Empress Börte and Life for Women in the Mongol Empire

Genghis (or Chinggis) Khan is pretty famous for building the largest contiguous land empire the world has ever seen. But he couldn't have done it with his wife, Börte. She was his advisor in all things, bore him MANY children, and ran their expansive horde while he was away. Empress Börte was the Mongols's chief manager, organising seasonal migrations, dealing with herders, and holding meetings with dignitaries and merchants. In other words, when her husband was away, she ran the show. The story of their marriage, and her rise to power, is extraordinary. But her influence wasn't necessarily unique within the Mongol Empire, which respected their ladies and saw them, in many ways, as mens' equal. So let's join Börte as she walks us through life for women in the Mongol Empire. Our special guests this episode includes Marie Favereau, author of The Horde: How the Mongols Changed the World, and Mongol expert and educator Stephanie Honchell Smith. You can listen to my full interviews with both of them on patreon. Some of the music in this episode comes courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (Spirit of the Girl" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License) Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS

In this episode of the Exploress Book Club, Natasha Solomons and I explore her new book I Am Cleopatra and the complexities of bringing Cleopatra's character to life on the page. Natasha discusses her inspiration for writing about Cleopatra, the challenges of researching a historical figure often viewed through a male-dominated lens, and the importance of portraying women's voices in history. We talk about Cleopatra's education, her relationships with powerful men, and the vulnerability that comes with being a woman in a position of power.    Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation you won't find anywhere else Grab I Am Cleopatra through the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS

In this series, we're time traveling back to past empires to meet some of the woman who ran them. This time, we're revisiting a ruling lady we've met before: the mighty Cleopatra of ancient Egypt's Ptolemaic Empire. This isn't just a re-release, though: I've re-recorded the three-part original series, giving it a 2026 glow-up, and smushed it into one big glitter bomb of goodness. Join me as we explore Cleopatra's life and reign, which was SO MUCH MORE impressive than her famous affairs with Roman generals. Let's go traveling.   Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS The music in this episode comes courtesy of Derek and Brandon Fiechter, Keith Zizza, and Michael Levy.

In this series, we're time traveling back to past empires to meet some of the woman who helped run them. Let's link up with Empress Theodora, who's going to walk us through her Byzantine (aka Eastern Roman) Empire. We'll see her rise from a fairly humble, and sometimes scandalous, background as an actress and courtesan to become the most powerful woman in Constantinople. After she marries Justinian and becomes his leading lady, she guides him to make sweeping changes that touch every part of life, and most especially the lives of vulnerable women.   Join me and expert historian Dr. Hannah Ewing as we walk the streets of Constantinople, cheer on charioteers in the Hippodrome, and walk the halls of the imperial palace as Theodora navigates the treacherous waters of Roman politics. Riots, plagues, intrigues, murder mysteries: this one's got it all. Let's go traveling.    Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by Elizabeth, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS Music from this episode includes: "Teller of the Tales" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License "Gloria in Excelsis Deo", "Sequence - Victimae Paschali Laudes," "Jubilate Deo," "Credo in Unum Deo", and "Sanctus" by The Tudor Consort is licensed under a Attribution 4.0 International License.

In this series, we're time traveling back to past empires to meet some of the woman who helped run them. Allow me to introduce you to Empress Taytu Betul, who wasn't afraid to storm battlefields, boss around her emperor husband, and tell certain colonial powers to go on home. Let's walk with Taytu on her extraordinary journey and find out what life was like for women during her reign.   Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by Elizabeth, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS  

Dr. Elizabeth Norton has returned! This time, she's taking us out of the Tudor period to take a more global look at queenship. Her new book 'When Women Ruled the World: 500 Years of Female Monarchy' explores the history of female monarchs across time and cultures. We dive into the challenges faced by women in power, the male relative problem, and some of the obstacles to their reigns. We'll meet Biblical queens like the infamous Jezebel, warrior queens from the Kingdom of Kush, the empresses of Japan you've probably never heard of. Grab your crown and scepter and let's go!   Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the video version of this conversation and special episodes you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by Elizabeth, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and FYREBIRDS  

There is a woman in the Old Quarter who can give you the world for a price. They say her followers gather deep in the bayou after dark. Some say she's got the governor in her pocket. Others say she eats babies, and that she learned her magic in the depths of the African jungle. They say her potions can heal you, and that her charms can kill you. How much of it is true? In this year's Halloween special, we are heading back to the 19th century to meet the infamous Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau. You'll find a transcript for this episode over on Patreon. Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including several Halloween specials you won't find anywhere else Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 13. Welcome back to Exploress Book Club! Join me and Adriana Herrera, author of the historical romance novel A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke, as we time travel back to the 1890s Paris. Adriana will tell us all about putting women of color back into historical romance, women's medicine and reproductive rights in the 19th century, and the pioneering lady doctors who defied convention to offer life-changing care. This was such a fun conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! To find out more about Adriana's many excellent books, including the first two in her Las Leonas series, check out her website. You can watch the video version of our chat for free over on Patreon for the rest of October 2025.  Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novel, NIGHTBIRDS, and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

Season 6, Episode 12. In this series, we're time traveling with three different empresses, exploring their reigns, their worlds, and what it might have been like to be them. First up, we're going to spend some time in the Mughal Empire of India to learn about the adventurous and powerful empress Nur Jahan. From tiger hunting in the Bengali wildness to court life in the imperial harem, this ruling empress rode war elephants and weilded political authority like nobody's business. We're lucky to have a Mughal expert with us for the journey: Ruby Lal, the author of Empress: The Astonishing Reign of Nur Jahan and, more recently, Tiger Slayer. Find out more about her work at her website. Some of the music you just enjoyed comes courtesy of Keith Zizza, Rahul Popawala, Arnito, Feslyan Studios. Thanks to the following for their vocal stylings: Sayed Raza. Ways to support The Exploress: Become a patron and enjoy exclusive bonus episodes, including the full episode with Ruby Lal and more Grab a book by one of our guests, or read the current Exploress Book Club pick, at the Exploress Bookshop Buy some merch and art available at the Exploress shop Check out Kate's novels, NIGHTBIRDS and its sequel  FYREBIRDS

EMPRESS. The word comes from Old French, but its roots stretch back to the Latin imperium. It means a command; it means authority, it means power over a realm. But what does it mean, to be a woman with power over so many? What does it look like when an empire allows a woman to rule? In this series, we will travel with three different empresses, exploring their reigns, their worlds, and what it might have been like to be them.