The British History Podcast

Congratulations Sheriff, you’ve made it through the crucible.  Literally. Now, granted, you’ve lost some money along the way.  Percentages were shaved off because of the purity of the silver.  Coins were tossed out because edges had been literally shaved off by the scoundrels in your shire.  And, of course, money was flowing rapidly out of […] The post 511 – Exchequers and ExBalancers: Part Two first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We are about to do something a little unusual for the BHP.  We’re going to muddy the timeline. Now, normally we stick to the chronological timeline.  We live the story as it unfolds.  But the birth of the Exchequer presents us with a bit of a headache because it’s being built right now in the […] The post 510 – Exchequers and ExBalancers: Part One first appeared on The British History Podcast.

King Henry’s Court was huge. And that makes sense.  His predecessor, King Rufus, was a party animal and, as such, his Court had swollen into a massive, roving scene where anyone who wanted power… or just free wine… crowded in through the doors. The post 509 – Court Costs first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The King was triumphant and his older brother was, if we’re taking the King’s word for it, retired and happily living in the lap of luxury… and most of the King’s other enemies were either imprisoned, dead, or keeping their heads down for fear of the King throwing them into the lap of luxury, too.  The post 508 – The Reformation Begins first appeared on The British History Podcast.

A sample of our deep dive into the performance and the culture that surrounds the Song of Roland. The post Chansons de Geste and 12th Century Performance Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Henry had defeated his brother… but he hadn’t defeated Normandy.  At least, not yet.  Duke Robert still had supporters out there and Falaise was still loyal to the Duke.  In fact, Duke Robert’s son, William Clito, was sheltering in Falaise. The post 507 – Law and Order: Normandy first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Buckle up for a retelling of the medieval MCU that was driving Crusader culture. The post The Song of Roland Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

At long last, the struggle was over. The post 506 – Chapter Eleven: The Machine first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was the 15th of August, and King Henry was at Bec. He didn’t want to be at Bec, of course.  He wanted to be in the field, fighting Robert.  However, until the matter with Anselm was resolved, he didn’t dare take to the field.  So here he was. The post 505 – The Battle of Tinchebray first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was July 21st of 1105 and Henry was in Laigle. Just like he was in the late 1070s.  And, just like in the late 1070s, he was in conflict with his older brother.  Only this time he wasn’t in the town to do something fun, like pee on Robert from a balcony. No, this […] The post 504 – At Anslem’s Bec and Call first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Curthose and his attendants, what remained of them, were rushing as quickly as they could to Rouen… and he was, presumably, crossing his fingers hoping that the people of that city would welcome him. And, honestly, after Caen I’d say it was even odds at best. The post 503 – The Holy Ghosting first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Henry, with the help of Bishop Serlo, had just rebranded himself and his knights as the pious leaders of Greater Christian Normandy by going through little more than a ritualized barber shop scene and, while we know it was just cosplay, the fact is that people fall for bad faith optics all the time Which […] The post 502 – The Cage Match of Bayeux first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Today we have a special episode with the return of Professor Rory Naismith! You will remember him from his interview on Anglo Saxon Economics and Money, and today he is back to talk with us about his new book on Offa, King of the Mercians.  Professor Rory Naismith is the Professor of Early Medieval History […] The post An Offa Interview with Rory Naismith first appeared on The British History Podcast.

For months, messengers had been arriving from Normandy carrying news of the disorder and chaos that was gripping the Duchy.  Now, normally, this would have been good news for King Henry.  It was no secret that the King wanted to reunite his father’s cross channel empire under himself… nor was it a secret that he […] The post 501 – Bishop Serlo’s Pop Up Hair Salon first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We answer SO many questions. So… so many questions. The post 500 – 500th Episode AMA Extravaganza first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Some families are just…the worst. You know how it is, there’s the one or two in there that are half decent, but mostly you avoid them too because the rest of the family is just awful. The post 499 – William of Mortain and How Some People Never Have Enough Wealth first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The death of Duke Robert’s chief ally, William of Breteuil, and the succession crisis it kicked off, was destabilizing the duchy of Normandy.   And while I’m sure it was a relief that King Henry and Robert of Meulan had brokered a sort of resolution to the crisis… everyone watching knew their intrusion into Norman […] The post 498 – Power and Predictability first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was 1103 and things were a mess. And…when are they not? But a major reason for this mess was (oddly) William of Breteuil. Now, as you might recall, William of Breteuil was the firstborn son of the Conqueror’s close friendWilliam fitz Osbern… and, thanks to this proximity to power, he was one of the […] The post 497 – That’s Me In The Spot. Light. first appeared on 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.