Neil Oliver: News, Interviews, History

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53. Civil War! Lansdown Hill, Bath. May 24, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast we’re travelling the sharp end of a war which ripped the British Isles apart.

King Charles I went head to head with increasingly bold Parliamentarians. Bitter, internecine politics and deadly powerplays led to opposing armies being raised, and a bloody civil war swept across the whole of the British Isles. Families, neighbours and lifelong friends were pitted against each another as people were compelled to pick a side and face each other in the blood and gore of lethal combat.

In the beautiful rolling hills of the west country, near the city of Bath, a brutal battle was fought that throws the personal tragedy of civil war into sharp relief - horror and heroism side by side with the intimate heartbreak of friends fighting against each other to the death. The battle of Lansdown Hill fought in 1643.

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The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

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52. Civil War Coming! Greyfriars Kirkyard, Edinburgh May 17, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast we’re teetering on the brink of a war that would rip the three kingdoms apart.

In what is one of the most significant moments in Scottish history the National Covenant was born. King Charles I of England and Scotland, an imperious and domineering monarch, went heat to head with the Presbyterian Scots who were in no mood to listen to new ideas, not even from a king.

Riots and rebellion swept the country and the King found himself at war with the nation. A resounding clash of religious faiths, a ground-breaking document, rebellion and a blood-soaked island.

https://www.patreon.com/neiloliver

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

51. White Slavery, Dunashad Castle May 10, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast we’re prowling the beautiful coves and bays of the Irish coast with Barberry Corsairs.

On a dark night in 1631 a notorious Dutch pirate known as ‘Captain Murat’, who operated out of Morocco with the blessing of the Ottoman sultan in Istanbul, sailed ashore to Dunashad castle in Baltimore, County Cork. On this one fateful night Captain Murat and his pirates left a dark shadow of violence and slavery over the whole town. All the inhabitants, every man, woman, and child were taken aboard their pirate ships and transported to north Africa to be sold into slavery.

https://www.patreon.com/neiloliver

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50. Shakespeare & the Globe Theatre, London May 03, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast Neil takes us to a place where all our modern senses and sterile sensibilities are thrown into shock. London at the turn of the C17th was a major metropolis, a city teeming with life, where pestilence and poverty sat cheek by jowl with great wealth and riches. A major industrial centre it was ripe with every stink of animal and human imaginable, streets crowded and claustrophobic, some lined with the rotting body parts of dismembered criminals.

Striding into this world came William Shakespeare, a man who had the power to entertain the thongs. Conjuring and conceiving magical words and language he became one of the pillars of the English language. His plays and poetry, that have moved and shaped the whole world, were written, read and performed on Bankside at the Globe theatre.

To help support this podcast and get exclusive access to New Videos Every Week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/neiloliver

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

49. Hampton Court Palace Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast Neil takes us with him, setting foot into a building whose history is inextricably woven into the story of the British Isles.

A landmark building, that’s as beautiful as it is beguiling. In 1944 General Dwight Eisenhower camped beside it and planned the D-Day landings, William Shakespeare and his troop of actors performed in it’s Great Hall, but Henry VIII’s bloated and corrupt shadow falls most darkly on its red bricks.

It’s a palace with panache, a building that’s full of intrigue, politics and high drama. It’s a place that gave birth to a book, but not just any book, a book whose poetic words, cadences, and rhythms made it a cornerstone of English literature – the King James Bible. The elegance of the humanity expressed within its pages helped empower the formation of modern democracy, and this book was conceived within the walls of the magnificent Hampton Court Palace.

To help support this podcast and get access to New Videos Every Week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

48. The Spanish Armada, the Giant’s Causeway Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

This week we’re witnessing the final destructive crescendo that put paid to a powerful, but ill-fated invasion fleet bent on conquering England. Queen Elizabeth I stood firm against the mighty Spanish Armada, and the elemental forces of nature came to her assistance.

The Spanish ships sent to invade England were bristling with the latest weapons of war and full of men and treasure. After being attacked by Sir Francis Drake in the channel they were scattered by a powerful storm. Pushed by the weather right around the eastern seaboard of the British Isles, around the tip of Scotland some of the remnants of this once formidable invasion fleet ended up at the Giant’s Causeway on the Irish coast. Here, at this this world-famous stage of staggering natural beauty, they were hit by another deadly storm and finally destroyed leaving Elizabeth I and England safe.

To help support this podcast and get access to New Videos Every Week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

47. Elizabeth I & the Spanish Armada Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

This week Neil takes us along an Elizabethan jetty to hear one of history’s great speeches.

In 1588, as Sir Francis Drake sailed to meet the mighty Spanish Armada, Queen Elizabeth I travelled down the river Thames to Tilbury fort where she addressed her army. If the powerful Spanish force landed and invaded England these are the men who would defend the country and its queen. Dressed in white and surrounded by her soldiers, Elizabeth delivered a legendary speech that put steel resolve into their hearts and helped define England as a nation. Stirring stuff indeed!

To help support this podcast and get access to New Videos Every Week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

46. Francis Drake and the Golden Hind, Aldeburgh Apr 05, 2021

Show notes

This week Neil is taking us aboard the Golden Hind, a legendary ship that sailed around the world and into history.

In 16th century Aldeburgh, which was then an important east-coast port, shipbuilders set to work building a vessel that was to have a profound influence on British history.

Once completed and seaworthy Francis Drake and his crew climbed aboard and set sail on an epic 3 year voyage to circumnavigate the globe. On its return the ship was full to bursting with gold, silver and precious jewels, and Francis Drake received a hero’s welcome and the thanks of his queen, Elizabeth I.

To help support this podcast and get access to New Videos Every Week sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon.

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

45. The Battle of Flodden, Northumberland Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

This week Neil marches with us across the wild beauty of Northumberland to a battleground

that broke Scotland’s heart.

In 1513 Margaret Tudor watched as her husband, the glamours renaissance king, James IV of Scotland, set off to invade England and do battle with her brother, Henry VIII. When Henry invaded France James felt duty bound to honour the Auld Alliance, a treaty of mutual assistance between Scotland and France. In retaliation he led the largest Scottish army ever to invade England across the border. James' powerful force bristling with the latest military technology met an English army led by the Earl of Surrey at Flodden. It was a brutal and bloody battle, fought with formidable pikes imported from the continent, cannon fire, slaughter and a deadly arrow to the King’s face.

To help support ‘Neil Oliver’s Love Letter To The British Isles’ podcast sign up to Neil Oliver on Patreon – history, commentary and a whole lot more. New Videos Every Week

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

44. Scotland’s Silver Brooch, Stirling Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

This Week Neil’s on his home turf delving into the deep history of one of the most glorious castles in the British Isles.

They say Stirling castle is the silver brooch that hitches the Highlands of Scotland to the lowlands. Neil very much regards it as his personal touch stone. It’s a place that was already well trodden by our ancestors when the Roman road builders turned up around AD80.

The castle, which sits atop a geological formation known as a crag and tail, has always been strategically vital, playing a crucial part in the history of Scotland and the British Isles.

Kings and queens have been born and raised there, battles fought, and scores settled in and around it. Jaw-dropping grandeur and beauty, it’s a place full of drama and passion, it’s a place Neil knows & loves well.

Check out, the Neil Oliver Patreon site for new history and commentary videos every week

The series Instagram account is – Neil Oliver Love Letter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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