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 England371 Parliament Recalled
As an exhausted king arrived back in Whitehall, his view had not changed one whit - the Scots must be taught a lesson and returned to obedience. More ,money…
- The History of England
370 Reduce to Obedience
'I expect not anything can reduce that people to obedience but force only' Charles wrote to Hamilton in 1638, and the actions of the General Assembly of the…
- The History of England
8.1 - 369 The English Revolution
Series 8 covers the English Revolution - and the British Revolutions, 1638-1660 - or at least that's the plan! After a brief overview o fSeries 8, we go north…
- The History of England
AAG 1629-1638 The Personal Rule
From 1629 Charles tried to rule without parliament; either a Personal rule of peace and prosperity, or the 11 Years Tyranny, depending on your point of view…
- The History of England
368 A Prince's Punishments
In 1633 Thomas Wentworth arrived in Ireland - and despite great administrative efficiency, managed to separately outrage each of the components of Irish…
- The History of England
367 New England
The colonists that traveled to New England were very different to the Chesapeake, and the society they established also very different. For the indigenous…
- The History of England
366 The Chesapeake
Colonisation of the Chesapeake would be driven by its climate and its most successful crop - tobacco, defining the social structure of the colonists and the…
- The History of England
365 Hub of Empire
'By what right?' In this episode we think about how the early English colonisers viewed their Westward Enterprise, and legitimised their activities. And then…
- The History of England
364 Before the English Came
The 1630's saw an acceleration of English colonisation in the Americas. What cultures and peoples will they meet when they get there? A horribly brief survey…
- The History of England
363 Laud Unleashed
With Parliament banished, there was little restraint on Laud and Charles to implement the reforms they felt were needed to improve the quality of religious…
- The History of England
362 Free Men not Villeins
The Ship Money in 1637-8 was a courtroom battle sought for by both the king, and Hampden and the 'Warwick house' faction, where battle lines were clearly…
- The History of England
Henry Stuart by DGMH
Henry Frederick Stuart's death gives us one of those great 'what if?' moments in history, like the death of Arthur Tudor. Zachery of Drinks with Great Minds in…
- The History of England
361 Charles in Charge
Charles had done the right thing of we wanted to avoid parliaments - reducing costs by making peace. But, how was he to raise money to clear that £2m debt?…
- The History of England
360 Charles Abroad
Relationships with the other kingdoms was definitely the royal preserve. But policy options might vary, from favouring the desires of his protestant subjects…
- The History of England
359 Charles is At Home
Charles was determined to run his court completely differently to his father. Controlled, regulated, ordered; an example of a warm, loving and enlightened…
- The History of England
Den of Thieves
Will and Patrick of the Cloak and Dagger podcast explore assassinations and crime of the past. in this episode, we go to Edward I's Jewel house - a thick…
- The History of England
358 New Counsels
Was it an 'Eleven years tyranny' or 'Halcyon Days' that followed 1629? Either way, foreign ambassadors were not hopeful of England's future. But Charles first…
- The History of England
AAG 1625-1629 New Ways, Old Ways
In 1625 a new, fresh, bright king came to the throne seemingly eager to giht the good fight in the Protestant cause. Surely this moderate, controlled ad…
- The History of England
357 Vipers
Dramatic events in 1628 - a dramatic murder, and one of the great set pieces of the English Revolution. Mayhem! Treason! Murder!For maps, resources…
- The History of England
356 Petition of Right
As so often, war demands money, and in England, money meant parliament. So the outcome of 'The Favourites' War', Buckingham's attempt to relieve La Rochelle in…
- The History of England
Place Names - A Shedcast
English place names are a direct window in into the lives of our ancestors - an insight into the origins or remarkable features of ancient settlements. Here's…
- The History of England
355 The Hearts of our People
The battle of Lutter in 1626 convinced Charles of the tearing need to intervene in the Thirty Years War in defence of hos sister Elizabeth's rights and in the…
- The History of England
354 Parlement a sa Mode
The 1626 parliament was opened by William Laud - not a good sign for the resolutely Calvinist parliament. Despite a remarkably positive response to the call…
- The History of England
353 Lawyers Vs Clerics
As the 1626 parliament opens, full of hope once more, we take a while to introduce William Laud, and discuss the idea that a theme of the English civil wars is…
- The History of England
352 A Beard Unsinged
The reconvened parliament in Oxford went poor, and after a month Charles closed it down, and concentrated instead on the Spanish war. Surely, the recapturing…
- The History of England
351 Bred in Parliaments
For Charles I, April to June 1625 was his like the honeymoon period given to new football managers - enthusiastic full of hope - and often depressingly brief…
- The History of England
350 Charles' Inheritance
In March 1625 Charles came into his inheritance on the death of his father. Was it a poison chalice or the holy grail? What sort of man accepted the chalice…
- The History of England
English Revolution Poll Results and HiT Cromwell
The Results of the poll - and Prize winners announced! Then HiT review of Cromwell the 970 film starring Richard Harris and Alec Guiness. Massive in scale and…
- The History of England
AAG 1615-1625 King of Britain
The last 10 years of James' reign saw the rise of the king's great favourite the Duke of Buckingham, and continued friction with parliament - until the story…
- The History of England
349 The Country House
The Elizabeth and Jacobean age was a time of social mores and the way England was ruled - and the great medieval household withered away. To leave something…
- The History of England
348 The Great Rebuilding
Somewhere in the 16th and 17th centuries, ordinary people started building differently - private buildings, public buildings. They used brick, glass…
- The History of England
347 The English Revolution
Well this is exciting! The English Revolution. A title which is controversial, and a historiography which is bigger than the eponymous crocodile. We talk about…
- The History of England
346 Theatre III: The Crystal Mirror
Playwrights and the Sirenicals of Jacobean England, the experience of going to see the plays and the Crystal Mirror of renaissance drama.For maps, resources…
- The History of England
345 Theatre II: Playwrights
The University Wits was a term invented by Saintsbury for a group of 6 Elizabethan playwrights. They were not consciously a coherent group but part of a…
- The History of England
344 Theatre I The New Playhouse
The first of three celebratory episodes about English Renaissance Theatre! Talking about dramatic tradition and the new playhouses that begin to appear in…
- The History of England
343 As He Lived in Peace
While The Buck and Baby Charles warmed themselves on the unfamiliar fires of popularity in their search for war, James was fading. At Theobalds in March 1625…
- The History of England
342 Spanish Mismatch
The identity of Mr Wiat's mysterious traveler is revealed, and London goes potty. Buckingham is confirmed as the Prince's favourite as well as the king's - and…
- The History of England
341 Knights Adventurer
In March 1623 Simon Digby noticed two suspicious looking blokes with dodgy beards hanging around outside his uncle's house in Madrid. He rushed over to find…
- The History of England
340 Ancient Birthright
In 1621 James tried to tread a narrow path to peace in Europe - through the instrument of a Marriage between the England and Spanish royal families. To have a…
- The History of England
339 A Scandal in Bohemia
As Buckingham acquires wealth and influence, the English court is rocked by an event in far-off Bohemia that will result in devastation throughout Europe. Also…
- The History of England
338 Book of Books
We follow James north to Scotland, a visit with consequences. And on the way south, hear about the culture wars - and the Book of Sports. Then we celebrate, a…
- The History of England
337 The Favourite Favourite
James VI & I had enjoyed favourites before - Esme Stuart, Robert Kerr for example. But George Villiers was to prove his favourite And we introduce the finely…
- The History of England
336 The Plantations of Ireland
The Jacobean plan for Ulster owed much not only to previous failed Tudor plantation schemes, but to James's highland experience and his desire to build a…
- The History of England
AAG 1605-1615 The Fount of all Virtue
James I & VI was a canny politician helped by a master administrator in Salisbury. But the honeymoon was over with scandals at his court, and the failure to…
- The History of England
335 This Sin of Blood
News of the Thomas Overbury scandal spread through England to become a national event. How would the scandal affect the image of the court? Much depended on…
- The History of England
334 Murder!
In 1615, Ralph Winwood interviewed Gervase Elwes, Lieutenant of the Tower about the suspicious death of Thomas Overbury. Gervase spilled his guts. For maps…
- The History of England
333 Addled
With Robert Kerr as the royal favourite there were all sorts of intrigues going on at court - and an outrageous love affair. All the while, James' parliament…
- The History of England
332 The Great Contract
Salisbury makes a last ditch attempt to resolve the problems of royal income. While the success of Robert Kerr at court signals the arrival of a new royal…
- The History of England
331 Captain Pouch
Enclosure has a long history in England from the 15th - 19th century. In 1607 ordinary people resisting the destruction of their livelihoods found a leader -…
- The History of England
330 John Bates' Currants
Although the case for a Great Britain failed to win many hearts, the dual monarchy ended the history of the Reivers at last. But a seemingly small customs…
- The History of England
14th Century Italy with Mike Corradi
To get us all read for the series on John Hawkwood, Mike Corradi of a History of Italy podcast joins us for a general introduction to the centuryFor maps…
- The History of England
329 Oaths and Libels
By the time parliament met again in 1606, James' government was dominated by the men he laughingly referred to as his 'Trinity of Knaves'. And the foremost of…
The History of EnglandPeasant Perceptions of Landscape with Stephen Mileson
It is difficult to hear the voice of ordinary people from long ago; but although they left little written record, yet their memory, attitudes and perceptions…
- The History of England
At A Gallop - Dawn of Stuart England to 1605
The dawn of the Stuart age of Britain came within a European context of the growing strength of the nation state, absolutism, relgious conflict and war. And…
- The History of England
328 Apology, Explosion, Satisfaction
There's so much to talk about! James' first, management-by-irritation of parliament of 1604 and the passive aggressive Apology and Satisfaction right back at…
The History of England327 Under New Management
James quickly established his household with Scots taking a large share, with associated argy bargy. Queen Anne a;so established her court, which would become…
The History of England326 King of Scots
By the time James VI came to England in 1603, he had 26 years experience of kingship, and had established his authority in Scotland, and was a self confident…
The History of England7.1 - 325 The Early Stuarts
After an overview of Series 7, it's time to talk about James and the Historians. History has treated James roughly – helped by a 17th century hatchet job. But…
The History of England324a The 30 Years War with Zack Twamley
Zack is the author of for God and the Devil, and we discuss the highlights and numerous lowlights of the 30 years warFor maps, resources, transcripts or to…
The History of England324 Europe XII Colonisation and War
The early 17th century saw the emergence of the Dutch Republic as a new colonial power, and the resurgence of France after her religious wars. But most of al…