Jul 1

Episode #231- Why President McKinley? (Part II)

The 1896 election of William McKinley has been noted as an inflection point in American politics. But, historians are often conflicted about what story they want to tell. It could be seen as moment when Americans rejected a populist firebrand, critical of the wealthy and appealin ... Show More

1h 21m

Jun 17

Episode #230- Why President McKinley? (Part I)

The 25th President of the United States, William McKinley, has recently been in the news. In the 2025 inaugural address it was announced that Alaska's highest peak would once again be known as Mt. McKinley to honour the former President, who was apparently a "great businessman" w ... Show More

1h 27m

Jun 10

Bonus Episode- Selkies, Spectacles, and Satire

In this Bonus Episode Sebastian takes questions about his recent exploration of mermaid mythology. He gets into the difference between Selkies and Mermaids, and wades into the murky waters of Scottish oral tradition. There is also some discussion of the 2012 hoax documentary Merm ... Show More

34m 40s

May 2022

Episode #155- What Became of the Benin Bronzes? (Part II)

In 1897 Queen Victoria marked her diamond jubilee and Britain was in a celebratory mood. The British Empire had never been stronger. Few could imagine that this world-spanning empire might very well be peaking. But in 1897 Britain was in no mood for painful self-reflection. Inste ... Show More

1h 10m

May 2022

Episode #154- What Became of the Benin Bronzes? (Part I)

Looting has been a part of warfare since the earliest times. Despite the fact that looting was common for much of history, it was always recognized as an especially harmful and humiliating by-product of armed conflict. By the late 19th century, the looting of sacred objects and c ... Show More

1h 11m

May 2018

Tarak Barkawi, “Soldiers of Empire: Indian and British Armies in World War II” (Cambridge UP, 2017)

Tarak Barkawi, a Reader in International Relations at the London School of Economics, has written an important book that will cause many of us to rethink the way we understand the relationships between armies and societies. In Soldiers of Empire: Indian and British Armies in Worl ... Show More

38m 55s

Mar 2012

Empire and Commonwealth

The Royal Collection is one of the most wide-ranging collections of art and artefacts in the world and provides an intriguing insight into the minds of the Monarchs who assembled it. In this series, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz encounters dozens of these unique objects - some pr ... Show More

28m 1s

Aug 2011

Charles Townshend, “Desert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia” (Harvard University Press, 2011)

An earlier author described the British invasion of Mesopotamia in 1914 as “The Neglected War.” It no longer deserves that title thanks to the brilliant treatment of the subject by Professor Charles Townshend (University of Keele). His Desert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopot ... Show More

1h 5m

May 2024

146. Queen Victoria: The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets (Ep 3)

Across 1851, over 6,000,000 people went to London to see the Great Exhibition. Designed to showcase the very best of what Britain and the empire could offer the world, the event was an incontrovertible success which cemented Britain’s status as the nation at the centre of the wor ... Show More

48m 37s

Feb 2024

Comment l'Inde est-elle devenue britannique pendant 200 ans ?

Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour !L’empire colonial anglais a été gigantesque, et encore aujourd'hui, le roi d’Angleterre a 15 couronnes de royaumes autonomes, mais tous membres d’une alliance commerciale : le Commonwealth. Alors comment les Anglais ont-ils dominé la planète ... Show More

14m 22s

Jan 2024

413. The Peasants' Revolt: England Erupts (Part 1)

By the late 14th century, England was in decline. Already weakened by the Hundred Years’ War, both Edward III and his son, the Black Prince, had died, leaving the country in a perilous state. Richard II, the new king, was only a child. With the poor facing increasingly harsh poll ... Show More

54m 26s

Episode #155- What Became of the Benin B...