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 anymore, but it was the dominant force of the Tang dynasty in the 8th and 9th century. Perhaps not surprisingly, its beginnings with a female led to an unprecedented number of women playing important roles in the faith. A full third of Shangqing's religious leaders were women during the Tang dynasty, something none of today's major religions come close to.

But before any of that could happen, Wei Huacun had to build the foundation necessary to grasp the realizations that led to her faith. Follow along as I cover her deeply religious father, her unparalleled education (compared to other women at least), and the mystical elements she purported in order to gain the attention of others.

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Credits
Host: C.J. Weiss
Music: Bobby Hall

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, dominated the battlefields. They attracted talented followers with their magnetic personalities, but both fought with reckless abandon and died at early ages.

This gave Sun Quan control over an increasingly influential realm at age 18. Unlike his father and elder brother, he lacked the talent for tactics or melee combat. Where he did excel though, was in the hiring of and delegating to talented individuals. His success and longevity enabled him to almost seize the emperor's throne, making the self-inflicted demise of him and his family all the more tragic.

In this supersized episode, you'll learn not just about Sun Quan, but about the Three Kingdoms period from its most unsung side. This era would later influence one of China's four great classical novels, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by Luo Guanzhong. In modern times, this has led to dozens of video games like Dynasty Warriors and TV/Film adaptations like Red Cliff. And I'll cover all of that as well, because to understand Sun Quan's life, you'll need to understand the context surrounding it.

Want to read more about this episode's characters or aren't sure about their spelling? Here's a list of this episode's major characters (with my rough English phonetics as necessary):

Sun Leaders and Subordinates
Sun Quan (Sooh'in Chu'win) - our protagonist
Wentai AKA Sun Jian - Sun Quan's father
Lady Wu - Sun Quan's mother
Sun Ce (Sooh'in Tsuh) - Sun Quan's elder brother
Zhang Zhao (Jang Jao) - Sun Quan's Chief Clerk
Zhou Yu (J'oe You) - Sun Ce's BFF and Sun Quan's first lead general
Lu Su - Sun Quan's second lead general
Lü Meng - Sun Quan's third lead general
Lu Xun (Loo Shoon) - Sun Quan's fourth lead general and eventual chancellor
Sun He (Sooh'in Huuh) - Sun Quan's third son

Rival Clans
Yuan Shu - loser warlord that Sun Jian and Sun Ce briefly served
Liu Bei (Lee'oh Bay) - Southwestern China warlord and ally/rival of Sun Quan
Guan Yu - Liu Bei's top general and China's best beard
Cao Cao (T'ao T'ao) - Northern China warlord and chief Sun Quan antagonist
Cao Pi (T'ao Pee) - Cao Cao's son
Sima Yi - Regent for Cao Cao's grandson

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Credits
Host: C.J. Weiss
Music: Bobby Hall

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 strongly disliked her second husband (who was quite similar to Maximus). Maximus's honorable nature captivated movie Lucilla, but real Lucilla disparaged her second husband's lack of ambition. But I wouldn't go so far to say Marcus Aurelius's daughter was a bad person. I mean, she's certainly better her brother, Commodus, and I'd argue was easily the best kid that Rome's philosopher emperor produced.

The thing is: people are complex creatures. Lucilla's life story is defined by woe and her resilience to rise above it. After all, how would you turn out if you lost half a dozen siblings, both parents, your husband, and your empress title all before turning 30?

Mull it over while listening to this Linked by History episode about Lucilla of Rome.

Want to read more about this episode's characters or aren't sure about their spelling? Here's a list of this episode's major characters:
Lucilla - our protagonist
Marcus Aurelius - One of Rome's most revered emperors and Lucilla's father
Faustina the Younger - Loving mother of Lucilla
Lucius Verus - Lucilla's first husband
Commodus - Lucilla's brother...unfortunately for her

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Credits
Host: C.J. Weiss
Music: Bobby Hall