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 in 1603, when he finally inherited the English throne from Elizabeth.

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 Kirk, and following Maitland's death in the end of 1594, it was clear that the political alliance had one foot in the grave as well...

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 only obstacle in the way of James being "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, the young King James had enough, and he finally declared an end to his eventful minority.

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 region by region tour of the Kingdom to get a general sense of Stuart 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 to America.

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 and Edward Spicer, it was already too late.

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 discuss the early days of the Second Roanoke Colony, their relations with the Indians, and White's return to ENgland. Next episode will cover John White's unsuccessful...

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 on the village of Dasemunkepeuc. However, the colonists were still beset by danger when Sir Francis Drake sailed up to Roanoke Island and offered to bring them...

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 Roanoke Island. Apparently, the settlement had not prospered...

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 things on fire when he felt slighted, as his burning of Aquascogoc demonstrates. We also talk about the open war which broke out between England and Spain and...

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 English colony, and initiated warm relations with the Roanoc Indians.

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 home in England.

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 intention of turning around.