All the chaos of a Scottish minority. Then some.
Marshal 16 Holy Land - Members Only
William and his beloved Young King come to the parting of the ways
Marshal Omnibus 5 Eps 14-16 - Members Only
William and his beloved Young King are parted - reunited - and parted again
Marshal 15 The Fall - Members Only
Marshal was at the top of his game, feted and lauded. But success attracts the envious, and pride goes before a fall…
Marshal 14 Hubris - Members Only
William was now a big name on the tournament circuit, and it made him a tidy income. And he indulged himself in more ways than one, and gloried in hisRead More
Sh 31f LLASE Going Nuclear - Members Only
As lords intensified their demands, as pressure on land increased the search was on for more productive ways to farm the land. One impact was the introduction of open field systems andRead More
Sh 31e LLASE The Manor - Members Only
From the 9th century, the need of warfare and resulting taxation drove an ever greater bureaucracy. Meantime trade and population both grew, and towns with it. All these produced profoundRead More
Marshal Omnibus 4 EPs 11-13 - Members Only
William joined the court of the Young King, but it was not a happy place. William would be at Henry’s side throughout, and help his young master find a new role.
Marshal 13 The Circuit - Members Only
Marshal and the Young King were getting hammered. So they needed to sort that out – and still enjoy all the fun of the tournament occasion
Marshal 12 Tournament - Members Only
Henry the Young King needed a career. Maybe the answer lay in the tourney.
Marshal 11 Rebellion - Members Only
The Young King throws his toys out of the pram
Sh 32 Christine de Pisan with Caitlin Chapman - Members Only
Christine de Pizan (1364 – c. 1430) was a prolific and versatile French poet and author. Her diverse writings include numerous poems of courtly love, a biography of Charles V ofRead More
Sh 31d LLASE Warland - Members Only
Away from the Inland estates, the Anglo Saxon peasantry and thegnage often held their lands of ancient right, and the land they held defined their public obligations as well asRead More
Sh 31c Life on the Inland - Members Only
The arrival of resident landowners and the ever present danger of economic disaster would change the way many lived their lives and create the system of serfdom so centralRead More
Marshal Omnibus 3 EPs 8-10 - Members Only
If William’s career was a landscape, this episode would be taking us into the deepest of valleys. From thrusting young esquire, to the pit of despair. And back? WELL you’llRead More
Marshal 10 Rescue - Members Only
William is at a low point. a landless knight, held in captivity, with a hideous leg wound and no bandages. plus, no great value in the ransom market and therefore his futureRead More
Marshal 9 Ambush! - Members Only
Back home in 1168 with fears of the rest of his life as a dull hearth son, William would instead find his way quickly back into danger
Sh 31b LLASE Life on the Scir - Members Only
New petty kingdoms and lordships, scirs, began to form around tribal groups and identities, and then to consolidate into Anglo Saxons kingdoms we will begin to recognise. How were thoseRead More
Eleanor 24 The End of Days - Members Only
The last years were no less busy than any of the others. And please, feedback here on the poll.
Eleanor Omnibus 6 EPs 20-24 - Members Only
The last 15 years of Eleanor’s life saw her more able than ever to exercise influence and even to see her daughters; but retirement to Fontevraud was constantly interrupted. TellRead More
HiT A Knights Tale
A romp, ladies and gentlemen. Chaucer walking naked after betting his shirt, peasants jousting as knights, rock music at medieval jousts. A bit of fun or hideous tosh?
Eleanor 23 John - Members Only
The Struggle for Angevin France is on
Eleanor 22 Retirement - Members Only
In 1193 Richard was held hostage by the Holy Roman Emperor. It was up to Eleanor to get him back before John took his kingdom. Eleanor’s Letters It isRead More
Eleanor 21 Crusade - Members Only
How to manage when you go away and leave your things with an evil brother itching to get his hands on them
HoS 37 The Road to Flodden - Members Only
James IV's road to glory and immortality
Eleanor 20 Freedom - Members Only
In 1189 in Winchester castle, Eleanor saw an entourage approach the gate led by a man from her past – William the Marshal. He had come with news.
Eleanor Omnibus 5 EPs 17-19 - Members Only
In 1173 Eleanor took a decision about whom she would back - husband or sons. She would be paying the consequences for the next 15 years.
Eleanor 18 Captivity - Members Only
Escape to Chartres!
Eleanor 17 Rebellion - Members Only
Henry threw a massive party in the Auvergne and afterwards at Limoges. As he left the party, Raymond of Toulouse gave him a grim warning – and the hangover wasRead More
HoS 35 The Prince and his Wings - Members Only
James IV of Scotland finds his wings and opens them
Eleanor 16 The Devil’s Brood - Members Only
Henry and Eleanor were well aware of the potential problem of all those boys. So they tried to sort things out for their brood nice and early.
Eleanor Omnibus 4 EPs 14-16 - Members Only
The 1160s and into the 1170s saw growing children, and a growing distance between Eleanor and Henry. Both would promise trouble
HoS 34 The Legacy Of Sauchieburn - Members Only
The first gift of Sauchieburn - yet another minority
Eleanor 15 - Members Only
Eleanor’s rule in Aquitaine was proving somewhat frustrating when four blokes barged into Canterbury cathedral
Eleanor 13 Home - Members Only
A new strategy was needed to govern Aquitaine
Eleanor Omnibus 3 Eps 10-13 - Members Only
From 1152 to 1172, from Poitiers to Poitiers
Marshal 6 Court and Kit - Members Only
The life and kit of the aspirant esquire
Eleanor 12 Partners - Members Only
The Toulouse Campaign and the start of tension
Marshal 5 Tancarville - Members Only
Around 1160, William left home to the sound of his family’s tears, and travelled to Tancarville to learn the skills of courtesie.
Eleanor 11 Power - Members Only
Queen of England: Power or pawn?
Marshal 4 Fathers and Sons - Members Only
The story of John Marshal, William’s father with a big of wandering around in the genesis of the legendary King Arthur, king of the Britons.
Eleanor 10 Queen 2 - Members Only
Escape to Poitiers - and the search for a protector
Marshal Omnibus 1 EPs 1-3 - Members Only
We set the scene – William’s background and lineage, and the Anarchy – until William himself appears strapped to a trebuchet at Newbury. As you do
Marshal 3 Hammer and Anvil - Members Only
During the Anarchy, John Marshal makes hay - and William joins our story at last
Eleanor 9 Hunted - Members Only
Escape meant avoiding the wolves that blocked the path to Aquitaine
Eleanor Omnibus 2 EPs 6-9 - Members Only
We take in the full extent of Eleanor’s time as Queen of France – through her struggle for his sister, the dramatic 2nd Crusade and her final dash for freedom
Eleanor 8 Outremer - Members Only
The story of Eleanor and the Second Crusade
Marshal 2 Lineage - Members Only
Setting the scene before William - John the Marshal; and the Anarchy
Marshal 1 Reputations - Members Only
Is the Marshal we know man or myth?
Eleanor 7 Sisters - Members Only
Eleanor's little sister scandalises the Church