With Thermopylae blocked to his passage, Philip II of Macedon leads his forces north, asserting dominance over friend and foe alike. Triggering the powerful Chalcidian League to flip their allegiance to Athens and attempt a daring invasion into Macedon while Philip is abroad. Who unleashes a clever diversion and an overwhelming counterattack to decisively end the threat, firmly entrenching Macedon...

Continuing a spectacular run of military successes, King Philip II of Macedon leads his army to erase Methone off the map, the last Athenian city near Macedonia's domains. Allowing Philip to focus on the expansion of his kingdom, including a campaign into Greece that abruptly ends with a humbling defeat against Phocis. Forcing Philip to retreat and leverage the strength of the gods, returning to w...

Showing glimpses of bold aggression under its newly named King, Philip II, Macedon's neighbours grow increasingly unsettled. Anticipating a backlash yet unwilling to compromise on remaking his kingdom into a dominant power, Philip begins securing alliances, while struggling under the weight of a Macedonian economy still in tatters, unable to finance the expansion of his menacing but relatively sma...

Having guided Macedon from the edge of collapse, Philip II establishes an uneasy peace with the surrounding nations of classical Greece and the Balkans. Using this short reprieve to continue the reinvention of the Macedonian army and begin repairing the internal divides that had long plagued his kingdom. Then striking back out against his enemies during his 2nd year in power. In 358 BCE, first tak...

While held hostage in the city of Thebes, Philip II of Macedon is afforded a top tier military education, profoundly impacting the astute young man. This happening as the Kingdom of Macedon wrestles with internal court intrigues and murder, before facing a renewed wave of foreign incursions that ends in disaster and the death of the reigning king. Having returned to this homeland, Philip is electe...

In this episode we begin exploring the path blazed by Philip II of Macedon (382 - 336 BCE). A military and diplomatic genius who ushered in the Rise of Macedon, bringing Greece to its knees and that laid the foundation for the conquest to the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In order to appreciate how truly unbelievable this ascendancy was, we backtrack deep into the tumultuous history of the Macedonian...

In episode 11, the final covering the Danish Viking King Sweyn Forkbeard, we follow along as he relentlessly wages his war of attrition against Aethelred 'the Unready' of England. A 10 year marathon, steadily draining their economic and military power, sapping their morale and will to put up a viable resistance. Culminating in a full scale invasion in July 1013, that by the end of that year, would...

By the turn of the first millennium, peace has taken hold in Scandinavia. However, not all people of Nordic ancestry are free from the threat of violence, as the English King Aethelred "the Unready" unleashes a genocidal scourge upon those settled on his lands on November 13, 1002, known as the St. Brice's Day Massacre. We walk through the events leading to this day of infamy, before fol...

After having wrestled the Danish crown from his father's cold hands in 986, Sweyn Forkbeard goes off raiding in England in the pursuit of riches to finance his future endeavours, leaving behind numerous enemies that collude to usurp his kingdom while he is abroad. Left in a desperate situation, the winds of fortune soon change for Forkbeard, fueling an unbelievable resurgence that sees him regain...

We begin exploring the path forged by Sweyn Forkbeard. The son of King Harald Bluetooth, growing up in a time of great instability during the late 10th century. Newly unified, Denmark remains marked with factionalism and external influences, including the onset of conversion to Christianity. Underneath all of this, a deeply strained relationship with his father that eventually boils over into civi...

Viriathus (Viriato), the newly raised general of the Lusitanian resistance, unleashes the War of Fire (147-139 BCE) upon the Roman Republic, seeing unparalleled successes in the bid to free his people from the powerful grasp of their would be conquerors. Viriathus convinces other Hispanian tribes to rise up in defiance and extensively uses Guerrilla style tactics to achieve dazzling victories and...

In this episode, we get introduced to the incredible story of Viriathus (Viriato). A lowly barbarian shepherd who, in 147 BCE, appears virtually out of nowhere to lead the Lusitanian tribe in a fierce resistance of the Roman Republic conquests in Hispania (modern day Portugal and Spain). As the tyrannical Roman governors go about squeezing every ounce of wealth out of their lands and people, Viria...

In this final episode covering Amir Timur (Tamerlane), we review his twilight years wherein Timur inflicts a series of stinging defeats against the Mameluke Sultanate. Before facing off against the surging Ottoman Empire for supremacy of the region, reaching the pinnacle of his power and the greatest extend of the Timurid Empire. Upon his death shortly thereafter, we then look at his broader legac...

In retribution to the attack on the heart of the Timurid Empire, Amir Timur (Tamerlane) launches a series of vicious campaigns against one of his greatest adversaries. Tokhtamysh, Khan of the Golden Horde, his one time protégé, now turned bitter enemy. Before embarking into India, seeking the untold riches of Delhi, where further atrocities also await. If you would like to support my work directly...

Amir Timur, now the undisputed ruler in Transoxiana, begins to look abroad in the expansion of the Timurid Empire. Conquering neighbouring regions, including campaigns in Persia, to enhance the size and prestige of his realm. Where we also see the emergence of a notable dark side, resorting to brutal violence and horrific acts to submit nations to his will. If you would like to support my work dir...

Through a series of epic battles, Timur and Husayn rid Transoxiana of its Moghulistan Khanate overlords, before facing off against one another in a deadly struggle for control of the region. If you would like to support my work directly, you can kindly do so here: www.patreon.com/warlordsofhistory Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

Introduction and the early days of Timur, detailing the political and social environment before his birth, and transition from rising star to on the run fugitive. If you would like to support my work directly, you can kindly do so here: www.patreon.com/warlordsofhistory Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for a...