The British History Podcast

We’ve been spending a lot of time with England lately… and there’s a good reason for that.  England was the main target of the Norman invasion, and everything changed for the Kingdom when William arrived.  Furthermore, the nature of our surviving sources is that they were more likely to survive if they were Norman sources. […]

The post 430 – Is It Good To Be King? first appeared on The British History Podcast.

From 1066 to 1071, William had been at war with the English. Five long years of conquest, insurrections, and rebellions. And here’s the thing about that. William didn’t even really seem to like England that much. Not the culture, definitely not the people.

The post 431 – The Gang Has A Wedding first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was 1075 and Waltheof, the last remaining English Earl, was not in England.  He was on a boat, headed for Normandy.   And when word of his trip reached the Earls Roger and Ralph, they probably panicked.

The post 432 – The Revolt of the Earls first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Here’s a 15 minute sample of what we’re talking about on the Member’s feed.

The post Bonus Episode on Courtliness first appeared on The British History Podcast.

In 1075 King Bleddyn’s star was on the rise.  He ruled over both Gwynedd and Powys.  He struck fear into those he met on the battlefield. He had demonstrated himself such a  threat that the Normans actually tried to assassinate him…repeatedly. But he was still very much alive, kicking ass and taking heads.

The post 433 – North Wales: I Love Mess first appeared on The British History Podcast.

By the mid 1070’s, the House of Normandy was struggling and I’m not talking about William here, I’m talking about his lineage – because as busy as William had been in his cross-channel land grabs, he had still found time to have A LOT of kids.

The post 434 – The Boys first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Once in a while, the Chronicle has a hot take. Here is one of my favorites:  “the more men spoke about just law, the more unlawfully they acted.” The scribes dropped that one on the lines for 1087, but it could have easily applied to 1075 and 1076.

The post 435 – Trials and Tribulations first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Welcome to the turbulent period of 1076 to 1078, where family tensions, political intrigue, and military challenges force William onto his back heel. And it all starts with the invasion of Dol… something that, in comparison with 1066, should be an easy victory for the aging Conqueror.

The post 436 – Taking the Piss first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The hall exploded into chaos.   The knights sitting outside of the firing line stared in shock, trying to process what was happening. Men stuck closer in tried to dive out of the way.    The unlucky knights… the men standing right next to Robert when his brothers’ opinions came raining down… Well, they were screaming […]

The post 437 – Everyone’s Pissed first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The little guy’s rebellion was about to get pretty big.

The post 438 – Robert’s Rebellion first appeared on The British History Podcast.