Shows / The History of England
The History of England
This my re-telling of the story of England. I aim to be honest, and rigorous - but always loving of my country's history. It is a regular, chronological podcast, starting from the end of Roman Britain. There are as many of the great events I can squeeze in, of course, but I also try to keep an eye on how people lived, their language, what was important to them, the forces that shaped their lives and destinies, that sort of thing. To listen free of adverts, support the podcast, access a library…
Episodes
The History of England91 The New Favourites
In the 1310's, Robert Bruce's ambitions grew - not simply content with throwing the English out of Scotland, or burning the north of England - he now wanted to…
The History of England90 How to hold a parliament
The modus tenendi parliamentum is a very unusual document from around this time. It describes how parliaments should be held, but also includes a number of…
The History of England89 The Great Famine
For a long time we have been having a ball, economy wise - the medieval warm period, towns springing up all over the place, prices gently rising, population…
The History of England88 Politics, scandal, intrigue and turmoil
The period between 1308 and 1311 was dominated by the attempts of the barons to resolve the issues left unsolved from Edward I's reign; and by the scandal and…
The History of England87 Scandal was brought upon the People
This week, and introduction to Edward II, quite probably the most reviled king in English history. So this week he have a bit of a survey of how history has…
The History of England86 Handing over
In 1305 two Scottish lords had a fall out next to the altar of a church in Dumfries. One them, Robert Bruce, resolved the argument by sticking a knife in the…
The History of England85 Crime and Punishment
A digression this week - the state of the crime and punishment in 14th century, and the story of the theft of the crown jewels in 1303. We also get the final…
The History of England84 War, Tournaments and Victory
We spend a bit of time in this episode having a bit of a catchup up - about arms, armour and armies, and about warfare for real and for pretend. Despite that…
The History of England83 Crisis
From 1297, things became harder for Edward. The relentless pressure of external wars led to increased taxation. This continuous pressure on the magnates…
The History of England82 The Sucker Punch
Since the Treaty of Paris in 1259, England and France had been friends, united by a monarchy with close ties and relationships. So when in 1293 a dispute blew…
The History of England81 The Great Cause
Through a stunning piece of bad luck, Alexander III left no heirs. And now there was no clear successor to his throne of Scotland. For the search for the right…
The History of England80 In which we Dawdle
When Edward I arrived back in 1289 from Gascony, he was in many ways at the height of his awesomeness. A chivalric monarch, a leading stateman in Christendom…
The History of England79 Conqueror and Statesman
The second Anglo Welsh war was very different in character to the first. Here was a genuinely national uprising against rule by the English. Here was a war…
The History of England78 The Crisis in Wales
In 1270, you would have been more likely to pick Alexander, king of Scotland or Llewellyn of Wales as the leader most likely to breach the peace. Edward looked…
The History of England77 Reconstruction
The country Edward came back to in 1274 wasn't in particularly good nick. Crime was on the rise, with a general disaffection with the regime as the benzedrine…
The History of England76 The Personal Rule of Henry III Part 2
The last 5 years of Henry's rule were pretty eventful. The Statute of Marlborough confirmed the changes of the Provisions of Westminster, but royal power…
The History of England75 Nemesis
In April 1265 Gilbert de Clare had left court in something of a huff. De Montfort was well aware that if he lost de Clare, his whole hold on power would be…
The History of England74 The Wheel of Fortune
In 1264 when De Montfort set out from London he would have been conscious that this was a last throw; after losses to the Royalists in the midlands his only…
The History of England73 Return of the Jedi
In 1262, it looked for all the world as though the royal party was back in control and the whole struggle for reform was over. But that was before you take…
The History of England72 The Empire Strikes Back
Things looked pretty good for the reformers in 1259; but at the heart of the reform movement were faultlines that weakened them, and made them vulnerable. The…
The History of England71 Enter the Leopard
We sort of get back to the political narrative this week, but only sort of. We discuss the young prince, Edward, who will be one of England's most famous kings…
The History of England70 13 C Lords, Knights and Gentry
The 13th Century sees the start of changes that will come to full fruit in the 14th Century - the development of the role of the knight in the shires, the…
The History of England69 13th C Life - Merchants and Magnates
Wool was the wealth of England, the great trade that brought wealth and prosperity to England. The people who really made the money were the big ticket Italian…
The History of England68 13 C Life - Peasants fighting back...and Towns
Being a Peasant was no doubt a pretty hard existance. But they were not without their methods of fighting back, and protecting their rights. This week also we…
The History of England67 13th Century Life - Peasants
Over the 13th century, economic growth continued. For the Peasantry, this gave some opportunities; more chance to sell their produce and get involved in a…
The History of England66 The Road to Revolution
In 1258, the resentments all came together and the pot boiled over. The pope Alexander did his vassal no favours what so ever by pushing so hard that Henry had…
The History of England65 Why was Henry III so unpopular?
It seems strange. Henry III was a likeable enough chap, who did his best to keep a harmonious court, and gave England an extended period of peace. And yet it's…
The History of England64 The Personal Rule of Henry III - Part 1
Henry III brushed off his great officers of state and the priod of 1234 to 1258 is a period of personal rule. Henry finds himself a wife, a new personal…
The History of England63 The Last Great Justiciar
From 1227 to 1234 we are sort of in betweeners - the minority has ended, but Henry's government in still dominated by the old guard, people like Hubert de…
The History of England62 The Minority Abroad
Harmony with Scotland, the career of Llewellyn the Great, the loss of Poitou. During the minority of Henry, English prestige and power was at something of a…
The History of England61 The minority of Henry III
The years between 1219 and 1227 saw the gradual resumption of royal power. It also saw a power struggle between Peter des Roches, the Bishop of Winchester, and…
The History of England3.1 - 60 The Plantagenets 1217 - 1399
After introducing Series 3, the Plantagents from 1217 to 1399, Henry III to Richard II, we turn to a kingdom im crisis.A man was needed to guide England…
The History of England59 Magna Carta and the Death of a Tyrant
Bouvines wasn't the cause of the Baronial revolt, but it probably was John's last chance to avoid it. In 1215 at Runymede Magna Carta was signed. It's…
The History of England58 Tyranny and Death
From 1213 to 1214, John seemed to have got his problems more under control, and had built an alliance that looked to be capable of taking on Philip. There was…
The History of England57 The Excommunicate
John took a detailed interest in administration, and made effective changes to the way things worked. Partly his interest was motivated by the need to raise…
The History of England56 The History of Medieval Europe Part 2
The Holy Roman Empire to the death of Barbarossa, the briefest of histories of Norway, Denmark and Spain, and the 4th Crusade. It's action packed. For maps…
The History of England55 The History of Medieval Europe Part 1
From Charles Martel and the battle of Tours in 732, through Charlemagne and Otto the Great, the first installment concentrates on France, Germany and Italy and…
The History of England54 Fighting Back - A Bit
John immediately launched attempts to get his lands back - and ran into the Barons. He does run up a pretty good Navy though. And we hear of Roland the Farter…
The History of England53 Torn Apart - the Loss of an Empire
After the defection of William des Roches the military situation was poor for John but not irretrievable. Unfortunately, John failed to provide the leadership…
The History of England52 John Softsword
As a younger man, John had been given the nickname Lackland because unlike his brothers he didn't have his own appanage. At the Treaty of Le Goulet in May 1200…
The History of England51 The Fouler Presence of John?
In 1199, Richard the Lion Heart died after being shot by a cook outside the castle of Chalus in the Limousin. The Empire was split between supporters of Arthur…
The History of England50 Defence of the Empire
The war between Richard and Phillip went on from 1194-1198 in fits and starts; usually there was no more than 3 months of fighting before a truce came along…
The History of England49 Travel Chaos
Richard set off from Outremer right at the end of the sailing season - October. He knew the Duke of Austria, the Holy Roman Emperor, Count of Toulouse and King…
The History of England48 Richard and the Third Crusade
Was the Third Crusade a success or a failure? While it failed to achieve its objective, it was the most successful after the First Crusade. It rescued Outremer…
The History of England47 The Fall of Jerusalem
For 50 or so years after the capture of Jerusalem, Outremer was a part of the political and military dance between Christian and Muslim states. Then in 1144…
The History of England46 Richard and the Road to Outremer
Richard set off from Sicily probably intending to go straight to the Holy Land. But a chance storm enforced a landing at Cyprus, where the locals were not…
The History of England45 Packing the Bags
Richard came into the lands of his father and was crowned at Westminster in 1189. For the next 6 months he was packing his bags, cleaning the fridge and…
The History of England44 The Lionheart
To most contemporaries, Richard I was a hero. Since then his reputation has suffered badly, until even Winston Churchill describes him as the worst of our…
The History of England43 The Greatest of all Monarchs
In 1173-4 Henry was faced by a revolt by his wife, children and many of his leading barons. 1183 to his death in 1189 were years where Henry was increasingly…
The History of England42 English Justice and the Invasion of Ireland
So here are two completely unconnected subjects then! Henry is responsible for reforms to the process of English justice that had a long lasting impact on…
The History of England41 Murder in the Cathedral
After Thomas recanted from his signature of the Constitutions of Clarendon, things got really nasty. Before long, Thomas was in exile, and Henry couldn't care…
The History of England40 Bishop Trouble
The 1160's. A time of consolidation of the Angevin Empire, still ruled by a dynamic, young and aggressive Henry. But mainly remembered for the start of the…
The History of England39 Ruling the Angevin Empire
Bear in mind at all times that Henry, while being a Good King, was a tyrant. Still, he was a tyrant who ran a mean administrative system for the time. This…
The History of England38 Born of the Devil - the Angevins
Geniuses, devils, spoilt brats, villains, heroes; war, sex, violence, bravery, treachery, peace, reform... the Angevins that founded the Plantagenet dynasty…
The History of England37 12th Century Life - Village, Town and Trade
12th Century England was envied for it's fertility and yes it's climate. Any during the 12th century, the population of England and its towns and villages…
The History of England36 Magnates and Churchmen
After joining Henry II's household, William's rise was steady - but with the arrival of Richard the Lion Heart it really took off. By the time of his death he…
The History of England35 12th Century Life - A Knight's Tale
Medieval England thought of it's people in 3 estates - those who fight (nobles), those who pray (churchmen) and those who work (peasants). This week in the…
The History of England34 Anarchy III - Resolution
Stephen and Matilda fought themselves to a standstill, until the Empress tires of the struggle, and essentially leaves the stage around 1149. Many of her key…
The History of England33 Anarchy II - Matilda's Big Chance
1141 was a turbulent year in England's history. The Civil war had reached an early deadlock, dramatically broken by the capture of the king at the Battle of…
The History of England32 When Christ and his Saints Slept
'...they said openly that christ and his saints slept'. This stunning phrase gives us an image of devastation hat led to the period being called 'The Anarchy'…