Early Modern

Traditionally, the Early Modern period covers the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries and we have kept to this tradition. Empires and the dominance of trade have a strong presence in the history of this period and that is seen and felt on a global scale. The podcasts here explore how those to factors also influence social history and cultural legacies. Read more

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  • Akbar and the consolidation of Mughal control

    Podcast

    In this podcast Ushma Williams looks at the consolidation of Mughal control over India, political and economic developments, the impact of India on Akbar and the Mughal relationship with the Safavids, Ottomans and Europeans.

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  • Captain Cook & the discovery of Australia & New Zealand

    Podcast

    In this podcast Dr Jordan Goodman discusses Captain Cook and the discovery of Australia & New Zealand.

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  • Early British America

    Podcast

    Following on from the complementary podcast on the sailing of the Mayflower, this podcast with Dr Sarah Pearsall of the University of Cambridge explores the early British Settlements in America and their development into a new society moving towards statehood. It looks at who the settlers were and their relationships with the Native...

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  • End of the World Cults

    Podcast

    In this podcast Professor Penelope Corfield looks at the history of 'End of the World Cults'.

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  • Families and the English Atlantic Empire, 1550-1650

    Podcast

    In this podcast Dr Misha Ewen of Historic Royal Palaces discusses her research project Families and the English Atlantic Empire, 1550-1650 which explores the role of women, families, and household economies in early modern empire-building. Misha Ewen specialises in the social and economic history of the early modern Atlantic world, with...

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  • Film: 'Mayflower Lives: building a New Jerusalem in the New World'

    Article

    Historian and author Martyn Whittock recently gave a lecture for the HA Virtual Branch on 'Mayflower Lives: building a New Jerusalem in the New World'. In 1620, 102 ill-prepared asylum seekers landed two months later than planned, in the wrong place on the eastern coast of North America. By the next summer, half of...

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  • Film: A short history of Islamic thought

    Article

    In his book of the same name, A short history of Islamic thought, Dr Fitzroy Morrissey provides a concise introduction to the origins and sources of Islamic thought, from its beginnings in the 7th century to the current moment. In this talk he explores the major ideas and introduces the...

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  • Film: Death in Diaspora

    Article

    As British and Irish migrants sought new lives in the Caribbean, Asia, North America and Australasia, they left a trail of physical remains where settlement occurred. Between the 17th and 20th centuries, gravestones and elaborate epitaphs documented identity and attachment to both their old and new worlds. In this Virtual...

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  • Film: The Ruin of All Witches

    Article

    Professor Malcom Gaskill joined the HA Virtual Branch on Thursday 10 December 2022 to discuss the subject of his book, The Ruin of all Witches, Life and Death in the New World, which was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize in 2022. His research explores the attitudes, beliefs and treatment of people as...

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  • Filmed Lecture: West Africa from the Rise of the Slave Trade to the Age of Revolution

    Article

    In this Virtual Branch webinar we were joined in conversation with Dr Toby Green on his acclaimed book 'A Fistful of Shells'. Shortlisted for the 2020 Wolfson Prize and winner of the 2019 Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Global Cultural Understanding, the book explores West Africa from the Rise of the...

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  • From Rebellion to Republic

    Podcast

    In this podcast Dr Rachel Herrmann of the University of Southampton looks at the key challenges faced by the United States after winning the War of Independence.

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  • Native North Americans in Britain

    Podcast

    In this podcast Professor David Stirrup of the University of Kent looks at the relationship between the early English and British settlers and the Native North Americans they encountered. Professor Stirrup examines how this relationship and perceptions developed, the migration of Native Americans to Britain and provides insight on what...

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  • Podcast Series: The Mughal Empire

    Multipage Article

    In this set of podcasts Ushma Williams looks at the rise, fall and legacy of the Mughal Empire.

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  • Recorded webinar: Histories of Indigenous peoples of North America

    Article

    Any study of the intercultural relationships between the Indigenous peoples of North America and British settlers usually focuses on the differences that resulted in disputes and violence. However, on closer examination, the interaction also involved the exchange of ideas and the forging of alliances, which required diplomacy and respect for...

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  • Recorded webinar: Ottoman trade with Europe in the early modern era

    Article

    For European states in the early modern era the Ottoman empire represented a huge trading bloc, stretching at its height from Hungary in the west to Iran in the east, from Ukraine in the north to Egypt in the south, and along the southern shores of the Mediterranean to the...

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  • The British Empire in India

    Podcast

    In this podcast Dr Jon Wilson of King's College London looks at the origins of the British Empire in India, the importance of the East India Company, Anglo-French rivalry in India, the significance of relations between the British and the Indian princes for the expansion of British rule, the Governor...

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  • The British Empire: Relations with the American colonies

    Podcast

    In this podcast Professor Stephen Conway of University College London discusses the relations between the American colonies and Britain before, during and after the American War of Independence.

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  • The Decline of the Mughal Empire

    Podcast

    In this podcast Ushma Williams looks at the decline, fall and legacy of the Mughal Empire.

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  • The Early British Slave Trade

    Podcast

    In this podcast, Professor William Pettigrew of Lancaster University, discusses the origins of the British Slave Trade in the 1560s, the impact of the English Civil War, Cromwell and the Restoration, and looks at slavery's role in the development of the British economy, empire and domestic politics.

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  • The Emergence of the Mughal Empire

    Podcast

    In this podcast Ushma Williams looks at the emergence of the Mughal Empire.

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