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

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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.

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The army of the Western Design invades Jamaica, and marches unopposed into the capital. But despite English claims of victory, the Jamaican population is not about to let itself be conquered.

This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• 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.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017.
• Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fleet of the Western Design arrives off the coast of Hispaniola, and Oliver Cromwell's dream of a Protestant colonial empire seems assured. But it doesn't take long for everything to go wrong...

This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• 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.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017.
• Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lord Protector Cromwell dispatches a huge fleet of warships to the Caribben to conquer the Spanish colonies. But once the expedition reaches Barbados, they discover that reality doesn't match with expectations.

This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• 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.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017.
• Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first half of Episode 2 - Hostile Takeover. Listen to the full episode here: https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/ARML6837257429?selected=ARML4090812395

After the death of Aurangzeb, the United East India Company benefitted from the political chaos of 18th century India. Allying with, fighting against, and eventually dominating the Nawabs of Bengal and Arcot, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy, and the Sultans of Mysore. At the Battles of Plassey and Buxar, Company generals like Sir Robert Clive asserted British authority over massive territories, and the Carnatic Wars hobbled their European rivals.

The British Empire in India was on the rise, but what goes up must come down.

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Thank you to my guest historians:

• Philip J. Stern, Professor of History at Duke, and author of The Company-State: Corporate Sovereignty and the Early Modern Foundations of the British Empire in India (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011) and Empire, Incorporated: The Corporations that built British Colonialism (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2023).
• Jon Wilson, Professor of Modern History at King’s College, London, and author of India Conquered: Britain's Raj and the Chaos of Empire (London: Simon & Schuster, 2016)
• Rupali Mishra, Associate Professor of History at Auburn University, and author of A Business of State: Commerce, Politics, and the Birth of the East India Company (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2018)
• Benjamin R. Siegel, Associate Professor of History at Boston University, and author of Hungry Nation: Food, Famine, and the Making of Modern India (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018)
• Christina Welsch, Assistant Professor of History at the College of Wooster, and author of The Company's Sword: The East India Company and the Politics of Militarism, 1644-1858 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022)

Thank you to my guest voice actors:

• Robin Pierson, host of the History of Byzantium Podcast.
• David Crowther, host of the History of England Podcast

Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows.

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Professor Alice Hunt was kind enough to come on the podcast to talk about her new book, Republic: Britain’s Revolutionary Decade, 1649–1660. - https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571303199-republic-britains-revolutionary-decade-1649-1660/

Listen to Winds of Change HERE: https://pod.link/1779033628

Listen to The History of England HERE: https://pod.link/412308812

Join the Mailing List! https://forms.gle/meJvkqLb81uzRqya9

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With the Commonwealth quiet, Cromwell takes his conquests global. With as much secrecy as possible, the Protectorate puts together an expedition to strike at the vulnerable colonies of the Catholic powers: the Western Design. But first, the Lord Protector has to decide where to attack.

Listen to Winds of Change HERE

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This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• 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.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, 'Atlantic Mobilities and the Defiance of the Early Quakers', Journal of Early Modern History, 2023.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Atlantic in the Age of Revolution, 2007.
• Carla Gardina Pestana, The English Conquest of Jamaica: Oliver Cromwell’s Bid for Empire, 2017.
• Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market, 2006.

Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The First Protectorate Parliament meets... and immediately starts tearing up the constitution.

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This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• The Instrument of Government: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1653intrumentgovt.asp
• Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006.
• Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015.
• John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in 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.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Volume 3: 16 December 1653 to 2 September 1658, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.
• Leo F. Solt, 'The Fifth Monarchy Men: Politics and the Millenium', Church History, 30, 3, 1961.
• Jonathan Fitzgibbons, "'To settle a governement without somthing of Monarchy in it": Bulstrode Whitelocke’s Memoirs and the Reinvention of the Interregnum', The English Historical Review, 137, 586, 2022, 655-691.

Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows.

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George Monck arrives in Scotland, and burns the Royalists out.

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Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes!

This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• Francis Dow, Cromwellian Scotland, 1651-1660, 1999.
• Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006.
• Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015.
• John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015.
• Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002.
• Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020.
• Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Vol 2: 1 February 1649 to 12 December 1653, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.

Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Royalist rebellion erupts in the Scottish Highlands.

Join the Mailing List!

Join the Patreon House of Lords for ad-free episodes!

This episode could not have been written without the following works:

• Francis Dow, Cromwellian Scotland, 1651-1660, 1999.
• Martyn Bennet, Oliver Cromwell, 2006.
• Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015.
• John Coffey, 'Religious Thought', in Michael Braddick (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the English Revolution, 2015.
• Barry Coward, The Cromwellian Protectorate, 2002.
• Paul Lay, Providence Lost: The Rise and Fall of the English Republic, 2020.
• Anna Keay, The Restless Republic, 2022.
• John Morrill, The Letters, Writings, and Speeches of Oliver Cromwell, Vol 2: 1 February 1649 to 12 December 1653, 2023
• John Kenyon and Jane Ohlmeyer, The Civil Wars: A Military History of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1638-1660.
• Alan MacInnes, The British Revolution, 1629-1660, 2004.
• Ian Gentles, The New Model Army: Agent of Revolution, 2022.

Go to AirwaveMedia.com to find other great history shows.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices