49. Oh no! Not more Stuarts...
While the British army was on the European continent, putting up a pretty useless fight against the French in the Austrian Netherlands, Charles Edward Stuart launched a new uprising - or possibly rebe...
23 Jul 202113min
48. The Austrian Throne
There was no real problem with a woman inheriting the Austrian throne. But it could be a useful pretext for war by nations keen on advancing their own interests militarily. Frederick II of Prussia was...
16 Jul 202114min
47. Time for another war
Ah, those were the days. When Britain went to war over a sea captain who'd had an ear cut off. And taught the Spanish a thing or two. Except, of course, that Britain didn't go to war for that reason. ...
9 Jul 202114min
46. Freedom
Britain, its idealists claimed, was launching an Empire of Freedom. The reality, sadly, was rather different. Europeans, with Brits in the forefront, had developed a love of tobacco, and above all a s...
3 Jul 202114min
45. Robinocracy
'Robin', or Robert Walpole, Britain's first and longest-serving Prime Minister, came to be known as 'Cock Robin'. Possibly because people around him felt his success had made him cocky. The regime ove...
27 Jun 202110min
44. The Prime Minister
The title 'Prime Minister' used to be a term of abuse. To be honest, depending on the holder of the office, plenty of people would maintain it still is. The first person of whom it was used as a real...
22 Jun 202111min
43. Bubble
Not all bubbles are all that bubbly. The South Sea Bubble made some people a lot of money - such as Isaac Newton, the physicist but also skilful financier - or a colossal amount of money - such as Tho...
17 Jun 202110min
42. The business of empire is business
England in the early eighteenth century was undergoing great changes. London was Europe's biggest city. And the country was rapidly emerging as a major business centre, displacing the Netherlands from...
12 Jun 202114min
