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
Theme: Economic and Social
89 The Great Famine
For a long time we have been having a ball, economy wise – the medieval warm period, towns springing up all over the place, prices gently rising, population growing. SoRead More
Statute of Winchester 1285
The Statute gives an insight into problems Edward I faced with crime, and the halting steps taken to address it
85 Crime and Punishment
A digression this week – the state of the crime and punishment in 14th century, and the story of the theft of the crown jewels in 1303. We also getRead More
A 12th Century Village
This contemporary survey gives an insight into the economic and social life of the country at this time. Notes in blue are my text. Survey of the Manor of Elton,Read More
70 Lords, Knights and Gentry
The 13th Century sees the start of changes that will come to full fruit in the 14th Century – the development of the role of the knight in the shires,Read More
Economic and Social History Charts 1000-1485
We talk quite a lot about population, prices, wages and all the time in the podcast; so I thought it might be good to have a bit of a referenceRead More
69 Merchants and trivial stuff about Magnates
Wool was the wealth of England, the great trade that brought wealth and prosperity to England. The people who really made the money were the big ticket Italian Merchants. ThisRead More
68 13 C Life – Peasants fighting back…and Towns
Being a Peasant was no doubt a pretty hard existence. But they were not without their methods of fighting back, and protecting their rights. This week also we look atRead More
67 13th Century Life – the Peasantry
Over the 13th century, economic growth continued. For the Peasantry, this gave some opportunities; more chance to sell their produce and get involved in a wider range of money makingRead 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
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
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
22a Questions about Marriage, Law, Trade and Language
Here's a supplementary episode to answer some questions sent in – they were hard but fun, so keep the questions coming! Sadly, my brother was over so we did itRead More
20 Anglo Saxon England in the 11th Century
Governance, Law and Society before the Norman Conquest
1.8 Revival
Towns had simply disappeared along with the post Roman economy by 500. But slowly by 600 there’s tiny shoots of recovery discernible – so we talk about towns. And weRead More