History Unwritten

Guided narrative history of the rest of the world. Each season we explore a different historical civilization from Africa, Asia or the Americas, from its beginning to its end, stopping along the way to talk about the people who lived in it and how they lived.

The Tale of Khun Chang and Khun Phaen 01/03/2023

The Tale of Khun Chang and Khun Phaen The Tale of Khun Chang and Khun Phaen is the seminal work in Thai classical literature. The romance between Khuns Chang and Phaen and the female love interest Wanthong are our window into Ayutthayan gender and social class. While what we find may be disagreeable to modern sensibilities, we are nonetheless compelled to bear witness and learn more - to better understand the era in question. Visit this episode's for the Dramatis Personae /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/25482930

Season 4 Announcement & Schedule 04/30/2022

Season 4 Announcement & Schedule In which we reveal the identity of Series 4 - along with an announcement of the schedule. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22964264

3.19 - A New Siam 04/29/2022

3.19 - A New Siam Ayutthaya is gone, but Siam lives. A new kingdom, forged by two capable generals, restored Thai authority over their country. That New Siam would survive, stronger than ever, to the present day, becoming modern Thailand. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22946390

3.18 - Collapse 04/15/2022

3.18 - Collapse Ayutthaya would fall in much the same way it did in 1569: at the hands of an ambitious Burmese King. But this time, there would be no comign back. Ayutthaya was no more, and the future of Thai history would be entirely new. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22801328

3.17 - An Age of Culture 03/25/2022

3.17 - An Age of Culture The reigns of Thai Sa and Borommakot were peaceful and prosperous. The half-century before the city's fall thus became a golden age for art, literature and religion. This "Age of Culture" would last just until the collapse, but would forge Thai culture as it exists today. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22560842

3.16 - Phetracha & the Tiger King 03/11/2022

3.16 - Phetracha & the Tiger King No, not that one. The Ban Phlu Luang, founded by the usurper Phetracha, would be Ayutthaya's last. They oversaw an era of social upheaval which fundaentally altered Thai society. Their first two kings, if the chronicles are to be believed, were cruel and violent men, though, and the bane of decency. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22411274

3.15 - The Revolution of 1688 02/25/2022

3.15 - The Revolution of 1688 Half a world away, four months before the famous "Glorious Revolution" another revolution had taken place in Siam. King Narai, bereft of an heir, had perhaps bequeathed too much power to his Greek minister, Constantine Phaulkon. Soon, irate court ministers would rally against the minister - and his French allies. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22250363

3.14 - The Unraveling Thread 02/11/2022

3.14 - The Unraveling Thread Throughout the middle of Narai's reign, court intrigue plagued the Palace in Lopburi. Ministers vied for power over the King, with their factions waxing and waning in turn. Amidst the King's failure to produce an heir, and increasing harshness and paranoia, this feuding paved the way for a new advisor to enter the fray - Constantine Phaulkon. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/22097849

3.13 - Phra Narai 01/28/2022

3.13 - Phra Narai Narai "the Great" is Ayutthaya's most famous King outside of Thailand. But he cuts an unusual figure, breaking with the pattern of his predecessors. Warlike to a degree not seen since Naresuan, and unconcerned with tradition, he followed his own desires and interests. Foreign visitors and communities in Ayutthaya never found a firmer friend than King Narai. Indeed, it was by their aid that he came to the throne at all. Persians, Japanese, Malays, Dutch and Chinese were rewarded for service or simply for their friendship to the King. In time, this would bring about momentous chaos. But for now, it created a strange era of rich cultural exchange - not to be seen again in Siam for two centuries. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/21928838

3.12 - The Royal Metropolis 12/18/2021

3.12 - The Royal Metropolis You arrive in Ayutthaya, April 1685, along with the French embassy to King Narai. While in the city, you are treated to a tour of the capital by an Englishman in the service of the European Mahatthai. What do you see there? And what are your impressions? /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/21527714

3.12a - Addendum + Announcements 12/18/2021

3.12a - Addendum + Announcements A quick appendix to 3.12 + schedule announcements for 2021/22 /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/21525428

3.11 - The Golden Tower King 11/19/2021

3.11 - The Golden Tower King The early 17th century was an age of contradictions - peace abroad and prosperity at home contrasted with political intrigue and civil wars upon the death of kings. Illustrative of this was the coup of King Prasat Thong - "Golden Tower" - a distant relative who utilized wealth and influence to steal the throne for himself. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/21216971

3.10 - The Age of Commerce 11/05/2021

3.10 - The Age of Commerce Naresuan's death spells the death of the Age of Warfare. In its place: the Age of Commerce. Trade, diplomacy, and urbanization are the defining order of the day. Merchants from all across Asia congregated in Ayutthaya to exchange goods - with the King of Siam reaping the profit. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/21055949

3.9 - The Black Prince 10/22/2021

3.9 - The Black Prince The Age of Warfare dies with King Naresuan. The final years of his reign were marked by the reestablishment of Ayutthayan supremacy across the region. Old vassals were restored , trade routes were brought back under central control, and rebels were snuffed out in an instant. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/20899901

3.8 - The Battle of Nong Sarai 10/08/2021

3.8 - The Battle of Nong Sarai Ayutthaya was a husk of its former self. A burnt out shell, ruled by a puppet king installed by their conquerors in Burma. But that puppet would not sit dormant. He rebuilt the city, drove off attackers from Cambodia, and prepared the way for an Ayutthayan resurgence. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/20745530

3.7 - Wheel Turning Kings 09/24/2021

3.7 - Wheel Turning Kings Southeast Asia in the 16th century was a playground for ambitious kings hoping to build their empires. The kings of Ayutthaya, Burma, Lan Xang and Cambodia vied for dominance - to become a Chakkavatti - a "Wheel Turning King" from Buddhist philosophy. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/20581811

3.6 - An Age of Warfare 09/10/2021

3.6 - An Age of Warfare A brief lull in the fighting presents an opportunity to discuss the Ayutthayan military in the so-called Age of Warfare. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/20422304

3.5 - The Transformation of Ayutthaya 08/27/2021

3.5 - The Transformation of Ayutthaya In 1448 King Trailokanat ascended to the Ayutthayan throne. His 40 year reign would see Ayutthaya transformed from just-another-Muang city state to a centralized, autocratic kingdom. Bolstered by intensifying commerce, his armies would fan out across the Northern Cities in a great war with Lan Na, expanding Ayutthaya's borders and forcing the city to expand its bureaucracy to meet the needs of administration. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/20275526

3.4 - Foundation 08/13/2021

3.4 - Foundation The foundation of Ayutthaya - parsing history from legend, and surveying the city's first 100 years. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/20121560

3.3 - The Tai Migrations 07/23/2021

3.3 - The Tai Migrations The Tai migrated into Southeast Asia over the course of centuries. During that time, they became transformed as a people through their encounters with the hostile Chinese and the indigenous peoples they found in Southeast Asia. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/19908290

3.2 - The Southeast Asian Classical Age 07/09/2021

3.2 - The Southeast Asian Classical Age The Classical Age of Southeast Asian history laid the foundation for the future Tai kingdoms of the Chaophraya, the Khmer and Dvaravati civilizations especially. Today, we explore these cultures and their legacy on the region. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/19748555

3.1 - The Golden Land 06/25/2021

3.1 - The Golden Land Introducing Southeast Asia: The land and people who live there. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/19596638

2.20 - The Era of Fragmentation 05/14/2021

2.20 - The Era of Fragmentation In which we see what Tibet was up to ca. 842-1642, starring old friends like the Fifth Dalai Lama and new ones, like the mystics Atisha and Tsongkhapa, or Emperors like Kubilai Khan and Jangchub Gyaltsen. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/19096634

2.19 - A Bull in a China Shop 04/30/2021

2.19 - A Bull in a China Shop The last Emperor of Tibet, Darma "the Bull", waged a campaign of persecution against the Buddhists of Tibet. In doing so, he opened the floodgates to chaos and instability that would cost him his life - and the Empire itself. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18913232

2.18 - The Final Dharma King 04/16/2021

2.18 - The Final Dharma King Ralpachen, son of Sadnalegs, was the last Dharma king - and the last Buddhist Tsenpo - of a united Tibetan Empire. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18738680

2.17 - Fragments of Knowledge 04/02/2021

2.17 - Fragments of Knowledge In which we look at legal and medical knowledge in the Tibetan Empire. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18574379

2.16 - The Sons of Trisong Detsen 03/19/2021

2.16 - The Sons of Trisong Detsen Trisong Detsen, Second Dharma King of Tibet, is not long for the world. But of the four sons who he fathered, who would succeed him? One died a premature death, another exiled for a vile act, still another a hopeless dreamer, and the last too young to take up the throne. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18378740

2.15 - Bon and Bonpos 03/05/2021

2.15 - Bon and Bonpos In which we discuss the Bon religion of Tibet, its past and present, and unpack how much we can know about a religion whose identity has changed so much over the last thousand years. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18190925

2.14 - The Buddha's Dharma 02/19/2021

2.14 - The Buddha's Dharma In which we cover the life of the historical Buddha, the context in which he lived, and the meaning and significance of the belief system he founded. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18000740

Season 3 Announcement 02/19/2021

Season 3 Announcement In which we announce our third season of History Unwritten. /episode/index/show/historyunwritten/id/18000689

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