5.01- The Conquest

After the Bourbons came to power they reformed the Spanish Empire and along the way created the Viceroyalty of New Granada.  

After the Seven Years War the Spanish American Empire was hit with an array of revolts. Also six degrees of Francisco de Miranda.    

Enter Bolívar.  

<p>Driven by visions of unimaginable riches, Spanish explorers subjugated the cultures of South America and exploit the resources for their masters in Europe. Chief among these visions was the hallowed El Dorado, or the City of Gold. Tune in to learn more.</p><p> </p> Learn more ... Show More

The Empire that dare not speak its name. America was born through an explicit rejection of empire as it forced the British from the continent and indeed many of its citizens would baulk at the suggestion their nation is an empire. Yet, over its lifetime the empire of liberty, as ... Show More

<p>In April 1898 the United States declared war on Spain. By the end of the war that December, the Spanish had lost their centuries-old colonial empire and the US had emerged as a power in the Pacific.</p><br><p>Join Don as he speaks to Christopher McKnight Nichols, Professor of ... Show More

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how the people of Cusco, in modern Peru, established an empire along the Andes down to the Pacific under their supreme leader Pachacuti. Before him, their control grew slowly from C13th and was at its peak after him when Pizarro arrived with his Co ... Show More

In the late 15th Century, explorer Christopher set out with on a mission that had never been attempted before: cross the Atlantic Ocean and find an alternate route to Asia. Instead, he landed in the Caribbean, and set himself up to be credited as the "man who discovered America". ... Show More

Not everyone agrees that the USA should be classed as an empire. But in the late 1800s, after white settlers had colonised western states, America turned to acquiring overseas territories in what could be described as an imperial project. And one surprising commodity catalysed th ... Show More

<p>For many, the word Inca conjures up images of an ancient civilisation in South America, swiftly conquered by the Spanish in their quest for gold and Christian converts.</p><br><p>In this episode of&nbsp;<em>Not Just the Tudors</em>, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb sets out to find ... Show More

From the end of the 15th century, the Conquistadors changed the face of the Americas. Invading first the Caribbean and Mexico, they then plunged on into the rest of the continent and plundered the Pacific seaboard. So what do we know of these Europeans and their quest to expand a ... Show More