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
41. Sex and Sickness
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was an extraordinary woman, both in her personality and in her contribution to the world, specifically in medicine. This episode looks at both aspects, trying to pick out th...
7 Jun 202114min
40. Bye, bye Anne. Hello, George. And bye, bye James yet again
In the dying days of her reign, we see Queen Anne refusing royal assent to a bill, a historic moment only because it was the last time ever that a British monarch blocked a bill passed by both Houses ...
3 Jun 202112min
39. Great Britain
It's time for a new country. Time to shake off the old bickering small nations around the island of Britain. It's time for Great Britain to emerge as a powerful new player on the world stage, bringing...
28 Mai 202114min
38. Malbrough s’en va-t-en guerre
The War of the Spanish succession was really just the continuation of the Nine Years' War, but this time with the specific issue of the succession to the Spanish throne at stake. That, incidentally, m...
23 Mai 202114min
37. Who'll take the decisions?
As William III, reigning alone since the death of his wife Mary II, approached the end of his reign, there was clearly a vital issue to address. Mary's sister Anne was the only Protestant heir to the ...
18 Mai 202114min
36. Just one war after another
Just as soon as William III could free himself up from wars in the British Isles, to secure his throne (and his wife Mary II's), he got stuck into the fighting on the Continent, on behalf of his home ...
13 Mai 202113min
35. Bloodless? Did I say bloodless?
That’s it: we’ve reached the great and dreadful moment of the Battle of the Boyne, an event that casts its shadow right down to the present day. Each year – on an oddly chosen anniversary date – Orang...
8 Mai 202110min
