Dr Mark Dawson has conducted extensive research into food and drink in the early modern period. In this programme, he reveals that this period saw a fundamental and irreversible evolution of the foods widely consumed by families at all levels of society. Production and consumption of fruit and vegetables increased while soldiers began to eat ... Read more
--------
31:59
--------
31:59
Devil-Land – England under siege
Among foreign observers, seventeenth-century England was known as “Devil-Land”; a diabolical country of fallen angels, torn apart by Rebellion, religious extremism and royal collapse. It was a place troubled by continual crisis. England was seen by continental neighbours as a “failed state”; endemically unstable and rocked by devastating events from the Gunpowder Plot to the ... Read more
--------
26:32
--------
26:32
Although most modern historians consider Cromwell’s religious faith and beliefs to be sincere, several contemporaries considered him to be a religious hypocrite, so which viewpoint is correct?
During his lifetime, many of Oliver Cromwell’s contemporaries – supports as well as critics – questioned the sincerity of his often-stated belief that he was doing God’s work. Today most historians consider that Cromwell was being sincere, some other remain sceptical. At the Cromwell Association’s Schools History Conference, leading academics, Professor Peter Gaunt of the University ... Read more
--------
34:46
--------
34:46
At what point did the execution of the king become inevitable, during his trial in January 1649 or much earlier than that?
One of the most frequently debated questions of the British and Irish Civil Wars has been, “At what point did the execution of Charles I become inevitable?”. Some historians maintain that the King’s fate was only decided during the trial in Westminster Hall while others argue that his fate was sealed well before Charles was ... Read more
--------
30:55
--------
30:55
Did parliament win the main civil war of 1642-46 through the possession of better resources or did the royalists lose it because of military blunders?
The first session of the Cromwell Association Annual School’s History Conference addresses a critically important and frequently debated question: “Did Parliament win the Civil War of 1642 – 1646?”. Was it because it possessed more resources as Professor Andrew Hopper of the University of Oxford argues or, as Professor Emirates Peter Gaunt suggest, Royalist military ... Read more
Listen to The World Turned Upside Down - The British Civil Wars 1638-1651, Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
South Africa