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Empire

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Goalhanger

How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today? William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.

#207

205. Babur: The Taking of Delhi (Ep 2)

“In Herat a man can’t stretch out his leg without touching a poet’s backside” - Babur It’s 1506, and Babur leaves his beloved base in Kabul to visit his cousins in Herat, Afghanistan. But whilst he is shyly standing in the corner at parties and receiving a speedy education in poetry and calligraphy, his nemesis Shaybani Khan sacks the city he had left behind. Babur is now one of the last Timurid princes left, and to ensure the power of his family lineage does not die out, he enters a controversial alliance to help him defeat Shaybani Khan. In 1511, Babur launches military campaigns in his homeland of Uzbekistan, but why does he turn his attentions to India instead? And how will he succeed in conquering this new land? Listen as William and Anita discuss Babur’s life in Afghanistan, and the build up to his invasion of India. To buy tickets for Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence?utm_source=empire_podcast&utm_medium=paid_editorial&utm_campaign=great_mughals_empire_podcast Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Nov 2024

44 MINS

44:24

21 Nov 2024

#206

204. Babur: The First Mughal Emperor (Ep 1)

“To wander from mountain to mountain, hopeless and homeless, has nothing to recommend it” - Babur Before he became the father of the Mughal dynasty, and the author of one of the most important memoirs in world history, Babur was a provincial young prince in modern-day Uzbekistan. His family tree stretches back to Genghis Khan and Timur, and his fighting spirit was as strong as his ancestors’. As a teenager he sets his sights on the capital city of Samarkand and lays siege to it. But he meets his match when faced with the great Uzbeg warlord, Shaybani Khan. At just 21 years old, Babur is left defeated and homeless, wandering as a nomad around Central Asia. How will he recover from this? Join William and Anita as they explore the early life of the first Great Mughal, Babur. To buy tickets for Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence?utm_source=empire_podcast&utm_medium=paid_editorial&utm_campaign=great_mughals_empire_podcast Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis + Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

19 Nov 2024

52 MINS

52:59

19 Nov 2024

#205

203. Captain Hook, Peter Pan & The Dark Side of Neverland

J.M. Barrie, the fascinating Scottish writer, gave us Peter Pan - the boy who never grows up, and his notorious pirate nemesis: Captain Hook. But where did this iconic rivalry come from, and how did Barrie’s fascination with both youth and pirates shape this timeless story? Barrie’s life, marked by personal tragedy and complex relationships, set the stage for a world where innocence meets adventure on the high seas. The figure of Captain Hook looms large over Peter Pan. Modelled partly on the infamous privateer Christopher Newport, who ruled Caribbean waters with a missing arm, Hook embodies the darker side of Neverland. Inspired by his relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family, Barrie crafted Peter Pan as a tribute to these young boys who captured his heart. Yet, their lives would be marked by profound loss, shadowing the whimsy of the Lost Boys with tragedy. Join William and Anita as they dive into the origins of Barrie’s Peter Pan and the history behind Neverland’s fictional pirates. To buy tickets for Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence?utm_source=empire_podcast&utm_medium=paid_editorial&utm_campaign=great_mughals_empire_podcast Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis + Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

14 Nov 2024

44 MINS

44:11

14 Nov 2024

#204

202. Long John Silver: The Truth Behind Treasure Island

Robert Louis Stevenson, a sickly boy with a vivid imagination, grew up along Scotland’s rugged coast, where tales of shipwrecks and buried gold stirred dreams of pirates and treasure. Out of this coastal world, Stevenson crafted Treasure Island - and with it, Long John Silver, a character who has since come to define the cunning, complex pirate in our imaginations. But what inspired Stevenson’s tale, and how did his own experiences, steeped in adventure and struggle, breathe life into one of literature’s greatest pirates? Tracing the origins of Treasure Island and its enduring characters, we learn that the stories are grounded in Stevenson’s Scottish roots, a tapestry of real pirate lore, and the influential writings of Daniel Defoe. We meet Jim Hawkins, the young hero, and Long John Silver, the peg-legged rogue inspired by stories of real marauders. Join Anita and William as they explore how Treasure Island came to shape the mythical pirate figure and inspire countless adventures. To buy tickets for Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence?utm_source=empire_podcast&utm_medium=paid_editorial&utm_campaign=great_mughals_empire_podcast Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis + Becki Hills Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

12 Nov 2024

43 MINS

43:25

12 Nov 2024

#203

200. The East India Company’s Global Manhunt

After robbing the fleet in a brutal, barbaric fashion, Henry Avery caused a diplomatic incident of global proportions. The Mughals were furious and the East India Company, which at this very moment was trying to make inroads into India, had to go into overdrive to prove that he was not part of the company. As a result, they undertook one of the greatest manhunts ever to try to catch Avery. It crossed the world, going to the Caribbean and eventually to the British Isles, but will they find him? Listen to William and Anita to find out… To buy tickets for Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence visit: https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/great-mughals-art-architecture-opulence?utm_source=empire_podcast&utm_medium=paid_editorial&utm_campaign=great_mughals_empire_podcast Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

05 Nov 2024

46 MINS

46:10

05 Nov 2024

#202

199. Robbing the World’s Wealthiest Dynasty

One of the most notable pirates of his day, Henry Avery would go on to make potentially the most lucrative heist ever on the high seas. Originally a navy man, Avery then took the well-trodden path of starting out as a privateer and turning to piracy. Via a mutiny he soon found himself in the Indian Ocean looking to take the biggest prizes - Mughal ships - and in August 1695 the greatest appeared before him. The ships of Aurangzeb himself were heading for the Red Sea, so Avery hoisted his sail and went after them. Listen as William and Anita discuss one of the most infamous pirates of the age and his attempts to rob the Mughals. To buy William's book: [ ] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) [https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

31 Oct 2024

42 MINS

42:34

31 Oct 2024

#201

198. The Pirate Trial of the Century

William Kidd, a respectable Scottish privateer during the late 17th century, tasked with hunting down pirates on the orders of a murky cabal of British aristocrats, but with the crown’s blessing, finds himself and his crew frustrated by the absence of pirates in the waters off Madagascar during October 1696. With mutiny brewing on his ship The Adventure, Kidd - ever mercurial in his willingness to abandon the law - brutally killed one of his crew with a bucket, before attacking an apparently French Trading vessel captained by an Englishman - illegally. From that point onwards Kidd went rogue, attacking vessels hither and thither, drubbing and torturing as he went, or so the stories say… So, was Kidd really a devious, thieving pirate, whose innocence was but a calculated ruse, or a truly blameless man, caught up in powers and intrigues above his head, and pushed to the brink by a traitorous mutiny? Join William and Anita as they discuss William Kidd’s burgeoning pirating career and his turn to the dark side: his spate of violent pillaging, his time on the run from the British government and the famous treasure hoards he buried along the way; culminating in the most famous trial of the century, and a gibbet on Execution Dock…. To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

29 Oct 2024

42 MINS

42:47

29 Oct 2024

#200

197. The Pirate Hunter

Alongside legends like Blackbeard and Calico Jack, William Kidd is one of the most famous pirates to have entered the public consciousness, thanks to Hollywood, sea shanties and literary mythologization. A Scottish sailor and privateer living during the late 17th century, Kidd went from a life of prosperous respectability and high society on Wall Street; hunting down pirates and protecting the trade of the British Empire, to a life spent on the run, pillaging ships as he went. But what was the process by which Kidd turned to the dark side? And was it against his will? His fate changed in 1695 when a murky syndicate of aristocrats commissioned Kidd - with the authorisation of the government - to hunt down pirates and Frenchmen in the Indian Ocean, and protect the trade there. From that point onwards Kidd’s law-abiding life of respectability would spiral out of control… Join William and Anita as they discuss the thrilling and tumultuous early career of the elusive William Kidd: his conversion from family man to pirate, his alleged visits to the famous Pirate utopia in Madagascar, and the acts of violence that would change his life forever… Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

23 Oct 2024

43 MINS

43:06

23 Oct 2024

#199

196. Blackbeard’s Reign of Terror

“At our first salutation he drank damnation to me and my men who styled cowardly puppies saying he would neither give nor take quarter…” By the end of November 1717 Blackbeard had become one of the most feared pirates of his age. Having declared war upon the British empire in revenge for his imprisoned brethren in Boston, he reigned down violence and destruction upon the eastern seaboard of North America, disrupting trade and causing havoc. By 1718 he had a devastating fleet of some six ships, helmed by his own flagship and one of the most famous pirate vessels of all time: the Queen Anne’s Revenge, a former French slaver. Finally, after blockading Charleston in exchange for a mere box of medicine, the British navy decided to take decisive action and hunt Blackbeard down. The man they sent for the job was Lieutenant Robert Maynard, who finally found his terrifying foe anchored on an island off North Carolina. Taking Blackbeard’s pirates by surprise, a bloody battle ensued that would see a legendary pirate duel to the death… Join William and Anita as they discuss Blackbeard’s terrifying reign of fear, the climax of his cataclysmic career, his downfall, and the astounding duel that would seal his bloody fate… To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) To buy David's book: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suppressing-Piracy-Early-Eighteenth-Century-ebook/dp/B0917NM46Y/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suppressing-Piracy-Early-Eighteenth-Century-ebook/dp/B0917NM46Y/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Oct 2024

42 MINS

42:15

21 Oct 2024

#198

195. Blackbeard & the Pirates of the Caribbean

The history of pirates is a thrilling kaleidoscope of adventure, devastation, violence and political intrigue, and never more so than during the 17th and 18th centuries: the golden age of piracy. This saw the rise of some of the most famous pirates of all time, many of them united in the near mythical Pirate Republic at Nassau in the Caribbean. From Calico Jack, the colourful progenitor of the skull and crossbones, to Charles Vane, the pirate king himself who delighted in torturing his captives, and the eccentrically berobed Stede Bonnet, the golden age saw pirates drive the British empire to the brink of despair. None more so than Blackbeard, the famously ruthless pirate captain who supposedly set his beard alight before battle to frighten his enemies. But behind his flaming beard and terrifying reputation, who was the real Blackbeard? And what was it that led him into a life of bloodthirsty pillaging upon the high seas? Join William and Anita as they discuss the golden age of piracy and the early life and career of the most famous pirate of all time: Blackbeard. To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) To buy David's book: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suppressing-Piracy-Early-Eighteenth-Century-ebook/dp/B0917NM46Y/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suppressing-Piracy-Early-Eighteenth-Century-ebook/dp/B0917NM46Y/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

16 Oct 2024

42 MINS

42:04

16 Oct 2024

#197

192. Native American Chiefs, the Founding of Canada, and the KKK: Scots in America

From India to Africa, the involvement and influence of Scots in the British Empire has been profound. In both arenas, they rose through the ranks as soldiers, merchants and bureaucrats, to carve out, govern and lead the empire overseas. But what of America? Here too the Scottish presence was enormous. From the Scottish diaspora in the Caribbean, where after Culloden Scots rebels were forced to work or they travelled willingly to become wealthy slavers themselves. In North America and Canada they fought in the Seven Years War and American Revolution, quickly came to dominate the fur and tobacco trades, and in many cases developed profitable, amicable and often romantic alliances with the Native Americans and First Nations peoples. With all this and more, the history of Scots in America is rife with adventure and derring-do, success and failure, glory, tragedy, bravery and controversy…. In today’s episode, William and Anita are joined once again by historian Murray Pittock, to discuss the story of Scots in America, and some of the fascinating Scottish characters who made their names there. To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

07 Oct 2024

41 MINS

41:12

07 Oct 2024

#196

191. Slave, Slaver, Abolitionist: Three Scots in Africa

The extraordinary lives of three Scotsmen - John Henderson, Richard Oswald, and David Livingstone - encapsulate the polarities of the Scottish experience in Africa prior to the 20th century. Henderson, formerly a soldier for the Swedes and the Danes in Europe, was captured and enslaved by the Arabs of Zanzibar in the Mediterranean. Before long though, he had won the heart of a princess of Zanzibar, and eloped to Alexandria with her. By contrast, Richard Oswald was a rich and prodigious slaver who went so far as to purchase an island where he would play golf, surrounded by his enslaved golf caddies in tartan, before later playing a major role in negotiating the Declaration of Independence. Finally, there was David Livingstone, a pioneering missionary, explorer and abolitionist, who nevertheless supported British colonial expansion, and whose influence on Western attitudes toward Africa endure to this day. In every case, the story of Scots in Africa is riddled with courage, cowardice, horror and adventure… In today’s episode, William and Anita are joined once again by historian Murray Pittock, to discuss the remarkable lives of the Scots who shaped and were shaped by their interactions with Africa, and the insight they give into the experiences of Scots overall. To fill out the survey: [ survey.empirepoduk.com] (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o4Kt3WKwQ4P6gp0YJ7ONDSb5cPRIIuqknrMbHsXRZoQ/viewform?edit_requested=true) To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

02 Oct 2024

45 MINS

45:14

02 Oct 2024

#195

190. Rags to Riches: The Scots in India

In the wake of Culloden, much of Scotland was on its knees. Crippled by defeat and the subsequent backlash of the British government, along with famine and poverty, they were in dire need of new horizons. The nascent British Empire would provide it. The Scottish Highlanders had developed a fearsome reputation during their struggles against the English, and would prove just as indomitable fighting for Britain in India. Yet, in more ways than militarily, India was to become a treasure trove of opportunity, enrichment and conquest for the Scots. From their domination of the East India Trading Company, to some of the men credited with cementing imperial rule in India, and the Highlander Regiments who took on the ferocious Tipu Sultan in the South, Scots involvement in all spheres of the British Empire in India was momentous. It also made them very rich… how controversial, then, is Scotland’s Indian involvement? In today’s episode, William and Anita are joined by historian Andrew MacKillop to discuss the colourful history of Scots and India. To fill out the survey: [survey.empirepoduk.com] (survey.empirepoduk.com) To buy William's book: [https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

30 Sep 2024

53 MINS

53:07

30 Sep 2024

#194

189. Culloden: Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Last Stand

Few battles in history have been remembered as powerfully, nor been as mythologised, as Culloden on the 16th of April 1746. Under the leadership of Charles Edward Stuart - Bonnie Prince Charlie, ‘the Young Pretender’ - the Jacobites fight to the death upon Culloden Moor to place their own king on the British throne. Outgunned, outnumbered, the kilted swordsmen and musketeers took on the forces of the Hanoverian George II of England, in what would be the last battle fought on British soil. What would be their fate? In today’s episode, William and Anita are joined again by historian Jacqueline Riding to discuss the Battle of Culloden: one of the most cataclysmic battles in British history. To fill out the survey: [ survey.empirepoduk.com] (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o4Kt3WKwQ4P6gp0YJ7ONDSb5cPRIIuqknrMbHsXRZoQ/viewform?edit_requested=true) To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

25 Sep 2024

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:56

25 Sep 2024

#193

188. Bonnie Prince Charlie: The Young Pretender

In 1688 the Stuart King James II was ousted from the throne by his daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, in what is called the Glorious Revolution. This momentous change would set in motion decades of unrest across the British Isles, as the supporters of James Stuart; his son the ‘Old Pretender’ James, and his flamboyant grandson, ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, both exiled in France and Italy, sought to restore them to the throne of Britain. In Scotland especially, the hereditary home of the Stuarts, rebellion was constantly brewing amongst the Scottish clans, where demands by the English king for them to bend the knee would result in the bloody massacre of Glencoe…finally, with time passing and the momentum of the Stuart cause fading, the Young Pretender; Bonnie Prince Charlie, took up his family’s struggle and sailed to Scotland to reclaim his father’s crown….the storm clouds of revolt were brewing. What would be Scotland’s fate, and indeed that of Britain? In today’s episode, William and Anita are joined by historian Jacqueline Riding to discuss the Jacobites and their fight to restore the Stuarts to the British throne, in the build up to the cataclysmic Battle of Culloden… To fill out the survey: [ survey.empirepoduk.com] (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o4Kt3WKwQ4P6gp0YJ7ONDSb5cPRIIuqknrMbHsXRZoQ/viewform?edit_requested=true) To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

23 Sep 2024

53 MINS

53:44

23 Sep 2024

#192

187. The Birth of Britain

With the accession of James I and VI in 1603, Scotland was assimilated into the composite monarchy of the United Kingdom. James, an eccentric, insecure and rambling figure, preoccupied with witches, was himself an alien in his new English court. Even at this stage though, it seems unlikely that the two nations would be legally combined under one parliament. But, with Scottish interests abroad constantly embattled by a lack of resources and the exclusionist attitude of its English neighbours; their flailing economy, and in-fighting, Scottish sovereignty within the composite monarchy began diminishing. As such, many in Scotland began resisting any union of the two nations with increasing desperation, while the English government - under the pro-union Queen Anne - in response redoubled their efforts to see the Scottish parliament subsumed…Was the union of Scotland and England now inevitable, or could a Scottish Referendum in 1706 protect Scottish independence? In this week’s episode, William and Anita are joined by renowned historian Murray Pittock to discuss the process by which Scotland was brought into Union with England, the condition of the new state, and the long term repercussions of this seminal moment for the future of Great Britain… To fill out the survey: [ survey.empirepoduk.com] (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o4Kt3WKwQ4P6gp0YJ7ONDSb5cPRIIuqknrMbHsXRZoQ/viewform?edit_requested=true) To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

18 Sep 2024

55 MINS

55:12

18 Sep 2024

#191

186. Scotland: A Nation in Crisis

When charting the rise of Scotland’s global influence, few events have been as tragically remarkable as the Darien Scheme of 1698, which saw woefully unprepared Scottish pioneers attempt to settle and colonise the Isthmus of Panama. Scotland during this period was a country bound to England under one crown, originally that of James I and VI, though still in its own right a sovereign state. However, competitive enmity was developing between the two neighbours over the question of empire and their competing ambitions overseas, with England increasingly restricting Scottish trade as a result. This, and a bad harvest saw Scottish finances in dire straits. So it was that the Scottish government, upon the urging of wheeler-dealer businessman William Patterson who himself had been inspired by pirates, decided to fund an expedition to create a permanent Scots colony; New Caledonia, on the thin strip of land uniting North and South America, and so ideally suited for trade. Little did the Scots men, women and children who set out that November - full of hope and enthusiasm - know of the hunger, danger and disease that awaited them… In today’s episode, Anita and William are joined by archaeologist Mark Horton to discuss the disastrous Darien scheme, and the long-term repercussions of this calamitous expedition for the future of Scotland. To fill out the survey: [ survey.empirepoduk.com] (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1o4Kt3WKwQ4P6gp0YJ7ONDSb5cPRIIuqknrMbHsXRZoQ/viewform?edit_requested=true) To buy William's book: [ https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition] (https://coles-books.co.uk/the-golden-road-by-william-dalrymple-signed-edition) Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

16 Sep 2024

55 MINS

55:25

16 Sep 2024

#190

178. The Vietnam War: Nixon, Vietnamisation, and the Fall of Saigon

With Richard Nixon now in the White House and not wanting to have his presidency consumed by Vietnam like his predecessor’s was, he begins to search for ways to disentangle America from the war. It begins with Vietnamisation and an attempt to reduce South Vietnamese reliance on the Americans, but soon he goes to China and starts making moves on the world stage to reduce Soviet and Chinese support for the north. Before long the Americans will be out and South Vietnam will be left to its fate. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Fredrik Logevall to discuss the end of the Vietnam War and the last chopper out of Saigon. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

19 Aug 2024

57 MINS

57:13

19 Aug 2024

#189

177. The Vietnam War: Lyndon Johnson, Americanisation, and Operation Rolling Thunder

With the death of JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson took over the Presidency and immediately had to wrestle with America’s relationship with Vietnam after the killing of Diem. Right from the start he prophesised that it would be his downfall and so it was. He consistently resented it and the distraction it was from his domestic agenda, the Great Society. Over his five years in charge, LBJ Americanised the war, committing more and more troops to Vietnam, and initiating massive bombing campaigns known as Operation Rolling Thunder, putting America into a quagmire. But was this inevitable? Would JFK have done things differently? Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Fredrik Logevall to find out. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

14 Aug 2024

58 MINS

58:57

14 Aug 2024

#188

176. The Vietnam War: The Rise of Ho Chi Minh

Vietnam, or Indochina as it was known, had been under French colonial rule since the nineteenth century. This was until the Vietnamese nationalist group, the Viet Minh, took on the French in 1946. Ho Chi Minh, son of a Confucian scholar, former chef in Boston, and lover of French literature, was at their head. The fighting came to an end in 1954 with the Geneva conference splitting the country in two. The northern side was to be ruled by the Viet Minh, with close links to the Chinese Communist party and the Soviet Union whilst the South, then known as the Republic of Vietnam, was to remain loyal to America. However, by summer 1963, America is taking an increasingly active role, tensions are rising and a second war is on the horizon. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Fredrik Logevall to discuss the lead up to the Vietnam War. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

12 Aug 2024

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:10

12 Aug 2024

#187

175. The CIA vs Fidel Castro

Following the fall of Batista, the Cuban revolution took a more radical turn. Castro was not a communist to begin with, but as those around him became increasingly Marxist, the CIA’s desire to regain control of the island grew. With the failure of JFK’s Bay of Pigs invasion, events escalated into the Cuban Missile Crisis as the USSR brought nuclear weapons to America’s doorstep. Listen as Anita and William are once again joined by Alex von Tunzelmann to talk about how the Caribbean almost became the centre of a nuclear armageddon. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Aaliyah Akude Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

07 Aug 2024

56 MINS

56:06

07 Aug 2024

#186

174. The Cuban Revolution

It’s 1959 and the swaggering Cuban revolutionary, Fidel Castro, has just overthrown the unpopular American backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. Che Guevara, the Marxist physician whose face would become an internationally recognised symbol of resistance, is at his side. But how did the small Caribbean nation go from a profitable outpost of the Spanish empire to a heady American party island, rife with gangsters and gambling, to a hub of revolution? Listen as Anita and William are joined by Alex Von Tunzelmann to discuss the events that led up to the Cuban Revolution. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producers: Anouska Lewis and Alice Horrell Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

05 Aug 2024

58 MINS

58:59

05 Aug 2024

#185

173. The Korean War: Dividing the Peninsula

The Korean War was a brutal affair. It is estimated that 3,000,000 people were killed in the conflict that absolutely devastated the Korean Peninsula. And the legacy of it is still with us today; it was over the course of this war that the division between North and South solidified into two separate nations. It was also at this time that Kim Il Sung rose to prominence, establishing North Korea's ruling dynasty that exists to this day. Listen as William and Anita are once again joined by Paul Thomas Chamberlin to discuss the events of the war and its monumental legacy. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

31 Jul 2024

50 MINS

50:54

31 Jul 2024

#184

172. The Birth of North Korea

Whilst we know the Korean Peninsula is split into two quite separate countries, North Korea and South Korea, that has not always been been the case. Korea was an independent, singular nation until the Japanese colonised it at the start of the 20th century. This collapsed after the Second World War, at which time the USA and Russia swept in to create their own spheres of influence, separated by the 38th parallel. Communist Russia in the north, capitalist USA in the south. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Paul Thomas Chamberlin to discuss the origins of North and South Korea. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

29 Jul 2024

46 MINS

46:58

29 Jul 2024

#183

169. Freedom Fighters Betrayed: Colonising the Philippines

By the end of the Spanish-US war, the Philippines was on the menu. Two battles played out simultaneously on the archipelago: and old and a new empire fought for power over a colony, whilst Filipinos fought for independence. The Philippines honoured the US in their new constitution and flag. But they were betrayed, and a young revolutionary, Emilio Aguinaldo, led the Filipino people in the brutal war against American imperialism. Listen as Anita and William are joined once again by Daniel Immerwahr to explore the colonisation of the Philippines. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

17 Jul 2024

41 MINS

41:51

17 Jul 2024

#182

168. Teddy Roosevelt Takes on the Old World

In 1898, whilst his boss was on a break at the osteopath, Teddy Roosevelt basically started a war. A master of the press, he managed to whip up war fever amongst jingoists in Congress, leading the United States to declare war on imperial Spain. Building on an established independence movement in Cuba, the US was ambiguous about its intentions. Was it liberation or colonisation that it wanted for this Caribbean island? Listen as Anita and William are joined again by Daniel Immerwahr to discuss the Spanish-US war. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

15 Jul 2024

50 MINS

50:27

15 Jul 2024

#181

167. Paradise Lost: The Taking of Hawaii

On 7th July 1898, President McKinley formally annexed Hawaii, making it a colonial territory of the USA. It was not until 21st August, 1959, that it became the 50th state. Orchestrated by the American planter class in Hawaii, led by Sanford Dole, this annexation was the culmination of a process throughout the 19th century which pushed the native Hawaiian population to the side for commercial gain. Listen as William and Anita look at the taking of the 50th state and the attempts by the last Queen of Hawaii, Lili’uokalani, to fight against the Americans. Twitter: @Empirepoduk Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com Goalhangerpodcasts.com Assistant Producer: Anouska Lewis Producer: Callum Hill Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [podcastchoices.com/adchoices] (https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices) ... Read more

10 Jul 2024

47 MINS

47:21

10 Jul 2024

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#207

205. Babur: The Taking of Delhi (Ep 2)

#206

204. Babur: The First Mughal Emperor (Ep 1)

#205

203. Captain Hook, Peter Pan & The Dark Side of Neverland

#204

202. Long John Silver: The Truth Behind Treasure Island

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200. The East India Company’s Global Manhunt

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199. Robbing the World’s Wealthiest Dynasty

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198. The Pirate Trial of the Century

#200

197. The Pirate Hunter

#199

196. Blackbeard’s Reign of Terror

#198

195. Blackbeard & the Pirates of the Caribbean

#197

192. Native American Chiefs, the Founding of Canada, and the KKK: Scots in America

#196

191. Slave, Slaver, Abolitionist: Three Scots in Africa

#195

190. Rags to Riches: The Scots in India

#194

189. Culloden: Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Last Stand

#193

188. Bonnie Prince Charlie: The Young Pretender

#192

187. The Birth of Britain

#191

186. Scotland: A Nation in Crisis

#190

178. The Vietnam War: Nixon, Vietnamisation, and the Fall of Saigon

#189

177. The Vietnam War: Lyndon Johnson, Americanisation, and Operation Rolling Thunder

#188

176. The Vietnam War: The Rise of Ho Chi Minh

#187

175. The CIA vs Fidel Castro

#186

174. The Cuban Revolution

#185

173. The Korean War: Dividing the Peninsula

#184

172. The Birth of North Korea

#183

169. Freedom Fighters Betrayed: Colonising the Philippines

#182

168. Teddy Roosevelt Takes on the Old World

#181

167. Paradise Lost: The Taking of Hawaii