Linked by History
Experience history through a series of individuals' lives, linked by the years of their birth and death. Each episode focuses on one historical figure, covering their entire life and the influences that shaped them. Then, in the same year their story ends, the next episode begins with the birth of our next featured figure. Through this format, we'll explore history up until relatively modern day to see how we are all Linked by History. Contact: mail@linkedbyhistory.com.
Episodes
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 ...
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 attracte...
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 ...
Adherent to Confucianism corrupted by absolute power or clever plotter who feigned virtuousness to usurp the throne? The life of Wang Mang (45 BC - 23 AD) was full of contradictions. He lived a virtuous life throughout his early years, staying in the good graces of his aunt, Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun. Her influence over the young Western Han emperors who succeeded her husband paved the way for Wang Mang's clever coup.
...
What do you get when you combine a naturalist with a disciplined soldier? None other than Pliny the Elder (23 - 79 AD). With a work ethic few could match, he produced tome after tome of insights into the natural world. He did all of this while primarily working as either a soldier, lawyer, or governor until meeting his end in Pompeii. Ever dedicated to the empire, the only thing Pliny loved more than Rome was natural science.
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What happens when you raise a boy as a warrior from birth, then give him the reins to conquer all the neighboring tribes and kingdoms on your border? He develops into one of the greatest champions of one of the world's most peaceful religions, Mahayana Buddhism.
Obviously.
Kanishka the Great (79 - 150 AD) may have earned more credit than he deserved, but there's no doubt his influence in shaping the Silk...
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