Episode 10.4 - Rajendra Chola

Rajendra I, Emperor of the Chola, ruled southern India in the 11th century. Rajendra’s father expanded the Chola empire to become the dominant power in southern India, and Rajendra grew it well beyond that, to become the dominant power around the whole Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

Eumenes II brought the Kingdom of Pergamon to its greatest height, and helped make the city into something that would be influential for centuries. He did what he had to do to keep his kingdom strong and independent, but the price he paid for that helped sow the seed of Roman domination throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.

Attalus led Pergamon in the latter half of the 3rd century BC, as it grew from a small city to a major player in the Mediterranean in the span of a couple of generations. They took on the most powerful Hellenistic Kingdoms of the day, allied with the Roman Republic, and became a center of Hellenistic culture for a century.

Isar Samy was king of Ebla during its golden age, the 24th century BC. Ebla ruled a kingdom in northwest Syria that traded with Egypt, Sumer, and beyond, and manage to preserve a collection of some of the oldest written texts ever found.

Turenne was a major figure in France during the golden age of the Ancien Regime. Napoleon said his “audacity grew with years and experience” as some of his greatest victories were when he was in his mid-60s. He was a great general in an age of greats, a brilliant strategist, and was a supporter of the common soldier in an age of aristocracy.

Frederick II was the grandson of Barbarossa and of Roger the Great of Sicily. He inherited kingdoms from both lineages, and then lost and regained them both. He wound up ruling a vast territory and at least in some of his lands, began shaping his kingdom in a way that would be a lead-in to post-feudal Europe, even if he didn’t quite get there himself.

Frederick Barbarossa was succeeded by his sons, Henry and Philip. Both were capable rulers who looked to follow in their father’s footsteps and expand imperial power. Henry had significant successes, but neither lived long enough to truly become remarkable emperors. And they were succeeded by the rival Welf clan, although that King, Otto, didn’t last too long on the throne, either.

Frederick Barbarossa was Holy Roman Emperor in the 12th century. He forced his way into the imperial office, and then forced the office back into relevance after a century or so of decline. He was an incredibly energetic leader, a strong general and politician. He expanded the power of his empire, and is considered one of the greatest of the Holy Roman Emperors.

Yuknoom led the powerful Maya kingdom ruled by Snake Dynasty. He installed vassal kings in neighboring cities and succeeded in dividing the royal line of his main rival, the city of Tikal. He eventually sacked Tikal itself, and continued to grow the power and influence of his city, in what many historians consider the golden age for the Snake Kingdom.

Harsha took over a growing kingdom in eastern Punjab, during a time of divided polities after the collapse of the huge Gupta Empire. He expanded his lands east along the Ganges river, absorbing kingdoms along the way, before uniting lands to the west and further south, eventually creating an empire that ruled almost all of Northern India.