Empire

Robert Clive: The nabob general

A courageous, resourceful and ruthless military commander, Major-General Robert Clive helped secure India for Britain. But he was also seen as a greedy speculator who used his political and military influence to amass a fortune.

3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment searching for snipers in Gaynaeim village, 1951

Suez Canal Zone

Between 1945 and 1956, British soldiers garrisoned bases on the Suez Canal in Egypt. A harsh climate, disease and attacks by local nationalists made Suez one of the most unpopular Army postings.

1st Green Jackets patrolling the river near Bekenu in Brunei, December 1962

Indonesian Confrontation

Between 1963 and 1966, British Commonwealth forces fought against Indonesia in a conflict that focused on the future of Brunei and North Borneo.

Aden Emergency

The Aden Emergency (1963-67) was an insurgency against British rule in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. The unrest hastened British plans for withdrawal and marked the end of 20 years of decolonisation.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Clive at Plassey, 1757

Battle of Plassey

Robert Clive's victory at Plassey on 23 June 1757 led to the British becoming the greatest economic and military power in India.

Abyssinia Expedition

The 1868 expedition to Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) was one of the most ambitious and expensive military campaigns ever undertaken by the British Army.

Battle of Quebec

The Battle of Quebec in 1759 was one of Britain's greatest victories of the Seven Years War (1756-63). Major-General James Wolfe’s triumph ultimately led to the British conquest of Canada.

Kenya Emergency

The Kenya Emergency, or Mau Mau Revolt, was one of the British Army's bloodiest and most controversial post-war conflicts.

Why did the Indian Mutiny happen?

In 1857, Indian soldiers rose up against their British commanders. The reasons behind the rebellion stretch back to the origins of British involvement in Indian affairs.

Decisive events of the Indian Mutiny

The 1857 rising was the biggest threat to Britain's colonial power during its rule of the Indian subcontinent.

First China War

Between 1839 and 1842, British-Indian forces fought a war with Imperial China that served the interests of opium smugglers. Their resulting victory opened up the lucrative Chinese trade to British merchants.

Cyprus

In the early 1950s, a revolt in favour of union with Greece began in British-controlled Cyprus. British troops remain on the island to this day as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force.

Explore Empire events

A British medical orderly treats a wounded German soldier, c1916

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment (virtual)

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

The Indian ‘Mutiny’? (virtual)

Analyse evidence from documents and artefacts, then curate an exhibition to make a case for whether the conflict was a mutiny or war of independence.

School students getting to grips with the handling collection

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

Trench medicine: Illnesses, injuries and their treatment

Explore artefacts and sources on the causes and treatment of injuries and illnesses on the Western Front during the First World War, and assess the impact of these innovations.

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

The Indian ‘Mutiny’?

Analyse evidence from sources and artefacts to make a case for how the 1857 uprising in India should be interpreted.

Secondary

1 Jun 2024 - 20 Jul 2026 FREE

World at War: Soldiers of Empire

Discover more about the contributions of soldiers from the British Empire in the First and Second World Wars.

Detail from 'Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, 1944'

Exhibition

16 Sep 2025 - 13 Apr 2026 FREE

Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies

Marking the 80th anniversary of VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, this exhibition shines a light on the remarkable multinational army that fought in some of the toughest conditions of the Second World War.

Talk

20 Sep 2025 FREE

Indian Army Experiences of the Burma Campaign

Join historian David Omissi as he highlights the crucial role of the Indian Army in the Allied reoccupation of Burma in 1945 and the ultimate defeat of Imperial Japan. Part of our Burma Day.

A British Commando officer confers with Burmese soldiers, Arakan, Burma, 1944

Talk

20 Sep 2025 £10.00

Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, 1945

Join historian, author and broadcaster Lucy Betteridge-Dyson as she explores the actions and experiences of 3 Commando Brigade in the jungles of Burma in 1945. Part of our Burma Day.