It was the ingenuity that struck me: how a combination of wood, rope and metal could take you thousands of miles across the ocean.
I was sailing on the replica of the Matthew, the ship which explorer John Cabot launched from Bristol in 1497 in search of the New World. Henry VIII had asked him to 'seeke out, discover and finde whatsoever iles, countreyes, regions or provinces'. Eventually, Cabot landed in Newfoundland and took possession of it in the name of the King.
As I hoisted the sails, I was overwhelmed by what a daunting experience it must have been to venture into the unknown. Yet it was that spirit of discovery and endeavour that led to Britain becoming the greatest naval power the world had ever seen.
DAN SNOW: How the Royal Navy gave us the Bank of England, a civil service and tinned food (not to mention a global empire) | Mail Online
Written by Rachel on January 11th, 2010Empire Of The Seas – Heart Of Oak
Written by Rachel on December 30th, 2009Empire Of The Seas – Heart Of Oak Ep 1/4
Friday 15 January
9.00-10.00pm BBC TWO
For centuries, the Royal Navy has strived to help make Britain one of the world’s great maritime superpowers. In Empire Of The Seas, historian and avid sailor Dan Snow goes beyond battle tactics to reveal a surprising naval history. The series reveals an indelible bond between seafarers and the people of Britain and charts how the Navy shaped modern Britain.
In the first part of this landmark series, Dan uncovers the defining role the nascent Navy played in Britain’s emergence onto the world stage. He explores the Navy’s metamorphosis, from a rabble of Tudor West Country freebooters and a few Royal ships, to a recognisably modern institution.
Beginning with a dramatic re-telling of 16th and 17th-century history, Dan looks at how victory over the Armada proved a turning point in Britain’s national story. England was transformed into a seafaring nation whose source of future wealth and power lay on the oceans.
Ships poured out of England. They founded the Colonies and the beginnings of what would become Britain’s future Empire. In 1652, General at Sea Robert Blake produced the Navy’s first ever set of regulations, which offered a blue print for structure and discipline at sea that would later be applied through all areas of government.
By the time of the Restoration, the Navy took up 25 per cent of the national budget and was the country’s largest industrial enterprise – but it was also a chaotic mess. Dan reveals the man who turned it around, Samuel Pepys. His vivid diary reveals a man who was a genius organiser. He overhauled the Restoration Navy, introduced exams, stamped out corruption and ultimately laid the foundations for Britain’s modern civil service.
Despite Pepys’s innovations, the question of how the Navy was funded and controlled continued to create ongoing divisions between the King and Parliament. As trouble loomed on the political front, the Navy’s key role in the Glorious Revolution cemented its place as a central pillar of state.
Empire of the Seas
Written by Rachel on December 30th, 2009Empire Of The Seas
Friday 15 January BBC TWO
“Are we at peace, or at war?” the French sea captain called to his British counterpart. The reply, says historian Dan Snow, was emphatic: “At peace! At peace!” Moments later, the French ships, bound for their colony in Canada, were shattered by a devastating broadside. It was 1755 and this “naked act of aggression” heralded the first truly world war.
The Seven Years War, Dan Snow explains in Empire Of The Seas, his four-part history of the Royal Navy for BBC Two, was nothing less than a battle for global supremacy. The two nations fought wherever their interests clashed and the outcome changed the world for ever, writes Programme Information’s Tony Matthews.
Christmas has long been a time for gluttony | BBC History Magazine
Written by Rachel on December 17th, 2009Christmas is approaching; people are giving themselves over to wild excess, while misanthropes moan. They wail that Christmas has become a festival of excess, an orgy of licentiousness, a celebration of gluttony.
Since these are exactly the aspects of Christmas that I most enjoy, I bridle when told by misguided joyless folk that I am betraying the true spirit of Christmas. Particularly because anyone with a passing knowledge of the history of the midwinter festival now known as Christmas will know that ever since humans became capable of sharing a common culture, they have let their hair down and partied at the time of year when the days are shortest.
via Christmas has long been a time for gluttony | BBC History Magazine.
Interview with Dan
Written by Rachel on November 24th, 2009Dan Snow – hot property on Sandra Kessell’s blog:
“Dan Snow is rushing between airport terminals. He’s flown overnight from Canada, it’s Monday morning and he is in the process of catching another plane to Malta. In true jet-setting style he’s conducting this interview in-between. Behind his familiar voice is the noise of tannoy announcements and baggage trolleys and he sounds a little tired as he negotiates other travellers but he’s a seasoned campaigner and used to pushing himself beyond his limits.”
Muskets in the Scottish hills | BBC History Magazine
Written by Rachel on November 19th, 2009It was a very British scene. A group of wild haired men and women, dressed like Siberian irregulars, standing in a huddled group on a rain lashed November day on a hillside overlooking Glasgow. From time to time the clouds lifted and a bright autumnal light flashed off the buildings of the city below us. We were there to fire eighteenth century weapons.
via Muskets in the Scottish hills | BBC History Magazine.
BBC News – The heroes Britain accidentally forgot
Written by Rachel on November 17th, 2009“Mr Snow’s personal choice for unsung hero is “utter legend” Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British Army who inspired unwavering loyalty from his soldiers, and was only the second black player in the top division of the Football League.”
BBC – Empire Of The Seas
Written by Rachel on November 12th, 2009For centuries the Royal Navy has strived to help make Britain one of the worlds great maritime superpowers. In Empire Of The Seas, a Timewatch series, historian and avid sailor Dan Snow goes beyond the battle tactics to reveal a surprising history.Travelling across the oceans and with unique access to the modern fleet, Dan examines the impact of the Royal Navy on society, from its role in the foundation of the Bank Of England to the creation of a model for the civil service.The series unearths rarely seen manuscripts and records, and reveals the hidden human stories behind the famous battles. Offering a fresh perspective, Empire Of The Seas tells a fascinating story of how Royal Navy ships on the high seas have inspired the people of Britain.
New BBC Two winter shows include new David Mitchell comedy and more! : TV Scoop
Written by Rachel on November 11th, 2009The Noughties examines the defining events that have shaped British life in the first decade of the 21st century; while The Empire Of The Seas presented by Dan Snow reveals the Royal Navys surprising past and reveals how its ships, technology and organisation have helped shape the history of Britain.
via New BBC Two winter shows include new David Mitchell comedy and more! : TV Scoop.
Welcome!
Written by Rachel on October 24th, 2009Hi there!
This is something in the vague way of a Dan Snow fansite – mostly with news and articles rather than the vast galleries of pictures and epic swathes of detailed information that you might get on other fansites.
Please note – this site is in no way official and we have no contact with Dan himself.