Honey wake up, old Britannia just uploaded a new video

The videos on different European foreign policies has seriously helped contextualtize much of what I'm learning already. Needless to say, History classes don't explain things this well in this much detail.

I'm amazed by your ability to fit praise of Salisbury even into a discussion set before he was born, but I'm honestly not really surprised.

I hope you all enjoy this short video on British Foreign Policy in the lead up to the American Revolution. As usual all feedback/corrections are welcome - I've already caught that I say Whitehall, instead of the more correct term of St James' for the eighteenth century, early in the video. Aside from that, happy Easter to all who celebrate, Christ is risen. Correction: Paul Langford's book cited at the end should be 'The Eighteenth Century'. Though 'The Twentieth Century' by Paul Hayes is also very good, if nothing to do with the topic of the video.

Having always thought of this period as monarchies playing at soldiers, your videos are an eye opener. As a wargamer, Napoleonic era always seemed more dynamic, but you concisely show how much more was going on politically and diplomatically. I already commented elsewhere to advertise this video.

This is precisely the kind of history video I love: No flashy, unnecessary accoutrements. Just maps, information, and context. Perfect with my morning coffee. Glad I found your channel!

I've always found British history prior to the American Revolution fascinating in its own way. I didn't realize how isolated they actually were which was kind of dumbfounding.

This is really interesting. We rarely get to understand anything but the most basic context for the American Revolution and the 18th century more generally, and seeing the thought processes of the people behind those decisions really helps to get a good idea of how and why things happened the way they did.

Old Britannia, you have such a keen, articulate mind. Perhaps the wisest historian on YT. Do a video comparing the issues of the Revolution around July 4. 🇺🇸🇬🇧

As an American all I can say is, thank God for the uncharacteristic leaden footedness of English diplomacy in the period

My new favorite channel, while many other channels focus on the same wars and topics yours not only looks at wars but on diplomacy and other factors, truly a gem

Seriously love this channel. You guys do some amazing content. Easily one of my favourite history channels on the platform.

Another great addition to your historical library. You're a content creator cut above the rest.

I'd love a 7 years war video from you. It's a topic I rarely see covered or talked about but is so important in the grand scheme of things, paving the way for Pax Brittanica.

My favorite history channel by miles. I love every upload.

Your channel is great, my degree and Masters was in history and I focused a lot on the British empire in multiple modules from military history to social/economic history, so although I dont learn anything myself from your channel, it is nice to see someone who actually knows their stuff and puts effort in to these videos. There is a lot of trash or flat out lies out there on the internet when it comes to ''history'', and much of it is polticized or used as a weapon today, but its good to know real history is out there for people to discover and learn from. I wish I had the time to make videos like this myself, maybe during the next pandemic 😂

Splendid! A very great deal very efficiently summarized. With this calibre of content, you may give UKposts a good name.

I love the detail on your video essays. After years of learning history, it is now the details that interest me the most.

I absolutely love every video on this channel. Not sure how you are able to keep up the quality and high frequency at the same time. Have you found a way to overcome the need to sleep?

Excellent production quality. The most important aspect to develop now is a list of reputable sources for each video, ideally with citations on screen throughout.

@9:01 I'd love to hear more about Chamberlain's foreign policy, especially what you mention at this mark in the video. Thanks for the content, it's really good stuff!!!

A proper channel that has delivered at every chance.

Thank you for making these, you make history incredibly interesting.

Sir, I'm still awaiting the creation of a Patreon or some form to support you and your immensely useful, visual aids in the permeability and understanding of history.

I'd love to see a video on the Diplomatic Revolution, and Seven Years' War which followed. It was such a tremendous shift in the balance of power, one could argue it set the trends for the next two centuries of the Concert.

Simply wonderful work. I can’t say I’ve ever been disappointed by one of your videos.

Unsplendid isolation perhaps, but a splendid video to be sure. Thanks for making these amazing videos!

Thank you for the info. The map in North America surprised me I never knew the British claimed so much between 1760-1776.

Very good work, I've been a lurker for a while but I'm now subscribed

Great video as always!

I like how you changed the Union Jack in the background depending on the time period.

An incredibly engaging video as always!

I have given up trying to guess what topic you will cover next. And I mean that as a compliment.

This channel has a bright future imo

Another amazing documentary!

You should make a Playlist of these videos into several playlists: - British policy (chronological) - the Long 19th Century (chronological) - other powers

I'd love if you could do a video focusing more on the American war of independence itself. Even as a non-american, I feel like it gets so mythologised in popular western culture that it's hard to find an accurate summary. In particular it's the role of powers like France and Spain that I feel gets very overlooked

Great video. Keep it up

Brilliant as always 👍

more content, hell yeah!

I stop all im doing when I see you uploaded a new video

Could I please ask about Britain’s oldest ally in this period (Portugal)? Did they offer any support during the War of Independence? Or would that have been suicidal for them with most of the rest of Western Europe on the opposite side? As an Australian I found it interesting to find out that an English captain in Portuguese service, during a war between them and Spain, was Arthur Phillip (who would go on to found Sydney).

How do you have 45k subs? You are so underrated

Having done too many papers on Bute and British politics in the 1760s and 1770s in grad school, let me offer a tip of the cap for your good work here. Let me also offer a great book on an overlooked topic from this era. More than 40 years ago, Michael Roberts did an excellent job of looking at Sir John Goodricke's important work in "British Diplomacy and Swedish Politics, 1758-1773." A fascinating book that offers a great deal of insight on the era.

Fire content as usual

Really cool way to frame all of this with that ending.

good one

very interesting, I liked this video a lot!

Now, this is an interesting video about Britain's foreign policy before the American Revolutionary War!

Great video. Could I suggest the war of Spanish succession?

Another excellent video Britannia

What sources did you use for this? Loving the great content as always 👍

Will you end up making a patreon? Because these videos are great

good job

A wonderful video as always, Old Britannica. Just a small general question, what is the map/image representing Russia (for example at 2:40) supposed to be? Austria, Prussia and France all seem to have their country outlines, but I am hard pressed to see any geographical semblance of the Russian image.

This video was thankfully very beneficial in helping to understand why the British were being so petty and tyrannical on their English brothers in the Americas. For some time, I thought it was merely due to arrogance after winning the Seven Years War in such a triumphant manner, but I wasn't fully satisfied with this. Now I see that while arrogance still likely played a role, the British needing to save face and maintain an empire likely played a very important role that isn't always emphasized.

We don't tend to think of Britain being a colossus in the 18th century. (Also, Britains isolation reminds me of becoming too powerful in EU4 and every other power turning their backs - but without the expensive and often underwhelming DLCs!)

Hey I love your content. May I ask how do you edit your videos?

I studied the American Revolutionary War once in detail for a tutoring job I had, couldn't have put it better myself lol "It was then British Generalship, not British Diplomacy, that was to lose England America" Why Howe never actually closed the noose in New York I will never friggen know

Hey Old Britannia, didn’t you have another three part series on the British Empire, it seems to have gone? Thank you

Holy shit words cannot describe how much i love your videos. Made me realise Diplomacy is an art and is incredibly cool compared to just fighting wars. Please keep making videos i love this shit.

Splendid isolation was a prelude to appeasement. They were two foreign policies that avoiding conflict over smart geopolitical strategy. This policy allowed for rivals like Germany, Japan, and Russia to grow in power without restraint.

Great vid as always, in your opinion, what should the Empire have done regarding the 13 colonies? In one of your previous vids you noted that ultimately the Empire gave up as the cost would not outweigh a larger military investment and was impopulair at home? So I’d think some sort of diplomatic overture would have needed to be done?

Neat Warren Zevon reference.

Very interesting! Could you please give us some sources you used for this video?

nice

I don't mean to sound dense, but was an Anglo-Spanish alliance possible or were the Bourbons too close? Also great video.

I cannot begin to imagine having all your territories in the Atlantic and then just having a large chunk of land that you have to sail around Europe, Africa and then India to get to. Talk about ineffective.

It would be awesome to see a video on the contributions of France, Spain and Holland to Britain’s defeat in the American War of Independence as a result of this diplomatic isolation. Lest we forget that the French and Spanish planned to invade Great Britain if they achieved a successful outcome in the Great Siege of Gibraltar (the largest battle of the war).

Blatant or refreshingly honest. Also the formal legal condition of a state of War imposed real constraints on the conduct of War as opposed to today's euphemisms such as "peacekeeping" or "special military operations" .

What about Splendid Isolation? Will you make a video about that?

Can't wait to watch an episode, perhaps the next, on the British-American conflict. Though true that Great Britain lost that war.. "it won its peace" thanks to British diplomacy. I would like to hear your analysis on how each major European colonial power (ie Great Britain, France and Spain) looked at the newly arisen American state on a diplomatic level.

For the algorithm (you should also cover the Ulster Crisis)

*Britain's Empire: Supreme and Alone* *Britain in Europe* 0:00 The Peace of Paris 1763 brought a conclusion to the Seven Years War. 0:17 Britain/London had no more allies on The European Continent (and increasingly unhappy North American colonists) 2:15 Prussian King Frederick II did not want alliance because he did not want to be dragged into more British wars. 4:27 1770 Britain vs Spain for control of The Falkland Islands. 5:57 6:16 Why should Britain ally anyway? Blue Water Strategy. 7:12 Two Power Standard. Remain strong in peace, promote strong economy. *Britain in America* 7:50 Imperial Authority in America. 8:54 Dealing with 1 threat at a time. 9:15 "We must get the colonies in order before dealing with our neighbors" said George III. America empowered Britain economically. 9:52 Taxation CLASH. *Britain and Bourbon France* 10:17 10:48 Frederick II comments. 11:28 Britain lays off from engaging in war with France. 11:56 Howe's Capture of New York. 12:06 British Generalship lost The Revolutionary War in North American.

Britain was always either going to lose America or be swallowed by it. Adam Smith said as much. The colonies would never accept their lack of say in the affairs of the British Empire they found themselves taxed and conscripted in, but if the American Colonies were given the representation they wanted in a hundred years the center of Empire would shift across the Atlantic, with England reduced to a mere periphery. In the end both happened. Britain lost America in 1783 and 173 years later was finally subsumed into the American Hegemony after the debacle that was Suez.

do you have an socials we can follow?

Don’t disregard the fact that the American Revolution was, if it was anything, a civil war between Whig and Tory that was happening on both sides of the Atlantic. In the American colonies, blood was actually being shed over it; in the Mother Country (what we yanks once called Great Britain) it was happening in the halls of Parliament. I say this as a descendant of American Loyalists. The entire war needs to be retaught. Unfortunately, there still aren’t enough competent independent scholars willing to consider it for proper historical review. Charles Coulombe is one I would highly recommend. I might also recommend Kevin Philipps’ “Cousins’ Wars”, which is an outstanding work.

Which county are you from?

I’ve got a coin minted by the east India company and a cool authentication card that talks about the ship wreck it was found on and besides all the history I think damn Amazon is powerful but could you imagine them having the power of the fed and the navy, marine corps included lol.

This was a strange time period. Britain had established herself as the main great power but had yet to solidify it. America was on her way to revolution. France was on its way to her own revolution.

Unrelated question, but is there any reason why you deleted your old videos on the British and German empire?

interesting

the way you flip the countries around their axis makes it a bit confusing who is who

Hark, my lord, Eldest Britannica has provided for thee, rejoice!

The principle of one can forgive an enemy but not a friend, thus the seperate peace alienated support for Britain .

You should collab with Apostolic Majesty. I believe y’all would make something really cool together.

Can you do a vedio of tsarist Russian rule

Based beyond belief channel

This makes me want to play Empire Total War.

What happened to the British Empire trilogy? Issues with UKposts?

How much do you read on a daily basis? I find that reading and taking notes for an hour only yields around 10 pages of progress, certainly not enough to be able to finish 600 page books relatively quickly!

You let in my inner Tigerstar with the borders of Prussia. I do not believe that Prussia had control over the region of Warmia (the piece of land that made the province of East Prussia look like it had a hook).

0:44 How about Portugal?

It would be great to see foreign policy from the other European powers.

Old Britannia publishing 3 videos within the last month is gonna make my UKposts viewing experience much better.

Hurray!

Would you be interested in making a video about each nation's motivations in the War of the Spanish Succesion? Or is that not really your area of history?

In the meantime, France had great diplomatic momentum as it form a ligue against Great Britain and lead a victorius naval war against its nemesis. And the american indepandance was a little episode of the bigger franco-british war. Saddly for France, all the advantage won was lost by the révolution in 1789.

Which part of Russia is displayed in the allies timeline?

The war's lesson is don't put your expedition to the headwaters of the Ohio River under the command of a 21-year-old first time officer whose only qualification is having a rich family. First, he'll screw up the expedition and start a war, and second, he'll use his hard won experience to lead a revolt. That's a lesson I'm sure we can all apply in our lives.