About this episode

This episode explores the legacy of the Lee brothers and their pivotal role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

In the winter of 1750, the death of Thomas Lee left his six sons to inherit a massive empire of Tidewater land and transatlantic commerce—an inheritance that would ultimately forge them into the most formidable family alliance of the American Revolution. Steeped in the stern classical traditions of Greece and Rome, the five younger brothers—Thomas Ludwell, Richard Henry, Francis Lightfoot, William, and Arthur Lee—found themselves bound together by a shared Classical tradition, patriotic American outlook, and bitter domestic feud over their patrimony against their overbearing eldest brother, Philip Ludwell Lee. From the splendorous river wharves of Stratford Hall to the quiet gardens of Chantilly-on-the-Potomac, and from the legislative benches of Williamsburg and Philadelphia to the precarious courts of Europe, this chronicle follows five of the greatest men of the Lee Family of Virginia as they sacrificed their ease, fortune, and peace to win the American Revolution and build the American Republic. CHAPTERS: 0:00 The Death of Thomas Lee at Stratford Hall 3:15 How A Classical Education Created Four Founders 10:13 Philip Ludwell Lee—"Colonel Phil"—Takes Control 13:00 The Lee…

More episodes of The Old World with Will Tanner

• The Merchant Diplomat: William Lee's Secret Dutch Treaty and the Victory at Yorktown · July 19, 2026 · 34 min
• Arthur Lee: The Forgotten Founder, Spy, and Diplomat Who Armed the Revolution · July 15, 2026 · 52 min
• The Virginia Gentry: America's Only Aristocracy and What We can Learn from Them · July 11, 2026 · 1h 2m
• The Conway Cabal: Did Richard Henry Lee Betray George Washington? · July 5, 2026 · 29 min
• The First and Forgotten Founding Father: Richard Henry Lee's Creation of America · July 1, 2026 · 57 min
• Father of Four Founding Fathers: Thomas Lee of Stratford Hall · June 24, 2026 · 47 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Old World with Will Tanner podcast page.