Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire Podcast By Samuel Hume cover art

Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire

By: Samuel Hume
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About this listen

 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'? Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • 03.42 - The Rule of the Major Generals

    03.42 - The Rule of the Major Generals
    Jun 23 2025
    After rebellion and disappointment, Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell fears he has lost God's favour. The only way to restore it is do his work on earth - the moral reformation of England and Wales. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    35 mins
  • Shattered Lands with Sam Dalrymple

    Shattered Lands with Sam Dalrymple
    Jun 16 2025
    As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait – were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the ‘Indian Empire’, or more simply as the Raj. Sam Dalrymple was kind enough to speak with me about his new book, Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia, and how this enormous entity was divided, before and after British rule came to an end. Order Shattered Lands here: https://lnkfi.re/9482xG?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    49 mins
  • 03.41 - Cromwell's Spies

    03.41 - Cromwell's Spies
    Jun 11 2025
    Oliver Cromwell's friend and Secretary of State John Thurloe was also one of the most effective spymasters in English history. Catching the Gerard Plot before they could assassinate the Lord Protector, and uprooting Penruddock's Uprising until it was just Penruddock left, he kept the Protectorate safe from threats. But he could not shield Cromwell from the terrible news of the Western Design. Alice Hunt, Republic, 2024. Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006. Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015. Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002. Jonathan Healey, The Blazing World, 2023. Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020. Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022. Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022. Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017. Timothy Noel Peacock, 'Cromwell’s “spymaster”? John Thurloe and rethinking early modern intelligence', The Seventeenth Century, 35, 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins
All stars
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This is the rare podcast show where the host is a phd candidate in the field so he has the energy and zeal for the topic to research it thoroughly, explain it plainly, and give analysis from many different angles.
Too often a historian with 30 years in the field will view the course of historical events as pre-ordained. Mr. Hume does not fall prey to this tendency…or hasn’t fallen prey yet.
I am also VERY impressed with Mr. Hume’s narration skills.
~~~End of Review~~~

~~~For Samuel’s Information~~~
I will expand this review but this is simply my first take. I know you, Sam, will look to these reviews for feedback, so I must say I feel bad that I can’t match your devotion to this project with a review that shows the same care. But for now please accept this first pass and consider that I would give you an A+ based on what I have heard so far.
Also, I discovered your passion for this topic from your interview on THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT WAR podcast (April 10, 2022). From that I could tell you excelled in explaining history in a way that was a good fit for me.
I recommend you promote your podcast this way in the future if you want more listeners. Somehow I sense that, for you, the journey is the destination. If so then don’t change a thing.

Extensive, Clearly-Reasoned and Well-Performed

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