The British History Podcast

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326 – The Year 1000 Sep 08, 2019

Show notes

It’s so easy to lose the forest for the trees. This show is a show about one small island which, even at this part of the story, is still at the edge of civilization. It is very easy to forget that there is a whole other world out there…

325 – From Bad to Worse Aug 24, 2019

Show notes

When we left off, England was reforming its legal structure. Now, law isn’t known for being a sexy subject…neither are lawyers for that matter. But law shapes our societies in ways that are so fundamental that they are often invisible to us. And these reforms are no exception. These codes go on to transform English […]

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324 – Law and Lawlessness Aug 21, 2019

Show notes

With the Scandinavian raiders gone, and with AElfric of Hampshire defanged, England was free to get back to work. And, as we saw last episode, this meant that the King was once again redistributing wealth from the have-a-lots to the have-even-mores.

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323 – Brotherhood of the Wolf Aug 10, 2019

Show notes

The Dowager Queen AElfthryth has returned to the King’s inner council following what looks like a political coup against AElfic of Hampshire and his faction. And just because it was political doesn’t mean it was bloodless. All of AElfric’s allies were dead. Only AElfric himself, who appears to have been too big to fail, remained […]

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PSA: Are We Dead? Aug 03, 2019

Show notes

(We aren’t)

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322 – We’re Absolutely Forked Jul 12, 2019

Show notes

Ealdorman AElfirc of Hampshire was out… and Ealdorman AEthelweard the Chronicler was in. He would now be the King’s chief councillor… and he would be supported by his son, AEthelmaer… the King’s uncle, High Reeve Ordwulf of Devon, and the King’s mother, AEthelthryth.

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321 – Course Corrections Jul 06, 2019

Show notes

992 was a bad year. There was treason, Vikings, the King’s closest advisor absconded with half the navy, and tipped off an enemy invasion with just enough time to let them escape.

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320 – Our Wooden Wall Jun 27, 2019

Show notes

The Battle of Maldon was a catastrophe. The brave last stand of Ealdorman Byrhtnoth was never going to change that fact. He was the leading man of Essex and the second most powerful Ealdorman in England and now he was dead. And his Fyrd was defeated.

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319 – The Battle of Maldon Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

Battles don’t appear out of thin air, not even in honor cultures. There’s a reason, a context, that develops long before soldiers or warriors enter a field prepared to do violence. And the Battle of Maldon comes with a lot of context. We left off in 988… and on that year, Archbishop Dunstan, who had […]

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318 – Chaos is a Ladder Jun 13, 2019

Show notes

By 984 the Regency council had been broken and a new inner circle of nobles had been elevated. And this development was accompanied by a rapid series of changes at the highest levels of the kingdom. The political rivals of this new council were rapidly losing power, with titles (and even lands) of wealthy dynasties […]

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