The British History Podcast
Episodes
229 – The Battle of Edington
14 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Four months is a long time. It might not seem it. And in many ways, four months can pass in the blink of an eye. But four months is around 120 days. I...
228 – Alfred and Odda: The Audacity of Nope
07 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In spite of everything standing against them, Alfred and AEthelnoth are bringing the war directly to Guthrum on a daily basis. We know this thanks to ...
227 – Alfred’s War for the Mind
22 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The last episode ended with an account by Ethelweard which told us that after the arrival of AEthelnoth, Alfred was attacking Guthrum on a daily basis...
226 – Alfred and Legitimacy: The First Steps to War
10 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we are going to talk about the early steps of Alfred’s guerrilla war against King Guthrum. We will talk about the elements of this sort of wa...
225 – Alfred in Somerset
01 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It was January of 878. The dead of British winter – and Alfred was running. Through fields, past hamlets, keeping out of sight whenever he could. He...
224 – Chapter Six: Wessex
23 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
For generations, the Anglo Saxon dominance in eastern Britain has gone largely unchallenged. In the face of this, the warlike vagabonds that first cam...
223 – King Alfred and Chippenham
17 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
How do you redeem a year like 877? If you’re Alfred, how do you fix something like this? Even if he cast it in the best possible light, the story of...
222 – Viking Kings and The Black Pool
11 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
At some point early in the Viking Age, a group of Northmen came across a natural harbor on the western side of the Irish Sea. Being that they were a s...
221 – Alfred and Guthrum: The Price of Peace
03 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off, Guthrum had marched into the heart of Wessex without being noticed, lead his forces right past Alfred’s hold in Winchester, and se...
220 – Alfred and Guthrum: Magic, Madness, Heaven, Sin
29 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s the year 876 and historians Dudo and Flodoard tell us that a fleet of Vikings slammed into the Frankish city of Rouen and nearly leveled it to ...
219 – The Halloween Special: The Statement of Randolph Carter
21 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
I repeat to you, gentlemen, that your inquisition is fruitless. Detain me here forever if you will; confine or execute me if you must have a victim to...
218 – The Kingdom of Jorvik
19 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Today we begin in Orkney. The history of Orkney is rather obscure, and that fact is reflected in the show… with it appearing only occasionally in th...
217 – Halfdan’s Ravaging of the North
06 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We begin our story in Alt Clut. Alt Clut was an ancient British Kingdom and it could trace itself back to Roman Britannia – and possibly even furthe...
216 – The Great Heathen Army: Always Be Prepared
29 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Click here to go the Summary of Zee’s PhD that I talked about. We are coming to a major turning point in the story of Britain.The Anglo Saxon kingdo...
215 – King Burgred and the end of the Danish Sausage Fest
16 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 873 and so far Halfdan has extracted THREE Danegelds from King Burgred in exchange for promising to not occupy Mercia. And, of course, he’s g...
214 – National Lampoon’s Viking Vacation
04 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 872 and Halfdan’s year has been a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, he had received a major Danegeld from Mercia, to add to the one he rec...
213 – Danegelds, Peace, and Shame
24 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Last time we left off, Alfred… who we have been following since his earliest days, and whom we now know the most intimate details of, including the ...
212 – Alfred the Last AEtheling
12 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s mid April of 871. For four long months, the House of Wessex has been battling against an invasion army of Danes who are holding the Royal Tun o...
211 – The Battles of Basing and Meretun
28 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s January of 871, still… A tremendous amount has happened in the last fortnight, and the year had barely even begun. People tend to compress th...
210 – The Battle of Ashdown
19 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
“God, in his goodness and justice so much offended by our sins, had thus worn down the lands and kingdoms of the Christians.” That’s a quote fro...
209 – The Battle of Reading
08 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off, the Danes had occupied Reading, fortified it for several days, and then sent a detachment West along the river Kennet… In response...
208 – The Battle of Englefield
01 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off the Great Heathen Army had conquered East Anglia, established their dominion, and then a good portion of it returned to their territo...
207 – Christianity in Early Danelaw
23 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Here is part two to our story of religion and religious life at the age of the Great Heathen Army and the Danish invasion of Britain. Last episode, I ...
206 – Did the Great Heathen Army Persecute Christians?
11 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we covered the events of 869. The situation was dire. We have at least one dead Anglo Saxon king, two Anglo Saxon kingdoms that were now und...
205 – Saint Edmund the Martyr
02 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Last episode we ended with the engagement of Prince Alfred to Ealhswith, daughter of Ealdorman AEthelred Mucel of Mercia and descendant of King Coenwu...
204 – Snottingham
27 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of last episode, the gates of Jorvik had opened and the Great Heathen Army marched forth. They were headed South, to the Kingdom of Mercia....
203 – Jorvik
19 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
I’d like to start today’s episode with a poem. Not about my feelings, or about a tough breakup… but a skaldic poem from the 12th century. It’s...
202 – The Fall of Eoforwic
11 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last time, King Edmund of East Anglia had paid a Danegeld to the Great Heathen Army… and rather than leaving, the army had set up c...
201 – East Anglia’s Danegeld
02 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Here we are, with a new king in Wessex. King AEthelred, son of AEthelwulf, was now sitting the throne. He was in his 20s, and despite having a large f...
200 – The Q&A
25 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate the 200th episode, I took questions from the community which gave me a good excuse to complain about bad GI Joe villains, Rome, Lack of S...
199 – AEthelred vs Alfred: One of the Most Exciting Moments in Probate History
17 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 865 and we just had yet another King of Wessex die. Alfred has been losing family members fast and furious, and this time it was his older brot...
198 – The Great Heathen Army Begins
03 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
On 864 or 865, a great Scandinavian fleet of Dragon ships, or Drakkars, beached themselves at Thanet in Kent. For the people of the south, this would ...
The April Fool’s Episode
01 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Things are changing at the BHP, and here’s a preview! The post The April Fool’s Episode first appeared on The British History Podcast.
197 – The Sons of Ragnar Lodbrok (versus Battle-Cattle)
26 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We’re at a massive turning point for Britain. The Great Heathen Army is arriving on the Northern shores. I have been racking my brain for weeks tryi...
196 – Vikings and Mercs and Franks. Oh My!
16 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last week we spoke about King AEthelberht’s ascension to the throne of Wessex in 860 and how, despite the insistence of the Chronic...
195 – Red Sea Rising
07 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode will focus upon the goings on in Britain for King AEthelberht, AEthelred, and Alfred. We will also cover what has been happening up ...
194 – My Big Fat Dark Age Wedding
27 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
King AEthelbald of Wessex, Queen Judith, Bjorn Ironsides, Prince Alfred, King Charles the Bald, Pope Nicholas I, Baldwin Iron Arm, Ivar the Boneless…...
193 – Alfred the Young Part Two
21 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last week we were talking about Alfred’s upbringing and how he was a proficient hunter from a young age, and how he honed those ski...
192 – Alfred the Young
13 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve discussed Anglo Saxon propaganda, and what goes down in Anglo Saxon cities, now let’s get back to the main story. When last we checked in wi...
191 – Urban Fervor
06 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
You might not realize it, but we on the precipice of a major change in Britain. Alfred the Great is about to reach adulthood and enter the scene. The ...
190 – House (of Wessex): Everybody Lies
29 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is going to be a bit different from most, because I’m going to be addressing something which has been bugging me about the 800s, and We...
189 – What on earth is an English
16 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is going to be a little different from most episodes. We’re going to break from the main story briefly and talk in larger terms about w...
188 – Rebellion and Succession in the Kingdom of Wessex
08 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Before we begin, I’d like to address something from our last episode. I told you about reports of Vikingr armies marching around the countryside nea...
187 – The Queen of Wessex: aka The Worst Midlife Crisis Ever
02 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It’s Christmas day 854. King AEthelweard of East Anglia, a king who we know almost nothing about, is dead. The only evidence we really have that he ...
186 – Wessex: A story of Myth building, Opportunism, and Annexation
19 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is getting a bit into the political weeds and it’s for a very important reason. We’re seeing the development of that dynastic juggern...
185 – Building the House of Wessex
11 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last time, we were taking a look at the problem facing Europe that no one wanted to talk about. And this wasn’t like plague of peop...
184 – The Chaos of Bad Governance
03 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last time we discussed the viking raids of Paris and Hamburg… though they were far more than the raids we’d seen in the last 40-5...
183 – Ragnar’s Siege of Paris
22 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This is a big event for Medieval Western Europe, and it doesn’t come out of nowhere. The surge of Northmen, and in particular the Danish attacks aga...
182 – Ragnar Lodbrok
15 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Ok, when we left off, a fleet of 120 ships set sail from Scandinavia. And at their head, according to legend, was Ragnar Lodbrok. Ragnar Hairy Breeche...
181 – Vikingrs Gotta Viking
07 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last week, the Vikingrs had established fortified bases in Ireland… Not only that, but after building the bases they decided to han...
180 – The Cracks in the Shieldwall
30 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 838. Only two years earlier the West Saxons were defeated by a fleet of Vikingrs, and they responded to this loss the way you would expect them...
Halloween Special: H.P. Lovecraft’s The Music of Erich Zann
26 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The Music of Erich Zann By H. P. Lovecraft You can read a copy of the story at hplovecraft.com. Happy Halloween! The post Halloween Special: H.P. Lov...
179 – The Battle of Carrum
17 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last week, 35 ships launched from Denmark and set their course for England. As we have been learning, the Anglo Saxon kingdoms were n...
178 – Dereliction of Duty
09 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we last left off we were talking about what a big deal King Egbert of Wessex was. And for good reason. In 829, King Egbert of Wessex held virtual...
177 – The Road to 830
02 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Last episode I gave you a forest view of where we are going and, roughly, who these Viking raiders were as well as the scale of the impact that they w...
176 – The Prophecy of Jeremiah
25 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
“Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. They shall hold the...
175 – Chapter Five: A Sea of Blood
03 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A sea of blood. Support the Show The post 175 – Chapter Five: A Sea of Blood first appeared on The British History Podcast.
174 – CeltCast Part 3
28 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
We start today with a few bare statements in the record. They’re easy to overlook, and most people do, but they hint at a very important aspect of P...
173 – The CeltCast Part 2
19 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
I’m continuing my quest to organize and bring all the stories back together and so today we’re going to move the timeline forward (to get us close...
172 – CeltCast Part 1
10 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re beginning the process of creating a singular British history podcast. The side casts made sense when the story was first beginning, but ...
171 – The Welshcast Part Seven
29 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off last time, we were talking about how we have a limited understanding of this area of history due to a combination of scarce resources...
170 – The Welshcast Part Six
20 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been two years since we checked in with the Britons of the West, and last time we spoke, a big part of our discussion was focused upon the peop...
169 – The Rise of Wessex
08 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This season we’ve seen the Anglo Saxons come incredibly close to forming an early unified English Kingdom… in fact they will continue their attemp...
168 – The Fall of Mercia
01 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off, King Beornwulf was reigning over Mercia. Beornwulf was the beginning of the creatively named B-Dynasty, due to the fact that Anglo S...
167 – The Beginning of the End
23 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Season Four is called Anglo Saxon Ascendancy because we have been seeing mighty kings like Offa, AEthelbald, and Coenwulf acquire vast amounts of powe...
166 – Wulfred: The Rogue Archbishop
14 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
We start today with a death. On the 28th of January, 814, Charlemagne died and the throne passed to Louis the Pious. The death of Charlemagne was a bi...
165 – Did Archbishop Wulfred Just Kill a Guy?
02 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we talked about the impact that the Church was having on internal politics within the Anglo Saxon kingdoms, and that is something we will co...
164 – Shadow Governments in Britain
22 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we last left off, King Egbert was ruling over Wessex, King Cuthred (Coenwulf’s brother) was ruling over Kent… and Emperor Coenwulf held Merci...
163 – The South of Britain Grows Restless
16 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a shift that’s happening in Anglo Saxon politics that’s occurring… we’ve had powerful queens in the Anglo Saxon kingdoms (especially...
162 – Emperor Coenwulf, Emperor Charlemagne, and The World
07 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
So today, lets briefly talk about the world context since we’ve largely just focused on our main character. No not Coenwulf, or Offa… the main cha...
Q&A: How to Start a Podcast
01 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve gotten this question a lot over the years and after quite a lot of thought, I’ve come up with a few basic pieces of advice. I talked it over ...
161 – King Ceonwulf’s Rise in Power
30 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
While Offa was an effective leader in Mercia during his life, his dynastic purge was a disaster. Looking at what followed, it appears that he heavily ...
160 – An Offa Inheritance
21 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
King Offa of Mercia has died after a surprisingly long and productive reign. The degree of power he had gathered for himself was truly something to be...
159 – An Offa End
09 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Lets start with Christmas Day 795. That’s the day Pope Hadrian died… so uh… Merry Christmas? Hadrian was actually a pretty decent Pope… not Po...
158 – Offa With His Head
31 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Last week was dark, wasn’t it? Not only that, but it only covered the first half of 793. The end of the 8th century was an eventful period so lets p...
157 – Lindisfarne
24 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Northumbria was no stranger to problems… blood feuds, regicide, and kinslaying… they really have it all up there. But as 793 began, it was clear t...
156 – An Offa Marriage
06 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
When we left off things were looking pretty good for Mercia. Wessex was now acting as a subkingdom, with their King (Beohtric) married to Offa’s dau...
155 – Its Always Sunny in Mercia: The Gang Throws a Party
26 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Back to our story, when we last left off, King Offa of Mercia was doing pretty well. He had just received Papal support for his plans of succession an...
154 – Having it Offa
19 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re covering more about King Offa, and the reason is that he’s a really big deal. He reigned for about as long as King Henry VIII, he cons...
153 – An Offa You Can’t Refuse
12 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
As you might have guessed, today we’re talking mostly about Offa. But before we get into some of the cool things that were going on under Offa’s r...
152 – Limited Time Offa
05 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Today we begin in Northumbria. King AEthelred of Northumbria, son of AEthelwold Moll, was sitting the throne, having taken it from a man who claimed t...
151 – Offa and Acceptance
30 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Alright, where did we leave off. We had a new Archbishop of Canterbury, King Offa of Mercia was on the rise, Kent was in decline, and the minor kingdo...
150 – King Offa: The Turnover
19 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is going to go all over the kingdoms of the Heptarchy. We have the Kings of Kent, Wessex, East Anglia, Northumbria, and of course, M...
149 – King Offa Ascends the Throne
13 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re starting a series on one of the most influential Mercian kings in history. King Offa. But before we start this story, I need to fess up ...
148 – The Fall of King AEthelbald
02 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Alright, as you already know, King AEthelbald of Mercia had a bit of a rough start… what with being exiled and living in a swamp. But once he was ab...
147 – The Twelve Days of Christmas
23 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This year for our Christmas special, I thought I would give you an idea of what Christmas was like for some of the people in Middle Ages Britain. Now,...
146 – King AEthelbald: A Whirlpool of Perdition
15 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The first half of this episode is a combination of letting you know what is happening in the Heptarchy (basically, chaos unless you’re in Mercia) an...
145 – The Rise of King AEthelbald of Mercia
12 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ok, so we ended our last episode with the death of King Ceolred at a banquet. And he went out swinging… or at least gibbering and cursing the heaven...
144 – King Ceolred: A Lunatic Running the Asylum
01 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ok, so recently we’ve chatted about some cultural matters and I’ve also given you a broad overview of the failed dynastic politics of Northumbria ...
143 – Man Up: Gender in the Middle Ages
19 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Often times, the way the Middle Ages are presented, are as an era where everyone was lily white and a time when men were men and women were women. A t...
142 – The Failed Dynastic Politics of Mercia and Northumbria
12 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Now today is going to be a little complex. But if you keep the theme in mind, you should be largely ok… and that theme is the bloody dynastic politi...
141 – King Aldfrith and St. Wilfrid
29 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ok, when we left off, Bishop Wilfrid was jilted out of the Archbishopric of Canterbury, and instead Abbot Beorhtwald became Archbishop Beorhtwald. So ...
140 – Wilfrid: How to Win Friends and Influence People
21 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode will take place in the turbulent years from 686 to 692 and the main characters will be… Aldfrith – King of Mercia, son of Oswiu,...
139 – The Rise of Aldfrith and Caedwalla
14 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This episode will roughly cover the eventful years between 685 and 689. The main characters today will be two kings, two wannabe kings, and a bishop…...
138 – Religious Lives in Britain
07 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Alright, so last week we talked about how uneven and confused the conversion of Britain was. And how the beliefs of one village might not bare all tha...
137 – Preaching in the Dark Ages
29 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re going to cover the crazy environment that early Christian converts found themselves in during the Dark Ages, and some of the bizarre not...
136 – The Power of Mercia
16 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This episode will cover the years 678 to 685 and its major characters will be… King Ecgfrith of Northumbria, the man who brought down Wulfhere, was ...
135 – A Reshuffling of Power
10 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re going to cover the eventful years of 675 to 678, and our main characters will be… King Wulfhere of Mercia, Son of Penda and tough guy ...
134 – The Power of Northumbria
05 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers the years 670 to 685. The main characters are: King Ecgfrith of Northumbria – son of Oswiu, former hostage of the Mercians, and ...
133 – Scotcast: Part Ten
26 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
To start with, we have nine praise poems that tell us of a mighty king of Rheged named Urien, who reigned in the 580’s and 590’s. Urien was no slo...