In 1420, Henry faced an uphill battle again; his negotiations had failed with both Dauphinists and Burgundians, and instead they'd patched it up. So he faced an alliance – Dauphinist,Read More
Cerdic
150a Grace Dieu and Henry Vth’s Proto-Royal Navy by Brandon Huebner
Henry Vth was the first monarch since Richard the Lion Heart to pay much attention to the English fleet. The experience of putting maybe as many as 1,500 ships ontoRead More
150 Conquering Hero
By 1417, Henry had sorted out his support in England, and was able to launch a war of conquest in Normandy. After butchery at Caen, castles and towns fell, andRead More
149 Sex, Childbirth and Children
Medieval understanding of physiology had an impact on attitudes to sex, just as much as did the teachings of the church. Though who knows how much it had an impactRead More
148 Women and 1066, and Marriage
As far as women were concerned, was 1066 generally a Good Thing, a Bad Thing – or just a Thing? That’s the main item of debate this week, along withRead More
147a The Pitfalls of being a Medieval Queen by Melisende
Being a medieval queen could be a hazardous business – find why, and how, by Melisende of Outremer, and visit Melisende's blog, www.womenofhistory.blogspot.com. 147a The Pitfalls of being a MedievalRead More
147 Women and Anglo Saxon England
Unaccustomed as I am to social and economic history…here is the first of a bit of a thread over the next few weeks and months about some social stuff, andRead More
146 The Agincourt Campaign – Part III: The Battle
And so at last to one of England's most famous battles. Outnumbered and trapped, Henry and his English and Welsh faced the cream of the French warrior class. The DukeRead More
145 The Agincourt Campaign Part II
Henry probably now intended to be King of France or Duke of Normandy as a minimum. So what he planned was a war of conquest, not just the traditional chevaucee.Read More
144 The Agincourt Campaign – Part I
There is little doubt that Henry Vth always intended to fight in France – unless they completely rolled over. Which was unlikely; the French were perfectly ready to fight andRead More
143 The Champion of Christ
In 1413, Henry's friend John Oldcastle very probably celebrated the arrival of his prince on the English throne – now at last, surely, the Lollards would have their chance toRead More
142 Greatest Man – or Monster?
Henry Vth is a man who has a reasonable claim to be the greatest of English kings. But what did contemporaries think of him? Successful he was no doubt –Read More
141d Christopher Colombus by David McLain
No excuses really – nothing to do with English History at all. But hey, we enjoyed David's Shakespeare episode, so here's a chance for more! Columbus
141c The Romans in Britain Pt 2 by Richard Norton
And here we are with the second installment of the Romans in Britain, taking us to the fall of the western Empire. 141c The Romans in Britain Pt2 by RichardRead More
141b The Romans in Britain Pt 1 by Richard Norton
For some reason, don't know why, my interest in English and British history starts with the Anglo Saxons. Not before. Don't ask me why – no idea. I love AncientRead More
141a An Alternative View of Heresy by David Ford
This is a personal view by David Ford (though spoken by me), prompted by the episode on Heresy. David talks about some of the impacts the church had in theRead More
The Pilot of Miura by Isaac Meyers
Hello everyone, this is David here, from what is laughingly being referred to as holiday…although hopefully with the approach of Christmas really will become holiday! I just wanted to sayRead More
141 De Heretico Comburendo
With John Wycliffe and the Lollards in the 14th century, heresy finally came to England. Up to this point, rural England had been notable for avoiding the religious turmoils thatRead More
140 Fathers and Sons
In his final years, Henry faced a new challenge – from his ambitious son Henry. Ill and tired, For a while he loses control to the young bucks, the newRead More
139 The Fall of Glyn Dwr
The younger Henry enters our story full time as he leads to fight to Glyn Dwr. And for the alternative Prince of Wales after the failure of the French invasionRead More
138 Glyn Dwr and the Showdown
In 1405, yet more rebellion in England, this time from the north led by an Archbishop; and the crowning glory of Glyn Dwr's diplomacy led to the arrival of theRead More
137 The Battle of Shrewsbury
The battle of Shrewsbury of 1403 is one of those battles that deserves to be more remembered than it is – along with Lincoln in 1217 for example. The issueRead More
136 Glyn Dwr Ascendant
In 1402 and 1403 Glyn Dwr's power and influence grew and he scored some dramatic successes that made the world look up and take notice. As Glyn Dwr looked forRead More
135 Glyn Dwr Rising
As he looked around after dust of the Epiphany Rising had settled, Henry began to realise that he had problems that would make his life difficult; a mega fall inRead More
4.1 – 134 Golden Child Made King
The reputation of Henry IVth has changed through history – where he’s remembered at all! So we look at that – we are left with those that think Henry wasRead More
133 The History of Europe Part VII
This week we finish off our survey of Europe, bringing us up to date with Byzantium, and the threat from the East. But we’ll also bring you up to dateRead More
132 The History of Europe Part VI
The growth of Aragon and its mediterranean empire, consolidation and political change in Northern Italy, fragmentation in Germany; Jan Hus, heresy and the Council of Constance. 132 A History ofRead More
131 The History of Europe Part V: Economic change and technology
Ths episode is the first of 3 to bring us up to date with the history of Europe to the time of Henry IVth. This week it's all about theRead More
130 Usurpation
In 1399 Bolingbroke and Richard were locked in a struggle – who would rule England and how. 130 Usurpation The traditional picture of Bolingbroke is a much laterRead More
129 Dominion
At last in 1397 Richard would have felt that he had put his past humiliation from the Appellants behind him. But he was no happier or secure. He gathered hisRead More
128 The Narcisist
In 1397, Richard finally saw the chance to try to get his revenge on the Appellants – Gloucester, Arundel and Warwick. So the parliament of September 1397 was momentus. 128Read More
127a Britain, Jamaica and the 70s by Roifield Brown
A bit of a change of pace for our guest episode this week – here’s Roifield Brown, author of the ‘How Jamaica conquered the world’ podcast, with an episode aboutRead More
127 The Model of Chivalry
Henry Bolingbroke, Earl of Derby, son of the most powerful magnate in England, was a golden child blessed with every advantage. While Richard tried to get his royal feet underRead More
126 An Uneasy Calm
Between the Appellants crisis of 1388 and 1397, Richard ruled with increasingly confidence. He was hardly the most impressive English king but he appeared to have cast off the wildnessRead More
125 Accusatio
By 1387, it was becoming clear that the Wonderful Parliament of 1385 had not solved the problem. Pressure had been building, and Gloucester, Warwick and Arundel were far from satisfiedRead More
124 The Character of a King
From the end of the Peasant's Revolt in 1381, England continues to be managed by the Council, but the young Richard began to have more and more influence. And despiteRead More
123 Wycliffe and the Lollards
With the arrival of the 1380s, a reaction was in train in Oxford. The new Chancellor, William Barton was an old friend of Wycliffe – but friend he was noRead More
122 John Wycliffe – and a University Education
Wycliffe's writings were to prove controversial and proved an interesting early echo of the Reformation. They heavily influenced the view of Jan Hus and the movement in Bohemia. And hisRead More
121 Counter Revolution
After Richard had broken the revolt in London at Smithfield it was time to tackle the chaos outside London. The Counter Revolution took something between 1,500-7,000 judicial executions, and did nothingRead More
120 … Who was then the Gentleman?
In June 1381 the revolt came to London. Before long, London was in flames, and the qualities of the young king Richard, and his advisers, were tested to the limitRead More
119 When Adam delved and Eve Span…
On a hill outside Blackheath, just to the south of London, a hedge priest called John Ball is preaching to a massive crowd of peasants. When Adam delved and EveRead More
118 Introducing Richard II
Richard arrived with the expectation of a nation on his shoulders – the son of the illustrious hero Edward the Black Prince. So what was Richard like, and how hasRead More
117a The Poet and the Mistress by Carrie Palmer
This week, a guest episode by Carrie Palmer – on Chaucer and Katherine Swynford Sadly, after this there is something of a gap to come – works has happened. SoRead More
117 The Medieval Year
The rhythm of the year would have been far more important to most medieval people that the goings on at Westminster and the court of the king. The stream ofRead More
116 The Good Parliament and a Bad Death
There were now unusual expecations for the parliament of 1376. But in fact a revolt from the Commons was brewing, dismayed by the failures of the war. The Good ParliamentRead More
115 The Rotten Apple
From 1371 to 1375 the army went from bad to worse. An English fleet was destroyed at La Rochelle and Poitou and the Saintonge fell to the French. The greatRead More
114 The Worm in the Apple
On the face of it, the 1360's were a continuation and celebration of the great victories of the 40's and 50's. In 1364, Charles of Blois was defeated and killedRead More
113 Fashion and Clothing in the 14th Century
Fashion finally comes to town in the 14th Century. At the start of the century people are wearing what they've been wearing for centuries. By the end of it thereRead More
112 On the Crest of a Wave
After the victory at Poitiers and capture of the French King, the English seemed to hold all the cards, and the Treaty of Bretigny in 1360 for a while maintainedRead More
111 Poitiers
1356 saw one of the greatest exchange of arms of the war. Early in the year, the Duke of Lancaster attacked into Normandy and with lightening marches ran rings roundRead More