Episodes

This episode covers the latest round in the ongoing conflict between Myanmar and Thailand, or as they were called before the twentieth century, Burma and Siam. At the height of the fighting, the Burmese utterly destroyed Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam. But this wasn't the end of Siam; the Siamese kings move first to Thonburi, then to Bangkok, and the kingdom recovered with amazing speed. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter m...

This episode covers the latest round in the ongoing conflict between Myanmar and Thailand, or as they were called before the twentieth century, Burma and Siam. At the height of the fighting, the Burmese utterly destroyed Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam. But this wasn't the end of Siam; the Siamese kings move first to Thonburi, then to Bangkok, and the kingdom recovered with amazing speed. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter m...

This episode covers Vietnam in the early modern era, from 1471 to 1819. Twice during this period, Vietnam was divided between rival factions, from 1527 to 1592, and then from 1592 to 1802. We will also see Champa, Vietnam's rival in Episodes 4 and 8, for the last time. Finally, one French clergyman will invent today's Vietnamese alphabet, and another will help Vietnam pull itself together again; that marks the beginning of French involvement in Vietnam, which we will see much more in future epis...

This episode covers Vietnam in the early modern era, from 1471 to 1819. Twice during this period, Vietnam was divided between rival factions, from 1527 to 1592, and then from 1592 to 1802. We will also see Champa, Vietnam's rival in Episodes 4 and 8, for the last time. Finally, one French clergyman will invent today's Vietnamese alphabet, and another will help Vietnam pull itself together again; that marks the beginning of French involvement in Vietnam, which we will see much more in future epis...

This episode covers Vietnam in the early modern era, from 1471 to 1819. Twice during this period, Vietnam was divided between rival factions, from 1527 to 1592, and then from 1592 to 1802. We will also see Champa, Vietnam's rival in Episodes 4 and 8, for the last time. Finally, one French clergyman will invent today's Vietnamese alphabet, and another will help Vietnam pull itself together again; that marks the beginning of French involvement in Vietnam, which we will see much more in future epis...

Today's episode wraps up coverage of seventeenth-century events in Burma, Siam and Laos, with some really obscure stories about two kingdoms that no longer exist: Arakan and Lan Xang. We will cover the peak years and decline of both kingdoms. And that's not all; we will also see another European try to gain control over a Southeast Asian state, this time Siam. Here is the map that was originally posted in Episode 5, showing where Arakan/Rakhine is, in relation to the rest of Burma/Myanmar and B...

Today's episode wraps up coverage of seventeenth-century events in Burma, Siam and Laos, with some really obscure stories about two kingdoms that no longer exist: Arakan and Lan Xang. We will cover the peak years and decline of both kingdoms. And that's not all; we will also see another European try to gain control over a Southeast Asian state, this time Siam. Here is the map that was originally posted in Episode 5, showing where Arakan/Rakhine is, in relation to the rest of Burma/Myanmar and B...

Today's episode wraps up coverage of seventeenth-century events in Burma, Siam and Laos, with some really obscure stories about two kingdoms that no longer exist: Arakan and Lan Xang. We will cover the peak years and decline of both kingdoms. And that's not all; we will also see another European try to gain control over a Southeast Asian state, this time Siam. Here is the map that was originally posted in Episode 5, showing where Arakan/Rakhine is, in relation to the rest of Burma/Myanmar and B...

In recent episodes we have met two European nations that explored and exploited parts of Southeast Asia, Portugal and Spain. Now this episode introduces the Dutch and tells how they got involved in Indonesia. Because the Dutch used a corporation, the Dutch East India Company (also called the V.O.C.), this will be a very different story from that of the Portuguese and Spanish empires. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my pr...

In recent episodes we have met two European nations that explored and exploited parts of Southeast Asia, Portugal and Spain. Now this episode introduces the Dutch and tells how they got involved in Indonesia. Because the Dutch used a corporation, the Dutch East India Company (also called the V.O.C.), this will be a very different story from that of the Portuguese and Spanish empires. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my pr...

In recent episodes we have met two European nations that explored and exploited parts of Southeast Asia, Portugal and Spain. Now this episode introduces the Dutch and tells how they got involved in Indonesia. Because the Dutch used a corporation, the Dutch East India Company (also called the V.O.C.), this will be a very different story from that of the Portuguese and Spanish empires. Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my pr...

This episode finishes what we started covering last time, the wars on the Southeast Asian mainland in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Whereas we mainly looked at two Burmese kings last time, here we will concentrate our attention on Naresuan, whom modern-day Thais consider their greatest king. Also, we will see a strange adventure in which two Europeans, a Portuguese and a Spaniard, try to turn Cambodia into a pro-Spanish puppet state. Here is the scene from "The Legend of King N...

This episode finishes what we started covering last time, the wars on the Southeast Asian mainland in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Whereas we mainly looked at two Burmese kings last time, here we will concentrate our attention on Naresuan, whom modern-day Thais consider their greatest king. Also, we will see a strange adventure in which two Europeans, a Portuguese and a Spaniard, try to turn Cambodia into a pro-Spanish puppet state. Here is the scene from "The Legend of King N...

This episode finishes what we started covering last time, the wars on the Southeast Asian mainland in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Whereas we mainly looked at two Burmese kings last time, here we will concentrate our attention on Naresuan, whom modern-day Thais consider their greatest king. Also, we will see a strange adventure in which two Europeans, a Portuguese and a Spaniard, try to turn Cambodia into a pro-Spanish puppet state. Here is the scene from "The Legend of King N...

The last four episodes have mainly talked about events on Southeast Asia's islands, so now we will return to the mainland and the conflict that we started to cover at the end of Episode 10. Special attention is given to the two most important Burmese kings of the sixteenth century, Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung. I call this episode and the next one "The Elephant Wars" because most of the fighting was either on elephants, or over elephants. Here is the map from Wikipedia showing the second Burmese...

The last four episodes have mainly talked about events on Southeast Asia's islands, so now we will return to the mainland and the conflict that we started to cover at the end of Episode 10. Special attention is given to the two most important Burmese kings of the sixteenth century, Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung. I call this episode and the next one "The Elephant Wars" because most of the fighting was either on elephants, or over elephants. Here is the map from Wikipedia showing the second Burmese...

The last four episodes have mainly talked about events on Southeast Asia's islands, so now we will return to the mainland and the conflict that we started to cover at the end of Episode 10. Special attention is given to the two most important Burmese kings of the sixteenth century, Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung. I call this episode and the next one "The Elephant Wars" because most of the fighting was either on elephants, or over elephants. Here is the map from Wikipedia showing the second Burmese...

In the previous episode we learned how Spain discovered the Philippines, so in this episode Spain will name and conquer the Philippine islands, making them a colony for more than three hundred years. (Note: A remastered edition of this episode was uploaded on March 24, 2017, with better sound quality than the original.) Here is a map of the Philippines so listeners can keep track of all the places mentioned in this episode, from Manila to Mindanao. Do you think you would like to become a podcas...

In the previous episode we learned how Spain discovered the Philippines, so in this episode Spain will name and conquer the Philippine islands, making them a colony for more than three hundred years. (Note: A remastered edition of this episode was uploaded on March 24, 2017, with better sound quality than the original.) Here is a map of the Philippines so listeners can keep track of all the places mentioned in this episode, from Manila to Mindanao. Do you think you would like to become a podcas...

In the previous episode we learned how Spain discovered the Philippines, so in this episode Spain will name and conquer the Philippine islands, making them a colony for more than three hundred years. (Note: A remastered edition of this episode was uploaded on March 24, 2017, with better sound quality than the original.) Here is a map of the Philippines so listeners can keep track of all the places mentioned in this episode, from Manila to Mindanao. Do you think you would like to become a podcas...

In this episode, a second European nation, Spain, gets involved in Southeast Asia by discovering the Philippines, a part of Southeast Asia that had not gotten much attention previously. Then we will see Spain's attempts to take Indonesia and its valuable spice trade from Portugal. This map explains the Portuguese-Spanish dispute in Southeast Asia. It shows three ideas on where to put the "Tordesillas antimeridian," the line between the Portuguese and Spanish claims. Only the line on the right is...

In this episode, a second European nation, Spain, gets involved in Southeast Asia by discovering the Philippines, a part of Southeast Asia that had not gotten much attention previously. Then we will see Spain's attempts to take Indonesia and its valuable spice trade from Portugal. This map explains the Portuguese-Spanish dispute in Southeast Asia. It shows three ideas on where to put the "Tordesillas antimeridian," the line between the Portuguese and Spanish claims. Only the line on the right is...

In this episode, a second European nation, Spain, gets involved in Southeast Asia by discovering the Philippines, a part of Southeast Asia that had not gotten much attention previously. Then we will see Spain's attempts to take Indonesia and its valuable spice trade from Portugal. This map explains the Portuguese-Spanish dispute in Southeast Asia. It shows three ideas on where to put the "Tordesillas antimeridian," the line between the Portuguese and Spanish claims. Only the line on the right is...

This is the first episode of 2017, and the first episode covering events in the modern era. Here we will meet the Portuguese, the first Europeans to sail across the oceans in large numbers, see how they found Southeast Asia, and learn what they did in the region. With the European arrival, the rules of the game will change! Do you think you would like to become a podcaster on Blubrry? Click here for the details on joining. Enter my promo code, HSEASIA, to let them know I sent you, and you will g...