45. Successors to the Romans, progressive harems, and living Ottomans

In this engaging podcast episode, hosts Anita Anand and William Dalrymple dive into a Q&A session centered on the Ottoman Empire, following their earlier multi-part series. They tackle listener inquiries about various topics, such as how the Ottoman harem compared in progressiveness to those of other empires, the empire's inclusive approach to diverse religions, the descendants of the Ottomans today, and the empire’s self-image as a successor to Rome. Dalrymple points out that the Mughal harem provided more educational opportunities for women and discusses the Millet system in the Ottoman Empire, which granted religious minorities a degree of self-governance. Through this discussion, listeners uncover the intricate layers of Ottoman history and its complex interactions with other cultures, particularly Venice. The episode wraps up with a sneak peek at future topics, including episodes on the history of slavery and special segments featuring Caroline Elkins discussing the Mau Mau and Ram Guha on the role of white allies in Indian independence.