Dr Jagjeet Lally Joins Greg Jenner’s Comedy History Podcast You’re Dead to Me

Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. In this episode, Greg is joined in early modern India by Dr Jagjeet Lally (UCL Associate Professor of the History of Early Modern and Colonial India) and comedian Nish Kumar to learn all about the subcontinent’s dynamic eighteenth century. 

Image credit: @greg_jenner Instagram

From the sixteenth century, the dominant power in India was the Mughal Empire. According to the traditional narrative, when the Mughals began to decline in the eighteenth century, the subcontinent descended into political chaos, and European trading powers – most notably the British East India Company – swooped in to take advantage and (in their words) restore order. But can we trust this story? 

In this episode, they look at India’s long eighteenth century not as a period of chaos, but one of dynamic transformation and exciting developments. Taking in the rise of new powers including the Marathas, the Rajputs and the Sikh Empire, and looking at changes in the economy, global trade, artistic patronage and gender relations, they explore what India was really like at this time.