Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

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Pax Britannica is a narrative history podcast covering the empire upon which the sun never set. Shortlisted for the 2023 Independent Podcast Awards, Pax Britannica follows the events which created an empire that dominated the globe. Hosted by Dr Samuel Hume, a historian of British Imperial history, Pax Britannica aims to explain the rise and eventual fall of the largest empire in history. After all, how peaceful was the 'British Peace'?

Episode List

04.07 - A City of Ash

Jan 5th, 2026 8:05 AM

After the Great Fire of London, the city needed to be rebuilt. Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire Jacob Field, London, Londoners and the Great Fire of 1666: Disaster and Recover. Clare Jackson, Charles II: The Star King For other great shows on the Airwave network, go to AirwaveMedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slavery throughout History with Patrick Wyman

Dec 22nd, 2025 8:05 AM

Today I speak with Dr Patrick Wyman, host of The Fall of Rome, Tides of History, and his new show Past Lives. He's also published The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World, and has a forthcoming book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World. We talk about public history, slavery, and the podcast industry! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

04.06 - The Great Fire of London

Nov 24th, 2025 8:05 PM

From a bakery on Pudding Lane, a fire destroys most of the City of London. Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire Jacob Field, London, Londoners and the Great Fire of 1666: Disaster and Recover. Clare Jackson, Charles II: The Star King For other great shows on the Airwave network, go to AirwaveMedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

04.05 - The Great Plague of London

Nov 10th, 2025 8:05 AM

The Bubonic Plague, Yersinia Pestis, arrives in London at the end of 1664. By the end of 1665, it will have killed 200,000 people all across England and Wales. Evelyn Lord, The Great Plague: A People's History. Dorothy Moote, The great plague: the story of London's most deadly year. Charles River, The Great Plague of London: The History and Legacy of England’s Last Major Outbreak of the Bubonic Plague Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

04.04 - The Royal Navy Reborn

Oct 20th, 2025 9:00 PM

The Second Anglo-Dutch War begins, and we take a closer look at the Royal Navy of the Restoration. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Nicholas Rodgers, The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, Volume 2, 1649–1815 Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Rebecca Rideal, 1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire, 2016. Charles Wilson, England’s Apprenticeship: 1603-1763, 1975. David Veevers, The Origins of the British Empire in Asia, 1600-1750, 2020. John Childs, General Percy Kirke and the Later Stuart Army, 2014. Philip Stern, The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India, 2011. Edwin Burrows, Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, 1999. Julie Svalastog, Mastering the Worst of Trades: England’s Early Africa Companies and their Traders, 1618–1672, 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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