Storyline | 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.

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.

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.

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, […] The post 486 – Stealing a Crown from your Brother first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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, […] The post 485 – What Happened? first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 post 484 – Final Destination: The New Forest first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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. The post 483 – Standing on Ceremony first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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. The post 482 – Eye for an Eye first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 […] The post 481 – Operation Baguette Storm first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 post 480 – All Gas, No Brakes first appeared on The British History Podcast.