Early Stuart England
217 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 29 ratingsA narrative history of England (1603-1642)
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Episodes
Episode 67: Peace
August 03, 2019 05:41 - 33 minutes - 31 MB1630 Rival pro-French and pro-Spanish factions race to make peace with England's enemies. In doing so, they establish the main division at court for the next few years.
Episode 66: Charles' New Crew
July 27, 2019 11:50 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MB1629 As Charles turns away from parliaments, political influence shifts to a small group of people surrounding the King at court. These personalities, and their conflicts with one another, determine English politics for the next decade.
Episode 65: Conspiracy
July 20, 2019 10:50 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MB1629 Facing insurrection in parliament, and riots throughout the kingdom, Charles suspects a co-ordinated conspiracy against his regime. A lengthy investigation uncovers troubling opposition to this rule.
Episode 64: Captain Carter
July 13, 2019 10:52 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBSpring 1629 As Charles deals with disorder on the floor of the House of Commons, unemployment and poor harvests spark riots and unrest throughout the kingdom.
Episode 63: The Funeral of Parliaments
July 06, 2019 11:58 - 37 minutes - 34 MBWinter 1629 Parliament reconvenes, in the hopes that the removal of Buckingham will solve the political problems of the past decade. However, the divisions in society run deeper than one man.
Episode 62: The Graces
June 29, 2019 12:03 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MB1625-1628 In an effort to provide for the war-time defence of Ireland, Charles enters into negotiations with the Old English Catholics. A settlement emerges in the form of limited toleration for Catholics in exchange for a locally raised (and funded) army.
Episode 61: The Revocation
June 22, 2019 08:08 - 39 minutes - 35.8 MB1625-1628 Charles learns to rule Scotland through trial and error. But the land of his birth is now a foreign nation that he struggles to understand.
Episode 60: I Am the Man
June 15, 2019 11:21 - 34 minutes - 31.1 MBSummer 1628 With parliamentary subsidies in hand, and favourable diplomatic circumstances in Europe, Charles and Buckingham finally see light at the end of the tunnel.
Episode 59: Our Grievance of Grievances
June 08, 2019 11:46 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBSpring 1628 Charles comes to a tentative agreement with his subjects. Parliament agrees to provide war funding in exchange for the King's acceptance of the Petition of Right (a declaration of the rights enjoyed by all English subjects).
Episode 58: The Crisis of Parliaments
June 01, 2019 10:50 - 37 minutes - 34.4 MBSpring 1628 The moderates on the Privy Council attempt to reconcile King and parliament, through a bill clarifying the rights of English subjects. Success depends on their ability to manage parliament.
Episode 57: The Five Knights' Case
May 25, 2019 11:12 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MB1627 While the Duke of Buckingham wages war in France, the Forced Loan has its day in court. A group of 5 loan refusers dispute the King's right to detain them without charge, hoping to test the legality of extra-parliamentary taxation before the law.
Episode 56: Published by Authority
May 17, 2019 11:20 - 45 minutes - 42 MB1627 The Duke of Buckingham exploits the burgeoning news industry to promote his military expedition to the Isle of Rhe in France. But despite the positive spin in the press, victory proves elusive.
Episode 55: The Forced Loan
May 11, 2019 11:13 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MB1626-1627 Charles implements his "new counsels" and raises money outside of parliament. Within the Privy Council, a debate rages over whether this is a war-time emergency or the new normal.
Episode 54: The Non-Alliance
May 04, 2019 11:18 - 36 minutes - 33 MB1626 Without any parliamentary subsidies, England is forced to sit on the sidelines during the campaigning season of 1626. However, Buckingham and Charles are active on the diplomatic front, as an attempted coup in France presents an opportunity.
Episode 53: New Opinions
April 27, 2019 11:30 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBSummer 1626 After a disastrous parliament, Charles forges an alliance with the ceremonial, anti-Calvinist wing of the Church. His hope is that a more orderly Church will create a more orderly society.
Episode 52: I Took Him Not for A God
April 20, 2019 11:35 - 34 minutes - 31.6 MBSpring 1626 New accusations against Buckingham raise the stakes at Westminster. Charles is faced with either saving his chief minister, or securing funding for his war.
Episode 51: Common Fame
April 13, 2019 11:38 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBSpring 1626 After a disastrous first 11 months of his reign, Charles opens his second parliament. As he prepares to swallow his pride and ask parliament for money to continue the war, a group sets their sights on the Duke of Buckingham as the price of co-operation.
Episode 50: Elections
April 06, 2019 11:13 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBWinter 1626 Across the kingdom elections to the House of Commons mark the beginning of a new parliament. Charles and Buckingham do their best to ensure government friendly representatives are selected from England's counties and boroughs. But other figures also carry weight in elections, particularly the Earl of Pembroke - an influential Calvinist with ambiguous loyalties to the government.
Episode 49: York House
March 30, 2019 10:09 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBWinter 1626 The Calvinist members of the Patriot Coalition give Charles and Buckingham one last chance to prove their dedication to the Protestant cause as a new session of parliament begins. At York House, the Duke of Buckingham hosts an informal conference to determine whether Arminianism will be tolerated in the English Church.
Episode 48: Cadiz
March 23, 2019 11:47 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBFall 1625 Delayed and underfunded due to the failed parliament, an English fleet sets sail for Cadiz. Their goal is to either raid the port, or capture the American treasure fleet before it can land. However, the expedition suffers from a lack of provisions and (after two decades of peace) inexperience.
Episode 47: The Plague Parliament
March 16, 2019 11:37 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBSummer 1625 The Charles and Buckingham partnership take control of the kingdom after the death of James. However, their popular war program runs into problems in Charles' first parliament as the pair discovers that ruling is not as easy as it looks.
Episode 46: A New Spirit of Life
March 09, 2019 13:04 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBErnst von Mansfeld's mercenary army is paralyzed by conflicting orders from England. James directs Mansfeld to the Palatine, while Charles and Buckingham urge him towards Breda. The impasse is broken when the King suddenly falls ill.
Episode 45: England Mobilizes
March 02, 2019 12:08 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MBAutumn 1624 After using parliamentary pressure to get James to break off negotiations with Spain, Charles and Buckingham prepare for England's first war in a generation. But who and where England will be fighting remain open questions, capable of dividing Charles and Buckingham's political coalition.
Episode 44: The Patriot Coalition
February 23, 2019 12:18 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBSpring 1624 Charles and Buckingham attempt to navigate their way through a parliament. They have to convince James to adopt a war policy without violating his jealously guarded prerogatives, while at the same time convincing parliament that they can trust the King. Standing in their way is the greatest advocate of peace, Lionel Cranfield, Earl of Middlesex.
Episode 43: The Blessed Revolution
February 16, 2019 12:56 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MB1623-1624 Charles and Buckingham are met with popular celebrations upon their return to England. They immediately begin work assembling a popular anti-Spanish coalition in order to force James into war. Standing in their way are the entrenched interests of the court.
Episode 42: Escape from Madrid
February 09, 2019 09:25 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBSummer 1623 Charles and Buckingham plot to return home from Madrid, by any means necessary. In the mean time, Buckingham plans a diplomatic break with Spain, and a re-branding of himself as the Protestant saviour of Europe.
Episode 41: Madrid
February 02, 2019 12:08 - 32 minutes - 29.6 MBSpring 1623 Charles and Buckingham arrive in Madrid, where they find themselves in over their heads in a world of geo-political intrigue. The men who had been picking through the marriage negotiations (John Digby, Earl of Bristol and Count-Duke Olivares) struggle to adapt to the new circumstances. Meanwhile, back in England, Buckingham's rivals take advantage of his absence, and challenge his political position.
Episode 40: The Trip to Spain
January 26, 2019 12:28 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBThe Earl of Buckingham and Prince Charles embark on a secret voyage to Madrid to complete the marriage treaty between Charles and the Infanta of Spain. Confusion and fear reigns in England when the news breaks that the heir to the kingdom has walked into the heart of Spain.
Episode 39: The Spanish Match
January 19, 2019 12:53 - 35 minutes - 32.1 MBAfter the failure of the 1621 parliament, James turns to a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Europe. He hopes to use a royal marriage between his son Charles, and the Spanish Infanta (Princess Maria Anna) to broker a peace in the Empire. However, this plan meets with popular resistance in England, where anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish sentiment runs high.
Episode 38: The Irish Commission
January 12, 2019 12:29 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MB1622 The Earl of Buckingham and Lionel Cranfield (Earl of Middlesex) battle for supremacy in Ireland. After Cranfield managed to convince James to set up a commission to investigate corruption in Ireland, and Buckingham does his best to undermine the project.
Episode 37: The Miserable Combustion of War
January 05, 2019 11:52 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBAutumn 1621 After receiving the support of his subjects in the spring session of parliament, James tries one last time to solve the European crisis through diplomatic pressure. When he fails, an emergency fall session of parliament reveals the fragility of England's unity.
Episode 36: Impeachment
December 29, 2018 11:57 - 38 minutes - 35 MBEarly 1621 As England faces war in Europe and an economic crisis at home, parliament meets for the first time in seven years. Francis Bacon advises James to build goodwill by allowing parliament to reform government before asking for money - a strategy that Bacon soon regrets.
Episode 35: The Decay of Trade
December 22, 2018 12:46 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MB1620 Just as England is about to be sucked into the war in Europe, a mysterious trade recession strikes the kingdom. The Privy Council scrambles to find a solution.
Episode 34: Tobacco, Pirates, and God
December 15, 2018 12:41 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB1619-1620 Pushed out of mainstream politics because of their anti-Spanish views, a group of hard-line Calvinists take to international commerce. Competition with Spain on the high seas and around the globe provides them with an outlet, and a place to organize and prepare for the day James finally sees Spain as the enemy.
Episode 33: The Crisis Broadens
December 08, 2018 12:59 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MB1620 James scrambles to contain the Bohemian crisis despite the best efforts of his son-in-law Frederick. However, the Thirty Years' War becomes truly international with fighting in both Bohemia and western Germany.
Episode 32: The Winter King
December 01, 2018 13:05 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MB1618-1619 A rebellion in Bohemia sends the Holy Roman Empire into religious and political turmoil. At the centre of events is James' son-in-law, Frederick V, elector of the Palatine.
Episode 31: The Synod of Dort
November 24, 2018 13:09 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MB1618-1619 With a religious and political civil war brewing in the Netherlands, James intervenes to broker a settlement.
Episode 30: Lord Admiral Buckingham
November 17, 2018 12:26 - 28 minutes - 26 MB1618-1619 Buckingham's reform team takes on their greatest challenge yet - cleaning up the navy. In doing so, Buckingham finds the identity that will define the rest of his career - Lord Admiral, the chief military office in the kingdom.
Episode 29: A Sin in the Prince
November 10, 2018 12:47 - 26 minutes - 24 MB1618 Thomas Howard, the Earl of Suffolk, tries to beat Buckingham at his own game by placing a young, attractive man close to the King. Buckingham survives the attack and finally snuffs out the Howard faction. But anxieties about the nature of James' relationships with his favourites grow.
Episode 28: The Wild West
November 03, 2018 11:44 - 30 minutes - 28 MB1607-1617 In the years since the Flight of the Earls, Ireland becomes a hot bed of corruption for court figures in England. This process only speeds up with the rise of George Villiers, Earl of Buckingham.
Episode 27: The Kirk
October 27, 2018 11:33 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MB1603-1617 Despite his absence in England, James continues to pursue his project of reforming the Scottish Church. In the summer of 1617 he returns to his native land to oversee the return of bishops as important players in Scottish governance.
Episode 26: The Villiers Machine
October 20, 2018 11:35 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MB1617 George Villiers, now Earl of Buckingham, begins creating a political network. In exchange for royal offices, Buckingham demands marriage into the large Villiers family. However, his aggressive exploitation of both public service and the institution of marriage draws criticism.
Episode 25: George Villiers
October 13, 2018 11:01 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MB1615-1616 23 year old George Villiers supplants the disgraced earl of Somerset as King James' favourite. However, the young man quickly proves to be far more ambitious than his backers imagined, and Villiers establishes a stranglehold on power that will last over a decade.
Episode 24: The Overbury Affair
October 06, 2018 11:21 - 31 minutes - 28.4 MB1615-1616 A murder scandal rocks James' inner circle, bringing down some of the most powerful people in the kingdom.
Episode 23: The Apprentice Boy
September 29, 2018 11:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MB1615 In the wake of the failure of the Cockayne Project, James once again turns to his Privy Council for advice. The remedy for the kingdom's financial ills is clear - James must attack corruption and rebuild confidence in his government. To do so, the King turns to Lionel Cranfield, a merchant relentlessly devoted to efficiency.
Episode 22: The New Merchant Adventurers
September 22, 2018 11:35 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MB1614-1615 After failing to secure money through parliament, James seeks to fill the state's treasury by reshaping the world of commerce. Unfortunately he finds the merchants of London just as helpful as the lawyers of parliament.
Episode 21: The Addled Parliament
September 15, 2018 10:35 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBThe Howard administration faces its first test - a hastily planned parliament with the goal of solving the Crown's financial woes.
Episode 20: The Royal Auction
September 08, 2018 11:00 - 27 minutes - 24.9 MB1613 In need of cash, James and his new chief minister (the earl of Northampton) shop young Prince Charles around Europe. Likely princesses in Paris, Madrid, and Turin each come with the promise of significant a dowry, and political implications.
Episode 19: The Redemption of the Howards
September 01, 2018 11:18 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MB1613 The Howard faction strikes an alliance with Robert Carr, the Earl of Somerset (James' Scottish favourite). As a result, the Howard family returns to the dominant position in English politics they once held in the Tudor era.
Episode 18: Harry and Freddy
August 25, 2018 11:03 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MB1612 18 year old Prince Henry organizes an alliance between England and the Protestants of Germany through the marriage of his sister, Elizabeth, to Frederick V, Elector of the Palatine. As a result, England becomes involved in the convoluted politics of the Holy Roman Empire.