Episode 357 - How Ancient Persia Shaped Elizabethan Politics with Ebrahim Joseph
Talking Tudors · Aug 17, 2026 · 42:57
Talking Tudors · Aug 17, 2026 · 42:57
Listen in the Podli app 🎧
Follow your favourite podcasts, listen offline and in the car with CarPlay and Android Auto, and always pick up where you left off. Free to try.
Host Natalie Grueninger interviews historian Ebrahim Joseph about the surprising influence of ancient Persia, especially Cyrus the Great, on Elizabethan England. They explore classical and biblical sources, princely education, political advice, court drama (including The Wars of Cyrus), the Mary, Queen of Scots debate, and early contacts with Safavid Persia, showing how Persian models of charismatic and ruthless kingship shaped Tudor political culture.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EBRAHIM JOSEPH https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/people/ebrahim-hanifehpour-0
Read ‘Honour and Deceit in The Warres of Cyrus, Classical Persia, and Elizabethan Politics’ by Ebrahim Joseph
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0018246X26101745
Learn more about today's sponsor - Simply Tudor Tours!
JOIN 365 DAYS IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND
https://www.nataliegrueninger.com/2026/05/17/365-days-in-elizabethan-england/
Learn more about your host:
