David Olusoga traces the story of Empire from its origins under Elizabeth I in the late 16th Century, when England was a relatively poor country compared to the global and lucrative empires of its European rivals, Spain and Portugal, to the establishment of colonies in America, the Caribbean and India.

David Olusoga examines how the movement of people around the Empire--both voluntary and involuntary--continues to shape the world of today. He also reveals how the loss of the American colonies led to the colonization of Australia and how the Indian indenture system was established.

David Olusoga explores the contested histories and modern hybrid identities that were left behind when, after four centuries, the British Empire finally came to an end. The Empire reached its maximum size after the First World War, but within a generation had begun to collapse in this story of decolonization.