The British History Podcast

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.

The post 344 – Cnut’s Mad Lads first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 […]

The post 345 – Building Blocks first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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.

The post 346 – Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Drakkars first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 […]

The post 347 – Aggressive Diplomacy first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 […]

The post 348 – Ruling Hard or Hardly Ruling first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 […]

The post 349 – AElfgifu’s Tale first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We have another mystery on our hands. We have a missing year. And I don’t think it was because nothing was happening.

The post 350 – A Tough Cnut to Crack first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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?

The post 351 – Collapse first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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.

The post 352 – Chaos first appeared on The British History Podcast.

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 […]

The post 353 – Mother of the Year first appeared on The British History Podcast.