Empire

Britain took and held power in many different ways in the Empire, from a calculated display of imperial pageantry to the cult of monarchy. Yet should any country be so obsessed with what Lawrence of Arabia called ‘policing other men’s muddles’?

When you’re conquering and settling in new countries, how do you create a feeling of ‘home’? In exchange, many of the millions affected by imperial expansion learned to see Britain as their home.

The Empire saw the growth of a particular type of British hero – adventurer, gentleman, sportsman – and a British obsession: sport. The gospel of sport spread through the Empire’s public schools, laying the foundations for almost all the major sports of today.

A pirates’ treasure hunt grew into an informal empire based on trade - and slavery. It formed the basis of the modern global financial network.

The extraordinary story of how a desire for conquest became a mission to improve the rest of mankind. How did that mission become an unquestioning belief that Britain could – and should – rule the world?