This Sceptred Isle: Empire, Volume 1: 1155-1783

This Sceptred Isle: Empire #1

by Christopher Lee

This new series explains how Britain, through trading in such commodities as sugar, spice - and slaves - built the biggest empire the world had ever known. At one time a quarter of the global land mass was under British rule; so whatever the day, whatever the hour, the sun never set on the Empire.

Christopher Lee begins Volume 1 with the colonisation of Ireland by Henry II in 1155. Following the growth of Elizabethan exploration with John Cabot, Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh, outposts in North America and the West Indies gradually became established and successful, while the East India Company was gaining an even firmer foothold in India. Juliet Stevenson, as narrator, takes us through triumphs and disasters - to the British defeat at Yorktown in 1783 and the independence of the United States of America.

Using a range of contemporary documents read by Rob Brydon, Martin Freeman, Mark Heap, Anna Massey and Robert Powell, this is an informative, engaging and fascinating insight into the rise - and eventual fall - of the British Empire.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 - 24 September 2005 to 16 June 2006.

6CDs - 7hours and 30 minutes.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook

8 pages, Audio CD

First published November 7, 2005

About the author

Christopher Lee was a British writer, historian, and broadcaster, best known for creating and writing the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 documentary series This Sceptred Isle. His career spanned journalism, academia, military service, and historical writing.
After an early life at sea, he studied history at London University before joining the BBC as a defence and foreign affairs correspondent, with postings in Moscow and the Middle East. He later transitioned into academia, becoming the first Quatercentenary Fellow in Contemporary History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and conducting research at Birkbeck College. He also served in the Royal Navy's Joint Intelligence Reserve Branch, reaching the rank of captain.
Lee’s This Sceptred Isle, originally broadcast in 1995, chronicled British history from Roman times to the 20th century and was expanded with additional series covering the 20th century and the British Empire. His historical works include 1603, Nelson and Napoleon, and Monarchy, Past, Present… and Future?, as well as an abridgment of Winston Churchill's A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. He was also a prolific radio playwright, penning over 100 plays and series for BBC Radio 4.
Beyond writing, he served as a defence and foreign affairs adviser to the British Forces Broadcasting Service for 30 years and was involved in policy analysis.
He divided his time between Sussex and Florence, Italy, and was married to portrait painter Fiona Graham-Mackay. Lee passed away in 2021 at the age of 79.

Reviews

[Wendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio, read by Juliet Stevenson who is a treasure. This is a fabulous, engaging series and I recommend them all without reservation.

[Koit · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Empire's first installment sounded a bit weaker to me than my recollections of the previous series'. This could be due to an error on my part, remembering wrong what I thought of the previous ones, especially as I am at a loss to say what was missing. A gripping narrative interwoven with historical citations and the story of the development of Britain (and the modern world) doesn't leave much to be said, if one appreciates that the level of detail will not be perfect if the subject matter spans five hundred years. 

Even so, this is a wonderful beginning, looking first into Ireland and then into Virginia and other New England colonies, but not omitting the less lucky forays into Spain, Morocco, India and the Caribbean which (quite deservedly) are described more thoroughly than in many other mainstream narratives.

As such, the scope and breadth of this work can only be praised, and maybe what I was missing was the theme of the previous series' which became dear to me by the end of the series. Echoes of the past, as they say...

Originally posted here.

[Gill]

Juliet Stevenson is a excellent narrator. It's a little dry at times and the events are presented fairly dispassionately.

I bought this title back in 2007 to tackle my (shameful) ignorance of our (shameful) imperial history, and I learnt a great deal. I'm now dipping back into it with more critical ears after learning more about critical race theory and after reading The History Thieves

It's a good primer and covers the earliest attempts at colonisation, from Ireland to India to America. I would recommend following on with Natives by Akala or Bury the Chains.

[Eden Celeste · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was different than I expected. I was looking for a book on England's monarchy and instead this was an overview on how England became an Empire. It's a BBC production and was a cross between an audio text book and a BBC style documentary. In other words it was dry, but still interesting enough to keep me listening.

[benebean · Rating 3 out of 5]

i like the narrator's voice (audiobook)-- even though it does have some soporific qualities. :)