American Reacts to Every Country England Has Invaded

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  • čas přidán 30. 11. 2022
  • 👉 Help support my channel here: ko-fi.com/reactingtomyroots
    In this video I react to every country England has invaded. While I knew the British empire played a major role in world history, this was absolutely shocking!
    Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this reaction please give this video a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments and click the subscribe button to follow my journey to learn about my British and Irish ancestry.
    👉 Original Video:
    • Every Country England ...
    👉 Subscribe to my channel:
    / @reactingtomyroots

Komentáře • 4,9K

  • @gigmcsweeney8566
    @gigmcsweeney8566 Před rokem +2534

    Apologies to those parts of the globe we missed.

    • @philiprenshaw9184
      @philiprenshaw9184 Před rokem +52

      Very funny!

    • @peterlearner8594
      @peterlearner8594 Před rokem +18

      You missed Spain during the Napoleonic wars

    • @alvinbowen999
      @alvinbowen999 Před rokem +57

      @@peterlearner8594 so how did we kick spains arse for the rock ,I'm sure we took that when Spain lost .

    • @peterlearner8594
      @peterlearner8594 Před rokem +31

      @@alvinbowen999 It was nothing to do with the Napoleonic wars. The first time we invaded Span was in the 18th century during the War of Spanish Succession. We didn't want the French heir to the throne so invaded along with the Dutch. As part of the peace deal we took Gibraltar in the Treaty of Utrech

    • @alvinbowen999
      @alvinbowen999 Před rokem +5

      @Peter Learner so your original point of not invading Spain is no longer true and if you remember we also done one befor it was also mentioned there was a reason why we went into Spain during the nepolanic war even the TV series sharp got that bit correct did not stay but did invade

  • @keithdrew642
    @keithdrew642 Před rokem +435

    It just started as a pub crawl.😂😂😂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

  • @moonshinepz
    @moonshinepz Před 11 měsíci +122

    My Dad was in the Iceland invasion during WW2, the invasion's key moment consisted of putting up a notice in the post office in Reykjavik. How very British.

    • @DannyWood7989
      @DannyWood7989 Před 10 měsíci +26

      Did he queue? Cashier number six, please.

    • @moonshinepz
      @moonshinepz Před 10 měsíci +8

      @@DannyWood7989 🤣

    • @ReeceyBoy_4
      @ReeceyBoy_4 Před 10 měsíci +5

      ​@@DannyWood7989hahahhahaa

    • @ReeceyBoy_4
      @ReeceyBoy_4 Před 10 měsíci +4

      😂😂😂 brilliant

    • @breselyer
      @breselyer Před 9 měsíci +16

      "Excuse me, would you mind awfully if we took over your country?"

  • @MySkyranger
    @MySkyranger Před rokem +53

    It’s called a commonwealth. Wealth for everyone. Thank you GREAT BRITAIN

  • @Markus117d
    @Markus117d Před rokem +797

    Most people take the saying " The sun never sets on the Empire" as meaning it would last forever. But actually it's literally just being accurate. Because the Empire spanned the globe it was always day time somewhere within it...

    • @crosseyedone7960
      @crosseyedone7960 Před rokem +27

      Yep, spot on.

    • @weewilliewinkle
      @weewilliewinkle Před rokem +104

      My father used to delight in quoting....I think it was Krishna Mhenon....who apparently responded "Yes, the sun never sets on the British Empire. That's because not even God can trust them when it's dark!"

    • @pjmoseley243
      @pjmoseley243 Před rokem +14

      @@weewilliewinkle lol yes I had heard that one too. but that was just people having a joke and being cynical I think.

    • @grumpynanny7402
      @grumpynanny7402 Před rokem +10

      @@weewilliewinkle my dad said the same. He also said we should let the other countries see the dark.

    • @madyottoyotto3055
      @madyottoyotto3055 Před rokem +8

      @@pjmoseley243
      there is a lot of basis for not trusting the Brits historically that is
      However it's not the full picture of corse
      If your on our side you can trust us oppose is however and you know how it goes

  • @jamessacco3654
    @jamessacco3654 Před rokem +442

    4:06 as a resident of Gibraltar 🇬🇮 yes. We are still very much British and proud to be! VIVA LOS LLANITO

    • @Tolrem-uh2ee
      @Tolrem-uh2ee Před rokem +29

      Gibraltar is often overlooked because Spain gets angry about it. I have family in Gib and they are not giving it up any time soon.

    • @unlockeduk
      @unlockeduk Před rokem +8

      SEND ME YOUR COINS!!! i love gibralar coins they always seem to have best british designs

    • @ColinRichardson
      @ColinRichardson Před rokem +4

      I seem to remember something about "UK was going to give Gibraltar back, and people in Gibraltar didn't want to leave"..
      I don't know if that was "British people in Gibraltar didn't wanna leave, or if native Gibraltar people didn't wanna go back to Spain" .. Hopefully you could let me know.

    • @Tolrem-uh2ee
      @Tolrem-uh2ee Před rokem

      @@ColinRichardson The UK cannot 'give Gibraltar back' to anyone. They are a non-autonomous territory that holds British-protectorate status...
      In other words the people living there would have to vote to remove the British and instate Spanish rule...and while not impossible, it is highly unlikely.
      If a nation were to declare war on Gibraltar (and by virute of proximity, Spain) they would automatically be at war with Britain etc...and Vice-versa. There are so many examples of this across the world. Britain (whether knowingly or not) has become a peace-keeper by default....even if it doesn't want to be.

    • @ellyboo8979
      @ellyboo8979 Před rokem +15

      @@ColinRichardson yeah the citizens of Gibraltar were asked if it was put to a vote would they want to go back to Spanish owned and they said in short “hell no” they wanted to remain with Great Britain. 😊

  • @jacksh1tgaming415
    @jacksh1tgaming415 Před 10 měsíci +51

    As a Brit I'd like to say that I absolutely pissed myself laughing at that video. Best thing I've seen on YT. What can I say? We liked to keep busy lol

  • @powellpker
    @powellpker Před rokem +72

    I've looked more into this over the years and it's an incredible feat by such a small nation, england is the same size of one of our states Alabama. The british empire fought civil war and partisan warfare in over 40 countries at the same time, (including america ;P).
    Also defended its homeland and invaded the other 3 superpowers at the same time, 1 v 3 france/spain/holland. Not a single time was england invaded, England also controlled all waters across the globe, and was the biggest threat to pirates & slaves traders.. And of course they also hunted the french and spanish fleets.
    All this at the same time and also on conquest to find new land... How such a tiny place could accomplish this across the entire globe is beyond me.
    Wooden boats, swords and shields.. Later cannonballs and muskets! That is all they had to controll the entire planet. Incredible!

    • @burbo8270
      @burbo8270 Před 9 měsíci +17

      The old school British know what it means. Lots of nations can have proud citizens, who recognise the undertakings their people have come together and achieved.. this sounds arrogant but ... I believe the British have the most reason to feel pride... like you say, we have been defending this small island for a thousand years.. successfully..I couldn't be more proud of my ancestors.
      They birthed the modern world in many ways, taking the industrial revolution to all corners of the globe...
      Although I am English, and the histories of the Welsh, Scottish and Irish are varied.. we havnt always been one people, and there can still be animosity between us... its mostly good humoured now... the English seem to be all the other teams arch nemesis on the rugby field for example... everyone likes to remind the English there is still fight in them...😂
      Times change now... the younger generation are so removed from patriotism and many see our exploits negatively, though know very little on the subject other than what a progressive media tells them...
      London is now minority native...the majority don't share patriotic feelings and gratitude to our ancestors. Far from it...

    • @henkdelange3107
      @henkdelange3107 Před 8 měsíci

      England has been invaded many times! See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_England
      Most notably the Glorious_Revolution by the Dutch. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution

    • @D1-GameSins
      @D1-GameSins Před 8 měsíci

      England has been invaded by the nordics

    • @taylorclarke3914
      @taylorclarke3914 Před 8 měsíci +4

      The UK. Not just England.

    • @tomriley5790
      @tomriley5790 Před 7 měsíci +5

      England most certainly was invaded repeatedly just a rather long time ago - mainly by vikings, who eventually settled in the Daneland and became part of England, Similarly the Vikings (Norse) who settled in Northern France, Normans invaded and conquered England (they also conquered part of Italy) ending anglosaxon rule.

  • @ejc8858
    @ejc8858 Před rokem +441

    As an Englishman in Britain it always frustrates me when our entire island is referred to as England. All other countries in our union fought, it's Great Britain not just England. 🇬🇧

    • @elizabethchapman9523
      @elizabethchapman9523 Před rokem +30

      I agree it is always referred to as England, but the UK is four nations. England,Wales, Scotland and N Ireland.

    • @gingerfreak01
      @gingerfreak01 Před rokem +1

      It's mostly been Anglocentric though, with Westminster being the centre of govt and finance. Culturally and technologically Scotland has been as important, but this vid's about conquest and that's always been dictated by the HoP/monarch and Sandhurst and the public schools. (Fettes is English in deed if not location)

    • @GreenyTheGooner
      @GreenyTheGooner Před rokem +4

      The Union of Parliaments (the union of the kingdom of england and kingdom of scotland, or the start of the UK) only happened in 1707 (they only shared the same king since 1603). Before that date it was the English army, the scottish had their own army, and after that date it was the British army.

    • @egeardahan7550
      @egeardahan7550 Před rokem +4

      yea even tho im turkish, i also get frustrated by that

    • @MicheleLLOYD-bk2mt
      @MicheleLLOYD-bk2mt Před 11 měsíci +32

      @@Driver2616 wales is a nation. Not interesting in semantics. Own culture and history and language. Never was English. But…. Amusing and typical Imperial attitudes

  • @colonelx185
    @colonelx185 Před rokem +85

    When you realise the Galactic Empire officers have British accents...

    • @trikky2.2
      @trikky2.2 Před rokem +3

      Yep I watched Star Wars :)

    • @obe1withtheforce785
      @obe1withtheforce785 Před rokem +6

      So do the faken Borg 😂

    • @trikky2.2
      @trikky2.2 Před rokem +8

      @@obe1withtheforce785 As a Brit I have to say we do villans very well :)

    • @richarddelanet
      @richarddelanet Před rokem +2

      unless you realise Star Wars is WWII... plenty of time mate

  • @catdash465
    @catdash465 Před 8 měsíci +31

    It's important to remember that Britain had been invaded and occupied relentlessly during its history. The vikings, saxons, Romans to name a few. It was put into the genetics of the people to innovate, explore and conquer from all the civilisations that bred themselves into us.
    Another important point is It's the only empire in history to end voluntarily and has a lasting legacy of trade along with the commonwealth.

    • @thebonewarrior8757
      @thebonewarrior8757 Před 7 měsíci +2

      1. Vikings had 1 ruler over us so you are correct. 2. The Romans conquered England not Britain as Scotland which wasn't invaded is required to make Britain. 3. The Saxons didn't technically invade us but became a part of us as another way to describe us now is the Anglo-Saxons. The only other one you didn't mention were the Normans and they were the most successful as their family became a part of the royal family.

    • @catdash465
      @catdash465 Před 7 měsíci

      @thebonewarrior8757 absolutely right. That's why I input occupied aswell as invaded. With England's attempts at invading Scotland over the years some of its occupations are likely to have crossed over genetically to a fair amount of the population.

    • @thebonewarrior8757
      @thebonewarrior8757 Před 7 měsíci

      @@catdash465 correct. I am also pointing out that by definition you are incorrect with the Romans as Britain refers to Wales, England and Scotland, however since the Romans invaded and occupied only Wales and England they did not occupy Scotland therfore meaning that they did not occupy Scotland. The Vikings also I believe didn't control Scotland as at that time they were not a collaboration with England.

    • @1AOR1
      @1AOR1 Před 7 měsíci +2

      ​@@thebonewarrior8757the romans definitely ruled a large part of Scotland for about 90 years I believe. They even built the Antonine Wall 👍

    • @dogtags2010
      @dogtags2010 Před 7 měsíci

      ​@1AOR1 they didn't invaded a large part, only the lowlands up towards Edinburgh. They couldn't keep the area as the celts/Scots kept attacking there supply lines. So they fell back and built hadrians wall.

  • @boywonder6659
    @boywonder6659 Před 9 měsíci +15

    During Queen Victoria’s reign the British Navy was twice as big as the rest of the world put together.

  • @lindylou7853
    @lindylou7853 Před rokem +586

    It wasn’t just England it was Britain and the the UK. It was also with troops from Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

    • @stun9771
      @stun9771 Před rokem

      Yes, we had to Kick their arses too, and get them subordinate to English rule first…lol…

    • @aaronbrown1493
      @aaronbrown1493 Před rokem

      @@stun9771 wrong England didn't kick scotlands arse they joined the union when the scottish king James VI became king James the I of england Ireland and scotland after Elizabeth the I of england died he ruled over all three separately before they finally became a union except Ireland so no england didn't kick no ones arse england has been invaded and conquered more times than any other UK country and the Royal family as you know today have more scottish blood in them than English there family tree go as far back as Robert the Bruce if not further to macbeth who was a real king not just in Shakespeares play don't believe me look it up 😉 lol

    • @bigg7047
      @bigg7047 Před rokem +23

      🫡👏👏👏👏Your right. My great grandfather was Irish and fought in the British army..

    • @cheasepriest
      @cheasepriest Před rokem +45

      the scots played a massive part in the empire.

    • @TimSmith-ms4tl
      @TimSmith-ms4tl Před rokem +62

      And yet claim they are victims of colonisation

  • @pauleccles507
    @pauleccles507 Před rokem +147

    If you have ever seen the weather in UK you would understand why we went all over the world invading or as we like to call it out winter holidays

    • @kramrollin69
      @kramrollin69 Před 11 měsíci +13

      Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.....

  • @siouxsioux2725
    @siouxsioux2725 Před rokem +44

    That's why there are so many countries who speak English.
    That's why the Commonwealth is so connected to the UK.
    These alliances & shared history is also about the Monarchy, shared culture, politics and experience.
    UK does not stand alone.

    • @JoannaHammond
      @JoannaHammond Před 9 měsíci

      We would like to take credit for the abundance of English speaking but in reality the real reason was the US after WW2. We started it, they really finished it.

    • @randomcomputer7248
      @randomcomputer7248 Před 8 měsíci

      @@JoannaHammond USA is English

    • @D_egi
      @D_egi Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@JoannaHammondTell me who the US came from?

    • @Theworldisscrewed
      @Theworldisscrewed Před 7 měsíci

      ​@@randomcomputer7248the us gained independence from the uk...

    • @randomcomputer7248
      @randomcomputer7248 Před 7 měsíci +1

      @@Theworldisscrewed yep, but still Brits

  • @jpatpat9360
    @jpatpat9360 Před 11 měsíci +71

    You have to recollect that Britain didn't "invade" most of these European countries as aggressors but as protectors during the course of wars. Britain is responsible for introducing the rule of law and infrastructural improvements to many backward countries and helped more than harm. And I'm South African btw not British. Yes there were some bad things here and there like the Opium Wars in Chins and the Boer War concentration camps here in SA but overall exercised beneficial rule. I'm a fan even though colonialism is a dirty word these days

    • @Mike-pi6ne
      @Mike-pi6ne Před 9 měsíci

      Bullshit, murderers and thieves.......

    • @foamige
      @foamige Před 8 měsíci +5

      Thanks for explaining that 👍Not many people get to learn that side of British history.

    • @eveisunavailable
      @eveisunavailable Před 7 měsíci +1

      britain was the least awful colonial empire. But it was still a colonial empire. We engaged in slavery, oppression of natives, extraction of resources and all that shit, but we invested in our colonies, giving most of them at least _something_ in return.
      But to reduce all the awful shit done to just "some bad things here and there" is very disingenious. Especially when those things include us literally getting a nation hooked on drugs so we can sell it to them, then invading when their government attempts to stop said drug trade that is heavily impacting their functionality as a state just to force that trade open and make more money.

    • @jpatpat9360
      @jpatpat9360 Před 7 měsíci +4

      @@eveisunavailable I actually know all about the history of Britain, Europe and the US. First, the Opium Wars with China was the British East India Company not the British Govt, that came later. 2nd, Britain stopped the slave trade, at great cost to itself esp while it was overextended trying to protect Europe from Napolean. This long before the US agreed to end slavery. Everyone was into expansion in those days and it all started with trade. I simply said that in context, Britain did more good than bad. I live in Africa. Also, you people who are so rude: don't you believe in free speech anymore? Everyone is entitled to an opinion even if it differs from yours

    • @jpatpat9360
      @jpatpat9360 Před 7 měsíci

      @@Driver2616 read my reply to @ eveisunavailable

  • @keithparker2206
    @keithparker2206 Před rokem +244

    Every time I visit Australia, I am asked if I have a criminal record. I didn't know a record was still a requirement.

  • @Fez135
    @Fez135 Před rokem +212

    When we were taught history at school it was around a thousand years of being invaded by more organised, warring nations like the Romans and the Normans and the many different Vikings.
    Then around about 1000 AD it was as if we just decided that enough was enough and spent the next thousand years showing everyone how it was done.

    • @markb2035
      @markb2035 Před 11 měsíci +3

      Actually neither the Romans or vikings (modern name,they never used the term) took over all of Britain. They never got to the West country, marshes, Wales, Wessex or Scotland or Northern Ireland

    • @Fez135
      @Fez135 Před 11 měsíci +8

      @@markb2035 This is true. But I never said they conquered Britain, I said they invaded Britain. What we now think of as Britain anyway.

    • @jirokoshibailey2052
      @jirokoshibailey2052 Před 11 měsíci

      Norman's just got absorbed into "UK" many have invaded and ended up absorbed, really us Brits are a mongrel people

    • @louiseferguson2754
      @louiseferguson2754 Před 11 měsíci

      ​@@markb2035marches x

    • @paultornhed455
      @paultornhed455 Před 11 měsíci +3

      I just like to believe that the Viking genes from all the past invasions completely overtook the British genepool :p

  • @marieparker3822
    @marieparker3822 Před 11 měsíci +10

    Britain invaded Afghanistan three times in the 19th century. It was to try to keep Russia out of it, in order to protect the Indian subcontinent, which was a colony - and included present-day India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon), and Bangladesh.

  • @johnquinn7938
    @johnquinn7938 Před rokem +8

    Just love the expression on your face when you learn how brilliant we were

  • @joshtaylor3397
    @joshtaylor3397 Před rokem +153

    Come on everyone. Be honest. Y'all miss us!

    • @markscouler2534
      @markscouler2534 Před rokem +6

      Haha might as well invade France again its a past time of ours

    • @ilariabarnett8700
      @ilariabarnett8700 Před rokem +6

      😆 🤣

    • @FlashyVic
      @FlashyVic Před rokem +22

      Not miss exactly. But a phone call occasionally would be nice. Just to set our minds to rest.

    • @thisnthat7760
      @thisnthat7760 Před rokem +2

      Nahh we don't want to lose anything anymore... The last time,we were left with an empty house.

    • @stephenhill545
      @stephenhill545 Před rokem +1

      I doubt India does. Around 3,000,000 died in the Bengali famine, which was a direct consequence of British misrule. Add to that the usual exploitation, attrocities and all round suppression that empires of the time meant for indigenous populatiins, I doubt anyone actually misses us.

  • @deadmouse1454
    @deadmouse1454 Před rokem +39

    The fact he didn't know this already shows what a bubble most Americans live in

    • @essexginge9167
      @essexginge9167 Před 7 měsíci +5

      I don't think its a bubble its just teaching history in American schools is terrible my guess would be most British people know more about American history than most Americans do

    • @rhyswilliams4893
      @rhyswilliams4893 Před 7 měsíci +3

      ​@essexginge9167 hence them living in a bubble... much of what the US do would be considered bad if it was based around a different religion. Pledge allegiance to the flag and all that.

    • @jorgeclarkson8286
      @jorgeclarkson8286 Před 7 měsíci

      @@essexginge9167 That's the cause and effect, they live in a bubble because they don't get taught anything other than their own brainwashed exceptionalism. Think about it mate.

  • @ninamoores
    @ninamoores Před rokem +12

    What makes it more amazing is that most of it was accomplished before the days of air travel or easy communication and when Britain had a relatively small population.Quite a few ‘invasions’ were not military so much as trading incursions.

  • @sandraaston1167
    @sandraaston1167 Před 9 měsíci +4

    He didn't mention the Falkland Islands. We still have them as a British colony and went to war with Argentina when Maggie Thatcher was Prime minister.

    • @Langstrath
      @Langstrath Před 2 měsíci

      That's because there were no inhabitants when we arrived and claimed them so it wasn't an invasion. We just discovered them first.

  • @rhodesyhcfc8712
    @rhodesyhcfc8712 Před rokem +74

    When you realise Britain set the table for modern civilisation

    • @Sidney1WG
      @Sidney1WG Před rokem +8

      That would be the Greeks. If it weren't for them, democracy wouldn't even exist. They paved the way for everything. Even us British have a lot to thank the Greeks for.

    • @dwburns7709
      @dwburns7709 Před rokem

      Democracy exists only in the mind of the plebs... its a placebo designed to give you the impression you have some sort of power... unfortunately cattle have no power and no say in how they are farmed. 😉

    • @PlasticGangsta
      @PlasticGangsta Před rokem +2

      @@Sidney1WG the entire western world has a lot to thank the Greeks for. A very good case can be made that without the Greeks and especially the later phenomena of Hellenism throughout Asia the Western world would have been dominated by the East. If the Persians had not been stopped from entering Europe by the Greeks there was little at that point to stop them dominating the entire Mediterranean. Perhaps we would never have developed the unique culture and civilisation that we did in Europe which allowed us to colonise the rest of the globe. We may never have become the dominant combination we are today...

    • @uksoloz
      @uksoloz Před rokem +1

      pulled out the fancy cutlery and candle sticks on the railway to the future on everyone hahahahaha

    • @stevenbreach2561
      @stevenbreach2561 Před rokem

      Just one of a long line of Empires and Civilisations adding their bit to the mix

  • @stuartfitch7093
    @stuartfitch7093 Před rokem +143

    I once wished my friend from Portland Oregon a happy 4th July. He asked as an Englishman if a minded him celebrating the US independence from the UK. It shocked him when I replied, of course not, the US is just one of dozens of countries that have independence days from the UK.
    He had never realised that because 4th July is such a big thing to people in the US, that there are many other countries that one way and another got their independence too.

    • @Si_Vert
      @Si_Vert Před rokem +33

      On average there is a UK Independence day every 5 1/2 days 🤣

    • @AutoAlligator
      @AutoAlligator Před rokem +21

      I have a lot of friends in the US (my folks live there) and I've been asked so often "what are you doing for "Indepence Day/"...I just ask which one and they look a bit confused and we move on...Most people in the States think their independence day is the only independence day...
      Interestingly the only English speaking ex-British colony to not offer free health-care is the US.

    • @rogerraynsford5737
      @rogerraynsford5737 Před rokem +14

      When Britan was at war with America they also were at war with France and Spain at the same time who helped America a LOT.

    • @krissander1
      @krissander1 Před rokem +2

      @@AutoAlligator I prefer to call 4th July Traitor day lol😁

    • @markhinton1641
      @markhinton1641 Před rokem +7

      @@rogerraynsford5737 don't forget we brits were also fighting multiple territorial wars in Africa & India as well as fighting the Americans, Spanish, French & Portuguese at the same time. We chose to sacrifice American to win the territory in Africa, India & far east as they were considered to be far more valuable at the time.

  • @ninjacat4929
    @ninjacat4929 Před 9 měsíci +44

    Makes me proud to be British !

    • @FTL3478
      @FTL3478 Před 8 měsíci +1

      Not too sure raping and pillaging is something to be proud of

    • @kezlana6907
      @kezlana6907 Před 6 měsíci +2

      I mean, even though its impressive we were able to do that as a small nation, it's not something you should be proud of. Yes we were a strong nation, but it's not good that we invaded and tried or did take over other countries. Even with any positives we did in those countries, people would have been killed, seriously injured and so on in the process, all for our ancestors greed and want for power. That isn't something you should be proud about.

    • @Lt.GonvilleBromhead
      @Lt.GonvilleBromhead Před měsícem

      @@kezlana6907 It so is. It was a dog-eat-dog world and we bit back harder than we'd been bitten.

  • @johntomlinson9165
    @johntomlinson9165 Před 9 měsíci +4

    Also, even though they all pretty much have their independence, They still see the UK Royals as their monarch (Commonwealth) and a lot of them still have the British flag included as part of their own.

  • @stormblooper
    @stormblooper Před rokem +180

    What's even crazier is that the population of Britain was only around 9 million in 1800. This rose to about 41 million by 1900. Such a small population were able to aggressively expand purely because they invested so much in a powerful navy.

    • @paulmidsussex3409
      @paulmidsussex3409 Před rokem +27

      Even more amazing is that the population of India was 170 million in 1800. It becomes more understandable when you realise there was no country called India in 1800 and the British didn't invade just took sides in various local wars until all the winners owed us.

    • @qgqsrg1
      @qgqsrg1 Před rokem

      @@paulmidsussex3409 well yh India was several different countries then if I remember right.

    • @qgqsrg1
      @qgqsrg1 Před rokem +2

      Not to take away credit where it's due, they did the right thing and became the biggest empire for a reason, but them being an island is mainly why they could do that otherwise they would have been crushed or at least pressured by other European nations whose armies were stronger, which is why they had to lead several coalitions to bring down france and didn't hold any significant territory in mainland Europe.

    • @cheesetomato9140
      @cheesetomato9140 Před rokem +6

      And all these other countries didn't throw our tea overboard ? Lol the empires base was down to trade ( most of it overseas) and the need of a robust navy. Even the US was a British colony 'after we drove the Dutch outta places like New Amsterdam, lol

    • @ice843
      @ice843 Před rokem

      @@qgqsrg1 while you are right we did for many years make great attempt at holding France then at some point we realised all that effort could take over pretty much the rest of the world
      Needless to say we where forged in the fires of war with France Scot’s Irish And Welsh
      Also fun fact in terms of population percentage the English civil war was the bloodiest ever
      Brits where some brutal sons of bitches

  • @karenthomas5358
    @karenthomas5358 Před rokem +50

    What isn't mentioned is a lot of these invasions was to stabilise trade routes, hence a lot of short periods.

  • @CaptainB1994
    @CaptainB1994 Před 8 měsíci +6

    The British Empire became known as 'The Empire where the sun never sets.' Because at its absolute peak no matter where you were in the British Empire the sun was always up, whether that be the most western tip of Canada or the most Eastern paet of New Zealand. Gibraltar I believe is classed as an overseas protectorate same as The Falkland Islands among so many others.

  • @davegoodwin1950
    @davegoodwin1950 Před rokem +13

    That's part of the reason for we're so proud to be English

  • @karl.thydedryden3963
    @karl.thydedryden3963 Před rokem +45

    Don’t ever underestimate the British, a small island nation that just loves to punch above its weight.

    • @stephenhill545
      @stephenhill545 Před rokem +2

      Not nearly as small as Denmark and the duchy of Normandy, who both conducted successful invasions of Britain, not forgetting the Netherlands, who are also really small, and conducted the last invasion of Britain in 1688.

    • @themanftheworld8439
      @themanftheworld8439 Před rokem +1

      Britain is islands and isles.

    • @naycnay
      @naycnay Před rokem

      ​@@themanftheworld8439 Britain or Great Britain is specifically the biggest island in the British Isles. The little islands around it might be part of the UK and directly governed by England, Scotland or Wales, but are not actually part of Great Britain.

    • @thegingerbreadgod1312
      @thegingerbreadgod1312 Před rokem +2

      @@stephenhill545 ​ no, the last invasion was 1066 at the battle of Hastings. 1688 doesn’t count as the English people invited and helped the Dutch leader over (who was related to the current king anyway). The English people practically asked and begged him too invade them. So no not really a proper invasion and no one died as a consequence.

    • @teeteringonthebrink.305
      @teeteringonthebrink.305 Před 9 měsíci

      @@thegingerbreadgod1312 William of Orange, I believe.

  • @hellojasonsuresh
    @hellojasonsuresh Před rokem +223

    I'm surprised you weren't aware that Singapore was a British city. It didn't really exist before the British - it was pretty much founded by the UK (a guy called Raffles) as a trading post at a strategic military location. There were people living in the area before but not as a 'city' that was invaded as with say Indian cities. Singapore is basically a direct product of the British Empire.

    • @orbytl2799
      @orbytl2799 Před rokem +26

      and look how it flourished :)
      its a good example of what the british were trying to achieve, although mistakes were made granted

    • @speleokeir
      @speleokeir Před rokem +28

      Much the same with Hong Kong.

    • @Jpeg13759
      @Jpeg13759 Před rokem

      And just yesterday i heard, that 30thousand Japanese Soldiesrs invaded Singapore in 1942, defended by 100thousend British Soldiers...They had to give up after a few days....And stand in Line on a road, for Japanese Victor to pass them by....
      Don´t forget your history, mate...

    • @orbytl2799
      @orbytl2799 Před rokem +26

      @@Jpeg13759 fkn lol, you really think there was 100 thousand british soldiers stationed in singapore in 1942 during WW2 ?, mostly would have been locals and soldiers from the commonwealth/empire.
      and that war ended really well for japan didnt it? haha
      still got americans stationed on their land to this day lol

    • @brythonicman3267
      @brythonicman3267 Před rokem +13

      England has only ever invaded FOUR countries, Ireland, Wales, Scotland and France.
      Footnote: Ireland invaded Scotland before Britain invaded Ireland. Scotland invaded England before England invaded Scotland and the Normans from what is now part of France invaded England, Wales and Ireland long before England set foot in France.

  • @Phil-zx5yc
    @Phil-zx5yc Před rokem +4

    Britain may have brutalized some nations but as an Eritrean I thank Britain and her allies for liberating us from our oppressors the fascist Italians in 1941. Yes Britain occupied Eritrea for 10 years and in these short occupation year, for the first time in over 50 years of Italian colonization our democracy and indigenous constitutional law was resorted, they gave us freedom, free press and higher education which the Italians sadistically banned the natives from any types of education....And a lot more we as Eritreans grateful that Britain kicked Italian ass.

  • @tracy6568
    @tracy6568 Před rokem

    Oh my god I had to turn the sound as it was so upsetting and remembered the pain of labour poor darling! The lady was so lovely soothing and caring for her! She and the baby are so happy and beautiful 🥰

  • @Joe13313
    @Joe13313 Před rokem +248

    as an Australian, I say this, God save the King!

  • @saundyuk
    @saundyuk Před rokem +269

    Fun fact: you asked how any of this was possible for such a small nation and the answer to that question is also the answer to your question on another of your vids about why British homes are mostly brick instead of wood. We chopped down most of our forests over many centuries to build ships. British naval power is the single reason any of these conquests were possible and how the Empire was maintained. We used our single greatest native resource (wood) to build an empire. Think of this as Empire 1.0. We then expanded further as Empire 2.0 when we won the race to initiate the industrial revolution and took advantage of mechanisation and automation to replace wood (now fast disappearing) as our next great asset.

    • @lewisisdaman
      @lewisisdaman Před rokem +7

      Pretty much!

    • @Zooumberg
      @Zooumberg Před rokem +14

      The Spanish did the same, little did they know they weren't building ships. But they were really supplying the matchstick industry.

    • @C.CUMM1NGS
      @C.CUMM1NGS Před rokem +15

      A large part of the empire was also sort of absorbed through British trade because of the East India Company.

    • @jimmyhughes5392
      @jimmyhughes5392 Před rokem +7

      @@Zooumberg they really were kindling themselves going against the british

    • @alicetwain
      @alicetwain Před rokem +5

      @@Zooumberg they actually weren't. Indeed they built advanced ships for their age, which is what brought them to build the empire on which the sun never set. Unfortunately when they decided to wage war to England their once advanced ships were obsolete.

  • @Lemur-yy3ci
    @Lemur-yy3ci Před rokem

    Love the energy keep up the awesome work

  • @pamelawebb7268
    @pamelawebb7268 Před rokem +2

    Hi Steve thank u for your kind comments,he dragged us through 1940 when we were basically defeated,he was sn iconic figure to us and had a state funrral. The dockers bowed the cranes heads in respect,though they would never have voted for him

    • @geoffbentley8774
      @geoffbentley8774 Před 10 měsíci +1

      The dockers were paid to lower the crane jibs.

  • @MrShadeUK
    @MrShadeUK Před rokem +71

    Gibraltar is one of the 14 overseas territories that Britain owns today.

    • @awakeningEmpath
      @awakeningEmpath Před rokem

      as a Brit, Gibraltar & the so-called Falklands are an embarrassing leftover of a bygone age and we need to do the right thing and hand them over, even a 5-year old will look at the map and scratch his head, sadly colonisers hang on to power until the bitter end, needless to say if Britain didn't have big brother America watching its back, it wouldn't get away with such feistiness

    • @taokuoh6805
      @taokuoh6805 Před rokem +3

      @@awakeningEmpath Lol no they're British settled areas that are majority British. They also had referendums that said no to their independence so. Don't know where you get this America idea from when we conquered half the world without America's support since we were enemies and only really became allies until around WW1. But you aren't British descent so it makes sense you made this comment.

    • @LawrenceTimme
      @LawrenceTimme Před rokem

      @@awakeningEmpath pathetic. It's not the right think to abandon your people no matter where they live.

    • @da90sReAlvloc
      @da90sReAlvloc Před rokem

      ​@@awakeningEmpath you're just jealous

  • @bobbralee1019
    @bobbralee1019 Před rokem +240

    Apologies, we'll get around to the rest as soon as we can, 😁 On a serious note when you look at the size of the UK what was achieved by such a small island stuck on the unfashionable edge of Western Europe its utterly amazing.

    • @neilcairns9531
      @neilcairns9531 Před rokem +28

      @@DiamondPreston1234 why do you find it disgusting? It's a point of pride. It's a shame we missed out so many. There's always next time

    • @neilcairns9531
      @neilcairns9531 Před rokem +12

      @@DiamondPreston1234 and yes we do get taught it at school and it's a good thing we get told we educated the world on our way to grab a cup of tea. We had to come and say hello. It would be rude not to

    • @C.CUMM1NGS
      @C.CUMM1NGS Před rokem +21

      @@DiamondPreston1234 It used to be taught in schools as a great thing how powerful the British Empire was glossing over all teh bad things we did.
      These days though i think the kids are taught the truth about the Empire yes it as the largest in the world but it did a lot of bad things as well as good.
      And i know 2 wrongs don't make a right but name one country in the world that has not done evil at some time in it's history.

    • @england6013
      @england6013 Před rokem +21

      @@DiamondPreston1234 Of course we have it taught in schools. It's part of our history and it can't be "cancelled" just because some might not like it. Most of the history is ancient. We have also been invaded and conquered as well. History is history. We are not so precious that we can't be taught about it

    • @neilcairns9531
      @neilcairns9531 Před rokem +8

      @@DiamondPreston1234 your excused but I'm afraid to say we never stole anyone's culture. Maybe stole some stuff out of their country and resources but you're forgiven. Just don't do it next time

  • @ReeceyBoy_4
    @ReeceyBoy_4 Před 10 měsíci +13

    It's absolutely mental how tiny island 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 took over every corner of the earth on wooden boats with no technology. As an Englishman, im not proud of all the deaths, but like you said, it is unbelievably impressive. We kept being invaded for over 1000 years and thought fuck it, lets take over the world... Masters of the seas 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

    • @JoannaHammond
      @JoannaHammond Před 9 měsíci +1

      What do you mean no tech? One of key reasons was that we where ahead in tech.

    • @foamige
      @foamige Před 8 měsíci

      Rule Britannia!

    • @D_egi
      @D_egi Před 7 měsíci

      @@JoannaHammondModern technology

    • @Lambondoya
      @Lambondoya Před 7 měsíci

      why are you putting the english flag and not the british

  • @adambuckland5645
    @adambuckland5645 Před 11 měsíci +1

    The map shows that somewhere in the Empire it was daytime, hence the saying that "The sun never sets on the British Empire"

  • @crosseyedone7960
    @crosseyedone7960 Před rokem +82

    No country has been perfect but overall the British Empire left the world a better place. I'm ending my days in the penal colony of Tasmania as a proud Brit.

    • @JJ-of1ir
      @JJ-of1ir Před rokem +6

      As a Brit 'still here' I'm proud to meet you today and hope the penal colony of Tasmania is treating you well and that your days are happy and long.

    • @CmdrSoup
      @CmdrSoup Před rokem +3

      Tell It to africans or indians how good you were to them

    • @NoName-dc5df
      @NoName-dc5df Před rokem +13

      @@CmdrSoup And be sure to ask them how well they treated their neighbours as well. Plenty of countries did far worse than the UK.

    • @crosseyedone7960
      @crosseyedone7960 Před rokem

      @@CmdrSoup The reality is, those africans or indians alive today probably only exist due to this history. A slight change in history meant neither of us may have existed so perhaps we are all the beneficiaries of various invasions even before the English empire.

    • @liandrysanguishinshin7955
      @liandrysanguishinshin7955 Před rokem +2

      @@NoName-dc5df Plenty? No not really, North Korea, Eritrea and Germany are the only ones really. Arguably Turkey and Serbia.
      The British empire was a tyrannical oppressive force, and it most certainly did not leave the world a better place, it is the reason why Africa and Asia are so underdeveloped, and it takes pretty much all the blame together with France. Not to mention the Irish genocide, plantations, slave trading, etc.

  • @derekjohnchaloner6951
    @derekjohnchaloner6951 Před rokem +60

    My personal comment on the British Empire mainly consist of I can go to virtually any country in the world and somebody speaks my language unfortunately the Americans haven't quite figured out just how to speak English properly

    • @jenanization
      @jenanization Před 9 měsíci +5

      Or spell

    • @user-fb5xn6dx7y
      @user-fb5xn6dx7y Před 2 měsíci

      If you think that the British accent you hear now is the correct form of the English language, then you are delusional, and if you think that all Americans speak the same way, then you are delusional as well.

    • @dazai_.992
      @dazai_.992 Před 2 měsíci

      If you think that the current British accent is the correct way of speaking the English language, then you are delusional, and if you think that all Americans speak with one accent, then you are also delusional. Canadians speak like us anyway.

    • @dazai_.992
      @dazai_.992 Před 2 měsíci

      If you think that the current British accent is the correct way of speaking the English language, then you are delusional, and if you think that all Americans speak with one accent, then you are also delusional. Canadians speak like us anyway.

    • @dazai_.992
      @dazai_.992 Před 2 měsíci

      If you think that the current British accent is the correct way of speaking the English language, then you are delusional, and if you think that all Americans speak with one accent, then you are also delusional. Canadians speak like us anyway.

  • @mikegeotazz7273
    @mikegeotazz7273 Před 10 měsíci +1

    The saying “The Empire on which the sun never sets” has been used to explain the vastness of the British Empire.

  • @bill_benjamin
    @bill_benjamin Před 7 měsíci +1

    Yes, Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory. We will never let it go because it is the stronghold of the Gibraltar Strait which is the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea and one of the economically busiest stretches of water in the world.

  • @schtoff8200
    @schtoff8200 Před rokem +139

    We also still have The Falklands which isn't mentioned in the video. Places like Gibraltar and The Falklands speak English and drive on the left hand side of the road. It's mind boggling to think that a tiny island that I live in has occupied more of the world at any one time than any other empire. There are technically other Countries that are still part of the "empire" but it's renamed as the commonwealth. They have the Queen (or now King) as head of state.

    • @maddermax74
      @maddermax74 Před rokem +6

      this is about invasions Falkands was a empty island that we colonised so don't fall under this category there a tons of places like this

    • @richardschlange9629
      @richardschlange9629 Před rokem +3

      @@maddermax74 I believe the Spanish may of been there before us but we kicked them out. Not sure though

    • @maddermax74
      @maddermax74 Před rokem +5

      ​@@richardschlange9629 1764 French had a small colony on the island, then they handed it over to the brits in 1765 under a alliance . Then 1770 a Spanish took over the islands for few years then brits come to take it back after dealing with the American war of independence

    • @123Lesgeorg
      @123Lesgeorg Před rokem +2

      Don't forget Diego Garcia, St Helena, Tristan Du Cuna, and several others are still British Overseas Territories

    • @lesdavies6846
      @lesdavies6846 Před rokem +3

      Gibraltar drives on the right !

  • @14sgdpg82
    @14sgdpg82 Před rokem +92

    its scary how little our counterparts know about us , brits are very proud to be brits and this is only a fraction of our full history

    • @callumcochrane7759
      @callumcochrane7759 Před rokem

      Tbf thats because Yanks think history started in 1776 and only extends beyond US borders when their troops do

    • @Bobnormal4
      @Bobnormal4 Před 7 měsíci +8

      and this is why we are told to be ashamed of our history and have had special efforts to destroy our moral. Look at what we are capable of, the powers that be are scared of us when we get together

    • @lukemorris4065
      @lukemorris4065 Před 7 měsíci +13

      @@Bobnormal4the fact the English ended slavery and it gets 0 notice is quite mental

    • @ConnorCutt
      @ConnorCutt Před 7 měsíci +5

      @@lukemorris4065 in fact the british ended slavery, and patrolled areas where slave ships transported slaves, freed many slaves and yet we are blamed for it despite the fact portugal sold just as many slaves and nobody brings them up in the discussion. not only that but slaves had much more rights in Britain than anywhere else in the western world, however people dont ever talk about these things because they want to be negative and blame someone for generational trauma that doesnt exist, in order to claim special benefits for free.

    • @4rch3rslif
      @4rch3rslif Před 7 měsíci +5

      I’m English not a Brit thank you I was born in England I speak English not British

  • @andywilson8524
    @andywilson8524 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Well this explains why I get frosty receptions when I go on holiday 😂🇬🇧

  • @annaweller2213
    @annaweller2213 Před 9 měsíci +1

    That’s why the Union Jack was referred to as the butchers apron

  • @The_Entity
    @The_Entity Před rokem +82

    one of the first Americans I've heard pronounce "Iraq" correctly - rather than "eye-rack" :D
    Also, yes, Gibraltar are still technically British, as are the falkland islands. IIRC they were both recently allowed to vote for independance and both voted to stay british.
    and i believe youre right on the Australian thing being a giant prison colony too.

    • @ianpearce5745
      @ianpearce5745 Před rokem +1

      I noticed that also.

    • @MicheleLLOYD-bk2mt
      @MicheleLLOYD-bk2mt Před 11 měsíci

      Yes. The prison colony was shifted from america to Australia……. Yanks didn’t want it

  • @amandagraham4254
    @amandagraham4254 Před rokem +89

    Canadian Soldiers were considered British Soldiers in WW1. We weren't a country yet. Then WWII. Also Iraq, Somalia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan to name a few. Peace from Canada 🇨🇦

    • @unlockeduk
      @unlockeduk Před rokem

      canada where the hell is that? i only know newfoundland......

    • @twinscrollturbo4410
      @twinscrollturbo4410 Před rokem +3

      The Canadian soldiers in ww1 were the best Soldiers Britain had in my opinion and I'm British not Canadian.

    • @talltroll7092
      @talltroll7092 Před rokem +2

      @@twinscrollturbo4410

    • @mrcaboosevg6089
      @mrcaboosevg6089 Před rokem

      In the UK when talking about number everyone non British but ruled by Britain just get lumped into commonwealth forces

    • @jakethorne263
      @jakethorne263 Před rokem

      @@twinscrollturbo4410 the best would’ve been from the British isles

  • @shazza4
    @shazza4 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Your face at 4 minutes into the video 😂 you look in shock lol

  • @hithanks2773
    @hithanks2773 Před 9 měsíci +1

    The saying “the sun doesn’t set on the British empire” means it

  • @chief2rep721
    @chief2rep721 Před rokem +49

    We Brits had Singapore for ages, HMS Terror the Royal Navy Base at Singapore was at least as large as Pearl Harbour on Oahu !
    I grew up in Singapore in the 60's where my father was posted in the Royal Navy.
    I joined the RN in the early 80's & spent years trying to get posted to HMS Tamar, Hong Kong, yet ended up spending most of my Sea time out in the Persian Gulf, go figure !
    BTW we used to rule the Hawaiian Islands too, hence the Union Flag on the 50th State Flag.

  • @coot1925
    @coot1925 Před rokem +42

    My Mrs is Malaysian. Her dad was Malaysian and her mum is Singaporean. Her dad joined the Royal Navy during WW2 because Malaysia was British at that time. ✌️♥️🇬🇧

    • @STANDREW2
      @STANDREW2 Před rokem

      Singapore was part of Malaya not Malaysia at the time of WW2. The Federation of Malaysia which included Singapore was only established in September 1963 until Singapore was expelled from the federation and became an independent nation in August 1965.

    • @coot1925
      @coot1925 Před rokem +2

      @@STANDREW2 I was not aware of that. Thanks for the Info. Ya learn something new every day 😁

    • @MichaelGGarry
      @MichaelGGarry Před rokem +2

      @@STANDREW2 Not strictly true. Singapore was part of the Straits Settlements and had become the UK regional capital as early as 1836.

    • @MichaelGGarry
      @MichaelGGarry Před rokem +1

      @@coot1925 Fun fact: the S that was added to Malaya to create the currently used Malaysia was for Singapore & Sarawak joining. Then Singapore left, but they kept the newer name....
      Also a fun fact: The Philippines had considered changing their name to Malaysia at about the same time, but were beaten to it.....

    • @coot1925
      @coot1925 Před rokem +2

      @@MichaelGGarry I didn't know any of this. So thanks again for the info. One thing I do know is that the food is amazing. 👍

  • @ramadaxl
    @ramadaxl Před 8 měsíci +4

    Steve...I have to say that I completely just fold up with laughter at your reactions. Please keep in mind that I'm 71 years old ( young ! )...we used to get history lessons about this stuff...we grew up KNOWING IT ! So when people berate us we tend to get a kick out of it....we love this stuff !

  • @lauriemapplebeck1286
    @lauriemapplebeck1286 Před 11 měsíci +1

    I am so glade you have us!!🇨🇦🇨🇦❤️🇬🇧

  • @frogmaster83
    @frogmaster83 Před rokem +28

    We have always liked foreign holidays. 🤣🤣👍👍

  • @seanclark6438
    @seanclark6438 Před rokem +21

    British Empire covered a quarter of the globe, we once had the finest navy in the world

  • @nicholashurl3030
    @nicholashurl3030 Před 6 měsíci

    A lot of contextual information left out of this synopsis. A lot of the ‘invasions’ referred to wouldn’t be considered as such, as war necessitated boots on the ground in most of those places to facilitate liberation by allied forces.

  • @peteylang3401
    @peteylang3401 Před rokem +9

    Australia was indeed a prison colony. The harsh Sun, dangerous insects and distance from home created a nightmare for the incarcerated prisoners. Now we go on holiday there hahaha

    • @waynestevens1654
      @waynestevens1654 Před 9 měsíci

      Us poms could not escape because of sharks I think at port ather in taz

    • @steveo4991
      @steveo4991 Před 6 měsíci +1

      And they have the nerve to ask us if we have a criminal record before we enter…

  • @kizzyp2735
    @kizzyp2735 Před rokem +40

    Fun fact the U.S state of Hawaii still has the union flag as part of its flag !

    • @rubikclockweights
      @rubikclockweights Před rokem

      Brilliant. True..Because the U.S was and is British. Only difference is they rule themselves and dont have great British healthcare and teach the kids F*** all about their roots.

    • @warfarewarrior
      @warfarewarrior Před rokem +3

      That was out of respect.

    • @noriemeha
      @noriemeha Před rokem

      GRRRRR!!

  • @shadowysea
    @shadowysea Před rokem +187

    We were invaded many times in our history and learned about it the hard way. As a result we are a nation of mongrels including saxons, normans and vikings, aka we're a warrior people , it's in our blood and we like a ruck. Apologies to those we missed, we'll get round to you next time. 😉

    • @Jake_5693
      @Jake_5693 Před rokem +1

      We are not a nation of Mongrels, the Vikings and Normans barely left a mark genetically.
      Modern DNA research has shown most people’s DNA in this country has largely unchanged from what it was in 1066. This mongrel theory is a fallacy.

    • @steveryan696
      @steveryan696 Před rokem +15

      There’s plenty of time yet 😂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

    • @anthonytofts9371
      @anthonytofts9371 Před rokem +11

      Look out yanks. With the mess your politics is in we Brits might come back. Charles111 seems a bettter bet for you than Biden 1 or the Trumpasaurus!

    • @geox8485
      @geox8485 Před rokem +3

      @Jordan Sherrington Our politics are actually terrible rn

    • @leonardburgess8527
      @leonardburgess8527 Před rokem +2

      We did bud, 1982 falkands and south georgia.

  • @Enigmatic..
    @Enigmatic.. Před 8 měsíci +2

    The thing i love about the British Empire was the fact that the British were so good at war that the Empire expanded to quickly. We controlled so many people and had so much territory that we just could afford or even mange it all which is basically why the Empire collapsed. Imagine being so good at something that it actually ends up working against you lol.
    RULE BRITANNIA !!!

  • @totallymady42069
    @totallymady42069 Před 9 měsíci

    I just wanted to praise you for your desire to learn

  • @emosijougavule2561
    @emosijougavule2561 Před rokem +48

    Singapore is also part of UK colony, the only Asian coutry where English is their main language together with their local tongue. Also Nepal is the only country being invaded, where the British forfeit in defeat because of the bravery of the Nepali warriors, instead they sign a treaty where they become allies for Centuries where UK recruits Nepalese to be part of the British Gurkha regiments.

  • @kizzyp2735
    @kizzyp2735 Před rokem +35

    Al Murray does a brilliant stand up routine about this ...definitely worth a watch and very funny.

    • @theoffensivenameelite7418
      @theoffensivenameelite7418 Před rokem +2

      Yer. The falklands war was for penguins 🤣🤣

    • @stephenhill545
      @stephenhill545 Před rokem

      He's laughing at the little Englanders, as I'm sure you know. A modern day alf garnett.

    • @kizzyp2735
      @kizzyp2735 Před rokem +4

      @@stephenhill545 No he isnt at all. Its part of his whole persona as "pub landlord". He is also demonstrating his sharp mind and in depth knowledge of history , especially military history in which he has a keen interest. Not everything has to dissected to find a group of people to mock or hate ..... its just comedy !

  • @609pm
    @609pm Před 7 měsíci

    THIS VIDEO PHYSICALLY PAINED ME

  • @jasonwilson6062
    @jasonwilson6062 Před 9 měsíci +1

    Tiny island didn't like the weather at home so we went and invaded everywhere, got tired of everyone's bs and gave it all back after doing a bunch of uplifting!
    Far easier to have trade concessions than directly manage everything!

  • @paulusarnhelm704
    @paulusarnhelm704 Před rokem +18

    So many countries today have their legal system based on English common law, Including the US.

  • @claregale9011
    @claregale9011 Před rokem +68

    Others invaded brtain too , but yes we did get about considering we are only a small island is pretty impressive, yes ... Britain really did rule the waves .

    • @Sir.T
      @Sir.T Před rokem +9

      Yes British got invaded a lot way back in the day by vikings and so on. However we still managed to come out on top

    • @andylikesstuffchannel
      @andylikesstuffchannel Před rokem +2

      Norman's Vikings Danish Celts

    • @mmcc5846
      @mmcc5846 Před rokem +1

      It is called the English

    • @pixlhound
      @pixlhound Před rokem +2

      @Michael Rogers It's Great Britain, no need for the quotations, you aren't quoting anyone when you use the proper name

    • @da90sReAlvloc
      @da90sReAlvloc Před rokem +2

      @@andylikesstuffchannel Romans

  • @ElonTusk.
    @ElonTusk. Před rokem +1

    France and Spain And Roman: I Want A Big Empire
    Uk: Hold My Empire..

  • @stevetimms1219
    @stevetimms1219 Před rokem +2

    The UK , Franc, Spain and Holland were the main European colonialists due to their superior technologies at the time (their Navys). But these countries made the modern world.

  • @albrussell7184
    @albrussell7184 Před rokem +89

    If you use the narrator's own definitions I think there's at least another 6 countries to add to that, probably more. You should react to 'How did The British Empire rule the World?'. This explains how the empire was primarily a trading empire, rather than just controlling land for the sake of it or to piss off the French.

    • @stewedfishproductions7959
      @stewedfishproductions7959 Před rokem +10

      Plus several places connected directly to the UK (I.e. British Overseas Territories) that didn't even get mentioned (as far as I could hear?): E.g. The islands of St. Helena, Pitcairn (plus Henderson, Ducie / Oeno), Ascension and Tristan De Cunha (plus Gough), the Falklands etc. - which I guess technically we didn't 'invade' or 'occupy' - but just 'run/support' and are considered British - semantics!?

    • @MAB_Canada
      @MAB_Canada Před rokem +16

      And they forgot Malta

    • @JAYDOG1337A
      @JAYDOG1337A Před rokem +25

      ...but let's not lie it was mostly to piss off the french 🤣

    • @water5349
      @water5349 Před rokem +2

      @@JAYDOG1337A you are goddamn right

    • @jackyc1054
      @jackyc1054 Před rokem +7

      @@stewedfishproductions7959 Missed a lot in China too, e g Shanghai was an international city, but basically run by the British

  • @pauljermyn5909
    @pauljermyn5909 Před rokem +18

    the funny thing was that a lot of it was accidental, denying enemy trade, discovering new lands, gaining land in treaties etc, most countries Britain just intended to trade with whilst preventing their european enemies from trading there.

  • @lukemorris4065
    @lukemorris4065 Před 7 měsíci

    My great grandfather fought in the war and was based in Holland, he told us the troops would go through the empty towns and clear out all of the alcohol and have parties with the locals and allies after every conflict

  • @harbl99
    @harbl99 Před 4 měsíci

    British North Borneo (now part of Malaysia) is a crazy one. It was conquered and ruled not by a government or a company, but by one family, the Brookes. They were originally brought in by the Sultan of Brunei, who was overlord of the area, but ended up as kings in their own right in the 1840s when all the local chiefs, warlords, headmen, etc. decided that the Brookes were the only people who could keep order and decide local disputes fairly. The White Rajahs of Sarawak, as they were known, ruled until 1946.

  • @davidmccurdy8911
    @davidmccurdy8911 Před rokem +76

    One of my favourite quotes is "Britains biggest export is Independence Days" :)

    • @mikegriffiths2262
      @mikegriffiths2262 Před rokem +18

      Britain's biggest export is the English language

    • @occamraiser
      @occamraiser Před rokem +7

      And the rule of law, parliamentary democracy, the bill of rights, and the English language.

    • @gkewley42
      @gkewley42 Před rokem +4

      We invented everything you can see. We created the law you use, the time you keep and the words you utter. A thank you would be nice.

    • @countzero1136
      @countzero1136 Před rokem

      @@gkewley42 And don't forget the internet itself, along with the computer hardware we use to access it :)

    • @corkboy4523
      @corkboy4523 Před rokem

      @@gkewley42and then fucked yourselves with brexit😆

  • @GiveMeBackMyUsernameYouTube

    I maintain that the British Empire was overall a force for good in the world, the existence of which resulted in net improvements for the standard of living for the average person within its territory. I mean don't get me wrong, we did some horrible things, but nothing beyond what many colonial powers did, and often were far more lenient. Add to that Britain's leading role in ending the transatlantic slave trade, the introduction of modern medicine, science, sanitation, education and agricultural methods, the building of lasting engineering projects such as roads, railways and bridges designed to improve the standard of living across the whole empire and the banning of suttee in India, a practice where widows were burned alive.
    Overall I think it was a net positive.

    • @steelcrown7130
      @steelcrown7130 Před rokem +2

      Read Bruce Gilley's biography of Sir Alan Burns, "The Last Imperialist". He (and Alan Burns) largely agree with you, as do I. Alan Burns wrote a book defending imperialism ("In Defence of Colonies") in 1957. It's incredibly hard to get, but I tracked one down in the National Library of Australia. It's a cracking read.

    • @ksattesahn
      @ksattesahn Před rokem +5

      What have the Romans ever done for us?

    • @garyskinner2422
      @garyskinner2422 Před rokem +4

      @@ksattesahn Roads, sanitation, aqueducts, medicine, irrigation, baths but other than that what have they done

    • @ksattesahn
      @ksattesahn Před rokem

      @@garyskinner2422
      Yes. My comment was a throwback to this scene from Life of Brian.
      czcams.com/video/Qc7HmhrgTuQ/video.html

    • @lauragoodwin3102
      @lauragoodwin3102 Před rokem +1

      I agree. Always bringing our country down. I'm discussed by the whole thing to be honest !

  • @tomriley5790
    @tomriley5790 Před 7 měsíci

    Wish we'd kept Menorca :-)! It's a bit tricky to start with because it looks like this video starts from the Norman Conquest of 1066, although you could push the clock back a bit further if you want to, essentially England was a Norman Kingdom which included part of what is now Northern France around Normandy.
    Gibraltar is a British overseas territory - British but has its own parliament.
    Turkmenistan has always been there - it was part of the Soviet Union.
    Most of the invasions in central asia were aiming to prevent Russia pushing south towards India and similarly Kuwait and Cyprus were to keep the Otomans from threatening Suez and the routes to India.
    Rather topically - we only gave Crimea back to Russia on the basis that warships couldn't be based there :-)!
    Britain basically created Malaysia and Singapore as a country, similarly India was multiple different countries prior to Britains invasion.
    Prisoners were "Transported" to Australia although there were also non-penal settlements like Adelaide (who are very proud of this :-)!), prisoners were also transported to the North American Colonies (explains alot :-)!)

  • @garyc5483
    @garyc5483 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Check out some of the Al Murray videos when he looks at a lot of British war/history stuff. ATB regards from the UK

  • @bigsam5171
    @bigsam5171 Před rokem +104

    The British spirit is very hard to break, we are a warrior people and have always been ahead of the curve in terms of military power, organisation, infrastructure and the desire to expand and conquer our enemies and neighbours. For the size of our small nation we are one of the most influential and impactful countries in the world

    • @benjaminvanderneut6826
      @benjaminvanderneut6826 Před rokem

      The dutch didnt defeat Britain because they needed a protestant "friend" against the Catholic tyranny of France,Spain and the germanic states. Lucky you ;)

    • @markmiller6402
      @markmiller6402 Před rokem +35

      We’re also fucking lunatics when somebody pisses us off 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

    • @ayedean6744
      @ayedean6744 Před rokem

      Meh we were, now we choose leaders with no spine, even worse they have no brain. I'm ready for a leader who can fight off atleast 6 squirrel!!!!

    • @qgqsrg1
      @qgqsrg1 Před rokem +2

      true but the nation being a "small" island is why it succeeded in being the largest colonial empire too, had it been connected by land to Europe it would have never happened (history would be completely different then anyway).

    • @ayedean6744
      @ayedean6744 Před rokem +3

      @@qgqsrg1 that's just obvious, what would we need the best navy on the planet for in mainland Europe 😂

  • @steveearis4786
    @steveearis4786 Před rokem +13

    i've just watched the poppy video again and i hope you gave your family a hug after it as you look like you needed it.
    i'm learning as much about my own countries history as much as you are watching videos like yours mate. enjoy the journey...

  • @DigitalNomadOnFIRE
    @DigitalNomadOnFIRE Před rokem +1

    The Roman Empire was a cute little starter empire, very small, just Europe and Mediterranean.

  • @wiretom
    @wiretom Před rokem +1

    "we are part of Europe, but not of it" - Winston Churchill
    We are our own entity , always have been , always will do .

  • @nowhere982
    @nowhere982 Před rokem +17

    Small Island, big attitude. Probably why the British Bulldog is so representative of us😂😂. On a kinder note, we did give the world the best Music, Art, Literature, invention etc so I still think we are the Greatest. 💖

    • @Grumpy63uk
      @Grumpy63uk Před rokem +3

      Go Susan 🤭🥰

    • @stephenhill545
      @stephenhill545 Před rokem

      A poor declining place. America is where its at thanks to our multicultural melting pot of dynamism.

  • @pauldurkee4764
    @pauldurkee4764 Před rokem +40

    Steve, you are correct about Australia being used as a penal colony.
    I believe the first was in Van Diemans land, now called Tasmania.
    Prisoners could serve their sentence and return, if they paid the fare back.
    I think the French summed it up, they said, 'wherever we go in the world, if there is enough water to float a ship, we are sure to find the Royal Navy waiting for us'. 👍

    • @geoffpoole483
      @geoffpoole483 Před rokem +1

      A few Dickens characters were transported to Australia and returned.

    • @kaymaylai83
      @kaymaylai83 Před rokem +2

      It was used as a penal colony after the transport of criminals to Virginia ended

    • @pauldurkee4764
      @pauldurkee4764 Před rokem +1

      @Michael Rogers
      I stand corrected Michael. 👍

    • @carolineb3527
      @carolineb3527 Před rokem +1

      One of my ancestors was a farm worker who got involved in a series of riots in southern England against the mechanisation of agriculture that followed the Industrial Revolution. The rioters destroyed a lot of the new machines and many, including my ancestor, were deported to Tasmania. He was sentenced to seven years - if he survived he would be returned to Britain at the end of his sentence. Well, surprise, surprise, after six and a half years he was pardoned and told that he could go back home. Only as he was now a free man, he had to pay his own fare!

    • @helenr4300
      @helenr4300 Před rokem +1

      Not all colonists from Britain to Australia were convicts, apart from the guards etc, there were also free settlers. Adelaide is proud to be a free settlers location.

  • @danemonrowe2470
    @danemonrowe2470 Před rokem +2

    And that's why so many countries these day's seek the knowledge skills and advice of successful tactical deployment, Britain are the best at it by far, history has proved that time and again.🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

  • @AngloSaxon-yx8tk
    @AngloSaxon-yx8tk Před rokem +1

    Smallest country to have the largest empire for the longest time.

  • @Zooumberg
    @Zooumberg Před rokem +47

    There are currently 58 countries which celebrate independence day from the UK. So when Americans ask if we get offended that they celebrate that day we just raise a glass and with a wink and a smile congratulate them.

    • @Jpeg13759
      @Jpeg13759 Před rokem

      Seems, that after 100+ years, crimes against humanity don´t cout so much anymore...
      "Great" Britan was not great at all...

    • @stun9771
      @stun9771 Před rokem +8

      Yep, that’s good…unfortunately, every time the US has ventured overseas to fight a war on their own, without British Troops, or without insufficient number of British Troops, they’ve lost…!!…unless they were fighting Mexicans…!!

    • @randomshorts739
      @randomshorts739 Před rokem +2

      ​@@stun9771 That is cause they caught all the Mexicans having a siesta

    • @NoName-dc5df
      @NoName-dc5df Před rokem

      @@Jpeg13759 I'm sure each of them committed their own "crimes against humanity" that were just as bad, if not worse. Funny how people like you like to hold Britain to a different standard to any other country. And Britain has done more good than any other country as well.

    • @markm7776
      @markm7776 Před rokem +1

      @@stun9771 I feel that its a bit of a dig to the yanks after d-day. Just saying we owe the Americans alot for what they did for Europe.

  • @adelwulf8864
    @adelwulf8864 Před rokem +15

    My dude, your reaction through this one was just priceless and totally worth watching it for.

    • @susanmackenzie2239
      @susanmackenzie2239 Před rokem

      I have never wanted to slap anyone around more after watching that. IRAQ WAS INVADED!!!! War on terror? Where did this guy get his education? A cereal box? I've met a lot of Americans but this guy takes the biscuit (better tell him that's a cookie) lol. Please don't come to Scotland any time soon 🙏

    • @elomial724
      @elomial724 Před rokem +1

      Fake reaction as always

  • @Benji7931
    @Benji7931 Před 7 měsíci +1

    Your getting all the answers in the video your watching and your still asking questions when it’s telling you what your asking😂

  • @mattyfrommacc1554
    @mattyfrommacc1554 Před rokem

    I am English & live here and this all teaches me loads too

  • @alicetwain
    @alicetwain Před rokem +42

    Part of Australia was used as a penal colony after the US was formed and the British lost their penal colonies in America. Yes, part of the US was also used as a penal colony by the Brits.

    • @geoffpoole483
      @geoffpoole483 Před rokem +4

      Correct.

    • @Stand663
      @Stand663 Před rokem +5

      Lol Australia wasn’t a penal colony. What happened was instead of locking up criminals in overcrowded prisons infested unsanitary conditions in Britain, the authorities put them on a boat far away to Australia where they could serve their sentences and afterwards could and rebuild their lives and at the same populate the empty land. Many of them did. They found work, started families and businesses etc and became respectable in the spirit of Christian charity.

    • @rdalybread
      @rdalybread Před rokem +1

      @@Stand663even to much of a surprise, many good upstanding convicts were given law enforcement roles paving a way for the first Australian police officers to keep other convicts in check

    • @Stand663
      @Stand663 Před rokem

      @@neuralwarp Transportation was a strange surreal thing to do, because if you imagine say in modern times, the authorities emptying all the say high security prisons of their most dangerous criminals, territirisk, phycopaths, murderers etc and transport then in ball and chains to Australia and literally let them loose in a vast hinterland, where there strange animals, poisonous snakes, killer bees, crocodiles, swamps and 40 degree heat at midday etc etc. it would’ve been quiet a shock to the senses

    • @smaug3045
      @smaug3045 Před rokem

      That makes sense 😁

  • @lizjohnson8055
    @lizjohnson8055 Před rokem +12

    Gibraltar is still British and the Gibraltans that I know are very proud of this. They often come to University over here, and think nothing of popping over to London for Christmas shopping.

    • @LouLou-tl1gv
      @LouLou-tl1gv Před 9 měsíci +1

      My grandparents are Spanish born and raised in Gibraltar they are not British proud Spanish folk who speak Spanish

  • @danc1897
    @danc1897 Před rokem +2

    He missed Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (if he is including WW2 - which he is)

  • @PMexPAT
    @PMexPAT Před 6 měsíci

    Churchill noted in his History of the English Speaking People that when the Romans left Britain, their culture went with them,as apart from setting up small versions of Rome,they never really altered the indigenous culture. The British Empire ,glossing over the “invading bit”, actually set up systems of government,road and rail infrastructure, law and order, most of which is still in operation to this day. The Parliamentary system is the norm in most of our “ ex colonies “ . We took from these countries,but gave also.