Arthur Connolly: The Victorian Spy Who Invented the Great Game

Arthur Connolly was a British cavalry officer, explorer and intelligence agent who travelled thousands of miles across Russia, Persia and Central Asia during the growing 19th-century rivalry between Britain and Russia.

In this episode I speak to historian and author David Mould about Connolly’s extraordinary life, his journeys in disguise, his intelligence work, his attempts to build alliances in Central Asia and the remarkable mission that would eventually take him to Bukhara.

We also explore the origins of the term “The Great Game”, the disastrous First Anglo-Afghan War, the unfortunate Charles Stoddart, and the strange world of spies, soldiers and diplomats operating on the edges of the British Empire.

David’s new book is Arthur Connolly: Victorian Spy, published by Blackwater Press https://www.blackwaterpress.com/product/arthur-conolly-victorian-spy/