How the British Empire Became the Biggest in the World
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- Опубліковано 5 гру 2022
- #britishempire #britishhistory #british
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If you were to look at Britain on a map today, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s borders only encompass those of the British Isles.
But if you look at the world as a whole, you will find that there are actually 14 overseas territories where the British government still holds power. From Gibraltar at the entrance of the Mediterranean, to the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, these are the last remaining possessions of Britain’s once mighty empire.
At the height of it’s territorial control, a little over 100 years ago, the British Empire covered one quarter of the globes land mass and ruled almost a third of the world’s population. It was ‘the empire on which the sun never set’.
But how did such a small island nation become the largest and most powerful empire the world has ever seen? This is the history of the British Empire.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal and Spain pioneered European exploration of the globe, and in the process established large overseas empires. Envious of the great wealth these empires generated, England, France, and the Netherlands began to establish colonies and trade networks of their own in the Americas and Asia. A series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries with the Netherlands and France left England (Britain, following the 1707 Act of Union with Scotland) the dominant colonial power in North America. Britain became the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent after the East India Company's conquest of Mughal Bengal at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
The American War of Independence resulted in Britain losing some of its oldest and most populous colonies in North America by 1783. British attention then turned towards Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. After the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), Britain emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century and expanded its imperial holdings. It pursued trade concessions in China and Japan, and territory in Southeast Asia. The "Scramble for Africa" and "Great Game" also ensued. The period of relative peace (1815-1914) during which the British Empire became the global hegemon was later described as Pax Britannica (Latin for "British Peace"). Alongside the formal control that Britain exerted over its colonies, its dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions, such as Asia and Latin America. Increasing degrees of autonomy were granted to its white settler colonies, some of which were formally reclassified as Dominions in the 1920s. By the start of the 20th century, Germany and the United States had begun to challenge Britain's economic lead. Military and economic tensions between Britain and Germany were major causes of the First World War, during which Britain relied heavily on its empire. The conflict placed enormous strain on its military, financial, and manpower resources. Although the empire achieved its largest territorial extent immediately after the First World War, Britain was no longer the world's preeminent industrial or military power.
In the Second World War, Britain's colonies in East Asia and Southeast Asia were occupied by the Empire of Japan. Despite the final victory of Britain and its allies, the damage to British prestige helped accelerate the decline of the empire. India, Britain's most valuable and populous possession, achieved independence in 1947 as part of a larger decolonisation movement, in which Britain granted independence to most territories of the empire. The Suez Crisis of 1956 confirmed Britain's decline as a global power, and the transfer of Hong Kong to China on 1 July 1997 symbolised for many the end of the British Empire. Fourteen overseas territories remain under British sovereignty. After independence, many former British colonies, along with most of the dominions, joined the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of independent states. Fifteen of these, including the United Kingdom, retain a common monarch, currently King Charles III.
Do you know what's mad? I was born and raised in England and not ONCE was the British Empire mentioned in my school lessons. Only now in my mid thirties am I educating myself on such an unbelievably important facet of our modern history.
30 year old American here and I too feel furious that I never learned about all these great things the British did in school...
- That it was the British who ended the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
- That it was Britain who nuked America TWICE in a 1960 training exercise.
- That it was the British who stood up for the rights of African-American soldiers in the Bamber Bridge incident during WW2.
- That it was the British who invented roughly 50% of all inventions being in use today (from steam locomotives to flushing toilets and the World Wide Web).
This is all important history that must _NEVER_ be forgotten!
EDIT: Oh, and did I mention that it was in Britain from where the dinosaurs were officially discovered...?
@@matthewkent5212 And the British Empire should _NEVER_ be a taboo subject in schools anywhere. It is important history that needs to be remembered - both the bad stuff and the good stuff. To not do so would be no different than to say it never happened, which would be a massive disrespect for those who were alive to experience it - not just British, but also Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Africans, and many more.
@@PedroOrtega1993 The British empire is a taboo subject in uk schools.
@@matthewkent5212 Why?
It should be taught proudly❤ #Long Live the King👑🇬🇧
I’m English, my Nan was born in 1919, it amazes me to think that she was alive when Britain was the most powerful nation on Earth. WW1 and then WW2 marked the end of us as a world power. By the way, Nan lived till she was 101, passing away just short of her 102nd birthday in 2021.
i am sorry for you loss.
dude thats crazy, im british and i have the exact same story, every detail is the same….
other than the fact that she was born in early 1920 and not 1919
Well in away the Anglo hegemony has endured through Britain's greatest offspring, the US. The reason English language and culture is hegemonic in the world is do to the back to back hegemonies of the British empire in the 19th and 20tg century and the US hegemony in the 20th and 21st. Now the language, after 200 years, has been so entrenched as a lingua franca, I'm not sure it will be easy to supplant it, regardless of who the next hegemon is. Just like Latin was used into the middle ages in Europe despite the western Roman empire having collapsed hundreds of years before kind of foretells what will happen to English la guage and culture.
We are still a world power. We have one of the top 10 most powerful militaries and top 10 largest economies. It's a disgrace this generation have been taught we are no longer a world power in the face of all facts.
Incredible how such a small nation has had such a huge impact world wide
Let's see, I'm not going to take away all the credit, as pirates and as shopkeepers they are the best without a doubt. I myself from Spain continue to order my suits in London, they are relaxed and helpful people and they understand the genre.
@@jorgeo4483 quite the compliment coming from a Spaniard
@@richardseaton6390 Italians and Spaniards, some of us, are the only ones who don't go around in tracksuits. Don't expect to receive this from others.
Looted the whole world.
@@jorgeo4483 a Spaniard calling others pirates ??
Quite the irony.
When my late dad was at school in the 1930s they were taught that the sun never set on the British Empire
The sun never sets on the British empire because you can't trust a British person in the dark
Glory were the days we need empires back
I want to see my Bulgaria on three seas again
kids are not allowed to learn about the Empire nowadays it's all anti-British ideals and victimhood of the 3rd world.
that saying was first used for Spain's empire but the filthy english stole it like they stole everything
We still live in a world created by the british, modern economy, democracy, sports, borders etc ... quite impressive, only the greeks and romans left such a legacy
And that world is past the point of no return on climate change, alienation and soon living standards. Maybe we should have created less.
Your comment is stupid so it fits you! Those things already had existed and British were followers of those who came before them!
Sports: CRICKET Who needs it in 2023? The flag! Union Jack "The Butcher's Apron" Who needs it? Greetings from Thailand, never colonized by the Britishers, like Burma, S'pore, Malaya and the "Jewel in the Crown"; India, Ceylon, Pakistan (East and West) ua-cam.com/video/BQ2DQEOATZs/v-deo.html
Uk colapsing , finished , it is high time they pay for all the bad deads they committed
Too bad they left us with the USA.
Empires rise and Empires fall. It’s still remarkable how the British Empire at it’s height ruled a quarter of the world
That's the cheatest. It's known as Babylon.
@Invictus and 1/3 of all people
It is also remarkable how quickly it collapsed
@Invictus eh? It covered a third of the globe and contained a third of the world's population.
A third
Its mad to think such a tiny little island conquered & changed so much
Lamanch saved them, and they had a starter from pirates.
Truly ahead of anyone else
Tiny 😊
Tiny island had help. All made possible by the Venetian Oligarchs. Way back, Venice was the leader in world trade, they then moved their operating base to London and gave rise to the British Empire.
Britain == one of the most shameless, bloodthirsty, warmongering nation. Britain == murderer of tens (possibly hundreds) of millions of people across 5 continents.
Keep in mind the British empire had already shifted their gaze to the east and Asia before the American revolution. One of the primary factors that helped the colonists win the war was because the British had their primary forces in India at the time. A lot of the soldiers sent to the American colonies were older and even some retired
That’s just an excuse the Brits use cause they’re mad they lost to a bunch of hillbilly’s 🦅🇺🇸
As usual, we were also fighting the French. AND,, the chain of supplies to bolster the American campaign was too long to sustain.
@@MrDaiseymay3:10
@@MrDaiseymay they were aided by the French Spanish and Dutch
America 🇺🇸 should have had a commonwealth structure America would have been far better within the British Empire 🇬🇧
Many people fail to realize that in 1776, the British Empire only consisted on the Eastern coast of North America and some parts of India.
Spain had the largest empire in the world at the time. The British Empire only became huge in the later half of the 19th century.
The main reason why the British were able to build their empire was thanks to the island. The Spanish empire, Napoleon, Prussia or the Nazis invaded almost all of continental Europe for 4 centuries. If the UK wasn't an island it would have been invaded in 4 weeks. Spain, for example, sent 10 large invasion fleets to England. The Royal Navy only appears in 1588 (with the help of storms) and in 1806 (French error and Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. 1377 (Castilian invasion of southern England), 1380-81 (Castilian invasion of southern England), 1411 ( Castilian invasion of Cornwall), 1554 (the Spanish fleet led by the Duke of Alba, arrives in England to crown Philip II as King of England and Ireland, marrying Mary Tudor, half-Spanish Queen of England and Ireland. If they had had a son... Invincible Spanish Armada of 1588 (mainly stopped by storm) In 1589, without storms, the Spanish fleet defeated Drake's invincible fleet, sinking 80 ships. Elisabeth sentenced Drake to be a lighthouse keeper. Second Invincible Armada Spanish, 1596 (more than 100 ships, stopped by a storm), Third Invincible Spanish Armada, 1597 (more than 130 ships and 12000 Spanish elite soldiers. Fleet stopped by a storm. One day of sun and... 1718 (Fourth large Spanish fleet to invade the British Isles (more than 20,000 soldiers to support the Scots. Fleet stopped by a storm) 1779-80, Spanish blockade of England, with the capture of two British fleets of 24 and 55 ships, which sank the London stock market and facilitated the independence of the United States. Spain gives the Spanish dollar to the United States. The real goal was to invade England, but the French allies were scared off.
Spain invaded all the capitals of Western Europe in the 16th-17th centuries: Rome, Paris, Lisbon, Cologne, Manheim, Aachen, Milan, Florence, Genoa, Amsterdam, Brussels... If England were not an island (and a stormy island ) the invasion would have occurred in 4 weeks, and the British empire would now be like the Dutch. It would also have taken Napoleon a month to invade England by land. ¡Panzar division! 4 weekens. After the Napoleonic wars that have devastated all of continental Europe, the British may become the first power. Not before. It is the same process as the Japanese. The Mongols invaded almost all of Eurasia, but they could not invade the small Japanese islands, mainly due to storms. That is why Japan was able to have stability and launch an attack and expansion in Asia in the 20th century. Besides, the British and Japanese have managed that advantage well, preventing the incursion of revolutionary agents that caused a lot of trouble in Europe, Asia and Latin America!!
The Lafayette ❤️ had ancestors that fought in Britain that is why the Lafayette has a coat of armor its why its not over yet !
@FGPR01BrunoCauz how does being an island make conquering far off lands any easier. A completely simplistic and inaccurate view of history.
@user-xd5pr4qd4z It wasn't the island's of the British that led to her empire. It was her navy. The French, and Spanish were brilliant ship builders, but the sailors that crewed them were 2nd rate. Napoleon's biggest mistake was underestimating the importance of a strong navy.
@@FGPR01BrunoCauz You don't have any idea about your own history.
2nd recommended video, both phenomenal. Great narration, script, score, takes you into the story. 🍻
It’s kind of crazy the British Empire feels like this distant relic of history when in the grand scheme of things it essentially just ended. For the first 15 years of my Grandpa’s life India was under British rule, the Republic of Ireland didn’t exist and Ireland was still under dominion and yet in the UK the political attitude is towards it is ‘the past is the past’
They have that attitude because governments are afraid of demands for compensation or reparations.
It’s also crazy that it’s one of the only Empires to voluntarily and systematically dissolve itself after the Atlantic Charter was signed.
All empires rise and then fall. It is factually a matter of time. Britain knows how it changed the world it doesn't need to brag about it. It's empire was passed onto its successor the United States
Yeah it's crazy, the UK only handed over Hong Kong in 1997
"The empire where the Sun never sets" Was first used by the Spanish.
but the filthy english stole it like they stole everything
Not having to worry about invasions over land by surrounding superpowers and thus being able to concentrate military efforts on the seas sure makes a pretty huge difference.
Also forsaking ambitions on the continent and going for colonies in underdeveloped countries without a real ability to muster cohesive armies to defend themselves, like European states could, is indeed the smart move when isolated geographical position easily affords that option. Just looking at what Portugal and the Netherlands were able to achieve despite being significantly smaller and on the continent, it's not that surprising that Britain was able to do even more
The British Empire could _only_ exist because of seapower, and the basis of that seapower was the ability of the Royal Navy to singlehandely & routinely defeat the fleets of other European powers in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. "Critics" of the British like to pretend the whole thing was a matter of defeating technologically inferior savages. Unless the navies of France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany (etc) were manned by Zulus & Matebele then it isn't a very convincing argument.
@@skibbideeskitch9894 Nobody disputes the ability of the Royal Navy, but France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany etc... were forced to divert much more of their resources to land armies to face continental threats, where Britain was always able to protect itself from every external threat with its navy alone. This is the argument and it is self evident.
Colonialism itself is based on the principle of domintating civilizations that do not possess the means to mount serious opposition and this is true for everyone
@@PickBit Why is a Navy less important then an Army? Naval ships are massively more expensive and 3rd-1st rate ship might well have more Canons then an entire army on there own, in 1805 the Royal Navy with it's 185,000 personnel consumed 53% of British GDP while Napoleons army 1.4 Million strong consumed 27% of French GDP so why do you only place value on one part of a countries military? To defend itself Britain had to expend vast amounts of resources just like any continental power not to mention a navy has a much greater amount of manpower wastage, confined quarters means disease and such spreads much more and is harder to eradicate.
India was not able to mount serious opposition? India was won in various battles many of which the British where heavily outnumbered like Assaye, 9,500 men vs 60,000 over 10,000 of which where trained by the French, 17 canon to 105 so don't tell me no one could resist small British forces armed with inaccurate muskets if they really tried.
@@Delogros What kind of strange strawman is that? Who said anything about land army being more important than navy? I place value only on one part of the military? Where did you get that from? All I said is literally that Britain was able to concentrate its effort on building the incredibly powerful navy that afforded it a vast colonial empire whereas other nations had to divide their efforts between land and sea much more, what on earth are you even talking about?
@@PickBit You did when you where whinging that the British didn't have to have a large army while ignoring the fact that instead of having to have a large army they had to have a large navy something this is actually more expensive and resource heavy then a large army,
The majority of that navy was stationed around Britain, it's a bit like saying Napoleon didn't bother with a navy so he took France the most populace nation and built a massive army and that's the only reason he was able to conquer Europe to which the usual response would be "Duh hoy, thanks for stating the obvious" - The Royal navy was not built to create an Empire it just needed something to do given the costs of the thing, it's primary objective was to defend the UK same as any army with their respective country but to project power as far as it did with small British garrisons holding on to massive land masses is fairly impressive.
The french also had a much larger population and a more stable economy, they could afford to do both indeed Louis XIV managed to build a navy about 85% the size of the British while maintaining a field army's of 360,000 men to Britain's standing army that was only 34,000
Excellent video, impressive you managed to get all this into 23 minutes!!
Its crazy that such a tiny country has had so much impact on the world and has produced so many incredible medical and technological advancements.
This country invented/discovered:
- Antibiotics
- The Internet
- The telephone
- Television
- Photography
- Trains
- The modern toilet
- Suits
What an incredible country.
This video is wrong the vikrimanditya empire was the largest we have proof btw don't be jealous and say it never existed india is stronger than UK now and our gdp is bigger idiots so cry
Jai hind
It was also in Britain from where the dinosaurs were officially discovered. 🇬🇧 🦕
don't forget Time and Gravity
The steam engine, the thermometer, the vaccine and many others.
Corona
I’m a native Brit. When I researched my family tree (as far back as 270 years) I couldn’t believe the number of descendants who emigrated to North America and Australia. Men and women in every generation. I wish I knew more of their lives and their descendants. The legacy of the empire’s global reach lives on, e.g., I’m about to marry a Kenyan girl of Indian heritage and emigrate to Canada! We’re everywhere I tell you, worse than rats 🐀 😂
That 'Kenyan girl of Indian Heritage' could well be the descendant of an Indian who was forcibly taken from India to Kenya as a slave by your ancestors...but hey, let's call it 'the legacy of the empire's global reach'. What a lovely euphemism.
@@gumnaamaadmi007what a way to try and put someone down. Get a life you obnoxious person
Well, congratulations, in times of the British Empire they would not have let you.
Since Australia was a penal colony your ancestors did not emigrate, they were probably "forced emigrated" from some Scottish or Irish prison (which Spain saved by the way).
On the other hand, I know the names and surnames and activities of all my ancestors since the 12th century and where they came from since 800 BC.
ul be divorced u aint sht
Canada sucks unless your educated to a high level or already fairly wealthy
Amazing how you crammed all of this information into such a short video, I would happily watch a 5 hour video about this
The lenght enough. Watching five hours bull*hit about murderers and cruel and ugly creatures that were killing millions of innocent people (and they still do) is a brain torturing... off course, if you have one.
you enjoy watching the pains inflicted on the world.
@@busterhikney6936cope
this was really poorly done so why would you waste more time on it?
At no point did this video give any true comprehension of what made the british empire the biggest in the world.
At no point was population size, productivity, ressources, processing, innovation or geography mentioned.
@@bcarg69 you enjoy watching the pains inflicted on Ireland.
00:00 Introduction to the British Empire and its overseas territories
01:03 Foundations of the British Empire and early colonization attempts
04:41 Expansion of the British Empire in the 17th and 18th centuries
09:23 British territorial gains and conflicts in the 18th century
10:05 Factors powering the British Empire: Naval supremacy and mercantile trade
13:19 Victorious Allied Coalition and further territorial gains
15:10 Britain's Imperial Century and expansion in Asia
18:12 Consolidation of British colonial power in Africa
19:23 Britain's global influence and the emergence of threats
20:50 The decline of the British Empire and the granting of independence
thanks
God bless,🇬🇧🇪🇸from 🇺🇸
Lies again? American Education Bear Yeti
❤
cheers for that it was very well explained and thanks for adding cooks part in this many programs tend to leave him out .
A great explanation and overall a great video. Thank you for making quality videos like this for free.
An exceptionally well-made video. Clear, easy to follow, explains it well.
My hometown became part of it in the year of 1786,Penang island founded by Captain Francis Light which you forgot to mention,later on became the capital of Straights Settlement.
Also along with Malacca and Singapore,these three colonies were Crown Colonies.
One crazy thing that I have noticed is the total lack of education around the British Empire in general. It seems to be a bit of a taboo subject these days but it's an incredible peice of history. The British Empire is responsible for many terrible things but also many great things, and neither negates the other. They influenced the world and modern society on a scale that no other entity has before or after it. It's quite remarkable really.
There is no total lack of education around British empire. During colonial period every place on earth is consist mainly of uneducated peoples. Look at south america even today it feels like total lack of education but non were British colonies.
The second biggest empire, the first was the Spanish Civilizator Empire, greater and richiest.
@@jorgeo4483 No, the biggest. The British Empire is the largest empire that has ever existed in terms of land mass, and by some distance. The closest to it would be the Mongol empire. The Spanish empire by comparison was just over a third of the size of the British empire.
I never mentioned anything about riches either. I'm talking strictly size and influence and nothing comes close to the British Empire in either of those regards.
@@midniteee Oh no, the British were not a civilizing empire nor did they conquer hardly anything, but rather they were a colonial and administrative invasion and a country of pirates without honor in the signing of treaties, in some cases entire territories handed over to private companies. You made no discoveries except new ways to kill innocent aborigines. You practically neither built anything nor left a legacy like Spain, thousands of cities, religion, language, culture, the largest and most prosperous cities of the time, universities, science, justice, etc. We did not have colonies, our inhabitants were all Spanish and the territories were provinces, nor did we enslave or massacre the indigenous people, on the contrary. We don't trade with blacks.
After the Treaty of Tordesillas (look for the map, but not in the English wiki) all of America, from Alaska to Patagonia, was Spanish "All lands discovered and undiscovered" except a small part of present-day Brazil was given to Portugal by the Pope of Rome, the highest authority of the time to avoid a conflict between two Catholic empires (even so, Portugal cheated by measuring from Cape Verde and not from the peninsula).
On top of this, Spain also inherited the Portuguese possessions and on top of that Philip II was king of England and Ireland.
All this lasted much longer and on top of that we still had time to dominate half of Europe fighting heretics like you and defend Europe from the Ottomans in the Mediterranean and in Vienna.
That is why today Spanish is the first spoken native language in the world and there is not a piece of land on this planet without a Spanish tomb. We even had the detail of burying many of you around here.
We discovered Australia 200 years before Cook, we arrived at Alaska before Drake, who by the way we sank an armada larger than the Spanish one, which was almost unarmed and suffered the storms and 200 times more like in Cartagena de Indias, where 60,000 British lost to 4000 Spaniards commanded by Blas de Lezo, a Spaniard with only half a body, who alone captured and sank 24 ships in a single day, we discovered the Drake Passage also 205 years before, we sailed the Pacific, we financed and helped the USA in its Independence, with several beatings of the British like in Pensacola, despite the fact that in movies like the Patriot they put French and forget about Spain.
In short, you are pirates by sea, drunks on land, and compulsive liars in books. Mongol Empire, hahahahaha and Denisovian Empire too, no comments.
From Europe to Philippines, Guam and Marian Islands the empire where the sun never set, the Spanish and the largest coutry Rusia.
@@jorgeo4483 Listen bro I'm not reading all that shit because you literally have no idea what you're talking about and you aren't making any sense. The British was the biggest empire the world has ever known, that is a fact. Nothing you say can change history. Be salty about it all you want but you can't change facts.
I thought it was the beauty of their women and the taste of their food that made them the best sailors in the world...
God knows what that says about America, that it only requires a sentence in a British accent for American women's underwear to drop down..
Not a compliment...lol
It was the thought of returning to Britain which made the English the best sailor in the world
@@going1917 Can you tell that to the rest of the world who seem desperate to get in.
@@going1917 Yet so many flock here from the back street shit holes of the world.
England and then Britain gained an Empire piece by piece without really thinking about it, as can be seen from the mishmash of different systems of administration across it. Some parts were initially taken for trading purposes, others were taken to maintain our influence over the balance between other countries that could threaten us. As the parts of it became better educated, and as weaponry evolved and became more available, it became impossible to hold on to anything bigger than island territories, and so we had to hand over the Empire over piece by piece to elected local people. It’s sad to see what has happened to some of the new countries since gaining independence.
As an Indian I say the British made a huge empire. Truly amazing.
However over time the people ruled over started organizing and pressing for self rule. Many of the important independence movement leaders in India actually studied in Britain
Yes. That's true.
Industrial Revolution started in England about 1740.
Cabo Verde islands, S. Vicente island harbour development owes very much to the British companies settled there during WWII and later. My great grand father was a StAubyn gentleman who started a family and settled in S. Nicolau island.
So small logical steps rather than grand sweeping vision. Got it.
Yeah some of the biggest empires were created this one. To throw a easy comparison out there is the Romans. They only started to conquer for the purpose of expansion once they were already an unchallenged power. Up until that point, it was alliances and deals
Wonderfully made, thank you
The former British colonies are also the most successful and prosperous nations: Singapore, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Hong Kong, USA, Guyana, just to name a few. The only one exception is Macau, which was a Portuguese colony.
not true, Britain is responsible for the massacre of Africans and they stole minerals from Africa, Britain's is built on war crimes and the British hands are stained with blood
True, they all woke up as soon as they kicked you out. The opposite happened with the Spanish empire when you started to stick your nose in there, why is that?
USA are successful because of immigration, not English 😂
😂😂😂 immigrants from all over the world made USA successful, not Puny England
@@NoName-hg6cc Spanish foundations, spanish financiation and militar help, black slavery and poor inmigrants, mostly from GB made USA succesfull.
fantastic video, I never know that the British Empire was so large
Why do you think it has so many non white citizens??
Theres a reason why English is the most spoke language on Earth.
@@oldboygeorge7688?
There were few slaves in britian compared to the amount they used in the Americas, infact slavery was already banned There way before the Atlantic slave trade.
Which means technically by British law the trade was illegal.
Britain at that time though was ruled pretty much by rich people, so if a pesky thing like civil rights or laws got in the way of money it could be sidelined.
@@oldboygeorge7688 How many? What percentage of Britain is non-white?
These empires we fight for, they are little more than sand castles. Only the tides are forever.
Not even the tides. But just because something does not last forever does not mean it is not worth fighting for.
I love all history documentary and appreciate all the time and effort of making so we can learn. But please turn down this dramatic music so I can process the information better. Subscribed.
Truly amazing. Excellent work
Yes please , more blogs like this, and also some behind the scenes filming and editing. What cameras do you use, tips and tricks
No, thanks
The Royal Navy was born out of necessity - the UK was being raided by the Barbary pirates and Ottoman corsairs and the people of the British Isles being sentenced to a life of Galley slavery. It just shows the power of the underdog story. We love it in media but this was one of the biggest tales of all time.
Great video! I have one constructive feedback though. Using blue so much in the maps can be confusing since the water is also blue. I know blue appears in both the scottish and french flags but it could have been a more distinct color from the seas blue. Anyway thanks for this free quality content man!
In 1912, my great grandmother died at the age of 32. She had many children and the cause of her death was linked to poor nutrition as a result of poverty. She lived in East London. The capital of the richest country on Earth yet its people were starving. Dr Bernardo and the Pankhursts were philanthropists that helped the poor and stopped children dying on the streets. What kind of people were running our country? British people were treated the same as anyone in the colonies. It is often said that it would have been better to be a slave in the new world than to live as a poor man in London. Our leaders were a disgrace and it’s difficult to view their succcesses as a great achievement since families died of disease as a result of starvation in our own capital city.
A profoundly significant point that is seemingly never aired! Well done for adding it here. Working class brits we’re no better off than cotton and sugar plantation slaves! 😢
What did you do with all the money you stole from colonies?
@@SurajInd89 You are not intelligent enough to merit a reply.
@@SurajInd89There wasn’t any, the colonies were a net drain on the country financially.
@@crown9413 ROFL. Is that what they teach you there? I have heard that Britain never teaches about colonial history as they are scared to speak about the atrocities committed and the money stolen from the colonies.
Great video; very well put together. Britain's modern day 'empire' is in the world of music, as one in eight of all music albums sold globally derives from a British band or artist.
But almost all of it is mediocre music, for hysterical 18-year-olds, who scream at concerts, British popular-industrial culture, canned music, second-rate, like Harry Potter in literature. It's like selling tin cans of CokeCola. The great musicians of history are German, Austrian, Russian...
@@Gloriaimperial1 Oh be quiet, you know full well that British music steamrolls anything those 3 countries could produce
@@eddie2913 Yes, but there are many countries making popular music. Latin America, Europe, Asia. The problem with popular culture is that it doesn't survive well, it goes out of style quickly. Only geniuses survive. India and China have 2.8 billion people, and Latin America has more than 700 million. It is much more than the combined population of the UK, USA, New Zealand, Canada and Australia combined. China, India and Latin America are going to make more music, and they are going to have more development in the next decades. Josephine Baker, USA, was much more famous than Richard Strauss, in the 1930s. But no one remembers the music of Josephine Baker, while the music of Richard Strauss, a German, is played all over the world. Surely in 2100, Richard Strauss will have to compete with short-lived Chinese and Indian singers. But no one will remember the Beatles or Harry Potter.
"no one will remember the Beatles or Harry Potter" Be serious, pls
@@jenniferariesta6464 Popular, cheap, industrial, not very subtle culture (Bansky, Harry Potter, The Beatles, Ken Follet, Rollings). It is something that many people can do. The geniuses of history are people who did things that others cannot do. Rembrandt, Velázquez, Shakespeare, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Leonardo). Genius.
Very enjoyable - thank you
Would love to learn more about the opium wars with china!
There is a video on YT with that detail...rather good as well.
The English are a remarkable people
Not 'are', 'were'. They, along with us in America, are declining year by year, getting morally, politically and militarily weaker. The lastest bizarre fad over so-called 'trans rights', with its brutal and barbaric attitude toward and acceptance of child disfigurement, may just be the final nail in the coffin.
British ❤
remarkable people committing genocides
Quite remarkably slaughtered and slaved millions of people.
"Remarkable people"
@@tk3unwouldn't have been so remarkable if he was at the receiving end.
The British Empire would be even greater if they didn't keep losing to Mel Gibson.
Still hard to imagine how a tiny island nation ruled over almost the entire world.
Now , the idiots in Brussels consider us a 3rd nation. I'm not sure about their grasp of history 🤣
Scottish soldiers.
Ironic because one would expect a large or populous country like Russia, China, and India to rule over a large chunk of the world. But nope. It was a small island.
@@PedroOrtega1993 An industrial base capable of building huge numbers of powerful ships. And Scots in their army.
They were united
I want to thank the British for abolishing slavery and the Industrial Revolution.
Which country benefitted more from transatlantic slavery than GB?
@@porcupineinapettingzoo still abolished. could of kept it going and stil be happening now.. and infact they even put there own money to stop the slave trade..
@@ElonTusk. I want to thank MacDonald's for introducing play areas for kids and becoming the biggest toy manufacturer in the world, aren't they so good for children and we cannot blame them for obesity levels in children because playareas, fruit in happy meals and toys! A fireman who's arsonist is still an arsonist, the slave trade continued, cities like Manchester continued to trade with slave owning countries even the Confederacy during the US civil war, the industrial revolution just increased demand so clap yourselves on the back for being good while still putting slave made sugar in your tea and slave picked cotton on your back. The British government banned an industry they were losing control of while benefitting from the descendants of stolen Africans remaining in slavery!
@@porcupineinapettingzoo Arab slave traders probably benefited the most
@@porcupineinapettingzoo Spain and Portugal.
Hope you get more exposure great content!
a great insight into our history, short and concise, history in a nut shell, ive learnt more in ten minutes than i did at school. our school was considered to be the future of education and some of our young teachers were very enthusiastic but probably as the sixties were not that long after the war we were still learning jingoistic lessons about trafalgar, Agincourt etc and at the end of term we were shown war movies. there was one lesson i vividly remember about the horrors of the slave trade, that did stay with all my life. the other long lasting memory comes from around 1963 and being lead into the playground to celebrate empire day. great video, thanks.
john
I've always wondered how students in the UK learn their history and the heritage of their country and empire.
The US is one of the oldest continuously functioning liberal democracy, but it's only existed since 1776. The UK is much older, so it seem like it's virtually impossible to teach young students all of UK history.
Thank you for this episode. I m from Europe, Latvia. It is interesting to watch. Thank you for the effort what you put in this video.
Decent content, I would recommend turning the music down a bit, and adjusting the voice. It sounds sped up in editing and makes the tone/inflection harder to understand and enjoy
Good work on the content though 👌
Also stop spinning the map around.
@@earlofsandwich7884 that was cool tbh id rather he fix factual errors like not listing The 3 British Dependencies & others
It was a crazy time in the world - all of the America’s speak either English, Spanish, Portuguese, or French. (Some Dutch in the Caribbean). Those countries left their marks forever on the world.
Throught history there have been many empires that have come to take large swaths of the world under thier control what is unique about the British is that they did not conquer one continuous landmass, but from a comparatively tiny island took over 1/3 of the global population.
It has a part of truth. But the Spanish empire was in 100 countries on 5 continents, and it is the only empire that had hegemony in Europe and great extension in the rest of the world (not just America). The British in Europe had Malta, Cyprus, Ireland... Spain spent longer in Italy (457 years), parts of Germany and France (160 years) or the Spanish Netherlands (200 years) than the British in the 13 colonies and Australia. Furthermore, in the 16th century we had a Spanish emperor in Germany (Charles V) and a king in England (Philip II), even at the same time. It is true that our bloc is above all in America. But Spain had lands, simultaneously, in Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, almost the entire eastern and western coast of Africa, India, China, Japan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines and more than a dozen archipelagos in the Pacific Ocean. It is not a continuous empire. If we applied the type of presence of the British in lands such as the frozen islands of Canada, to the Spanish empire, we would have about 30 million km2 (in the 16th-17th centuries). It's not as much as the British Empire in 1880-1948, I have to admit, but we didn't have steamships, railways, airplanes... All of that was invented at the end of the 19th-20th century. Our global expansion begins 200 years before the English and French expansion, and that is why it ends earlier.
@@Gloriaimperial1and yet the English, by very small odds, at the height of Spain's power, The Spanish armada, with little old England just getting a bit more adventurous, whipped Spains ass in astonishing outstanding manner, COME AN AV A GO IF YA THINK YA ARD ENOUGH.... JOG ON SON
BTW, Europe's royalty was all over, not exclusive to spain
@@user-mc6bz2pl4y But Spain always hits back. Always.
And in 1589, without storms, the Spanish fleet destroyed Drake's invincible fleet, sinking 80 ships. Elisabeth was so angry that she condemned Drake to be a lighthouse keeper. When she forgave Drake, he lost 5 battles in the Spanish Caribbean and died. We must remember that in 1588, Spain invaded Germany. And in 1590, Spain invades Paris. If England weren't an island... The End, like in the movies.
In 1625 the English declared war on Spain, attacking the Spanish Netherlands. Then Spain carried out a total offensive, and destroyed the English and Dutch fleet in Cádiz in 1625, sinking 62 ships. That same year we defeated the English, Dutch and Danes in Breda, Holland. That same year we destroyed a Dutch fleet in Brazil. That same year we invaded Genoa, defeating France. Nobody remembers 1588. In fact we sent three more invasion fleets to the British Isles, with more than 130 ships in 1596, 1597 and 1718. All three fleets were stopped by storms.
Imagine a sunny day. In fact, in 1597 and 1718, 500 and 600 Spanish soldiers arrived in England and Scotland. But there were 20,000 on the ships. Those armies invaded Paris in 1590, and defeated Austria in Italy in 1734. In 1739, the British won at Portobello, Panama. In fact there is a street in London called Portobello. We are waiting for Calle Cartagena de Indias (1741) when Spain destroys 50 ships of the Royal Navy. The British had even made commemorative coins of the victory, which circulated throughout Europe to laughter.
The British won the 7 Years' War. Although Spain received French Louisiana (2200000 km2) in compensation. In 1779-83, Spain defeated the British in Florida, Louisiana, Central America, the Bahamas, and Menorca. And a Spanish fleet blockaded England in 1779-82, capturing two British fleets of 24 and 55 ships (including 39 frigates) which sank the London Stock Exchange. That is why Spain gave the Spanish dollar to the USA (also to China and Japan)
The British sank or captured 11 Spanish and 13 French ships at Trafalgar in 1805 (although Spain had 37 other large ships and 24 more war frigates). A year later, Spain defeated the British in Argentina and Uruguay 1806-07, capturing the redcoats and British generals. We also beat Nelson 3 times in 1797: Cádiz, Central America and Tenerife, where he loses his arm and is captured.
1,200 Spanish Indies fleets between America and Spain in 300 years: the British capture 2 (17th century, in port and without prior declaration of war). The Dutch capture 2 fleets. 4 shipwrecks. Success of the Spanish fleet that changed the world and controlled Europe for 200 years: 99.75%. In 300 years of war, the British capture 1 in 400 parts of the Spanish empire. 90% in the 17th century, when Spain is at war against 12 European countries simultaneously.
@@Gloriaimperial1 what on earth are you on, you are literally changing history and or not putting facts down, just facts between the lines so it reads as it does, someone will Google a fact and it will show as true, but not the whole story, you've been clever doing that, you must be a proud Spaniard, but be a big more british, be truthful with you're pride and take a hit on the chin and humble when needed. That's why the uk was and is so successful, and the places it gives birth to like USA CANADA AUS NZ Hong Kong etc, all power houses, not like the Spanish places right, give me some facts about some of spains. Please don't embarris yourself in front of knowledgeable people, u might get the attention of people who blindly take your bs as facts
Thanks for posting.
Amazing video regarding the politics, history, and wars of the British empire. I always wanted to know why English was the lingua franca of the world, now I know why.
The easiest language in the world, just watch a few of their movies , and you'll learn it. That's how I did it when I was nine, not in school.
Britain's geography and location is a significant advantage..nice wet temperate climate provide fertile farming land. English channel is a great defense against european land invasions. Plenty of natural ports and calm rivers for trade. Pretty much no mountains in England. Not really possible for any other nation to blockade the navy and prevent British access to the Atlantic. Rare metals such as tin in cornwall and wales. Britain had many natural advantages over many nations.
How is being an island any advantage in conquering far off lands. Think it through.
Yes...we are well..located...being an island feels safe..
Then explain how france invaded england thrice using the sea, and the Dutch twice lol. Are ya sure ya navy just wasn’t good enough to do the same mate?
empire rules for several years in subcontinent too, great work done by the britishers, syetem of gov was great.
Being the world’s first industrialized country was definitely a factor.
Where did the money came from? Poor Indians with their jewls?
Fantastic video! Thanks for the effort. It's amazing how big the British Empire became.
My favorite part is how they left out that British capitalism killed nearly 2 billion people in India! alone! Very good to leave that bit of information out, otherwise people might have negative feelings about Britian and capitalism itself!
@@HypeBeast764 swings and roundabouts
@@HypeBeast764 Ah yes, 2 billion deaths.. Mind telling me where you found these numbers?
Keep seething, Indian.
My favourite part about this comment is how useless it is, you keep whining about it as if it's gonna change anything, it's called the past, P.A.S.T, you can't change that dude, and don't even get me started with you whining about ideologies, nobody cares if you are pro whatever ideologies you want etc.
@@HypeBeast764 God all India does is cry wah wah wah, look at the stuff you have now, you are using the internet! stop worrying about dead people.
@@HypeBeast764400 years ago 👍
As a Royal Navy CPO on a frigate I was present at the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 in New York - a good run ashore! But a word about taxation and the "Boston Tea Party". It is untrue that taxes in America were higher than the UK, tea, for instance, was taxed at one sixth of the UK rate. Even so, there was a thriving trade in smuggled tea. The famous BTP came about because tax on tea was halved, leading a drop in demand for smuggled tea. The culprits in the BTP were smugglers angry that the tax had been reduced- but who cares about facts? Just ask Donald Trump or Prince Harry!
The success of British empire were besed from experiences from the Persians and Romans empire collectively they archived so much with modernisation of trade and devide and concor.
Great content, reminds me of the channel Old Britannia, one of the best on these topics
The Opium Wars is an under appreciated part of British history that plays a greatly understated role in current events in regards to how China handles itself. Now USA and Europe say that G0D created heaven and earth and the rest is made in China.
Uh. I never heard anyone say that
I seem to remember that The Liverpool Empire was pretty big as well. I saw some great bands there - way back.
An exceptionally well-made video. Clear, easy to follow, explains it well.. An exceptionally well-made video. Clear, easy to follow, explains it well..
Imagine you're living in the year 1912. You decided to travel across the entire world. You almost got eaten by a tiger in the steamy jungles of Myanmar. You almost died of dehydration crossing the baking deserts of Egypt. You almost died of frostbite scaling the snow-capped mountains of New Zealand. You almost got lost in the seemingly endless fields of golden wheat in the prairies of Canada. You almost fell to your death in the highlands of Guyana. And you experienced paranoia being isolated for too long on the remote, freezing island of South Georgia.
What did these places had in common back in 1912? They all were under one flag - the Union Jack... 🇬🇧
Union Flag. Only Union Jack when flown on a ship.
Big deal. Americans, Chinese, Russians and Brazilians still experience that diversity.
@@ayodejiolowokere1076 Last I checked, Brazil doesn't have snow-capped mountains and Russia doesn't have jungles (but they do have tigers)...
@@PedroOrtega1993Brazil has snow and mountain ranges. In addition, they have jaguars. Russia has a no tropical zone but diverse climates notwithstanding.
If you lived in 1912 you wouldn't even leave your town. Probably breaking your back on a farm or factory
The kingdom of England benefitted tremendously from the death of the Portuguese king Sebastian, which left Portuguese overseas colonies in the hands of their Spanish rivals for 60 years. This allowed England to take over these former Portuguese colonies, under the guise of fighting the Spaniards over the control of these territories. In this fashion, England took over former Portuguese interests in Africa, India, the Atlantic, North America and the Spice Islands. When the Portuguese regained their independence, they were never able to regain these territories from their supposed English allies.
we also screwed you over in the scramble for africa as you wanted to connect your southern african territories. however that being said we did help you with napoleon, also helped create your state plus we did give back some of the territories. it was largely the dutch who gathered most of your territories
Industrial Revolution started in England about 1740.
Cabo Verde islands, S. Vicente island harbour development owes very much to the British companies settled there during WWII and later. My great grand father was a StAubyn gentleman who started a family and settled in S. Nicolau island.
@@tylerperry1837"we" you did nothing lol
@@christian779 well seeing as im british my ancestors are also British I'm inclined to say we. wanna know why i said we because we doesnt mean me. within the context
Yeah it was so easy all they had to do was overthrow the Spanish empire, which obviously everyone could do, which is why they didn't.
Fantastic narration
Good video polish job! 👍
lm from Gibraltar 🇬🇮
Gibraltar es Español
@@piedrablanca1942no
In Scotland they taught us about ancient Egypt and both world wars but not this.
Because they’re bitter
When Napoleon invaded the Netherlands, the Prince of Orange fled to England. The Prince issued a decree to transfer all Dutch possessions abroad to the British, such as the Cape Colony (South Africa), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Java (Indonesia), Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice (Dutch Guiana), Maldives, Dutch Gold Coast (Ghana), Dutch West Indies. Only the Dutch West Indies, Java and part of Dutch Guyana were returned to the newly established new Kingdom of the Netherlands.
21:35 "granted their independence"
Well have you ever heard of Kenya's rebellion against the British in 1952-1960:
"The rebellion was marked by war crimes and massacres committed by both sides." from Wikipedia.
The same the same about Ireland which fought a War of Independence for 3 years after centuries of British oppression and struggle. The freedom was not granted but fought for.
Thank you for the information. I like comprehending multiple sources when learning, in order to remain intellectually honest in saying I've learned. It's taken a lot of inconsistencies professed by me, for me to adopt the 'scientific method' in appropriate instance.
I live in the portion of Nova Scotia that separated and became New Brunswick, and this is something I learned later - late enough that it came as a surprise to me, to find.
I'm still not sure when that happened but I can put together that it must have been around the time Scotland helped found the United Kingdom - though certainly before Canada became a country, for New Brunswick to be named a 'first four' of the provinces.
Thank you for your help, wonderful video!
He forgot to mention The 3 British Dependencies at the start mentioning honest learning lol
Spectacular documentary, bravo 🫡
Minor thing I’m pretty sure it was 1833 Britain banned slavery
Depends how you emasure it, it was made fully illegal i nthe whole Empire in 1833 but was also made mostly illegal in 1807... Strictly speaking your right though.
"The Empire where the sun never sets"
Wow. Even awesome to say.
Even god didn’t trust the Brit’s in the dark- Sashi Tharoor
@@gulfstream8787 the cringiest quote in history, said by a criminal
The saying was originally said for the Spanish Empire by a monk to glorify Spanish King Carlos I, also known as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. A Spaniard Juan Sebastian Elcano, was the first to circumnavigate the world aboard the same ship as Magellan, who died en route.
The reason for the saying: because the sun always shone in one territory held by the Spanish crown as the earth completed its rotation. The British later borrowed it for their empire directly, and for the same reason.
@@jj591you don't even know Sashi tharur
@@Kingman. yeah, a thug and a criminal.
Glad to know he is being debunked more now
A time transient in the upper right corner would be helpful
Very interesting, I'm always learning.... education is a good deed
Best empire ever. Founded my home of Australia. Unbelievable to see it now, compared to when the English arrived. Truly remarkable what they achieved 👏 🙌
yes, by sending their criminals and unwanted garbagge overseas to Down Under - best Empire ever - laughable
@@francodenobili7654 You do realise it wasn't *only* petty criminals sent to settle, right? Apparently not, you intellectual amoeba. Also, they established a first-world country & economy where previously there was nothing. What's laughable is your tiny, feeble mind.
@@francodenobili7654 well it wasn't founded by the French was it.
@knowledge120 My aunty is aboriginal. She's in middle management at St George bank in Sydney. Married with kids, suburban house with a swimming pool. Kids in private school. Air conditioning and first-world medicine etc. She seems pretty chuffed, but blinkered dopes like you never *do* ask people like her, they just hold on to their simplistic and infantile views because "muh feelings" etc.
@@Andy-ScotsIrish-TheGAEL. are you implying I am french ? 😂😂😂
Yet another proof that LITTLE BRITS aren't gifted with too much IQ
An admirable accolade and analysis; of the most striking people to rule the 🌏
Look how small it is on the map....as a kid I was in awe of it.
Sony recently posted, that most of the things we 🌏 use in every day life, were invented in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland.
Then there's the English language nowadays, the main language in most spheres of business, sport, politics, travel, bla de bla.
The island of Ceylon was never administered (as you have colour-coded in your map at 16:18) as part of the East India company or its successor, the Empire of India. Ceylon was never under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General and Viceroy of India. The colonial Governor of Ceylon answered directly to His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Ceylon even now administered by India and China, although not directly 🤣🤣
@@SurajInd89 you are conflating international cooperation with administration.
People say Britain has no culture. I suspect that that's because so many national cultures appear so British, in terms of democracy, music, language, ethics, values, legal systems etc, that Britishness appears universal.
I would also observe that youbrather understate the British war on slavery. It was fought with zeal after 1807, with the Royal Navy unleashed to stop the trade following the defeat of the French. The British used its massive economic power to end the trade, destroying both the Atlantic trade and the Indian Ocean trade into the Arabian peninsula.
Also, the Empire was probably unique in that it dissolved itself peacefully.
Maybe because British don't have culture 😂
Democracy, music, art all found their zenith in places and people that had nothing or little to do with uk
Also, uk was the most cruel, genocidal and disgusting empire ever
British culture = alcohol + tattoos
That's why you had to loot Egypt
@@Letthesunshinein873cope
10:58 "Taxing without their consent." Since when do governments ever ask for consent before levying taxes?
i know right, that was a stupid line
A democracy?
What kind of question is that?
@@ayodejiolowokere1076 Really? I was never told I had an opt-out.
@@heli0s101 it's not the responsibility of others to inform you of your rights.
Come on.
@@ayodejiolowokere1076 If you think that people can just wake up and say "I'm not going to pay taxes anymore" with no consequences then you're a pinhead.
Based Britain
Many men were lost in wars overseas and Europe to expand the empire. That was how it expanded.
The East India Company may have started out as a trading company, but by the 1780's it had withdrawn from general trade, keeping only the opium trade (which later became a Crown monopoly) and deriving the bulk of its revenues from taxation. That's where its shareholders got their dividends from. The EIC also started the (illegal) international drug trade, which contributed to the demise of the Chinese Empire.
Opium and cocaine were freely available in Victorian Britain. Laudanum was cheap and available without a prescription. Even marketed for use by children and babies. Opium wasn't illegal in Britain until 1916 after the tendency to addiction had become apparent.
LOL, what rubbish, Indian subcontinent was already an opium exporter before the English arrived. Opium was a state monopoly during the earlier Mughal Empire which the English government inherited. Arabs have been selling opium to China since the 8th Century.
Native British citizens should still have some pride of their country's history no matter how dark it is. Colonial past shouldn't be frown upon. There is nothing to be guilty for.
True.
History is more than a list of battles.
yeah, there's also slavery and genocide
@@joshuataylor3550 It's also about commercial trade and migration of people & cultures.
@Joshua Taylor so evil
Yep, the British Empire. The greatest the world has ever known and the global force that, almost uniquely in known history, conferred vast net benefits on humanity as a whole.
Put simply, Imperial Britain and the Pax Britannica it maintained were crucial to the evolution (and survival) of today's modern world system in virtually every important positive regard. A record only one other hegemonic great power can even begin to approach, and that one is in any case, Britain's own cultural offspring and direct successor.
The British Empire was very important. Nobody doubts it. Territorial extension, industrial revolution, economy, science, patents... with the island, which is always a help to avoid uncomfortable invasions that paralyze expansion and stability.
But it is impossible to match the Spanish empire.
The Spanish Empire discovered three continents: America, the Pacific Ocean, Antarctica and the first circumnavigation of the world. It is the first world globalization: immigration revolution, food revolution, cultural revolution, banking revolution, Asian market revolution.
Spain had a hegemony in Europe for 200 years (1500-1700), invading all the capitals of Western Europe: Rome, Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, Cologne, Amsterdam, Florence, Milan, Genoa...
The British had Malta, Cyprus, Ireland... (small islands, and never a hegemony)
Spain had a king in England, Philip II, who also had power in 100 current countries, with 30 million km2 (if the frozen islands of Canada are the British empire!), an emperor in Germany (Charles V), we annexed the Portuguese empire, we dominated the Vatican, we had a NATO in Italy for 457 years, where we built universities, 50 fortresses, baroque cities and luxury palaces, like Caserta. The British had Lord Byron making poems in Italy.
The pound sterling was the world's first currency for 130 years. The 8 real or Spanish dollar was the first currency in the world for 300 years (1500-1800), mother of the currency of the United States, China, Japan and many other countries.
Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world, after Chinese. More than the entire Commonwealth, the United States, the French Empire and the Dutch Empire, combined, speaking their own European mother tongues. 800 million Catholics thanks to Spain (200 million in Europe, 100 million in Asia). Anglicans in the world: 120 million.
The British Empire was the longest in the world between 1815-1948 (132 years). The Spanish empire was the largest in the world between 1500-1815. (300 years)
We also had the golden age of culture, participation in the Renaissance, and many political, cultural, civilizing, scientific, and mechanical innovations.
@@Gloriaimperial1 Interesting! Furthermore, I'd agree that newly re-conquered Spain's Renaissance then early modern era colonial empire was indeed one of the largest, richest (vis-a-vis its directly contemporaneous rivals) and most important of its type for much of its duration. As well, of course, as being one of the earliest. I must also admit, however, that my knowledge of such things as its internal governance generally and of individual colonies' timelines specifically, is a bit patchy. So I'll not say much on that, for now, besides just making a few points on matters you raise, with which I am familiar.
So, regarding King Philip II, and forgetting the multiple labyrinthine convolutions of his relatedness to his not very young or attractive wife, Mary I of England, he was always a nominal king at most on this side of the water. So When Mary, as Queen Regnant, did kick the bucket in 1558, it was "adios" to Phil too, a.f.a. England was concerned. While his former sister-in-law, Elizabeth I (Belphoebe! Virginia! Gloriana!) reigned for 45 momentous years that saw HER country starting on the road to global dominance.
And everyone educated in England OR Spain STILL knows today what the denouement was for poor little Phil's attempts to stop that.
Accordingly, your remark that "Spain had a hegemony in Europe for 200 years (1500-1700), invading all the capitals of Western Europe: Rome, Paris, Brussels, Lisbon, Cologne, Amsterdam, Florence, Milan, Genoa..." is a trifle unfortunate in having to omit London. Already one of Western Europe's more important capitals from quite early in the period you specify.
T.b.h. it's also a touch over-ambitious re the real period of Spanish hegemony. Which, in truth, had ended long before 1700. Though it had by no means passed straight over to England/Britain. Yet that it certainly no longer resided with Spain but had already taken a somewhat shaky detour to Louis XIV's France, did become clear at sometime in the later C17th. Most probably in the 1670s with the Franco-Dutch War.
Britain, or by then, the UK, did finally inherit it by most credible assessments in 1757. Somewhat earlier than you stated. Though then again, so is the point at which it can most realistically be said to have moved on from Britain, as well. (I'd maintain the best single date there, is 1922. Paradoxically, just BEFORE the Empire reached its greatest territorial extent.)
As for some more general points, the thing is that although the Spanish AND British empires can both simply be earmarked as falling within the "European Maritime Colonial" category, in truth they were hugely divergent re most of the applicable factors. The two most obvious of these being that while the bulk of Spain's empire was acquired almost from the outset via a series of intentional episodes of military conquest, followed by direct efforts at "Hispanicisation,"
Britain's EITHER
a) far more closely resembled that of Spain's direct imperial contemporary, Portugal, in that colonies often began with
1) - trading ventures. With military action usually following only if or when the by then established commerce was put at risk.
2) - initial acquisitions of usually small, strategically placed coastal areas standing along already established trade routes
OR
b) were conceived from the start as putative 'colonies of settlement', located 'ideally' on what was often fondly imagined (or at least, pretended) to be 'terra nullius' - or was in other instances established via purchase from or agreement with the already known-to-be-present indigenes (which at least required some lip-service to be paid to more objective notions of legal legitimacy than those represented by just getting Rodrigo Borgia to assign it to you because it's NOT Catholic but IS on your side of an arbitrary demarcation line.)
@@squirepraggerstope3591 Philip II of Spain was not a king consort. He was a de Jure king. There were clauses to maintain independence from England. But when Mary I (regardless of how beautiful she or Elisabeth I is) becomes queen, she chooses as her husband the most powerful man on the planet, leader of the world's Catholics, and who soon has a presence in part, or entirely, in 100 countries from the 5 continents. All the important ones except Russia. It was like marrying the president of the USA, Ronald Reagan, not so much Biden, when China comes as the first power. Furthermore, Mary Tudor was a half-Spanish queen of England, daughter of Queen Catherine, a Spanish woman.
If Mary had had something as seemingly simple as a son, the subsequent history of the United Kingdom will in all likelihood be Catholic.
When Elizabeth I rules, she has an island to protect herself from it. In 1588 (Invincible Armada), Spain invades Germany. In 1590, Spain invades Paris, forcing France to become Catholic. We had a NATO in Italy and dominions in Portugal, Belgium, Holland, France and Germany. In 1589, without storms, the Spanish fleet destroys Drake's invincible fleet, sinking 80 ships. Elisabeth condemns Drake to be a lighthouse keeper. When she forgives Drake, he loses 5 battles in the Caribbean and dies. Spain was the leading power in Europe until 1668. The largest empire in Europe until 1759, and in the world until 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, which the British did not have because it was an island.
Spain sent 10 invasion fleets to England, between 1377-1806. Invasion of southern England in 1377, 1380-81 and 1411. Arrival of Philip II to England in 1554, to take the throne with Mary Tudor. 1588, 1596, 1597, 1718, are four massive Spanish invasion fleets, against the British Isles, all with more than 100 ships. The 4 stops due to storms. Spanish blockade of England in 1779-81, capturing two British fleets of 24 and 55 ships (including 39 war frigates), which sinks the London stock market. That is the reason why Spain gives the Spanish dollar to the United States. The idea was to invade England during the blockade, but the French allies were not prepared. And then the fleet that in 1805 has to invade England. Napoleon had 150,000 soldiers in Brest, France, ready to cross the channel to England. Remember that he arrived in Russia, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Vienna. Why not London? Because London is on an island. Then Admiral Villenueve gets scared, locks himself in Cádiz, and comes Nelson's brilliant battle at Tragalgar in 1805. And the Spanish victory against the British in 1806-1807 (Argentina and Uruguay). The fact is that Spain sent 10 invasion fleets, and the Royal Navy only appears twice, in 1588 and 1806. The British were very lucky. A day of sun and...
British hegemony begins in 1815, in the third world, never in Europe. But well, it's admirable anyway. You have to be very organized and very conscious, to maintain such an extensive and protected British empire, I have to admit.
They are very different empires. The British is more commercial, and was more successful in that sense. Spain had two great commitments that consumed almost all the resources: saving the Catholic religion in Europe (which we did) against 5 powers (20% of the wealth used for that objective), and hispanizing America and the Philippines (70% of the wealth invested there. 80% in the 18th century). The war in Europe was necessary to prevent a Protestant union by attacking Madrid, Rome or Lisbon. Spain built in America, Italy, the Philippines and France, 40 universities, 2300 stone cities, 900 great hospitals, 300 fortresses, 400 cathedrals, thousands of nursery schools. Hispanic America has 90% of native Spanish speakers. 99% speak Spanish. 85% Catholic. Commonwealth has less than 10% native English speakers. Less than 10% are Christians. The British invested more in their own prosperity, and the British heritage colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand...). That was good for science, for British business, for British prosperity. All the inhabitants of the Spanish empire were Spanish, and we had to invest there. But each country has its objectives.
@@Gloriaimperial1 Philip was king by virtue of Mary's insistence. In effect, holder of the Crown Matrimonial (he was declared king "jure uxoris"). Yet he had no de facto personal authority in England, even during his wife's reign, as he seemed to realise himself. While when Mary dropped off the twig, Elizabeth immediately became Queen Regnant
As for Mary's own ancestry, yes, her mother was Henry VIII's 1st wife and also actually Philip's great aunt.
While the question of what'd have happened if Mary had had a son instead of just a tumour, is not a terribly useful one. Though the likeliest answer is a period of sullen endurance of oppression followed by revolt.
B.t.w, I adore your wonderful daydream of a European hegemonic Spain also succeeding with 'Project Armada', but the probability of that latter bit was always very low... and not just because of Gravelines.
Even so, as you reveal several times in the following passages, you've clearly 'clicked' to at least one of our Historic success' biggest secrets. Yes, we're on AN ISLAND.
Well spotted, Senor!
As for your multiple "invasion" claims, most in fact were not even potentially very dangerous. Of the pre-Napoleonic excursions, the 1377 (pre modern era sea-power) one that was a combined French & Castilian effort (Castile, NOT Spain, which at that point didn't even exist), was arguably the most dangerous and did have some success in land battles in Kent and on the Isle of Wight. Yet lacking support from any internal faction, a real conquest was simply not within the allies own means to sustain logistically.
While the 1595 post-Armada scuffle in the farthest western bit of Cornwall was never more than just a raid. The most interesting thing about it is the choice of ships used, given the period in which it took place. As like the Armada itself, that was already during the early modern era. As such, using anything but galleys/galleasses on the Cornwall raid, would only have increased exponentially the risk of being caught before getting out again.
The 1779 operation, i.i.r.c. was another French/Spanish effort during the American Revolution which, unsurprisingly, had provided a bandwagon both Continental powers happily used to try and reverse their earlier C18th losses inflicted on them by Britain. In itself it was a total failure and I'm mystified by your description. In fact, I suspect you're confusing it with a real Franco-Spanish success the following year, when the two fleets, still operating together, managed in August to grab most of a big, very rich outbound British convoy of over 60 vessels.. IE; MERCHANT SHIPS. NOT the RN, with which the two allies were still wisely refusing to risk a full fleet action. 😂😂😂
Fortunately, it's an event that my lifelong interest in naval history has ensured I'm aware of. It actually took place well out into the Atlantic. Also several hundred miles south and long after the RN's Channel Fleet, which had escorted it out of British waters, had left it with only a small residual escort of one 3rd rate and two frigates. Nevertheless, there was still a good deal of initial hesitancy on the part of the allies. That is, until it was confirmed that what'd been sighted was indeed almost all convoy and did NOT include a big formation of British naval ships.
(Note; remember that both "West Indiamen" and some rather larger "East Indiamen" were included in the count of merchant ships present. These were not badly armed for merchant vessels and typically had hulls painted to resemble warships. So just a cursory glance wouldn't suffice to assure the nervous Continentals that they really were only facing cargo ships.)
As it was, the three escorting RN ships did still succeed in saving a minority (about 8 or 9) of their charges, and even the others only struck after some attacking Spanish warships (including, i.i.r.c. the very big 1st rate Santisima Trinidad) opened fire on them. The financial loss was vast for the age, and though the stock market didn't collapse as you suggest, it was badly hit.
The only military loss, however, was that of a battalion of infantry which was being sent to garrison one or other of our Caribbean islands. After all, as troops aboard comparatively poorly gunned merchant ships and facing modern, well-armed warships, their predicament was somewhat reminiscent of Spain's big land-force contingent aboard the Armada's huge, ill-armed, clumsy old-model ships facing the far sleeker and better armed English race-built galleons.
Phew! I must still consider your post's impressive closing sections but after this marathon effort, must leave off for now.
@@squirepraggerstope3591 Spain spent longer in the Spanish Netherlands (200 years), Parts of France and Germany (162 years) or Italy (457 years) than the British spent in Australia and the 13 colonies. That is a hegemonic empire, if we add that we saved the Catholic religion in a 200-year war (1500-1700) against France, England, the Netherlands, protesting Germany and the Turkish empire, and that is why the Catholic religion is the majority in Europe, today (apart from the fact that Felipe II, Felipe III and Felipe IV had an imperial presence in 100 current countries, on the five continents). Napoleon's empire (only important in Europe) lasted 15 years, with Paris invaded and Napoleon imprisoned. Hitler (with Germany only important in Europe) lasted 5 years of war, with Berlin occupied and Hitler dead. The British only had Cyprus, Malta and Ireland in Europe... although they had a world empire after the Napoleonic, continental wars. All the Spanish kings died in their beds, we were in Italy building baroque cities, universities and palaces from 1282 to 1759, and as the first empire in the world until 1815. That is a hegemonic empire. In that context, the British had an island, like Japan, to defend themselves. Otherwise we would not speak of Jure or consort, England would simply be another possession of the Spanish empire, Napoleon or Germany. But the British and Japanese were effective, taking advantage of the island. There are islands that have been invaded. Amphibious operations are very complicated:
1589. Drake's invincible English fleet loses 80 ships, trying to conquer Portugal
1625. Cadiz. The British and Dutch lose 62 ships.
1741. Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Royal Navy loses 50 ships
1779-81. I have already spoken of the Spanish blockade of England, capturing two fleets of 24 and 55 ships. But invading England was much more difficult
1797. Nelson's three defeats in Central America, Cádiz and Tenerife, where he lost his arm and was taken prisoner.
1806-07. Defeat of the redcoats and imprisonment of the British generals in Argentina and Uruguay.
It is not surprising that Spain also had a very difficult time invading England. Because invading a country is not as easy as trying to invade Cádiz or the Canary Islands.
James 6th of Scotland who took over England in 1603 really expanded international trade, real first colony in America was named after him ie Jamestown 🇺🇸, it was written in the stars that after fighting the Romans, Vikings, Saxons the only way was to unite with their neighbours the English Act of Union was also really started the next wave of colonization and the start of the industrial Revolution England and Scotland together were just meant to be a Union God bless the King🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
8:25 Gibraltar is NOT an island!
It is a peninsula.
A bloody fortified peninsula just ask the Spanish and French.
@Reality Check a very big rock
@@Bluesfan1780 with monkeys
@@Bluesfan1780 The rock is always very difficult to invade. For example, in 1782, the time of the last attack, (before France's revolutionary wars, which had consequences for 40-50 years, in continental Europe, making another attack unfeasible), Spain defeated the British easily in Florida, Louisiana, Bahamas, Central America and Menorca, making a naval blockade of England in 1779-80, and capturing two fleets of 24 and 55 ships, which sank the London Stock Exchange. That is why Spain gave independence and the Spanish dollar to the United States. We also defeated the British in Puerto Rico in 1797. That year Nelson was defeated three times, in Central America, Cádiz and Tenerife, where he was captured and lost his arm. Amphibious expeditions are always very complicated. In Cartagena de Indias 1741, which was a fortress like a big rock, type Gibrtaltar, the British had the biggest defeat in their history. In 1789, Spain had a plan to invade Australia with 100 frigates. It was easier to invade Australia than Gibraltar! But the revolutionary wars prevented it. Then the British, who were not invaded by Napoleon (thanks to the island) and had their moment of expansion and have been able to hold Gibraltar.
@@Gloriaimperial1 Give me sources of the battles where you "easily" defeated the British in America, and captured 24 - 55 ships, and blockaded Britain in 1779-80, because I can't find that, also, I don't think that was the "biggest defeat in British history".
You act like Spain seemed to be more victorious, that's funny, because we've kicked you guys so many times it's funny, and my way of backing that all up: we still have Gibraltar to this day.
Worth watching Empire of the Sea by Dan Snow a superb TV Series.
The Roman Empire also ruled the world, including Britain 2000 years ago, today Rome's council doesn't seem to be able to organise the rubbish collection.
Enough said...
uk cannot feed its children. Enough said.....
Inglaterra y España nos llevamos mal . Hemos creado imperios y hemos sido rivales
Pero nos tenemos consideracion respeto y temor
Creo qe incluso valoramos al otro y no lo damos de menos no nos infravaloramos.
That's nice to say.
I actually like Spain, been there a few times.
I was considering learning Spanish today
We love Spain
La unica diferencia es que las que fueron colonias inglesas, se lo agradecen, las que fueron españolas, la maldicen, la historis de españa o es leyenda negra, o es leyenda dorada, la culpa siempre la tuvo alguien mas
@@A.Warrior7 Nosotros somos unos quijotes. Somos los únicos que nos ponemos a dudar. Los británicos y los franceses lo tienen claro: su leyenda dorada, que ya les criticarán otros. Los alemanes se comportan como si la segunda guerra mundial nunca hubiera tenido lugar. Los portugueses inventaron hasta la pólvora, según ellos. Entonces es mejor empezar por la leyenda dorada del imperio español, y que presenten pruebas de lo contrario los demás. Eso no quiere decir negarlo todo, pero no hay que ponerle alfombra a nadie. Pienso que si tuviéramos la misma moral histórica que presentamos cuando destacamos en el deporte, nos subiría mucho la autoestima, para destacar en todo lo demás.
British islands are small but they are strong enough to colonize Asia, North America, Africa and defeated the chinese so easily 忍者 British Empire are amazing 🤔
British Empire was badass. I would of loved to have been some old school explorer with a monocle
That’s how most people behaved in those days, the French, the Germans and also the Dutch Empires were no different.
They tended to look down on people who didn’t have the benefit of Roman education and the Roman civilising influence. The Irish, Scott and the Welsh suffered as a result ; their languages and cultural practices were banned, were forced to learn English and adopt English sounding names.
@daveoliver5838 yeah my whole family is irish but I was born in England. I have complicated feelings about the british empire. But just like the roman empire I find its might and influence so badass. Then I get it hit with realisation my ancestors suffered tremendously under the british. I dunno its complicated. I have a romantic view of old time british explorers finding new lands, discovering new cultures etc
@@odenoki9571 I feel u so bad about the romantic view of the explorers, but I also wonder how many of them actually died for diseases. Chillin in Africa should not have been so funny at all without vaccines.
Is there a version without the background music??
Most of the better developed European Countries, enviously tried to create Empires in competition with Britain's. but with our great Navy, we were were simply better at it than anyone else.
Industrial Revolution started in England about 1740.
Cabo Verde islands, S. Vicente island harbour development owes very much to the British companies settled there during WWII and later. My great grand father was a StAubyn gentleman who started a family and settled in S. Nicolau island.
@@camloff Tallent will Out.
😂😂😂
Captain James Cooke was a Navigator and explorer he had little to do at all with Empire. It was quite common in those times for people to claim new lands for their country if they thought they were the first to find them. Historical context is essential. In short Cooke made relationships with these new found islands and counties to promote his country over others in terms of trade and security. In this he was very successful always promoting respect and consideration .Insisting his people treat native people's with respect.Hos last voyage (of three) had particular difficulties and his health was clearly affecting his behaviour. But his values were well my maintained by his officers .The son of a farm laboror he was absolutely a remarkable human being and probably the best surveyor navigator and seaman we have ever produced.
He was a Psychopath.
@@robespierre466 how??
Very good well made video
I don’t think the Scottish settlements in a Nova Scotia failed too miserably; I mean we are here with Scottish Gaelic on our road signs with Celtic music playing everywhere in a place that’s Latin for New Scotland lol
ERROR @ 0:25 - *Britain 🇬🇧* also has *3 Dependencies* as well as *14 Territories.*
Note: Bad start! Leaving out *Jersey 🇯🇪 + Guernsey 🇬🇬 + Isle of Man* 🇮🇲 is a crime!
Let me summarise this for you: a combination of exploration, trade dominance, technological advancements, and military power allowed the British to establish the largest empire the world has ever seen. Also the fact that they are an island nation was in their favour
Yes.Culture too. I love the afternoon English tea tradition. How can you live without the daily 4.00pm cup of earl grey and a scone with cream and jam. This alone was worth being colonized.
@@rosean374they slaughtered millions of people. Decimated indigenous populations throughout the globe. The plantations are synonymous with genocide.
How is being an island any advantage to conquering other lands thousands of miles away. The British faced all the same challenges any invader of Britain faced. That argument is a nonsense. It only holds true from a defensive position and the empire was obviously not that. You should try thinking things through.
Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday,
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!
Nice video! Watching this with proud! 🇦🇫🇦🇫🇦🇫