So You Think You Can Rule Persia
@rankingpersia
A podcast rating and reviewing all the kings of Persia from Deioces to Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. Hosted by Umberto Molinatti and @sarielsnowings.bsky.social || OUT NOW!
New episode out now! 👑 Welcome to the first episode of our P@treon mini-series on Khosrow's Scholars! Borzuya has a nice life in Iran as a prestigious doctor for the king of kings but a mid-life crisis leads him to search for friendship, a book, and immortality.
New episode out now! 👑 The heir of a usurper is always a precarious one, but Ibrahim is here during the bubbling Third Fitna. Join us for a slow slide into chaos and a surprising number of death options.
New episode out now! 👑 The tyrant is dead and now we have a man in charge who thinks that rulers should be held accountable for their actions. How will the caliphate react to a new regime and is more turmoil soon to follow?
New episode out now! 👑 Welcome to the final episode of our P@treon mini-series on Tang Highlights! Xuanzong starts as a prince locked up by his grandmother, but he will rise to become the pinnacle of Tang China. Join for magician fights, battle with the caliphate, and the last hurrah of a dynasty.
New episode out now! 👑 The caliphate is in crisis: rebellions wrack the provinces and the eternal expansion has ceased. Who better to deal with this than an entitled manchild? Join us for rude poems, wine drinking, and all the symptoms of decline.
New episode out now! 👑 We've resisted reform for decades, and now the whole caliphate is on fire: the empire is contracting from al-Andalus to Khorasan with threats both internal and external. Will Hisham be able to hold it together, or is this the end for the Umayyads?
New episode out now! 👑 Welcome to the second episode of our P@treon mini-series on Tang Highlights! Wu rose up in the court and is now in charge of the empire, but how will she fare with her son on the throne? Join for the only female emperor of China, a thousand coups, and just as many purges.
New episode out now! 👑 Yazid II was deemed to be an insufficient successor to Umar, but the succession happened before anyone could change things. Will Yazid beat expectations and make the caliphate prosper, or will he follow in the footsteps of his namesake?
New episode out now! 👑 Umar II is known by many sources as the only good Umayyad, comparable to the Rashidun caliphs themselves, but does he live up to the hype? Join for the end of the siege of Constantinople, a reform of the administration, and a horse kick to the face.
New episode out now! 👑 Welcome to the first episode of our P@treon mini-series on Tang Highlights! A new empire finds itself in inexperienced hands and Gaozong needs to learn it all quickly. However, he is soon going to find out that the greater the power, the more people are willing to do for it.
New episode out now! 👑 We've made it to episode 100 at last! In it, we will witness the first true Arab siege of Constantinople amidst an atmosphere of cooling expansion and consolidation for the largest state the world has yet seen.
New episode out now! 👑 It's a time of civil war with the Second Fitna in full swing and only one man can restore the Umayyads to power. Join for a story of political machinations, family ties, and the only true legitimacy.
New episode out now! 👑 The caliphate is at peace and has only to rise and grasp its destiny. Al-Walid will oversee the greatest expansion since the caliphate's founding, leading us to Transoxiana, Sindh, and al-Andalus.
New episode out now! 👑 A new Marwanid Umayyad caliphate has risen from impossible odds and now needs stable foundations that it may flourish. Abd al-Malik will rise out of civil war with the powers of friendship, administration, and incredible violence.
New episode out now! 👑 The Sufyanid Umayyad caliphate has fallen and ibn al-Zubayr will do his best to reshape its ashes into something more in line with the ideals of the Rashidun Caliphs. But as they fell into hardship, will he be drawn towards a grisly end?
New episode out now! 👑 Here's the second episode of our Rise of Islam P@treon series! The first caliph has come and gone but the legacy must continue and Islam grow yet further. Meet the caliph Umar, the man who would take the religion from Arabia to a hegemonic role in the Near East
New episode out now! 👑 The second ruler of the Umayyad Caliphate has some mighty big shoes to fill but is he up to the challenge? Tune in for multiple tragedies, an assault on Mecca, and a pet monkey.
New episode out now! 👑 The Umayyad Caliphate has arrived but how rightly-guided will it be? Mu'awiya is planning to stabilize his new empire and mold it into a fief that can be passed down for generations; however, there are those who would halt this project...
New episode out now! 👑 Here's the first episode of our Rise of Islam P@treon series! Abu Bakr's friend has founded a new religion and now he's been tasked with keeping it alive after the Prophet passed. Join us for a contentious succession, a war of prophets, and the groundwork for a grand campaign
New episode out now! 👑 The caliph Uthman has been murdered, but the caliphate must go on. Enter Ali, closely tied to the Prophet since his youth, he will try his best to avoid the caliphate spiraling out of control, but pleasing everyone is hardly possible...
New episode out now! 👑 We have returned at last with a new world brought about by the final prophet! Join us for an exploration of the Rise of Islam, how the caliphate came to be and expanded so quickly, and the dangerous intersection between ruling an empire and trying to be a good man.
New episode out now! 👑 It's all come to this, Khosrow II Parviz or Darius I the Great! To help us decide, we are joined by Trevor from the History of Persia and Plumas from Las Plumas de Simurgh, who will sponsor their champions. And listen to the end for a special announcement...
New episode out now! 👑 Today there will be two great challenges. First the semifinal between Khosrow II and Antiochus III, quickly followed by the mini-final between the loser and Seleucus I to determine our third and fourth places.
New episode out now! 👑 The group has been narrowed to only four contestants, and today we are facing off Darius I and Seleucus I. Both somewhat founders of empires in a time of turmoil, who will gain an edge over the other?
New episode out now! 👑 We have made it to the last of our rounds, it's only champions from here on out! Tune in to find out which of these rulers will gain a seat in the semifinals: Seleucus I, Kavad I, Bahram VI, Antiochus III, Musa.
New episode out now! 👑 Our first set of champions felled, it's time to make some really difficult decisions. Only two among these greats will survive to see the semifinals: Darius I, Mithridates II, Khosrow I, Shapur I, Khosrow II.
New episode out now! 👑 Join us in the distant past of 2021 when Umberto and Sariel were wondering whether to start a podcast. Together, they decided to do a test round on an Assyrian king: this is that pilot episode! Come along and see how far we've come
New episode out now! 👑 Today we're joined by @davidchaffetz.bsky.social to discuss his new book Raiders, Rulers, and Traders: The Horse and the Rise of Empires. In it we discuss the relevance of this most important of animals and how it shaped the history of Iran and the world.
For our Italian-speaking audience there's a special event this week with @italiastoria.bsky.social 👑 Join Umberto and Marco as they explore the history of Uzbekistan on the Storia d'Italia YT, IG, and FB!
New episode out now! 👑 Time for the last of our first set of rounds before we move on to the next level. Khosrow II Parviz, Cyrus II the Great, Peroz I, Musa, Narseh: which two of these last five will make it through?