

Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire
Samuel Hume
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'?
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 24, 2025 • 42min
04.06 - The Great Fire of London
From a bakery on Pudding Lane, a fire destroys most of the City of London.
Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire
Jacob Field, London, Londoners and the Great Fire of 1666: Disaster and Recover.
Clare Jackson, Charles II: The Star King
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Nov 10, 2025 • 32min
04.05 - The Great Plague of London
The Bubonic Plague, Yersinia Pestis, arrives in London at the end of 1664. By the end of 1665, it will have killed 200,000 people all across England and Wales.
Evelyn Lord, The Great Plague: A People's History.
Dorothy Moote, The great plague: the story of London's most deadly year.
Charles River, The Great Plague of London: The History and Legacy of England’s Last Major Outbreak of the Bubonic Plague
Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire.
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Oct 20, 2025 • 32min
04.04 - The Royal Navy Reborn
The Second Anglo-Dutch War begins, and we take a closer look at the Royal Navy of the Restoration.
Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023.
Nicholas Rodgers, The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, Volume 2, 1649–1815
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.
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Oct 13, 2025 • 50min
The Stuarts, the Scottish Restoration, and Devil-Land with Professor Clare Jackson
The Mirror of Great Britain: A Life of James VI&I
Devil-Land: England under Siege, 1588-1688
Charles II: The Star King Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oct 6, 2025 • 35min
04.03 - The First Scramble for Africa
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.
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Sep 29, 2025 • 26min
04.02 - The Seven Islands of Bombay
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.
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Sep 8, 2025 • 38min
04.01 - The Return of the King
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
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Sep 8, 2025 • 2min
Introducing Pax Britannica Season 4 - The Restoration
Find Pax Britannica everywhere you find your podcasts, or go to Pod.Link/Pax to find out more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 1, 2025 • 36min
03.48 - With Thunderous Applause
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.
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Aug 25, 2025 • 40min
03.47 - Paradise Lost
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.
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