The formation of the Spanish Empire in the Americas can be seen as a remarkable feat, as against seemingly impossible odds a handful of soldiers conquered empires of thousands and took control of much of modern day of Latin America for Spain. But how accurate are the stories? And after the dust settled, how did a monarch in Spain govern a landmass more than ten times the size and population, across an ocean? Dr. Ben Fuggle will offer a brief overview of the two conquests of the Americas, how the Spanish pulled it off in the first place, the role of both well-known and more obscure key figures, and how amidst the chaos the Spanish crown tried to reassert control while the indigenous peoples fought for their lives.
The Second Boer (1898-1902) also known as the Anglo-Boer War or South Africa War was fought between the British Empire and the free Afrikaner states of the Transvaal Republic, and Orange Free State. In this talk, Ryan will outline the causes, chronology and outcomes of the conflict. Particular fo...
Dido Belle was a young black woman, born to a British Naval Officer and a slave woman but brought up in an aristocratic family. She was privileged but not equal, loved but not legally free. She occupied an extraordinary position in the home of the Lord Chief Justice Mansfield as his adopted niece...
Not many people have ever heard of the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the Seventeenth century – These were three wars between England and the United Provinces (you’ll know them today as the Netherlands) between 1652 and 1674, fought for money, prestige and political rivalries in England. The Anglo-Dutch war...