Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

Samuel Hume
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Jan 26, 2026 • 33min

04.10 - The Cabal

With the downfall of Clarendon, the CABAL takes centre stage in Restoration politics. But it's never so simple... Join the ⁠Mailing List⁠! Join the ⁠Patreon ⁠House of Lords for ad-free episodes! Buy a ticket to Intelligent Speech 2026 and use the code PAX for 10% off. Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 19, 2026 • 35min

04.09 - The Raid on the Medway

Bankruptcy forces the Royal Navy into port. I'm sure it'll be safe. 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. Frank Fox, The Four Days' Battle: The Greatest Sea Fight of the Age of Sail, 2009. David Onnekink & Gijs Rommelse, The Dutch in the Early Modern World. Steve Murdoch, The terror of the Seas: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513-1713, 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 12, 2026 • 44min

04.08 - The Four Days' Battle

The Royal Navy and the Dutch fleet square off. Michiel de Ruyter needs to clear the way for the merchant fleet to get home, or else the Dutch economy might collapse. George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, is outnumbered and outgunned, and Prince Rupert races to join him. 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. Frank Fox, The Four Days' Battle: The Greatest Sea Fight of the Age of Sail, 2009. David Onnekink & Gijs Rommelse, The Dutch in the Early Modern World. Steve Murdoch, The terror of the Seas: Scottish Maritime Warfare, 1513-1713, 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Jan 5, 2026 • 35min

04.07 - A City of Ash

After the Great Fire of London, the city needed to be rebuilt. 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 For other great shows on the Airwave network, go to AirwaveMedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dec 22, 2025 • 53min

Slavery throughout History with Patrick Wyman

Today I speak with Dr Patrick Wyman, host of The Fall of Rome, Tides of History, and his new show Past Lives. He's also published The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World, and has a forthcoming book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World. We talk about public history, slavery, and the podcast industry! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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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 For other great shows on the Airwave network, go to AirwaveMedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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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
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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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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