Shows / The History of England
The History of England
This my re-telling of the story of England. I aim to be honest, and rigorous - but always loving of my country's history. It is a regular, chronological podcast, starting from the end of Roman Britain. There are as many of the great events I can squeeze in, of course, but I also try to keep an eye on how people lived, their language, what was important to them, the forces that shaped their lives and destinies, that sort of thing. To listen free of adverts, support the podcast, access a library…
Episodes
The History of England455 The Immortal Seven
The very same day that the Seven Bishops were acquitted, another seven men met at a secret meeting, and together composed as letter. The ex-admiral, Arthur…
The History of England454 Trial of the Seven Bishops
Full of confidence at his progress, in 1688 James decided he would suffer no more equivocation from the Church of England. The Indulgence was re-issued, this…
The History of England453 Royal Indulgence
1686 had seen progress for James - but he was puzzled and frustrated by Anglican opposition from the English and Scottish parliaments. 1687 saw a continuation…
The History of England452 A New Reformation
From a happy start in 1685, James had begun to hit resistance in England to his campaign for Catholic emancipation. In 1686, he planned to accelerate the…
The History of England451 Exodus
As the English parliament was preparing to sit, news came in of a protestant cataclysm in the making in October 1685, and soon after refugees started arriving…
The History of England450 Beat Your Drums
At the parliament on April 1685, Scotland demonstrated how loyal subjects should treat their king - an example which was duly followed by their southern…
The History of England449 King James II of Great Britain
The reign of James II and the Glorious Revolution was a central part of the national story built by Whig historians. But since the 20th century the picture has…
The History of EnglandAAG 1666-1685 How Merrie is your Monarch?
The Dutch raid on the Medway effectively brought the Second Anglo Dutchto an end, and also the honeymoon period. From 1667 to 1681, Charles sought to play off…
The History of England448 Not So Merrie
After dismissing parliament of Oxford in 1681, Charles pursued alliance with the Tories and emasculation of the Whigs and Dissenters at all political levels…
The History of EnglandEnglish Objects with the Three Ravens
Eleanor and Martin of the Three Ravens podcast and I have one (probably last) walk round some objects that we think make us lie back and think of England. For…
The History of England447 The Exclusion Brouhaha
In 1680 and 1681, Shaftesbury led an increasingly shrill and effective campaign, asppeling to popular opinion to force Charles into calling a new parliament…
The History of England446 The Popish Plot
In 1678 a fantasist and charlatan, Titus Oates, made a series of wild and dramatic accusations of a Catholic plot to assasinate the king. A series of…
The History of England445 Carnage
In 1677, Danby finally seemed to have cracked Charles' problem with parliament - until a diplomatic game of will-he-won't-he in the Anglo Dutch war rose to the…
The History of England444 Danby's New Way
Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby had a plan as Charles' new 'Prime Minister', to repair the damage from the disastrous Third Anglo Dutch War. To rebuild his…
The History of England443 Charles' Great Game
In 1672, Charles sought to put the Treaty of Dover into operation; to join Louis XIV in making war on the Dutch Republic. The plan was to replace de Witt's…
The History of EnglandRoifield and David's Stories of England in 50 Objects
Roifield and David talk about 5stories of England as part of the Very English Chat project, to tell stories of England in 50 objects.‘A very English chat’…
The History of England442 The Treaty of Dover
After a half an episode on the really important stuff - Nell Gwyn, Aphra Behn and Restoration theatre, we reach possibly the most remarkable treaty any British…
The History of England441 The Duellist
1667 had not been a great year for Charles, with the humiliation at the Medway, and his pro French strategy in ruins. So he needed a scapegoat, and he needed…
The History of EnglandThe Rage of Party with George Owers
The period from 1670 to 1714 is a period of astounding and dramatic change; the Exclusion crisis, the Glorious Revolution, years of war, the formation of Geat…
The History of EnglandAAG 1660-1666 Restoration
The settlements following the Restoration didn't turn out exactly as the Three Kingdoms or indeed Charles imagined, but nonetheless for the moment king and his…
The History of England440 The Kingdom is Undone
In the wake of the Great Fire, Charles worked with parliament to prepare for the 1667 campaigning season in the Second Anglo Dutch war. But there was a…
The History of England439 London Reborn
'Where there's muck, there's brass', and that was certainly the case with rebuilding London from the mess of ash and rubble that remained. And developers like…
The History of EnglandCrucible of Modernity with Dr Jeevun Sandher, MP
Jeevun Sandher and I discuss some highlights from the story of how England and Britain made itself into a modern democracy, and some of the contribution it…
The History of England438 Burned to Sticks
The war with The Netherlands in 1665 ended on a low, with the Thames blockaded. Poor London - trade was devastated by war, trade was devastated by plague…
The History of England437 The Pale Horseman
In May 1665, worrying reports of plague cases crop up inside the walls of London; by June the summer heat was oppressive and it became clear - the plague had…
The History of England436 Three Horsemen
It is possible that Charles and his Privy Council didn't necessarily want war - certainly Clarendon did not; but they were prepared to rattle the sabre and man…
The History of EnglandSchool for Scandal by Gavin Whitehead
Gavin Whitehead of the Art of Crime Podcast tells us the story of the art historian, soviet spy and traitor - Anthony BluntFor maps, resources, transcripts or…
The History of England435 The Anglican Tyranny
In 1661 fresh elections brought together another Long Parliament. This, the Cavalier parliament, would sit, off and on, for 18 years. It was not inspired by a…
The History of England434 Return of the King
In 1660 the King returned and immediately sought to rebuild the damaged prestige of the Crown. And in popular memory, Charles II's reputation has been among…
The History of England433 9.1 Restoration, Revolution and the English Enlightenment
In this first episode of Series 9, a a chance to talk about some of the themes which will drive our period of 1660 to 1715. The continuing role of religion in…
The History of England432b Europe XIII The Age of the Sun King Pt II
Throughout Europe, nations made sweeping social changes, driven the demands of war, the ideas of Absolutism and the growing belief in reason and improvement…
The History of England432a Europe XIII The Age of the Sun King Pt I
Late 17th century and the 18th century Europe was dominated by French culture, wealth, and military exploits. In the first of two epiosdes on the period…
The History of EnglandFrench and English Revolutions Q&A Part II
Part II of the Q&A where Will Clark of The French Revolution & Napoleon Podcast and I compare and contrast the French and English Revolutions and try to answer…
The History of EnglandFrench and English Revolutions Q&A Part I
Will Clark of The French Revolution & Napoleon Podcast and I compare and contrast the French and English Revolutions and try to answer all your questionsFor…
The History of EnglandThe Greatest Welsh Ruler: Episode 2 (1066-1415)
Welcome to our search for the Greatest Ruler of Wales. In these two Podcasts, Stephen aims to introduce some of the leaders who shaped Medieval Welsh History…
The History of EnglandThe Greatest Welsh Ruler: Episode 1 (350 to 1063)
Welcome to our search for the Greatest Ruler of Wales. In these two Podcasts, Stephen aims to introduce some of the leaders who shaped Medieval Welsh History…
The History of EnglandWhen Theatre Refused to Die by Philip Rowe
Philip of the History of European Theatre podcasts talks about how theatre kept itself alive through the days of the Republic and burst into life once more at…
The History of EnglandAAG 1654-1660 Protectorate and Restoration
The course of the Protectorate was by no means smooth; but by 1658 the prospect of the return of the monarchy was remote indeed, stability had re-appeared…
The History of England431b A World Turned Upside Down?
What does the English Revolution mean for you? Did it change anything or, was John Dryden right when he wrote in 1670, 'Thy wars brought nothing about’?…
The History of England431a Afterlives
One of two self indulgent episodes to usher out the first phase of the English revolution, this episode is about the fates of some of those people in whose…
The History of England430 The Comeback Kid
The Army had mounted another coup, and its Committee of Safety now sought to carve out yet another form of the Republic in the face of the Rump's defiance -…
The History of England429 The Good Old Cause
The transfer of power between the first Protector and the second was smooth and uneventful; in December 1658 it appeared that England was, and would remain, a…
The History of EnglandOliver Cromwell: Life and Times with Miranda Malins
Miranda Malins is an historian, author, novelist and a member of the Cromwell Association. She takes a look back at Cromwell, his life, times, achievements and…
The History of England428 Make Haste to be Gone
In 1658, the year started with hopeful clarity. There was a new constitution om a firmer footing, and a new parliament was about to sit. There was little sign…
The History of England427 Republic: Learning, Philosophy, Science
Thomas Hobbes has been described as 'one of the true founders of modernity in Western culture'. His most famous work Leviathan was inspired by the issues…
The History of England426 Living with the Republic
In London, and towns like Oxford, the Protectorate saw the return of stability, economic change and a revived social scene - and the arrival of the Coffee…
The History of England425 Republic: Court and Culture
Cromwell's court struck a balance between the status required of a head of state, and the Cromwell's own openbness and informality. It was a court full of…
The History of England424 King Cromwell
After a year of the rule of the major generals, there was no money to support their militia. Now, the obvious solution was to repeat and continue the…
The History of England423 Designs and Major Generals
There was much about Cromwell that was Elizabethan. He was fiercely patriotic, he dreamed of building as trading nation, and laying low the Spanish Empire with…
The History of England422 Healing and Settling?
Cromwell might have felt that the first 9 months went rather well, from his perspective - the Council of State was working well, getting things done, the…
The History of EnglandAnnouncing the 2025 History of England Podcast Tour
This year we go to York and West Yorkshire, from 8th to 17th September. We'll stay in the Spa town of Harrogate, and in glorious York, Capital of the North…
The History of England421 Completing the Settlements
Between 1654 and 1657, the the Tender of Union with Scotland and the Act of Settlement of Ireland were played out. They were very different in character. Over…
The History of EnglandThe Lionheart - Ransom and Revenge
I am very pleased that Dirk Hoffman-Becking, of the History of the Germans podcast, has put together this episode about a very favourite event - the capture…
The History of England420 Lord Protector
Whether or not Cromwell knew about John Lambert's 'coup' of December 1653, by the end of the month England had a new constitution and a new Head of State - the…
The History of EnglandCromwell and the Poets
Contemporary poets found it difficult to deal with Cromwell, both before and after his death. Margaret Oakes talks about how the approach they took, and what…
The History of England419 Cromwell and his Reputation
"Never man was highlier extolled, and never man baselier reported of and vilified” write Richard Baxter - a contemporary of Oliver Cromwell, who was not a fan…
The History of EnglandNelson with Dominic Sandbrook
Nelson was a military genius and fierce patriot, idolised by his men and the British public - and held up to ridicule too, for his affair with Emma and his…
The History of EnglandAAG 1649-1653 The Commonwealth
In 1649 the English parliament proudly declared that freedom had been restored and that King and Lords had been rejected. But in other ways, the new…
- The History of England
AAG 1646-1649 To Kill a King
In 1646, Charles secretly left Oxford, not sure whether to appeal to the English in London, or the Scots at Newark. It was the start of a long process of three…
The History of England418 Barebones
In his haste to expel the Rump which had failed so badly, Cromwell and the Army officers came up with a temporary expedient. The Nominated assembly would be…