Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

Sir John Elliott, Regius Professor Emeritus of Modern History at Oxford University, speaks with me in Edinburgh about composite monarchies and personal unions, the similarities between Scotland and Catalonia, the challenges that James will face as he travels south to take up his new crown, and how his and his son’s actions will echo throughout the century and beyond. The recommended books, available from all good retailers, are: - Scots and Catalans: Union and Disunion (2018) - Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830 (2006) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James VI was crowned king at one year old, and his early life was spent as the puppet of a succession of regencies. When he finally asserted his independence, he faced down a series of rebellions and strengthened his royal authority through fire and sword. His relationship with Elizabeth of England was complicated and often violent, and his vassals were insubordinate and churlish. Yet he would emerge at the dawn of the 17th century the ruler of the entirety of the British Isles. Check out the podcast website: https://www.paxbritannica.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax In this episode I made particular use of the following publications: - Jane H. Ohlmeyer, ''Civilizinge of those Rude Partes': Colonization within Britain and Ireland, 1580s-1640s', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire - Alan Stewart, The Cradle King: A Life of James VI and I - Julian Goodare, The Government of Scotland 1560-1625  For a full bibliography, see the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Irish lords rise up against English domination, lead by The O'Neill, the Great Earl of Tyrone, Hugh O'Neill. England, already at war with Spain, dispatches thousands of troops to try and quell the rebellion. Felipe II of Spain sees an opportunity, and sends his own soldiers to assist the Irish against Dublin and London. This was the largest military campaign of Elizabeth's reign, and the one with the most long-lasting consequences for the British Isles. Check out the podcast website: https://www.paxbritannica.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax In this episode I made particular use of the following publications: - Steven G. Ellis, Ireland in the Age of the Tudors 1447-1603: English Expansion and the End of Gaelic Rule - Harold O’Sullivan, Dynamics of Regional Development: processes of assimilation and division in the marchland of south-east Ulster in late medieval and early modern Ireland - David Edwards, 'Political Change and Social Transformation, 1603–1641', in The Cambridge History of Ireland: 1550–1730  For a full bibliography, see the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For generations, Habsburg Spain had been a stalwart ally of England, their royal families connected by marriage and kinship, to counter-balance the Auld Alliance of France and Scotland. This had been the state of things for decades, and upon Elizabeth's accession there was no reason to think that this would change. Calais had just fallen to the French, and English armies had been rampaging through Scotland just years before, and a French regent ruled in place of her young child. And yet, by the time of Elizabeth's death, Scotland was a close ally whose king would soon inherit the crown of England and Ireland, and Spanish Armadas had narrowly missed invading English shores. What caused this dramatic reversal? Check out the podcast website: https://www.paxbritannica.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax In this episode I made particular use of the following publications: - Doran, S. (2000). Elizabeth I and Foreign Policy, 1558-1603 - Croft, P. (2005). ‘“The State of the World is Marvellously Changed”: England, Spain and Europe 1558-1604’. Doran S. & Richardson G. (eds) Tudor England and its Neighbours Find a full bibliography on the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through a range of cultural, economic, and political changes, the old trading relationships that English merchants had enjoyed for centuries fully broke down during Elizabeth's reign. In their place, new opportunities for wealth emerged; new countries to trade with, new products to buy and sell, and a thinly-guarded colonial empire full to the brim with slave markets and gold mines. Opportunities aplenty for those with the naval expertise to seize them. Check out the podcast website: https://www.paxbritannica.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: - Clay C. G. A., 1940-. (1984). Economic expansion and social change : England 1500-1700 - Benjamin Thomas, 1952-. (2009). The Atlantic world : European, Africans, Indians and their shared history, 1400-1900 - John C. Appleby, 'War, Politics, and Colonization, 1558-1625', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire   For a full bibliography, see the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we hear about the successive attempts by the Tudor monarchs to enforce their authority over their Irish vassals, a complex mix of ethnicities and religions that resisted any policy Dublin or London tried. They eventually 'settled' on outright displacement of the native Irish and the plantation of English settlers, but even that would not be enough to make Tudor rule unquestioned. Check out the podcast website: https://www.paxbritannica.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax For this episode, I found the following publications particularly useful: - Steven G. Ellis, Ireland in the Age of the Tudors 1447-1603: English Expansion and the End of Gaelic Rule - Jane H. Ohlmeyer, ''Civilizinge of those Rude Partes': Colonization within Britain and Ireland, 1580s-1640s', in The Oxford History of the British Empire: Volume I: The Origins of Empire - Nicholas Canny, Making Ireland British, 1580-1650   For a full bibliography, see the website. Go listen to 80 Days: An Exploration Podcast here: https://80dayspodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first episode of Pax Britannica, we meet the Tudor dynasty; the kings and queens who ruled England, Wales, and Ireland from the end of the 15th century until the start of the 17th. In this first of our foundation episodes we cover the basic timeline of the Tudor era, from Henry VII until Elizabeth I. I also explain the aim of this podcast, what we will cover, and why it matters! Check out the podcast website: https://www.paxbritannica.info Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PodBritannica/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BritannicaPax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices