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  • The Mulopwe Title That Cost Kalonji His State and His Allies

    The Mulopwe Title That Cost Kalonji His State and His Allies
    2026/10/30
    An agricultural accountant becomes a god-king in a diamond-rich African state. His claim to an ancient title, the Mulopwe, costs him everything.

    The Mulopwe Title That Cost Kalonji His State and His Allies

    This episode explores the story of Albert Kalonji, who, in 1961, made a ceremonial decision that led to the loss of his state and allies. What was the significance of the Mulopwe title, and why did it have such profound consequences?

    Person: Albert Kalonji
    Date: April 12, 1961
    Location: South Kasai
    Topic: Congolese independence

    - Albert Kalonji, shaped by the colonial system, claimed the ancient Luba title of Mulopwe at the moment of African independence.
    - Kalonji co-founded the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC) with Patrice Lumumba, but they disagreed on the structure of an independent Congo.
    - After being excluded from Lumumba's independence government, Kalonji declared the autonomy of diamond-rich South Kasai in August 1960.
    - Kalonji used the V-sign, a symbol legible to an international audience, to project legitimacy for his movement.
    - The Mulopwe ceremony, however, was an inward-facing decision directed toward the Luba people and their pre-colonial history.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • The Boy King in a Mill: How an Empire Died with Jewels

    The Boy King in a Mill: How an Empire Died with Jewels
    2026/10/29
    A fugitive boy king sleeps on a mill floor wearing the jewels of a fallen empire-what did it cost him?

    The Boy King in a Mill: How an Empire Died with Jewels

    In this episode, we trace the years that turned Yazdegerd III from an eight-year-old coronation pawn into a fugitive wearing imperial jewels. The episode follows the collapse of the Sasanian administrative and military order and asks what was taken from him before he ever had a chance to rule.

    Person: Yazdegerd III
    Date: 651
    Location: a grain mill at the edge of the known world
    Event: coronation at the Temple of Anahita (632) and subsequent flight
    Topic: collapse of the Sasanian Empire after Khosrow II's fall

    - An eight-year-old Yazdegerd became king in 632 as a symbol installed by magnates Rostam Farrokhzad and Piruz Khosrow.
    - Khosrow II’s overthrow and Kavad II’s execution of royal heirs removed multiple claimants and shattered dynastic continuity.
    - A devastating epidemic and successive assassinations produced six rulers in four years and fractured central authority.
    - Provincial governors declared independence, rival claimants minted coins, and powerful noble houses refused to legitimize Yazdegerd.
    - In 633, Arab cavalry defeated a garrison at Hira, signaling an incursion into the Sasanian tax base while Yazdegerd’s commanders marched south with war elephants.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • A roll of carpet smuggled him past the gate-and cost him his throne

    A roll of carpet smuggled him past the gate-and cost him his throne
    2026/10/28
    A Persian king, held hostage as a child and later a puppet on his own throne, risks everything to reclaim power and challenge the nobility.

    A roll of carpet smuggled him past the gate-and cost him his throne

    This episode delves into the tumultuous life of a Sasanian king, from being a child hostage to a ruler navigating powerful noble families and a radical religious movement. How did a king, once seen as a pawn, attempt to assert his own authority?

    Person: Kavad, Peroz I, Sukhra, Shapur of Ray, Jamasp, Mazdak
    Date: 473, 482, 484, 488, 493, 496, 498
    Location: Persia, Oxus River, Bactria, Shiraz, Khuzestan
    Empire: Sasanian Empire
    Movement: Mazdakism

    - Kavad, born in 473, was the son of Peroz I, Shah of Shahs of the Sasanian dynasty.
    - At age nine, Kavad was sent as a hostage to the Hephthalite court in 482, ransomed for ten mule-packs of silver.
    - After his father's death in 484, Kavad was placed on the throne by the Parthian nobleman Sukhra, who then ran the empire.
    - Around 493, Kavad orchestrated Sukhra's defeat and execution with the help of Shapur of Ray.
    - Kavad was deposed in 496 by his court for allowing the spread of Mazdakism, a religious movement questioning noble land rights.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    16 分
  • The crown placed on seven‑year‑old David that sent him to exile and mutilation

    The crown placed on seven‑year‑old David that sent him to exile and mutilation
    2026/10/27
    A seven-year-old boy is crowned Caesar, setting in motion a Byzantine Empire power struggle that will decide his fate.

    The crown placed on seven‑year‑old David that sent him to exile and mutilation

    This episode explores the story of David, a Byzantine prince whose brief reign and subsequent disappearance from historical records are shrouded in mystery. It delves into the political and religious landscape of 7th-century Constantinople and the dynastic struggles that shaped his destiny.

    Person: David
    Date: November 7, 630 (birth)
    Location: Constantinople
    Period: Byzantine Empire
    Event: Coronation as Caesar

    - David was born the son of Emperor Heraclius and Empress Martina, whose marriage was controversial.
    - He was born on the same day as his nephew, Constans II, who would later become emperor.
    - Scholar Cecily Hennessy suggests nine silver plates depicting the Biblical King David were made for the young prince, linking him to a sacred lineage.
    - At seven years old, David was elevated to Caesar in a ceremony within the Palace of Daphne.
    - The primary historical chronicle abruptly ends at the moment of David's coronation.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • A father's painting removed his son from the family and the throne

    A father's painting removed his son from the family and the throne
    2026/10/26
    A medieval Bulgarian prince, once co-emperor, finds himself erased from his family's sacred manuscript and stripped of his birthright. His struggle for the Bulgarian throne begins.

    A father's painting removed his son from the family and the throne

    This episode explores the life of Ivan Sratsimir, a Bulgarian prince whose claim to the throne was challenged by his father's decisions. What happens when a father's artistic choice becomes a political statement with lasting consequences for a dynasty?

    Person: Ivan Sratsimir
    Location: Lovech, Vidin, Tarnovo
    Period: Medieval Bulgaria
    Event: Commissioning of the Tetraevangelia
    Date: 1320s - 1365

    - Ivan Sratsimir was crowned co-emperor at approximately twelve years old, a title that signaled dynastic depth but lacked defined territory or an army.
    - Tsar Ivan Alexander divorced Theodora, Ivan Sratsimir's mother, and married Sarah-Theodora, who later gave birth to Ivan Shishman in the "purple chamber."
    - Ivan Sratsimir was demoted to "emperor junior" in 1352, indicating that another heir had been chosen.
    - The most significant proof of his removal from the line of succession was his deliberate omission from the imperial family portrait in the Tetraevangelia manuscript.
    - After his older brother's death, Ivan Sratsimir, at 31, proclaimed himself Emperor of the Bulgarians and the Greeks from Vidin in 1356, despite his father choosing the five-year-old Ivan Shishman for the main throne.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • The Centurion Who Stole Rome's Throne - Phocas' Bloody Ascent

    The Centurion Who Stole Rome's Throne - Phocas' Bloody Ascent
    2026/10/25
    A Thracian centurion seizes the imperial purple in Constantinople-what did it cost him?

    The Centurion Who Stole Rome's Throne - Phocas' Bloody Ascent

    In this episode, we follow how a previously unknown centurion became emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire in 602 and the immediate decisions and violences that followed. We trace the march from a grabbed beard at court to a coronation at Hebdomon, asking what the rise of Phocas reveals about power, army morale, and imperial legitimacy.

    Person: Phocas
    Date: November 22-25, 602
    Location: Constantinople; Hebdomon; Bosphorus/Bitinia
    Event: Army mutiny, coronation, and executions of Maurice’s family
    Role: Patriarch Cyriacus crowned Phocas

    - Phocas, a centurion of unclear origin and no recorded past, was chosen by the Thracian army to carry grievances to Constantinople.
    - A patrician publicly grabbed Phocas’s beard at the imperial court, an insult that catalyzed the soldiers’ decision to march on the capital.
    - Emperor Maurice fled Constantinople on November 22, 602; the next day Patriarch Cyriacus crowned Phocas at the Church of Saint John the Baptist at Hebdomon.
    - Phocas entered Constantinople in procession on November 25, 602 amid unanimous acclamation from the city and army.
    - Maurice and his sons were captured on the eastern shore of the Bosphorus and executed in quick succession while Maurice’s wife and daughters were sent to a monastery.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • The Garigliano victory that cost him a throne and freedom

    The Garigliano victory that cost him a throne and freedom
    2026/10/24
    A pope who led an allied army at Garigliano returns to Rome as a restored power - but his rise and coronation leave him exposed to the city's ruling family; what did it cost him?

    The Garigliano victory that cost him a throne and freedom

    In this episode, we trace the arc from a provincial deacon to the pope who rode at the head of a Christian coalition and crowned an emperor, then vanished into a cell beneath the Lateran Palace. How did a man who won a decisive victory and expanded Rome's reach end up imprisoned without charge?

    Person: John the Tenth
    Event: Garigliano campaign (915)
    Date: Died 28 May 928; crowned Berengario I 3 December 915
    Location: Rome; Garigliano River; Lateran Palace dungeon
    Family: Theophylact household (Theophylact the First and Theodora)

    - Born in Tossignano and ordained a deacon in Bologna, John rose through the network of the Theophylact house.
    - Consecrated Archbishop of Ravenna in 905, then elected pope in 914 despite canon law forbidding transfers between sees.
    - In 915 he led a coalition of Byzantine and Italian forces to the Garigliano, defeating a Saracen stronghold that had operated for twenty-four years.
    - That December he crowned Berengario I as Holy Roman Emperor in Saint Peter’s Basilica, linking papal authority to secular power.
    - Fourteen years later he was removed from power by armed men in the palace and died in a Lateran cell with no council, no trial, and no recorded charge.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    14 分
  • The Lund donation letter that cost him his crown's peace

    The Lund donation letter that cost him his crown's peace
    2026/10/23
    A king signs a landmark Lund donation in 1085 and kneels at an Odense altar a year later-what did his ambition and the Lund letter cost him?

    The Lund donation letter that cost him his crown's peace

    In this episode, we trace Canute IV's rise from royal son to king, his military campaigns and political alliances, and the fateful decisions that followed the Lund donation letter. We follow the paths between a surviving 1085 document, an enormous invasion fleet at Limfjord, and a body examined nine centuries later-what do those crossroads reveal about his fall?

    Person: Canute IV of Denmark
    Date: May 1085 (donation letter); Summer 1086 (kneeling at Odense)
    Location: Lund Cathedral (donation); Saint Alban's Priory, Odense (altar)
    Event: Signing of the oldest comprehensive Danish text; assembly of invasion fleet at Limfjord
    Evidence: CT scan showing a single abdominal wound and no defensive injuries

    - Canute signed a formal donation to Lund Cathedral in May 1085 that endures as Denmark's oldest comprehensive text.
    - By summer 1085 an enormous invasion fleet gathered at Limfjord with ships pledged by Olaf III of Norway and Count Robert I of Flanders.
    - Canute enforced tithes, royal claims on land and shipwreck goods, and married Adela of Flanders to build western alliances.
    - In summer 1086 Canute knelt at an Odense altar as twenty men entered Saint Alban's Priory and struck him down.
    - A modern CT scan of his remains found a single wound entering the abdomen and no defensive injuries, challenging the monk’s account.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分