Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

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

04.06 - The Great Fire of London

November 24, 2025 • 42 mins
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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04.05 - The Great Plague of London

November 10, 2025 • 31 mins
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, ...
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04.04 - The Royal Navy Reborn

October 20, 2025 • 31 mins
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 ...
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The Stuarts, the Scottish Restoration, and Devil-Land with Professor Clare Jackson

October 13, 2025 • 50 mins
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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04.03 - The First Scramble for Africa

October 6, 2025 • 34 mins
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 Britis...
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04.02 - The Seven Islands of Bombay

September 29, 2025 • 26 mins
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 Ri...
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04.01 - The Return of the King

September 8, 2025 • 38 mins
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 L...
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Introducing Pax Britannica Season 4 - The Restoration

September 8, 2025 • 1 min
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
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03.48 - With Thunderous Applause

September 1, 2025 • 36 mins
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 F...
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03.47 - Paradise Lost

August 25, 2025 • 40 mins
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 Eng...
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03.46 - The Fall of the House of Cromwell

August 18, 2025 • 28 mins
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: Th...
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03.45 - Jericho

August 11, 2025 • 33 mins
"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 Eng...
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03.44 - King Oliver the First?

August 5, 2025 • 32 mins
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 ...
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03.43 - Between Darkness and Light

July 15, 2025 • 29 mins
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 Oxfo...
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03.42 - The Rule of the Major Generals

June 23, 2025 • 33 mins
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 W...
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Shattered Lands with Sam Dalrymple

June 16, 2025 • 47 mins
As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire’, or more simply as the Raj. Sam Dalrymple was kind enough to speak with me about his new book, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, and how this enormous entity...
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03.41 - Cromwell's Spies

June 11, 2025 • 42 mins
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. Mart...
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03.40 - The Protestant Crusade

May 12, 2025 • 35 mins
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, ...
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03.39 - Francis Drake's Ghost

April 21, 2025 • 38 mins
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...
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03.38 - "The Very Scum of Scums"

January 27, 2025 • 28 mins
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...
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