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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Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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16. Partition
15. The Last Viceroy of India
14. Muhammad Ali Jinnah
13. The Patient Assassin
12. Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary
11. Queens and the Koh-i-Noor
10. Killing for the Koh-i-Noor
9. The Curse of the Koh-i-Noor
8. The Koh-i-Noor Diamond
7. Mahatma Gandhi
6. Queen Elizabeth II & Empire
5. The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
4. Between Two Massacres: 1857-1919
3. Mutiny, Uprising, and Rebellion
2. Company Rule in India
1. The East India Company
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