Historian & Author

William Dalrymple

Scottish historian and author specializing in the history of India and the British Empire. Author of The Anarchy, Return of a King, and The Last Mughal. Co-host of the Empire podcast with Anita Anand. One of the foremost Western historians of South Asian history.

Known For

The AnarchyReturn of a KingThe Last MughalEmpire podcast

Canon

Biographies as Substitute Mentors

Courage Is a Learnable Skill

Environment Shapes Behavior More Than Willpower

False Information Spreads Faster and Further Than Truth

The Hedonic Treadmill — Happiness Returns to Baseline

Focus Only on What You Can Control

The True Self vs. False Self — Childhood Adaptations That Persist Into Adulthood

Episodes

#The Russian Empire: From Peter the Great to the RevolutionSep 16, 2024 #The Rise of the Ottoman EmpireMar 4, 2024 #The Russian Revolution and the End of EmpireJun 19, 2023 #Peter the Great and the Russian EmpireJun 5, 2023 #The Sick Man of EuropeFeb 13, 2023 #Suleiman the MagnificentJan 30, 2023 #Napoleon and the Battle for IndiaDec 12, 2022 #Indian Textiles: The Original Global IndustryOct 17, 2022 #The Last Mughal: The Fall of a DynastyOct 10, 2022 #The Mughal Empire: An Age of GoldOct 3, 2022 #Gandhi and the Power of NonviolenceSep 19, 2022 #The British RajSep 5, 2022 #Mutiny, Uprising, and RebellionAug 29, 2022 #The Battle of PlasseyAug 22, 2022 #The East India CompanyAug 15, 2022