The History of China

Emperor Yingzong is back on his throne thanks to the conspirators loyal to him. Only they turn out to be not so much loyal to "him," as they are to the idea that they should have more and more power. It all culminates with yet another coup d'etat..真讨厌... Time Period Covered: 1457-1464 CE Major Historical Figures: Emperor Yingzong (Zhu Qizhen) [r. 1435-1449, 1457-1464] Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen [b. 1448] Yu Qian, Minister of War [d. 1457] Xu Yuzhen, Earl of Wugong [?] Shi Heng, Duke of Zhongguo [d. 1459] Cao Zhixiang, Director of Ceremonies [d. 1461] Grand Secretary Li Xian Imperial Guard Commander Lu Gao [d. 1461] General Cao Qin [d. 1461] General Shi Biao [?] General Sun Tang General Ma Ang General Wu Jin General Wu Cong Commander Ma Liang Commissioner Wanzhe Tuliang Vice Commissioner-in-Chief Esen Temur Works Cited: Qi, Dongfang. “Funerary Perception and Ritual Institution of Imperial Tang” in Kaogu Xuebao (tr. Lee Yun-kuen). Robinson, David M. “Politics, Force and Ethnicity in Ming China: Mongols and the Abortive Coup of 1461” in The Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 59, No. 1. Stutton, Donald S. “Death Rites and Chinese Culture: Standardization and Variation in Ming and Qing Times” in Modern China, Vol. 33, No. 1. Twitchett, Denis & Tilemann Grimm. "The Cheng-t'ung, Ching-t'ai, and T'ien-shun reigns, 1436-1464" in The Cambridge History of China, Vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Part I. Waldron, Arthur. The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the events at the Tumu Fort, Emperor Yingzong takes an unscheduled sabbatical in Mongolia, the Mongol warlord Esen Taishi attempts to return something lost for a price, Beijing battens down the hatches in preparation for Genghis Khan come anew, and brotherly love reaches its breaking point. Time Period Covered: 1449-1457 CE Major Historical Figures: Ming Dynasty: Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong) [r. Zhengtong Era: 1435-1449, Tianshun Era: 1457-1464] Zhu Qiyu (the Jingtai Emperor) [r. 1449-1457] Crown Prince Zhu Jianshen [b. 1447] Crown Prince Zhu Jianzhi [1448-1453] Minister Xu Yuzhen Xing An, Head Imperial Eunuch Yu Qian, Minister of War [1398-1457] Northern Yuan/Oirat Mongols: Esen Taishi [1407-1455, (r. as Khaghan of N. Yuan, 1453-1455)] Toghto Bukha (Taisun Khaghan) [r. 1433-1453] Xi Ning, turncoat eunuch [d. 1450] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our annual creepy charcuterie of 4 strange stories from all across Qing China, collected by Ji Yun from Beijing all the way to Urumqi. Today, we have 4 tales to send shivers down your spine: 1) "Professional Notes on the Jiangshi & Other Revenants" (begins @ 2:50) 2) "Checkpoints" (begins @ 19:44) 3) "Yeti Stones" (begins @ 28:43) 4) "Visitors From Beyond" (begins @ 34:37) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"There are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths, and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through. When that happens, the man who knows must strike before reckoning the consequences." By: H.P. Lovecraft Read By: Chris Stewart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nyarlathotep . . . the crawling chaos . . . I am the last . . . I will tell the audient void. . . . Written By: H.P. Lovecraft Read By: Chris Stewart Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A child sits the throne of Great Ming, which goes surprisingly alright… at least for a while. But when the old guard of the imperial regency starts dying off, a combination of naive youthful exuberance and pure political ambition from the power behind the throne will throw everything into chaos on the plains north of Beijing. Time Period Covered: 1435-1449 CE Major Historical Figures: Great Ming: Zhu Qizhen (Emperor Yingzong, the Zhengtong/Tianshun Emperor) [r. 1335-1449, 1457-1464] Grand Empress Dowager Chen [d. 1442] Wang Zhen, Eunuch Lord [d. 1449] Mongol Tribes: Esen, Taishi of the Oirat [d. 1455] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While dying emperors, shifting policies, and vindictive princes keep the capital busy, Admiral Zheng He will manage to sneak in on last joy-ride into the sunset aboard his beloved Treasure Fleet... Time Period Covered: 1424-1435 CE Major Historical Figures: The Hongxi Emperor (Zhu Gaochi) [r. 1424-1425] The Xuande Emperor (Zhu Zhanji) [r. 1425-1435] Zhu Gaoxu, the Prince of Han [1380-1426] Zhu Gaosui, the Prince of Zhao [1383-1431] Grand Admiral Zheng He [1371-1433] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zheng He's Treasure Fleet finally arrives on the African coast, and the Yongle Emperor celebrates the apex of his reign with the grand opening of Beijing and the Forbidden City. But dark clouds continue to build, but in the emperor's aged, troubled mind, and literally on the horizon... a storm is coming... Time Period Covered: 1416-1424 CE Major Historical Figures: The Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424] The Noble Consort Zhaoxian, née Wang [d. ca. 1420] Grand Admiral Zheng He [1371-1435] Mirza Sharukh, Sultan of the Timurid Dynasty [r. 1405-1447] Major Works Cited: Chan, Hok-lam. “The Yung-lo reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Pt. I. Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433. Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having laid waste to the once glorious city of Baghdad, Hulegu Ilkhan now sets his sights east of the Euphrates, to the fertile lands of Syria and Egypt beyond. But what's to follow will set of a momentous clash in Galilee, at a spring called Ain Jalut, that will shake the very fundaments of history... Time Period Covered: 1258-1260 CE Major Historical Figures: Mongol Empire: Mongke Khaghan Khubilai Ilkhan Ariq Boke Ilkhanate: Hulegu Ilkhan General Baiju General Kitbuqa Ayyubid Dynasty: al-Muzzam Turanshah al-Malik al-Nasir Yusuf al-Aziz al-Zayn al-Hafizi Mamluks: Saif ad-Din Qutuz Baybars al Bunduqdari, "The Great Lord Panther" European Christendom: King Louis IX of France Bohemond V of Antioch Bohemond VI of Antioch King Hethum I of Cilicia Major Sources Cited: Amitai, Reuven. Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk Ilkhanate War, 1260-1281. Amitai, Reuven. “An Exchange of Letters in Arabic Between Abakha Ilkhan and Sultan Baybars (A.H. 667/A.D. 1268-69)” in Central Asiatic Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1. Gillespie, Alexander. Causes of War, Volume II: 1000 CE to 1400 CE. Grousset, René. Empire of the Steppes: A history of Central Asia. Subani, Hamad. The Secret History of Iran. Richard, Jean. The Crusades, C.1071-1291. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, Volume 3, The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades. Tschanz, David W. “History’s Hinge: ‘Ain Jalut” in Saudi Aramco World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having laid waste to the once glorious city of Baghdad, Hulegu Ilkhan now sets his sights east of the Euphrates, to the fertile lands of Syria and Egypt beyond. But what's to follow will set of a momentous clash in Galilee, at a spring called Ain Jalut, that will shake the very fundaments of history... Time Period Covered: 1258-1260 CE Major Historical Figures: Mongol Empire: Mongke Khaghan Khubilai Ilkhan Ariq Boke Ilkhanate: Hulegu Ilkhan General Baiju General Kitbuqa [d. 1260] Ayyubid Dynasty: al-Muzzam Turanshah al-Malik al-Nasir Yusuf al-Aziz al-Zayn al-Hafizi Mamluks: Saif ad-Din Qutuz Baybars al Bunduqdari, "The Great Lord Panther" European Christendom: King Louis IX of France Bohemond V of Antioch Bohemond VI of Antioch King Hethum I of Cilicia Major Sources Cited: Amitai, Reuven. Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk Ilkhanate War, 1260-1281. Amitai, Reuven. “An Exchange of Letters in Arabic Between Abakha Ilkhan and Sultan Baybars (A.H. 667/A.D. 1268-69)” in Central Asiatic Journal, Vol. 38, No. 1. Gillespie, Alexander. Causes of War, Volume II: 1000 CE to 1400 CE. Grousset, René. Empire of the Steppes: A history of Central Asia. Subani, Hamad. The Secret History of Iran. Richard, Jean. The Crusades, C.1071-1291. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, Volume 3, The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades. Tschanz, David W. “History’s Hinge: ‘Ain Jalut” in Saudi Aramco World.

The treasure Fleet goes on missions 2-4, resulting in increasingly strange, valuable, and even divine gifts being presented to Great Ming. Time Period Covered: 1407-1415 CE Major Historical Figures Ming: Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424] Admiral Zheng He [1371-1435] Commodore Yang Min  Ma Huan, translator & chronicler [1380-1460] Kingdom of Malacca: King Parameswara [r. 1402-1414] Major Works Cited: Chan, Hok-lam. “The Yung-lo reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Pt. I. Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433. Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Kéramos” in Keramos and Other Poems: A Book of Sonnets, Part II. U.N. Museum. “Nanjing pagoda – Seven wonders of the medieval world.” www.unmuseum.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The treasure Fleet goes on missions 2-4, resulting in increasingly strange, valuable, and even divine gifts being presented to Great Ming. Time Period Covered: 1407-1415 CE Major Historical Figures Ming: Yongle Emperor (Zhu Di) [r. 1402-1424] Admiral Zheng He [1371-1435] Commodore Yang Min Ma Huan, translator & chronicler [1380-1460] Kingdom of Malacca: King Parameswara [r. 1402-1414] Major Works Cited: Chan, Hok-lam. “The Yung-lo reign” in The Cambridge History of China, vol. 7: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644, Pt. I. Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433. Levathes, Louise. When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Kéramos” in Keramos and Other Poems: A Book of Sonnets, Part II. U.N. Museum. “Nanjing pagoda – Seven wonders of the medieval world.” www.unmuseum.org

A live retelling (wart & all) of Genghis Khan's invasion of Khwarazmia ca. 1221, and the doomed flight of all who stood against his wrath... followed by a Q&A. From the 2021 Intelligent Speech Conference! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A live retelling (wart & all) of Genghis Khan's invasion of Khwarazmia ca. 1221, and the doomed flight of all who stood against his wrath... followed by a Q&A. From the 2021 Intelligent Speech Conference!

There once was a fleet that put to sea All in name of the Imperial Ming With phoenix sterns, & dragon prows Oh go, my baochuan, go! Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go Commanded by an admiral So tall he seem unnatural His voice rang out like temple bell To get those treasures stowed Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go They sailed the southern seas so vast They’d catch the wind with all nine masts Astrologers would watch the skies From Champa to Guangzhou Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go But on wave-crest a Pirate Lord He spied the fleet and greedily roared “Make ready all your cannon shot, We’ll take all their cargo!” Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go Through flame and smoke they battled on Til in a flash a month was gone The Pirate Lord would taste defeat His ships sunk deep below Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go At last they came to Indian shores In search of spice and jewels and more The deal was struck, with solemn vow To pay all that was owed Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go But homeward bound the skies grew dim The winds did howl, their fate seemed grim The sailors prayed, “Help us, Tianfei!” The masts began to glow Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go The Goddess heard their earnest pleas She stilled the waves & calmed the breeze The sailors gave their sober thanks She’s spared them from their woe Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go Soon may the Treasure Fleet moor To bring ceramics & silk galore One day, when the trading is done They’ll take our spice & go Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices