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Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

Author: Samuel Hume

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Pax Britannica is a narrative history podcast covering the empire upon which the sun never set. Shortlisted for the 2023 Independent Podcast Awards, Pax Britannica follows the events which created an empire that dominated the globe. Hosted by Dr Samuel Hume, a historian of British Imperial history, Pax Britannica aims to explain the rise and eventual fall of the largest empire in history. After all, how peaceful was the 'British Peace'?

223 Episodes
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New trade policies annoy the Dutch, and new English companies attempt to force their way into West African markets. New Amsterdam becomes New York. The Second Anglo-Dutch War begins. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire, 2016. Charles Wilson, England’s Apprenticeship: 1603-1763, 1975. David Veevers, The Origins of the British Empire in Asia, 1600-1750, 2020. John Childs, General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army, 2014. Philip Stern, The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India, 2011. Edwin Burrows, Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, 1999. Julie Svalastog, Mastering the Worst of Trades: England’s Early Africa Companies and their Traders, 1618–1672, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Charles II marries Catherine of Braganza, and the Portuguese Princess brings her new husband the city of Tangiers and the islands of Bombay. One of these will become a stronghold of the British Empire. The other will not. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire, 2016. Charles Wilson, England’s Apprenticeship: 1603-1763, 1975. David Veevers, The Origins of the British Empire in Asia, 1600-1750, 2020. John Childs, General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army, 2014. Philip Stern, The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India, 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Charles II Stuart returns to London, and the Restoration tries to turn the clock back in England, Scotland, and Ireland. But a generation of civil war and revolution is not something that can be easily reversed. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire, 2016. Micheál Ó Siochrú, God's Executioner: Oliver Cromwell and the conquest of Ireland, 2008. Charles Wilson, England’s Apprenticeship: 1603-1763, 1975. Charles Spencer, Killers of the King Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
George Monck arrives in London and restores the Long Parliament. Charles Stuart moves to Breda. The Republic votes itself out of existence. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
03.47 - Paradise Lost

03.47 - Paradise Lost

2025-08-2541:11

The Army brings back the Rump Parliament, but they quickly regret that decision. In Scotland, George Monck prepares to march. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the death of Oliver Cromwell, his eldest son Richard becomes Lord Protector. Can he balance the competing demands of the army and the republicans? Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
03.45 - Jericho

03.45 - Jericho

2025-08-1134:43

"I will not seek to set up that which Providence hath destroyed, and laid in the dust, and I would not build Jericho again." Oliver Cromwell refuses to become a king, and a new constitution takes effect. But Cromwell is not long for this world, and the question of succession had still not been settled. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Check out the University of Aberdeen Online Courses: http://on.abdn.ac.uk/online-history-courses⁠ Oliver Cromwell is offered a crown... but will he take it? Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Check out the University of Aberdeen Online Courses: http://on.abdn.ac.uk/online-history-courses The Second Protectorate Parliament meets, and the Major-Generals purge a third of the MPs before it even begins. Royalists and Levellers conspire to assassinate Lord Protector Cromwell. Thoughts turn towards a new royal dynasty. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After rebellion and disappointment, Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell fears he has lost God's favour. The only way to restore it is do his work on earth - the moral reformation of England and Wales. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oliver Cromwell's friend and Secretary of State John Thurloe was also one of the most effective spymasters in English history. Catching the Gerard Plot before they could assassinate the Lord Protector, and uprooting Penruddock's Uprising until it was just Penruddock left, he kept the Protectorate safe from threats. But he could not shield Cromwell from the terrible news of the Western Design. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Timothy Noel Peacock, 'Cromwell’s “spymaster”? John Thurloe and rethinking early modern intelligence', The Seventeenth Century, 35, 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The army of the Western Design invades Jamaica, and marches unopposed into the capital. But despite English claims of victory, the Jamaican population is not about to let itself be conquered. This episode could not have been written without the following works: Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The fleet of the Western Design arrives off the coast of Hispaniola, and Oliver Cromwell's dream of a Protestant colonial empire seems assured. But it doesn't take long for everything to go wrong... This episode could not have been written without the following works: Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lord Protector Cromwell dispatches a huge fleet of warships to the Caribben to conquer the Spanish colonies. But once the expedition reaches Barbados, they discover that reality doesn't match with expectations. This episode could not have been written without the following works: Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the Commonwealth quiet, Cromwell takes his conquests global. With as much secrecy as possible, the Protectorate puts together an expedition to strike at the vulnerable colonies of the Catholic powers: the Western Design. But first, the Lord Protector has to decide where to attack. Listen to Winds of Change HERE Join the Mailing List! Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes! This episode could not have been written without the following works: Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The First Protectorate Parliament meets... and immediately starts tearing up the constitution. Join the Mailing List! Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes! This episode could not have been written without the following works: The Instrument of Government: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1653intrumentgovt.asp Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Leo F. Solt, 'The Fifth Monarchy Men: Politics and the Millenium', Church History, 30, 3, 1961. Jonathan Fitzgibbons, "'To settle a governement without somthing of Monarchy in it": Bulstrode Whitelocke’s Memoirs and the Reinvention of the Interregnum', The English Historical Review, 137, 586, 2022, 655-691. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
George Monck arrives in Scotland, and burns the Royalists out. Join the Mailing List! Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes! This episode could not have been written without the following works: Francis Dow, Cromwellian Scotland, 1651-1660, 1999. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Vol 2: 1 February 1649 to 12 December 1653, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Royalist rebellion erupts in the Scottish Highlands. Join the Mailing List! Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes! This episode could not have been written without the following works: Francis Dow, Cromwellian Scotland, 1651-1660, 1999. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Vol 2: 1 February 1649 to 12 December 1653, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The New Model Army occupies Scotland, but trouble is brewing in the Highlands. Send us your questions at https://bit.ly/RevQA Join the Mailing List! Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes! This episode could not have been written without the following works: Francis Dow, Cromwellian Scotland, 1651-1660, 1999. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Vol 2: 1 February 1649 to 12 December 1653, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The First Anglo-Dutch War ends, and Lord Protector Cromwell brings peace to his new Commonwealth. Mostly. Send us your questions at https://bit.ly/RevQA Join the Mailing List! Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes! This episode could not have been written without the following works: The Instrument of Government: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1653intrumentgovt.asp Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Nicholas Rodger, The Command of the Ocean: a Naval History of Britain, Volume 2, 1649-1815, 2004. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Roger Hainsworth, Christine Churches, The Anglo-Dutch Naval Wars, 1652-1674, 1998. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Vol 2: 1 February 1649 to 12 December 1653, 2023 John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660. Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Leo F. Solt, 'The Fifth Monarchy Men: Politics and the Millenium', Church History, 30, 3, 1961. Jonathan Fitzgibbons, "'To settle a governement without somthing of Monarchy in it": Bulstrode Whitelocke’s Memoirs and the Reinvention of the Interregnum', The English Historical Review, 137, 586, 2022, 655-691. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Comments (3)

Monica Johnson

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Feb 9th
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Josiah Gerk

was always interested in the British Empire and have always loved history. especially it is well researched and put together.History History

Jan 20th
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David Ekstam

Too many names and years, I got lost all the time.

Mar 12th
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