If you want access to bonus episodes reading lists for every series of empire, a chat community,

discounts for all the books mentioned in the week's podcast, add free listening and a weekly

newsletter, sign up to Empire Club at

W.

W. Empire pod UK.com. Hello and welcome to Empire with me Anita Arnen.

And me, William Durandful.

Now once again we're joined by the fantastic Mark Bear, who last week took us from the

fall of Constantinople through the court of the

rather brilliantly named Salim the Grimm up to 1533 in Suleman the

Magnificence marriage to Rock Salana and this marriage is bound to cause trouble in the court as Roxalana is now the new favorite and that's

clearly gonna cheese off one Ibrahim but also isn't it true mark Roxanne is going to be a little bit scared of upsetting Ibrahim.

Just talk a little bit about the power struggle we're creating here.

It feels unhealthy because also Sulemon had other children.

And the Janissaries had their favorites and so

he so Sulemon has had children with he's had sons with another woman by the name of Mahideveran.

And so there are people in the palace who side with her, and there are women poets who are

against Hurim Suitan, Roxalana.

And then there's also the Janissaries are going to pick their favors.

And the Janissaries are going to have a view on which of the sons is supposed to be the next one.

And then there's the viziers who are also, maybe they're on the side of Mahideveron,

maybe they're on the side of Hurim.

So this is going to cause a lot of bloodshed in the coming years. But first, Sulemon has to get rid of Ibrahim.

...