Relevant History

In this episode, Dan traces the origins of the Seven Years’ War, starting with a seemingly-insignificant skirmish commanded by a young George Washington. This 1754 clash between British and French colonial forces will eventually turn into a global co...

In 1756, the French and British war over North America spills over to Europe. Prussian leader Frederick the Great, a British ally, takes the opportunity to make a pre-emptive attack on French-allied Austria, Poland, Saxony, and Russia. Soon, Sweden j...

In 1759, Europe is in its fourth year of war. North America is in its sixth. There, a new British commander named Jeffery Amherst partners with Native American allies to take the fight to the French. If successful, Amherst can force the French out of...

In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, Great Britain struggles to manage her enlarged North American holdings. In an effort to fund necessary garrison troops, Parliament levies a series of taxes on the 13 Colonies, who have previously held th...

In July of 1776, even as the ink on the Declaration of Independence is still drying, a British invasion force invades New York, forcing George Washington and the Continental Army to retreat into New Jersey and leave America’s largest port in British ...

In the years 1778 and 1779, the American revolutionaries work to keep the British army bottled up in New York City. At the same time, the British open a second offensive in the southern states, and encourage their Native American allies to open up a ...

In 1780, the American War for Independence is at a stalemate. The British, eager to crush the rebellion once and for all, decide to change strategies and invade the American south. There, they will face not just the Continental Army, but also the bac...

The British surrender at Yorktown isn’t the end of the American War for Independence, but it’s the end of the war in North America, and within another year the war overseas is also finished. With peace comes an end to the bloodshed, a chance to rebui...

The French Revolution is a watershed moment not just in the history of France, but for all of humanity. Old ideas of class, hierarchy, and the divine right of kings are being challenged. For the first time since the classical era, an urban proletaria...

After the Storming of the Bastille, the French Revolution shifts into high gear. The Constituent Assembly quickly abolishes feudal reforms and promotes the foundation of a new government with a document: the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of th...