From Settlement to Superpower

On the 12th of October 1492, Christopher Columbus made landfall in the New World and forever altered the course of history. He had struggled long and hard to get where he did – for years he had been mocked by scholars, spurned by kings, and frustrated by the interminable turning of the gears of royal … Continue reading Episode 6 – A New World

Columbus has gained immortality for his discovery of the New World, but while many focus on his moment of greatest triumph, few notice the years of toil and frustration that led up to his celebrated voyage of 1492. A nameless mariner from Genoa, Columbus endured years of mockery and disappointment before he got the chance … Continue reading Episode 5 – The Enterprise of the Indies

Intrigue, civil war, exploration, and discovery – all that and more is included in this episode, which covers the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, the War of the Castilian Succession, and the separate paths taken by the Castilians and Portuguese during the latter half of the 15th century.

The story of the Age of Discovery traditionally begins in 1415, when the Portuguese captured the Moroccan city of Ceuta in a stunning lightning assault. Among those who made their names that day was Prince Henry of Portugal, a young, brash, and zealous prince. Over the next 45 years his restless nature would place him … Continue reading Episode 3 – Henry the Navigator

While we are accustomed to associate the Age of Discovery with the New World and the Far East, the dawn of that age began with significantly less ambitious voyages down the coast of Africa. In this episode we go over the various voyages down the coast of Africa from antiquity through the dawn of the … Continue reading Episode 2 – Isles of Fortune

In this episode we talk a bit about the impetus for the birth of the age of exploration. The more famous impetus was the desire to open a direct sea route to India to compensate for the collapse of the Silk Road, but the earlier, and lesser-known impetus, was the desire to discover the fabled … Continue reading Episode 1 – Rivers of Gold

Introduction for our first chapter: The Spanish Century, covering 1492-1603.

Welcome to From Settlement to Superpower

This episode concludes our discussion James VI/I as King of Scotland, and covers his final victory over the Kirk. We talk about the Edinburgh Riots and how James turned that chaos to his advantage, the story of the Bold Buccleuch's daring raid on Carlisle Castle and James' response, and the political philosophy held by James … Continue reading Episode 55 – Basilikon Doron

In this lecture, we discuss James’s political alliance with the Kirk, spearheaded by his indefatigable Chancellor, John Maitland. This period (1587-1594) was marked first by the rivalry between Maitland and the Earl of Huntly, and later on between the King and the Earl of Bothwell. This latter conflict, however, severely weakened James’s relationship with the … Continue reading Episode 54 – Maitland’s Supremacy

Now that James had escaped the Ruthven Raiders, the Episcopal/Catholic faction seemed to be back in control, under the Earl of Arran’s leadership. But England had other ideas, and before long, Arran had been sacrificed to placate Scotland’s powerful southern neighbor. Scotland now moved closer to England, and indeed, Elizabeth was soon to remove the … Continue reading Episode 53 – Sole King

We’re back! From Settlement to Superpower will be restarting shortly, alongside historycourses.com, a new project which will combine detailed historical narratives with animated visuals. Go check it out, and we’ll be back soon with our regular podcasting schedule.

Exactly what the title says! We’re not dead, and we’re going to resume uploads in the near future!

Throughout King James VI of Scotland’s turbulent childhood, he was buffeted by the waves of violent power politics and court intrigue. He was repeatedly captured, released, befriended, and betrayed by unscrupulous nobles, even as the Presbyterian Kirk under Andrew Melvill was pressing for greater and greater Kirk independence. Finally, after the Ruthven Raid of 1582-3, … Continue reading Episode 52 – Belling the Cat

In this, the final of our introductory episodes, we talk about the two primary organs of the English government in 1600: The Crown, via the Privy Council, and Parliament. These constitutional arrangements and the disputes which they engendered are going to take center stage in our discussions of Stuart Britain.

In this episode, we examine the state of religion in Britain at the turn of the Seventeenth Century. We look at the Church of England and its dissenters, both Catholic and Puritan, before turning our attention northwards to discuss the early years of the Presbyterian Scottish Kirk.

In this episode, the second of our introductory episodes, we move from the relatively quiet and peaceful Kingdom of England to the tumultuous borderlands, the Scottish Highlands, and Ireland. Lots of clans, feuds, and raids in this episode.

In this, the first of our contextual episodes on Stuart Britain, we discuss the basic economic and social geography of the Kingdom of England (which of course includes both England and Wales). We discuss the function market towns and cities played in holding England’s villages together into a cohesive whole, and we take a quick … Continue reading Episode 48 – Merrie England

It’s a girl!!! In this brief episode, I lay out out the basic scheme of what next chapter is going to include: King James I’s reign, The Virginia Company (up until its dissolution), and the Jamestown Settlement. At the very end, we will conduct a survey of the Northeast Woodland Indians. Enjoy!

In this episode, we wrap up Elizabeth’s reign and cover the final seven years, from 1596 through 1603. We discuss the rivalry between Essex and Cecil, Essex’s coup, and Elizabeth’s famous “Golden Speech” to the Parliament of 1601. We bid a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth, whose reign was so instrumental in leading the English … Continue reading Episode 46 – Elizabethan Twilight

In this episode, we discuss the final expedition of John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake (1595 – 1596). Both Drake and the Indies had changed over the last decade, and it showed on this melancholy voyage.

In this episode, we begin to wrap up our coverage of the great Elizabethans and their activities in the Americas. In this episode, we cover the Battle of Flores (1591) and the Siege of Crozon (1594).

So, what actually happened to the Roanoke colonists? In this episode, we explore several hypotheses. We talk about the reports of gray or blue-eyed Indians in the Carolinas, Tuscarora oral tradition, and a possible massacre by the Powhatan Confederacy. In the second half of the episode, we explore the intriguing saga of the Dare Stones.

White did not have an easy time getting relief for his colonists. Ignored by Walter Raleigh and betrayed by such unscrupuluos pirates as Arthur Facy, White failed to get out of England before the crisis of the Spanish Armada trapped him in. By the time White actually got out in 1590, accompanied by Abraham Cocke … Continue reading Episode 42 – The Lost Colony

In this episode, we discuss Raleigh’s second attempt at colonizing Virginia, this time under the command of John White. Although Raleigh, Grenville, and White had their own idea of where the colony was to be planted, Simon Fernandes decided to do things his way, and in doing so he seriuosly compromised the new colony. We … Continue reading Episode 41 – Fernandes’ Betrayal

We’re back, after a month’s hiatus, and in this episode we discuss Sir Walter Raleigh’s first colony at Roanoke Island. Commanded by Governor Ralph Lane, the colonists soon managed to make enemies of the local Roanoc Indians. Warned of a planned Indian surprise attack by Manteo, Lane succeeded in killing Wingina in a surprise attack … Continue reading Episode 40 – The First Roanoke Colony

In this episode we discuss the two pre-emptive expeditions which Elizabeth sent to the new world in 1585. The first is Bernard Drake’s destruction of the Spanish and Portuguese fishing fleets in Newfoundland, and the second is Sir Francis Drake’s sacking of Santiago, Santo Domingo, Cartagena, and St Augustine. On his return home, Drake visited … Continue reading Episode 39 – A Tale of Two Drakes

Following Amadas and Barlowe’s return from North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Raleigh sent over a fleet and about 100 colonists. The colony was to be governed by Ralph Lane, while the fleet which conveyed them was placed under the command of Richard Grenville, Raleigh’s cousin. As it turned out, Grenville had an unfortunate habit of setting … Continue reading Episode 38 – Richard Grenville and the Goblet of Fire

Following Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s death at sea in 1583, his half-brother, Sir Walter Raleigh, took up the mantle of American colonization. This episode discusses the reconnaissance voyage sent out by Raleigh in 1584, under the command of Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe. The Amadas-Barlowe expedition chose Roanoke Island as the best site for a future … Continue reading Episode 37 – Welcome to Windgancon

In this episode, we discuss Sir Humphrey Gilbert, the pioneer of British America. We first talk about Gilbert’s family, connections, and activities in Ireland (spoiler alert: they aren’t pretty). Following Gilbert’s Irish stint, we take a look at his two attempts to colonize Newfoundland: his botched attempt in 1578 and his fatal attempt in 1583.

In this episode, we conclude Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the globe. We discuss his plundering of the Spanish Pacific, the capture of the Cacafuego, the discovery of Nova Albion, trade with Ternate, and various other events which occurred during the voyage. After that, we discuss the rapturous welcome Sir Francis Drake (now knighted) received back … Continue reading Episode 35 – The World Encompassed Pt. 2

In this episode, we cover the beginning of Drake’s great circumnavigation of the globe. This episode covers Drake’s Atlantic voyage (including his power struggle with Sir Thomas Doughty) and his entry into the Pacific. By now, Drake’s flagship is the only ship remaining. He is alone in the vast Spanish Pacific – and has no … Continue reading Episode 34 – The World Encompassed Pt. 1

In this episode, we discuss the backdrop of Drake’s curcumnavigation of 1577-1580. In short, we cover two distinct developments: John Oxenham’s failed attempt to break in (or more accurately, break out of) the Spanish Pacific, and Sir Richard Grenville’s plan to colonize and explore the South Pacific. But then Drake came along and stole Grenville’s … Continue reading Episode 33 – The South Sea

In this episode, we first discuss what Francis Drake was up to (basically the Rathlin Island Massacre of 1575), before moving along to Martin Frobisher. Frobisher was initially searching for a north-western passage to the Indies, but eventually he and the newly formed Cathay Company got distracted by the iron pyrites they found on Baffin … Continue reading Episode 32 – Fools’ Gold

In this episode, we discuss the dawn of Sir Francis Drake’s career, from his youth through his succesful capture of the Spanish treasure train near Nombre de Dios (March 1573). This was the beginning of a career marked by courage, tenacity, and extraordinary ambition.

In this episode, we discuss the increasing hostility with which the colonial authorities regarded John Hawkins, which culminated in the ultimate betrayal at San Juan de Ulua. Hawkins’s fleet was destroyed, most of his men either killed or enslaved, and Hawkins himself sent packing back home. But Hawkins’s young kinsman, Francis Drake, had vowed revenge. … Continue reading Episode 30 – Betrayal at San Juan

In this episode, we cover the first two voyages on John Hawkins to the Spanish Indies. Hawkins’s voyages were groundbreaking in that they were the first well-organized English trading ventures to the Caribbean, and what was more, Queen Elizabeth herself was one of the investors. However, the Spanish were most displeased with this English slave-smuggler, … Continue reading Episode 29 – John Hawkins

In this episode, we examine the English commercial explosion during the reigns of King Edward IV and Mary I. We also look at the Muscovy Company and the search for a ‘Northeastern Passage’ to the Indies. We end off with Queen Mary’s death and the accession of her sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth will take this growing … Continue reading Episode 28 – A Northeastern Passage

This episode is a very “broad strokes” episode, where we cover some key events of the French Wars of Religion and basically just get a better idea of how that played into their new world activities. Or, to be more precise, how the civil wars curtailed their activities, most notably with the murder of Coligny … Continue reading Episode 27 – The French Wars of Religion

In short, we talk a bit more about Menendez and then he goes on to kill just about everybody in Fort Caroline, including Jean Ribault (although his son Jacques and Laudonierre escaped). The French were so thoroughly thrashed that it would be a century before they showed up in these parts again.

Coligny was not put off by the failure of France Antarctique. In 1562, he dispatched Jean Ribault to found a Huguenot settlement in America. The settlement, Charlesfort, was short-lived owing to the distractions of France’s civil wars and Ribault’s imprisonment in England. In 1564, Coligny sent out another expedition under the command of Rene de … Continue reading Episode 25 – Coligny’s Colonies

We talk all about the first Huguenot attempt to establish a safe haven overseas, Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon’s colony of France Antarctique. Villegaignon, however, was a deeply flawed leader, and the colony soon fell to pieces as religious brawling supplanted productive activity. The Portuguese eventually rubbed out the colony, effectively in 1560 and entirely in … Continue reading Episode 24 – France Antarctique

In this episode, we cover the French campaign of piracy against Spain and Portugal between the years 1521-1559. We talk about the legal dispute between France and Spain, in which Spain claimed absolute right over the Americas while France maintained the doctrine of effective occupation – basically that claims on a territory meant nothing if … Continue reading Episode 23 – No Peace Beyond the Line

In this episode, we talk about the three expeditions of Jacques Cartier, who discovered the St Lawrence River. We talk about the colony planted by Cartier (and later Roberval) on his third expedition, and we close off the episode with one of the great romantic stories of all time.

In this episode we discuss the three primary motives for French expansion into the new world: commercial, geopolitical, and religious. Our primary focus is on this last motive, and we discuss the situation of the French Protestants, or Huguenots, from their beginnings in 1517 through 1558.

In this episode, we begin to discuss the New Finland fisheries, and the failed attempt of the Portuguese Fagundes to plant a colony on Gnu-Phinland. After that, we discuss the voyages of Gomes and Verrazano, before returning one more time to Noof & Land to discuss John Rut’s pretty lame attempt to find the northwest … Continue reading Episode 20 – Medium Rare, Please

In this episode, we talk about the poorly-documented English voyages following John Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland, the man who gave Greenland the name “Labrador” (No, I’m not drunk. Listen to the episode and it will make sense), and the unfortunate brothers Corte Real. We also take a look at Dighton Rock, and have some fun … Continue reading Episode 19 – Those in Peril on the Sea

In this episode we go through what we know about John Cabot and his two expeditions, as well as the prominent role played by the merchants of Bristol in English exploration.

This episode is not a very long one, but we say more or less everything that needs to be said about Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine liar who succeeded in convincing enough of Europe that it was he who had discovered the American continent to get the landmass named in his honor: America.

This episode wraps up our discussion of the Spanish Indies prior to 1561. We discuss the history of sugar as a cash crop, and how its cultivation brought about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. We conclude our episode with a brief introduction of that plant which will be so important for Jamestown – tobacco.

By the late 1550s, everyone, including the Dominicans, realized that something needed to be done about the Indians of Florida. In 1557, the newly crowned King Philip II of Spain ordered that two settlements be built, one on the Gulf Coast and the other in the Carolinas. Tristan de Luna y Arellano was put in … Continue reading Episode 15 – Luna the Lunatic