Conqueror like Caesar and Alexander the Great: Mahmud of GhazniRecent Podcast by Prof. Dr. Stefan Heidemann (in German)

30 April 2025

Photo: © WDR Zeitzeichen

Professor Stefan Heidemann was a guest on the WDR podcast "Zeitzeichen" (Time Sign), a daily podcast about history from antiquity to the present day, where he spoke about Mahmud of Ghazni, one of the most powerful rulers of his time and the first sultan in history.

From the son of a mercenary,  Mahmud of Ghazni rose to become one of the most powerful rulers of his time and the first sultan in history. He died on April 30, 1030 – from a mosquito bite. Mahmud of Ghazni was known as a dangerous general and conqueror, but also as a patron of culture and art. Nothing and no one could get past him during his lifetime. In the end, however, a small mosquito brought the self-proclaimed "sultan" to his grave.

In the Podcast Zeitzeichen (Time Sign), Wolfgang Meyer recounts: which legend connects Mahmud of Ghazni with Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Mahmud of Ghazni was a political and military general and conqueror of the late 10th and early 11th centuries. He began his career under his father, a slave leader in the Samanid Empire. After his father's death, he undertook numerous campaigns – including into northern India. With brutal severity but also military skill, Mahmud secured control over large parts of the region. In Indian history books, he is still considered a brutal aggressor. His domain, the Ghaznavid Empire, dominated the history of southern Central Asia from 977 to 1186. Mahmud's power grew so great that he became the first known ruler in history to be addressed as "Sultan." In contrast to his life, his death was downright ordinary. During his last expedition, Mahmud contracted malaria. He died on April 30, 1030, in Ghazni—at the age of 58.

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