Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The British History Podcast

Congratulations Sheriff, you’ve made it through the crucible.  Literally. Now, granted, you’ve lost some money along the way.  Percentages were shaved off because of the purity of the silver.  Coins were tossed out because edges had been literally shaved off by the scoundrels in your shire.  And, of course, money was flowing rapidly out of […]

The post 511 – Exchequers and ExBalancers: Part Two first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We are about to do something a little unusual for the BHP.  We’re going to muddy the timeline. Now, normally we stick to the chronological timeline.  We live the story as it unfolds.  But the birth of the Exchequer presents us with a bit of a headache because it’s being built right now in the […]

The post 510 – Exchequers and ExBalancers: Part One first appeared on The British History Podcast.

King Henry’s Court was huge. And that makes sense.  His predecessor, King Rufus, was a party animal and, as such, his Court had swollen into a massive, roving scene where anyone who wanted power… or just free wine… crowded in through the doors.

The post 509 – Court Costs first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The King was triumphant and his older brother was, if we’re taking the King’s word for it, retired and happily living in the lap of luxury… and most of the King’s other enemies were either imprisoned, dead, or keeping their heads down for fear of the King throwing them into the lap of luxury, too. 

The post 508 – The Reformation Begins first appeared on The British History Podcast.

A sample of our deep dive into the performance and the culture that surrounds the Song of Roland.

The post Chansons de Geste and 12th Century Performance Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Henry had defeated his brother… but he hadn’t defeated Normandy.  At least, not yet.  Duke Robert still had supporters out there and Falaise was still loyal to the Duke.  In fact, Duke Robert’s son, William Clito, was sheltering in Falaise.

The post 507 – Law and Order: Normandy first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Buckle up for a retelling of the medieval MCU that was driving Crusader culture.

The post The Song of Roland Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

At long last, the struggle was over.

The post 506 – Chapter Eleven: The Machine first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was the 15th of August, and King Henry was at Bec. He didn’t want to be at Bec, of course.  He wanted to be in the field, fighting Robert.  However, until the matter with Anselm was resolved, he didn’t dare take to the field.  So here he was.

The post 505 – The Battle of Tinchebray first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was July 21st of 1105 and Henry was in Laigle. Just like he was in the late 1070s.  And, just like in the late 1070s, he was in conflict with his older brother.  Only this time he wasn’t in the town to do something fun, like pee on Robert from a balcony. No, this […]

The post 504 – At Anslem’s Bec and Call first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Curthose and his attendants, what remained of them, were rushing as quickly as they could to Rouen… and he was, presumably, crossing his fingers hoping that the people of that city would welcome him. And, honestly, after Caen I’d say it was even odds at best.

The post 503 – The Holy Ghosting first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Henry, with the help of Bishop Serlo, had just rebranded himself and his knights as the pious leaders of Greater Christian Normandy by going through little more than a ritualized barber shop scene and, while we know it was just cosplay, the fact is that people fall for bad faith optics all the time Which […]

The post 502 – The Cage Match of Bayeux first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Today we have a special episode with the return of Professor Rory Naismith! You will remember him from his interview on Anglo Saxon Economics and Money, and today he is back to talk with us about his new book on Offa, King of the Mercians.  Professor Rory Naismith is the Professor of Early Medieval History […]

The post An Offa Interview with Rory Naismith first appeared on The British History Podcast.

For months, messengers had been arriving from Normandy carrying news of the disorder and chaos that was gripping the Duchy.  Now, normally, this would have been good news for King Henry.  It was no secret that the King wanted to reunite his father’s cross channel empire under himself… nor was it a secret that he […]

The post 501 – Bishop Serlo’s Pop Up Hair Salon first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We answer SO many questions. So… so many questions.

The post 500 – 500th Episode AMA Extravaganza first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Some families are just…the worst. You know how it is, there’s the one or two in there that are half decent, but mostly you avoid them too because the rest of the family is just awful.

The post 499 – William of Mortain and How Some People Never Have Enough Wealth first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The death of Duke Robert’s chief ally, William of Breteuil, and the succession crisis it kicked off, was destabilizing the duchy of Normandy.   And while I’m sure it was a relief that King Henry and Robert of Meulan had brokered a sort of resolution to the crisis… everyone watching knew their intrusion into Norman […]

The post 498 – Power and Predictability first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was 1103 and things were a mess. And…when are they not? But a major reason for this mess was (oddly) William of Breteuil. Now, as you might recall, William of Breteuil was the firstborn son of the Conqueror’s close friendWilliam fitz Osbern… and, thanks to this proximity to power, he was one of the […]

The post 497 – That’s Me In The Spot. Light. first appeared on The British History Podcast.

For the first time since William the Conqueror, there was going to be a primatial council at Westminster Abbey.   This was a HUGE deal.   Like… enormous.  Anselm had been trying to hold a major reform council for years, but King Rufus had refused.  Reform, as you may remember, wasn’t something that the red king was […]

The post 496 – That’s Me In The Corner first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Ok, let’s return to 1101 and 1102, because Henry’s fight with Anselm, and fight between Henry and the Pope (and the fight between Anselm and the Pope) were …amazingly….only half of the story.  

The post 495 – Power Struggles: Part Two first appeared on The British History Podcast.

In early February of 1102 Queen Matilda was giving birth. 

The post 494 – Power Struggles: Part One first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The Treaty penned at Alton had avoided outright war, but it wasn’t truly official.  It needed to be finalized at Winchester.

The post 493 – The Price of Peace first appeared on The British History Podcast.

In 1668, John Dryden became England’s very first Poet Laureate.  But he had a rival.  No, not just a rival.  A nemesis. This man’s name was Thomas Shadwell, and I can’t overstate how much Dryden hated him.

The post 492 – The War for Perception first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Much respect to u/AnnieCamOG for coming up with this title.

The post Project 1095 first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Duke Robert Curthose was back in Normandy, having  reclaimed the Duchy unopposed… and now he was looking to assert his claim on England.

The post 491 – All Hats On Deck first appeared on The British History Podcast.

King Henry’s first Christmas Court in the closing days of 1100 had felt…off. 

The post 490 – Messengers from France first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Ok, let’s face it, last year was a lot.  Rampant corruption, threats of war, tyrannical leaders, actual war, a greedy feckless aristocracy, rulers weaponizing the legal system, rulers completely disregarding the legal system, rulers making grandiose promises they had no interest in actually delivering on, international intrigue, at least one incredibly suspicious death, and finally […]

The post 489 – From Normandy With Love first appeared on The British History Podcast.

By popular request, we’re releasing the full member’s episode on The Authoritarians.

The post Bonus Episode: The Authoritarians first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We did it, it’s the year  1100…which means it’s time for us to take a moment and  place our story in the broader context of global human history.  Now, as always, this won’t be exhaustive… nor ultra detailed. Our only intent is to break the  myopia that’s inherent in any history podcast and give you […]

The post 488 – The Year 1100 first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Edith, the daughter of King Malcolm Canmore, has appeared from time to time in our story and (by this point) she was about 20 years old… and many of those years had been weird ones.

The post 487 – Stealing a Wife From God first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It’s time to hit REI and get some gear… because we’re going on a journey of self discovery in this sample of the newest Member’s Episode.

The post Pilgrimage Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The cart carrying the body of King Rufus eventually reached the cathedral at Winchester. And if we are to believe Malmesbury,  blood had been dripping from it from the forest all the way into the Cathedral.  Though, at some point it must have stopped. I mean, even if no one… ya know… sorted it out, he would have run out of blood eventually.

Zee runs us through the events and it’s… a lot.

The post The First Crusade Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was a calm August afternoon in Winchester.   The Royal Palace (or potentially the Conqueror’s castle… our scribes aren’t precise when discussing the location, but probably the Palace)... either way, Winchester would have been full of activity,  but nothing out of the ordinary.  Just Royal functionaries carrying out their duties while the King was away, and townsfolk going about their business.

Ok, when we left off, Rufus threw a big “look at me” celebration… and the prevailing response appears to have been “yeah, man. We see you.” And that wasn’t even the worst part of his year.

The final two years of the 11th century feel like someone was trying to tie up a bunch of plotlines before the start of season 12. Things are moving fast, everybody is suddenly in different countries, and inevitably…some of these characters aren’t having their contracts renewed.

Alright. When we left off, I mentioned that while Rufus was in Normandy, things in England had been getting interesting in his absence. Let's start with Bishop Walkelin.

When we left off, Rufus and Robert of Belleme were marching upon Maine.  Specifically, Count Helias’ fortress at Danguel. This fortress made military incursions and raids into Maine insanely difficult.  Which Rufus and Robert found deeply inconsiderate, so it would have to be brought down or, at the very least it would have to be occupied by good honest Normans who wouldn’t interfere with the King’s god given right to raid and pillage the people of Maine.

Alright, so when we left off Edgar (the eldest living son of Malcolm Canmore) had claimed the throne of Scotland.  But, in classic medieval style, the way that Edgar had gone about that was anything but simple. Edgar had taken the throne from his  Uncle, King Donald III, and to pull that off  Edgar had the help of another uncle Edgar the AEtheling - who happened to be the guy he was named after -  as well as King Rufus of England… and with their support, King Donald III was forced into exile.

For years, Normandy had been wracked with internal conflict, war, and political unrest.  The Duchy had nearly been the end of Duke Robert countless times… and if there was a single defining characteristic of Normandy under Robert, it would be “chaos.”

Don't panic, we aren't quitting. But we are making a change that might affect you.

It turns out hustle culture is nothing new.

It’s September of 1096, and Duke Robert was setting out on Crusade, intent on taking the main pilgrim road to Rome and Norman Italy. Joining him were his retainers, soldiers, and supporters… including high ranked figures like Bishop Odo of Bayeux, Count Robert of Flanders, and Stephen of Aumale (who was the forgettable guy that de Mowbray had tried to install on the throne of England).

Everyone in England was angry with Rufus. He was fining, taxing, and now torturing his way through the country. And Rufus was mad at everyone in England. Which was why he was fining, taxing, and torturing his way through the country.

And the full version even includes a drinking game! You can hear the full episode by signing up for membership.

The post Lords and Landlords Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

In 1096, Robert de Mowbray, the former Earl of Northumbria, was living in Windsor. And he better get comfy, because his majesty seemed quite happy to keep him there as a permanent resident.

We strive in this one to prove you can be urban without being urbane. You can hear the full episode by signing up for membership.

The post Medieval Urbanization Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Night fell… and gradually, everything within Bamburgh and the Malvoisin went quiet. Sure, there were the occasional patrols, and the occasional muffled voice as two people shared a moment, or simply tried to keep themselves awake while on watch… but for the most part, there was no sound except for that of the waves lapping the shore.

Rufus was marching North to directly challenge de Mowbray and anyone foolish enough to follow  him.  And of course he was.  There was only one response this King was ever going to have to de Mowbray’s instigation.  War.  

So, when we left off, Anselm finally had his Pallium, and Rufus got… well… Rufus got all the independence and freedom from Church interference that he could have hoped for.  Even better, his Bishops were on the same page as him and were supporting the King’s independence from Rome.