The British History Podcast

<p>On the year 1059, there is an enigmatic entry in the Welsh Chronicle.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/378-everybody-is-killing-everybody-else-and-no-one-is-talking-about-it/">378 – Everybody is killing everybody else and no one is talking about it</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Water, and the ability to control water ways, was an important aspect in the Welsh imagination. In fact, the importance of Welsh power on the seas even appears in the Mabinogion.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/377-the-king-of-wales/">377 – The King of Wales</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Things are moving quickly in our story, now. Pieces are moving into place, and the board is shifting rapidly. Thanks to the benefit of hindsight, we can see where this is going and see how these events are leading to a calamity in just a few years.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/376-lost-years-and-lost-lands/">376 – Lost Years and Lost Lands</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>For the first time in a long time, Wales was experiencing a time of internal peace, thanks in large part to its unification under King Gruffydd.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/375-life-and-death-politics-but-mostly-death/">375 – Life and Death Politics. But Mostly Death.</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>1055 had been an absolutely crazy year. But, for the Godwinsons, it hadn’t been all bad. Having clearly given up on King Edward, Queen Edith was now fully on team Godwinson and bending all of her political and diplomatic talent towards advancing her brother’s positions…and since then they’d made significant advancements with large numbers of […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/374-be-careful-what-you-wish-for/">374 – Be Careful What You Wish For</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Earl AElfgar was having a rough time. The clergy and local lords of East Anglia had never really warmed up to him since his appointment to the post in 1053. Their loyalty to Harold went so deep that we can still see evidence of their loyalty to the House of Godwin in surviving records.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/373-the-first-king/">373 – The First King</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>If I could interview one figure from this period, I think it would be Queen Edith. That woman had a WEIRD life. She was married off to a King. Then she watched that King try to destroy her family…As thanks she got stuffed into a nunnery by said King… then got to watch as her […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/372-hostile-takeover/">372 – Hostile Takeover</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Godwin was dead, and now Harold Godwinson found himself leading the family. Befitting this new role, he was due to inherit the wealthy and politically potent Earldom of Wessex. His father’s Earldom. And according to the Vita Edwardi, the Kingdom rejoiced at Harold’s impending promotion.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/371-naked-ambition/">371 – Naked Ambition</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Earl Godwin and his family were back, baby. Well, mostly.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/370-breaking-bread/">370 – Breaking Bread</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>This is an old one, but it was specifically requested. Please forgive the audio quality and delivery.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/bonus-episode-from-the-archive/">Bonus Episode from the Archive: The Poet’s Curse</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>When you come at the King, you best not miss… and now the Godwins had the King of France and the Holy Roman Emperor acting as their surrogates while they were constructing no less than two invasion fleets just off of two separate English coasts … which means Edward probably realized he had went at […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/369-move-or-you-will-be-moved-part-4/">369 – Move or You Will Be Moved: Part 4</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>“O happy earl, in bairns and forebears blessedSiring four guarantors of England’s peace.First, Edith, gem-link on the kingdom’s brest,All virtues’ friend, fit daughter for the earl,Her sire, and also her spouse, the king;By her advice peace wraps the kingdom roundAnd Keeps mankind from breaking pacts of peace.Thus from your single fount, O Paradise,You part in […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/368-more-or-you-will-be-moved-part-3/">368 – Move or You Will Be Moved: Part 3</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Swegn Godwinson was exiled….again. Only this time it was for life. As that judgment came down, the Godwins must have realized they had been maneuvered into blind dependence on the King’s mercy.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/367-move-or-you-will-be-moved-part-2/">367 – Move, or You Will Be Moved Part 2</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>The summer of 1051 must have felt like some sort of nightmare. A French aristocrat rode into Dover, picked a fight and then slaughtered the townsfolk. And that man’s cousin, the King of England, told the townsfolk’s lord (Earl Godwin of Wessex) to go back and finish the job…by butchering his own people on behalf […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/366-move-or-you-will-be-moved-part-1/">366 – Move, or You Will Be Moved: Part 1</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>In 1050, Thorrfinn the Jarl of Orkney went to Rome. And no trip to Rome is complete without a visit with the Pope. And when Thorrfin had his meeting, we’re told that Pope personally absolved the Jarl’s sins.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/365-the-red-cliffs-of-dover/">365 – The Red Cliffs of Dover</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Complex societies are able to do incredible things. By having an interconnected civilization, with people from all over the place contributing to it, people are able to specialize… and that specialization allows for entire classes of people who can do things that would be impossible if they had to meet their own basic needs all […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/364-reconciliation/">364 – Reconciliation</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Piece by piece, the board was being set for a comeback. The Godwin family had been thrown from power decades ago. But Godwin knew how to be patient and grind it out. And now he was back on top, the second most powerful person in England.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/363-treason/">363 – Treason!</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>History is just the story of humans across time. Therefore, like humanity, history is varied, it’s emotional, it’s complex. And often it’s just f*cking messy.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/362-meet-the-godwins/">362 – Meet the Godwins</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>King Edward came to England with a political migraine.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/361-w-a-poet/">361 – W A Poet</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>In 1040, while England was dealing with the chaos of Harthacnut’s reign and the threat of yet another succession mess, Scotland was dealing with its own set of problems. The northern Kingdom just lost its king. And that wasn’t anything new for Scotland… their Kings rarely lasted long.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/360-the-long-game/">360 – The Long Game</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>In 1040, England once again had a new King. But England was finding Harthacnut a tough pill to swallow.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/359-play-autocrat-games-win-autocrat-prizes/">359 – Play Autocrat Games; Win Autocrat Prizes</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Happy Halloween!</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/the-witch-of-fife/">The Witch of Fife</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Today’s story starts in 1039. It’s a big year, and a lot has happened to get us here. So let’s recap very quickly. The death of Cnut caused a cascade of consequences that reached up to the tip of Scotland and even into the continent. It was an empire crumbling just as it had been […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/358-king-harthacnut/">358 – King Harthacnut</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>The early 11th century was an unlikely time of heroes. By heroes I unfortunately don’t mean people of good character and brave deeds, but just people who perform extraordinary feats for their time. One of these was the very first King of Wales, Gruffudd ap Llewelyn.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/357-walter-maps-courtly-trifles/">357 – Walter Map’s Courtly Trifles</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Here is the story of Macbeth. If you have just tuned into this episode because of the title, know that it is the second episode in a two-part series. You will want to go to the previous episode, Double Double Toil and Trouble, and listen to that first. There you will learn about the peculiar region that spawned this shadowy highland King.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/356-macbeth/">356 – Macbeth</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>As we have been covering the Dark Ages, we have been at the mercy of the scribes. If they don’t write something down, there is almost no way for us to know about it. One of the biggest casualties in this dynamic has been Scotland.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/355-double-double-toil-and-trouble/">355 – Double, Double Toil and Trouble</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>The death of Cnut and the fall of his near-Empire would obviously have impacts on his own dynasty. But while Harold was trying to secure England, Emma was trying to regain power, and poor Edward was trying to stay out of the whole mess, the political tsunami was roaring over the shores of the Irish […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/354-the-west-after-cnut/">354 – The West, after Cnut</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>The Medieval chronicler, Adam of Bremen, was writing at around this point in history and among the many things he tells us he also includes how Cnut planned his almost empire. And Adam tells us that Cnut intended Sweyn to rule Norway, Harthacnut to rule Denmark, and Harold Harefoot to rule England. And that might […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/353-mother-of-the-year/">353 – Mother of the Year</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>It was November 11 of 1035 and King Cnut was dead. He was buried at Winchester Cathedral. Cnut, and likely the Court, seemed to anticipate his death. Possibly because he had been ill for some time. But the ruling classes of Europe were still completely unprepared for the chaos that followed.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/352-chaos/">352 – Chaos</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>I wonder if Cnut could see what was coming. All the signs were in front of him. Everything was starting to line up. But was he actually putting it together?</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/351-collapse/">351 – Collapse</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>We have another mystery on our hands. We have a missing year. And I don’t think it was because nothing was happening.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/350-a-tough-cnut-to-crack/">350 – A Tough Cnut to Crack</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Successful Kings don’t rule alone. This is especially true for Kings with as much going on as Cnut. And one of Cnut’s most influential right-hand men was actually his Queen. And Emma was more than just an advisor. She was wielding considerable power in her own right, power that likely expanded every time Cnut journeyed […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/349-aelfgifus-tale/">349 – AElfgifu’s Tale</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Europe was in chaos in the 1020s. Crises just kept coming, and the powerful were trying to capitalize on disorder. And in times like these, actions can have outsized impact, even the smaller ones. For example, if you sat in Leicester during the 1020s, the last thing you would have been paying attention to would […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/348-ruling-hard-or-hardly-ruling/">348 – Ruling Hard or Hardly Ruling</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>What we call history was, at one point, just current events. And world affairs never happen in a vacuum. It’s never just one thing happening after another… it’s a whole mesh of events that, while they might happen in their own sequences that look very much like just one thing happening after another, they’re actually […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/347-aggressive-diplomacy/">347 – Aggressive Diplomacy</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>It’s 1025 Cnut had a problem on his hands. Barely a year after putting down Thorkell’s rebellion, Cnut was sailing for Denmark… again. To war, again.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/346-lock-stock-and-two-smoking/">346 – Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Drakkars</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>In the early 11th century, the English were crushed by the Scots in the Battle of Carham. We are told that King Malcolm of Scotland, supported by King Owain of Strathclyde, brought their combined armies to bear against the forces of Ealdorman Uhtred of Bernicia in 1018… and there, they slaughtered the English. But there’s […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/345-building-blocks/">345 – Building Blocks</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>More material is coming, but here is a bonus episode to keep you company while you’re practicing social distancing.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/bonus-episode-slavery/">Bonus Episode: Slavery</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>In the year of 1021, the Anglo Saxon Chronicle tells us two things. A Bishop died. And Thorkell the Tall was expelled from the country. And that’s all it tells us.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/344-cnuts-mad-lads/">344 – Cnut’s Mad Lads</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>This is a story of palace intrigue, murder, and atypical alopecia… and it all begins where these things usually do… with a real estate transaction.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/343-by-thorkells-beard/">343 – By Thorkell’s Beard</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Today is Shrove Tuesday. And if you’re not in Britain, you might be wondering what Shrove Tuesday is, and even if you are British, you might be wondering why you’re celebrating it.</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/bonus-episode-shrove-tuesday/">Bonus Episode: Shrove Tuesday</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>If you have heard of King Cnut, what you probably heard was the story of Cnut and the Tides. The most common version of it goes like this. “Canute, the greatest and most powerful monarch of his time, sovereign of Denmark and Norway, as well as of England, could not fail of meeting with adulation […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/342-king-cnut-of-denmark-and-england/">342 – King Cnut of Denmark and England</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Cnut made a lot of smart moves in a very short amount of time. He outlawed much of the corruption that had plagued the courts of AEthelred. He scrubbed his new kingdom of the loyalists to Edmund Ironsides. He granted key lands to key followers. Executed the main claimant to the throne, Eadwig. He executed […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/341-king-cnut-of-england/">341 – King Cnut of England</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>When we left off, Cnut had managed to get Eadric to go on the record calling for the execution of the English claimants to the throne… and then Cnut rejected the suggestion, and instead outlawed Eadwig, and exiled the sons of Edmund to Sweden. What the public likely didn’t know was the fact that Cnut […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/340-a-bit-of-a-cnut/">340 – A Bit of a Cnut</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>It’s been a strange few years. The fall of the House of Wessex and the rise of Cnut looks like a simple story of conquest. After all, it’s right there in the title. Virtually every book on this era has a chapter called “The Conquest of England.” And for good reason… Cnut /was/ a conqueror. […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/339-cnut-the-conqueror/">339 – Cnut the Conqueror</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Edmund hadn’t lost, and for now that was enough. He had shown himself to be a contender. So Ironside took his remaining men and marched East… but the accounts are careful to point out that he stayed north of the Thames…. And this decision has lead scholars to believe that Mercia may have already been […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/338-the-fall-of-king-edmund-ironsides/">338 – The Fall of King Edmund Ironsides</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Can you feel it? It feels like there is a lull before the storm. AEthelred Unread is now gone, and Normandy is now officially on the board. 1066 is on the doorstep. But the lull is an illusion you experience because you know what is coming next. For the people living it, things are heating […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/337-the-rise-of-king-edmund-ironside/">337 – The Rise of King Edmund Ironside</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Christmas is old. Older than Christianity, in fact. As a consequence, there’s a lot to it. Symbols and traditions that come from all over the world, and from all across time. It’s a complex event that, predictably, can provoke a complex set of emotions from people. But when you look past the trees, and the […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/336-the-end-is-the-beginning-is-the-end/">336 – The End Is The Beginning Is The End</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>Morcar and Sigeferth were under a lot of stress. These two noble brothers from the North had only just managed to join the Wulf dynasty through Sigeferht’s marriage to Ealdgyth, the niece of the powerful Ealdorman AElfhelm of York and Wulfric Spot. And that really should have been a smart move, given how powerful that […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/335-acts-of-spasmodic-violence/">335 – Acts of Spasmodic Violence</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>There are worse things than spending a holiday in Normandy. And one of those things is spending a holiday in Normandy because you just lost your entire Kingdom to the Danes. Support the Show</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/334-no-cnut-november/">334 – No Cnut November</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>

<p>England in 1013 was a Kingdom begging to be conquered. Decades of bad decisions have eroded its foundations and now it sat as a mere shadow of its former glory. It had none of the military prowess established by King AEthelstan. None of the political stability enjoyed under King Edgar. And none of the smart […]</p> <p>The post <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/333-the-conquest-of-england/">333 – The Conquest of England</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com">The British History Podcast</a>.</p>