England in 1485 was at once a deeply traditional medieval society – and yet poised at the edge of change – economic, social, religious and political Read More
Podcast
158 Catastrophe at Arras
In December 1431, Henry VIth became the only king of England crowned king of France in France. Which sounds great. But in fact it was a sign of English weaknessRead 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
107 The Death of Joan
In 1348 a 14 year old royal princess, Joan, set out from Portsmouth to marry Pedro of Castile. Her route went by Bordeaux, and with the massive trousseau she carriedRead More
106 Calais and Neville’s Cross
By the end of the march across Normandy in 1346, Edward had accepted that he was not going to be able to hold French territory. But he had a clearRead More
101 King of France and England
Edward faced a weary time, a weary time. His allies demanded money, he had none to give them. So they refused to fight, while the French closed in on GasconyRead More
80 In which we Dawdle
When Edward I arrived back in 1289 from Gascony, he was in many ways at the height of his awesomeness. A chivalric monarch, a leading statesman in Christendom, and atRead More
79 Conqueror and Statesman
The second Anglo Welsh war was very different in character to the first. Here was a genuinely national uprising against rule by the English. Here was a war with noRead More
75 Nemesis
In April 1265 Gilbert de Clare had left court in something of a huff. De Montfort was well aware that if he lost de Clare, his whole hold on powerRead More
74 The Wheel of Fortune
In 1264 when De Montfort set out from London he would have been conscious that this was a last throw; after losses to the Royalists in the midlands his onlyRead More
73 Return of the Jedi
In 1262, it looked for all the world as though the royal party was back in control and the whole struggle for reform was over. But that was before youRead More
72 The Empire Strikes Back
Things looked pretty good for the reformers in 1259; but at the heart of the reform movement were fault lines that weakened them, and made them vulnerable. The differing aimsRead More
71 Enter the Leopard
We sort of get back to the political narrative this week, but only sort of. We discuss the young prince, Edward, who will be one of England's most famous kingsRead More
66 The Road to Revolution
In 1258, the resentments all came together and the pot boiled over. The pope Alexander did his vassal no favours what so ever by pushing so hard that Henry hadRead More
64 The Personal Reign of Henry III – Part 1
Henry III brushed off his great officers of state and the period of 1234 to 1258 is a period of personal rule. Henry finds himself a wife, a new personalRead More
63 The Last Great Justiciar
From 1227 to 1234 we are sort of in betweeners – the minority has ended, but Henry's government in still dominated by the old guard, people like Hubert de Burgh.Read More
62 The Minority Abroad
Harmony with Scotland, the career of Llewellyn the Great, the loss of Poitou. During the minority of Henry, English prestige and power was at something of a low point –Read More
61 The Minority of Henry III
The years between 1219 and 1227 saw the gradual resumption of royal power. It also saw a power struggle between Peter des Roches, the Bishop of Winchester, and Hubert deRead More
59 Magna Carta and the Death of a Tyrant
Bouvines wasn't the cause of the Baronial revolt, but it probably was John's last chance to avoid it. In 1215 at Runymede Magna Carta was signed. It's extremely unlikely thatRead More
58 Tyranny and Defeat
From 1213 to 1214, John seemed to have got his problems more under control, and had built an alliance that looked to be capable of taking on Philip. There wasRead More
57 The Excommunicate
John took a detailed interest in administration, and made effective changes to the way things worked. Partly his interest was motivated by the need to raise money – as inflationRead More
56 The History of Medieval Europe, Part 2
The Holy Roman Empire to the death of Barbarossa, the briefest of histories of Norway, Denmark and Spain, and the 4th Crusade. It's action packed. 56 The History of MedievalRead More
55 The History of Medieval Europe, Part I
From Charles Martel and the battle of Tours in 732, through Charlemagne and Otto the Great, the first installment concentrates on France, Germany and Italy and takes us to theRead More
54 Fighting Back – A Bit
John immediately launched attempts to get his lands back – and ran into the Barons. He does run up a pretty good Navy though. And we hear of Roland theRead More
53 Torn Apart – Loss of an Empire
After the defection of William des Roches the military situation was poor for John but not irretrievable. Unfortunately, John failed to provide the leadership needed. He distrusted his barons; heRead More
52 John Softsword
As a younger man, John had been given the nickname Lackland because unlike his brothers he didn't have his own appanage. At the Treaty of Le Goulet in May 1200Read More
51 The Fouler Presence of John?
In 1199, Richard the Lion Heart died after being shot by a cook outside the castle of Chalus in the Limousin. The Empire was split between supporters of Arthur andRead More
50 Defence of the Empire
The war between Richard and Phillip went on from 1194-1198 in fits and starts ; usually there was no more than 3 months of fighting before a truce came along.Read More
48 Richard and The Third Crusade
Was the Third Crusade a success or a failure? While it failed to achieve its objective, it was the most successful after the First Crusade. It rescued Outremer from anRead More
49 Travel Chaos
Richard set off from Outremer right at the end of the sailing season – October. He knew the Duke of Austria, the Holy Roman Emperor, Count of Toulouse and KingRead More
47 The Fall of Jerusalem
For 50 or so years after the capture of Jerusalem, Outremer was a part of the political and military dance between Christian and Muslim states. Then in 1144, signs ofRead More
46 Richard and the Road to Outremer
Richard set off from Sicily probably intending to go straight to the Holy Land. But a chance storm enforced a landing at Cyprus, where the locals were not friendly. WhichRead More
45 Packing the Bags
Richard came into the lands of his father and was crowned at Westminster in 1189. For the next 6 months he was packing his bags, cleaning the fridge and gettingRead More
44 Introducing the Lion Heart
To most contemporaries, Richard I was a hero. Since then his reputation has suffered badly, until even Winston Churchill describes him as the worst of our Richards – which givenRead More
43a Aelfthryth by Melisende of Outremer
Ælfthryth was a controversial figure. Wife of King Edgar, mother of Æthelred the Unready – and possibly murderer of her step son, Edward? Melisende of Outremer looks at the lifeRead More
43 The Greatest of all Monarchs
In 1173-4 Henry was faced by a revolt by his wife, children and many of his leading barons. 1183 to his death in 1189 were years where Henry was increasingly besetRead More
42 English Justice and The Irish Invasion
Henry's far sighted reform of justice; and Richard Strongbow and Norman invasion of Ireland So here are two completely unconnected subjects then! Henry is responsible for reforms to the processRead More
41 Murder in the Cathedral
After Thomas recanted from his signature of the Constitutions of Clarendon, things got really nasty. Before long, Thomas was in exile, and Henry couldn't care less. But by 1167 theRead More
40 Bishop Trouble
The 1160's. A time of consolidation of the Angevin Empire, still ruled by a dynamic, young and aggressive Henry. But mainly remembered for the start of the struggle between churchRead More
39 The Ruling of the Angevin Empire
Bear in mind at all times that Henry, while being a Good King, was a tyrant. Still, he was a tyrant who ran a mean administrative system for the time.Read More
38 Born of the Devil – the Angevins
Geniuses, devils, spoilt brats, villains, heroes; war, sex, violence, bravery, treachery, peace, reform… the Angevins that founded the Plantagenet dynasty have it all, in spades. Not so much history, asRead More
37 12th Century Life – Village, Town and Trade
12th Century England was envied for it's fertility and yes it's climate. Any during the 12th century, the population of England and its towns and villages expand. But by andRead More
36 Magnates and Churchmen
After joining Henry II's household, William's rise was steady – but with the arrival of Richard the Lion Heart it really took off. By the time of his death heRead More
35 12th Century Life – A Knight’s Tale
Medieval England thought of it's people in 3 estates – those who fight (nobles), those who pray (churchmen) and those who work (peasants). This week in the history of EnglandRead More
34 Anarchy III – Resolution
Stephen and Matilda fought themselves to a standstill, until the Empress tires of the struggle, and essentially leaves the stage around 1149. Many of her key supporters die – MilesRead More
33 Anarchy II – Matilda’s Big Chance
1141 was a turbulent year in England's history. The Civil war had reached an early deadlock, dramatically broken by the capture of the king at the Battle of Lincoln, andRead More
32 When Christ and his Saints Slept
‘…they said openly that christ and his saints slept’. This stunning phrase gives us an image of devastation hat led to the period being called ‘The Anarchy’. In this episode,Read More
31a Anglo Saxon Questions – Church Conversion and Economy
Chris and Matt sent some interesting questions that take us back to Anglo Saxon England. So here's a free, supplementary episode. We talk about: How much did daily life reallyRead More
30 Henry I – Barons, Warfare and Wales
The fight with Robert gave Henry a great chance to replace the old conquest families with his own men, and particularly in the Welsh Marches. And this week we alsoRead More
29 England in the reign of Henry I
After the initial struggle for succession and baronial revolt, England itself was pretty peaceful during Henry’s reign. The church & state debate needed fixing. And Normandy was a constant battle,Read More