Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both instances she wielded extraordinary power. In the court at Baghdad - the very heart of the civilised world - al-Khayzuran had major influence and it is possible that during her lifetime, she was the most powerful woman in the world, determining politics from Morocco to Afghanistan. Some even say she assassinated one of her sons, and put a second on the throne. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Hugh Kennedy to discuss the extraordinary life of al-Khayzuran.
**Empire Live**
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150. Worlds Colliding: Seizing Settlers in New England
149. Pocahontas: Kidnapped in Virginia
148. America: The Empire of Liberty
147. Queen Victoria: Empress of India (Ep 4)
146. Queen Victoria: The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets (Ep 3)
145. Victoria & Albert (Ep 2)
144. The Making of Queen Victoria (Ep 1)
143. Isabella of Castile: The Spanish Inquisition, the conquest of Granada, and Columbus
142. Isabella of Castile: Uniting Spain
141. Nur Jahan: The Most Powerful Mughal Woman
140. Nur Jahan: The Light of the World
139. Mrs Genghis Khan
137. Empress Theodora: Making Heaven on Earth
136. Empress Theodora: From the Brothel to the Throne
135. Helena: Queen of the World and Finder of the One True Cross
134. Cleopatra: The Would-Be Empress of Rome
133. Cleopatra: Queen of the Nile
132. Journey to Nalanda and the Library of Jewels
131. Buddhism Goes to China
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