The youngest of William the Conqueror’s sons, Henry, wasted no time shedding tears for his brother Rufus. He got himself crowned, anointed and blessed. The next 6 years were toRead More
Podcast
27 Hateful to his People and Odious to God
Rufus fell out big time with Anselm, his Archbishop of Canterbury. Unusually for Medieval Man he was impious and irreverent. Meanwhile, the Welsh struggled for independence against Norman tyranny, and makeRead More
26 William Rufus, Normandy and the First Crusade
William Rufus was a flamboyant, red faced, pudgy and irreverant bloke, but none the less his father's favourite son. So Dad tipped him the wink and he left the deathRead More
25 Death of a Conqueror
The last years of William the Conqueror’s reign were mainly the meat and drink of the Norman King – beating off other feudal lords, keeping your nobles down, trying notRead More
24a The Anglo Saxon view of the outside world
The Anglo Saxons seem a very insular bunch – what was their view of the outside world, how much interaction did they have? A good deal more than we mightRead More
24 Revolt of the Earls
It took William the Conqueror a few more years until he felt safe from the English. But when the Revolt of the Earls collapsed in 1075, English revolution was overRead More
2.1 – 23 Subjugation of the English
After 1066 The English resisted William’s rule. But it lacked the leadership and coherence it needed to be effective. William’s response was increasingly brutal, until the the north of England Read More
22 1066 and Goodbye to all That
The most iconic date in English history – a story of bravery, drama – and a close run thing
21 The Normans – a race unbridled
The Normans were wildly adventurous from Viking stock a carve out realms in France, Sicily – and England
20 Anglo Saxon England in the 11th Century
Governance, Law and Society before the Norman Conquest
19 Edward the Confessor
The Confessor rules at behest of his great men, but with some success
18 The End of the Danish Dynasty, Edward the Confessor and the Rise of the Great men
The late Anglo Saxon state was dominated by overmighty subjects
17 Cnut the Conqueror
The reign of the Northern Emperor
16 Edmund Ironside and Cnut
The last Anglo Saxon champion slugs it out with the Danish invader
13 The Golden Age
Edgar’s reign may represent the height of Anglo Saxon power
12 The last King in Jorvik
Edmund the Magnificent and Eadred finally defeat Eric Bloodaxe, the last king of Jorvik. But there are some social clouds on the horizon. The Hundred Ordinances These areRead More