Month: February 2014

116 – Wait, Where Are We? Part two of the history of Britain so far.

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It’s been about 2 years and 100 episodes since I did a recap episode to remind you where we were, what the flow of history was, and give you a forest view of the whole thing.

Seriously, 100 episodes!

And since then, we have gotten to know the Anglo Saxons and their culture really well. Even though our sources are limited, we still are getting a sense for what makes them tick. And we are also learning about the events were occurring in their political lives that shaped their home lives.

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115 – Maserfield: Blood Makes The Grass Grow

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Edwin, Osric, Eanfrith, Eadfrith, Cadwallon, Sigeberht, Ecgric… Following Hatfield Chase, we have seen a blood letting of the aristocracy of Anglo Saxon Britain of epic proportions. And we are only hearing about the very highest echelons… but how many Thegns, AEthlings, and minor nobles have also lost their lives in these power struggles? If the life of Edwin is indicative of how these power struggles tended to go, it wouldn’t have just been the Kings and their warbands who died in the struggle. Their entire dynasty could find themselves in danger if a victor was feeling particularly ruthless. And that seems to have been rather common since even Oswald, who is portrayed as Saintly by Bede, was a bit ruthless and dangerous to rival dynasties, if we read between the lines.

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114 – Oswald and Sigeberht: The Softer Side of Rule

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This is going to be one of those episodes that has a lot of moving parts and you might want to listen to it twice. Just a heads up.

Alright, so things have gotten pretty exciting. We’ve had the downfall of Cadwallon of Gwynedd and the rise of Oswald of Northumbria and the return of Christianity to the North as well as the spread of it throughout the south with only a few holdouts, like Mercia and the Isle of Wight staying Pagan. This is an enormous time of change. And as you might imagine, those changes were getting mixed reactions.

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113 – Religious Ambitions: The Rise of Oswald (and Others)

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When we last left off, Oswald son of AEthelfrith and Acha, defeated and killed Cadwallon of Gwynedd at the battle of Heavenfield. The defeat was a serious blow for the Northern Welsh kingdom. In fact, in the praise poem written about Cadwallon, we see the first use of the term which would become the modern name for the Wales… Cymru. The land of the western Cumbrogi…or comrades.

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