Episode 17: The Human Cost of the British Civil Wars

Author Henry Jeffreys has charted British history through its relationships - commercial, industrial and social - with alcohol. And as we discover when Henry talks to Paul and Miranda in this episode, the 17th century played a key role in shaping those relationships. Indeed, Henry argues that Britain had a greater influence on the booze business than any other nation. From the invention of strong glass for bottles to experiments with adding fizz to wine, British scientists and entrepreneurs made a telling contribution. Imperial adventures opened up a global trade in wine and spirits. And the public - from aristocrats to the peasantry - played their part by displaying a healthy appetite for the strong stuff. Oliver Cromwell himself was fond of a tipple - demonstrating that when it came to booze, even priggish Puritans were happy to make an exception. Henry Jeffreys' book 'Empire of Booze: British History Through the Bottom of a Glass' is published by Unbound. '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. You can visit our website at www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that/

20 Juni 202340min

From Philippa Gregory to Robert Harris, historical novelists are increasingly turning to the 17th century for inspiration. In this episode, writer Julie Maxwell joins Miranda and Paul to talk about her new book 'The Image of the King', which tells the story of Charles I's trial and execution from the dual perspective of the doomed monarch and of the great poet John Milton, a supporter of Cromwell and the Parliamentary cause.  Julie reveals how she went about recreating the lives and motivations of these two vivid and contrasting characters.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. Miranda is the author of two novels about Oliver Cromwell's family: 'The Puritan Princess' (2020) and 'The Rebel Daughter' (2022), both published by Orion Press. Paul's book 'Providence Lost: the Rise and Fall of Cromwell's Protectorate' was published in 2020 by Head of Zeus. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. You can visit our website at www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that/

6 Juni 202348min

When Thomas Roe was sent by King James I to be ambassador to the Mughal Empire in 1615, he discovered a vast and sophisticated polity that far surpassed England in population, wealth and military might.  Paul and Miranda explore this early encounter between England and India with historian Nandini Das, author of 'Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire' (Bloomsbury). Nandini paints a wonderfully vivid picture of courtly extravagance, cultural misunderstandings and colonial competition.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Paul Lay and Miranda Malins. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. You can visit our website at www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that/

16 Maj 202348min

In the week that sees a new King Charles crowned in London, Miranda and Paul unearth vivid coronation stories from 17th-century England - including details of the ceremonies for the two previous bearers of that regnal name. As well as examples of spectacular pageantry - and sometimes excess - they find moments of lasting historical significance. And among the various Stuart monarchs' big days out, they revisit the two investitures of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector, the second of which adhered surprisingly closely to royal tradition.  Finally, Paul and Miranda give their 17th-century coronation awards in a variety of categories, from best music to most drunken banquet. '1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. You can visit our website at www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that/

2 Maj 202333min

In the second of two episodes examining the origins of the English - later British - empire, Paul and Miranda are joined by Gabriel Glickman of the University of Cambridge. Gabriel's new book, 'Making the Imperial Nation: Colonisation, Politics and English Identity, 1660-1700' (Yale University Press), explores how 17th-century England lacked an effective colonial apparatus, falling behind Spain and the Netherlands in the race for overseas possessions. Failures such as Cromwell's Western Design in the Caribbean, and the later loss of Tangier, defined the period, and while aspirations remained high, the Crown's capacity to realise its ambitions was fragile. Gabriel reveals how these setbacks, along with an increasing reliance on slavery, left many in England disillusioned. '1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. You can visit our website at https://www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that/

18 Apr 202340min

The 17th century saw early English attempts to carve out territories in the New World, Africa and beyond, with lasting - and all too often tragic - legacies. In the first of two episodes examining the origins of empire and the politics of colonisation, Paul and Miranda talk to historian Matthew Parker, author of 'Willoughbyland: England's Lost Colony.' Matthew tells the remarkable story of Francis, Lord Willoughby, who fled England for Barbados after the Civil Wars. Willoughby went on to acquire a stretch of land in what is now Suriname. The territory that bore his name became, in his absence, a functional and surprisingly egalitarian colony. But that would change when the Restoration ushered in greater competition with rival colonial powers - and the introduction of slavery. Our next episode will stay on the theme of early colonial ventures, when Dr Gabriel Glickman of the University of Cambridge tells us about imperial projects of the later 17th century and their political and cultural impact back in England. '1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. You can visit our website at https://www.podpage.com/1666-and-all-that/

4 Apr 202343min

Fifty years after the publication of Christopher Hill's celebrated Marxist analysis of the English Civil War, 'The World Turned Upside Down', historian Michael Sturza has written a new book that reprises some of Hill's arguments and sets out to refute revisionist attempts to take revolutionary politics out of the history of this tumultuous period. Michael joins Paul and Miranda on the podcast to discuss his fascinating book, 'The London Revolution 1640-643: Class Struggles in 17th Century England', which emphasises London's place at the heart of events and argues that popular revolt was a powerful motivating force behind the many dramatic upheavals of the time.  '1666 and All That' is presented by Miranda Malins and Paul Lay. The producer is Hugh Costello. Original music by George Taylor. The episode is mixed by Alfie Thompson. Don't want to miss the next episode? Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

21 Mars 202341min