Category: Podcast Episodes

Every episode of The British History Podcast. This category includes cultural history, storyline episodes, English history, Welsh history, Scottish history, and even some Irish history and Roman history thrown in.

160 – An Offa Inheritance

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King Offa of Mercia has died after a surprisingly long and productive reign. The degree of power he had gathered for himself was truly something to behold. While his reach didn’t stretch into Mercia’s ancient enemies beyond the Humber, Northumbria, he had a stunning degree of influence over the English Kingdoms in the south. Throughout the history of Britain, Offa will continue to stand out as one of the great island rulers. Really, the only southern English kingdom that appears to have had any degree of independence at the end of Offa’s reign was Wessex. But even Wessex was closely tied and allied to Offa, as it’s current king held the throne thanks in no small part to Offa’s intervention in their civil war.

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159 – An Offa End

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Lets start with Christmas Day 795. That’s the day Pope Hadrian died… so uh… Merry Christmas?

Hadrian was actually a pretty decent Pope… not Pope Francis level of awesome, though really who is? But he was still pretty good, and upon hearing of his death, Charlemagne commissioned Alcuin to write a poem that was carved into a black marble gravestone that said “I shed tears for the father. I, Charles, had these verses written for him. I weep for you father my heartfelt love. I unite the names with shining titles: Hadrian and Charles, I a king, you a father. You who pray here and read these humble verses, speak: God show mercy and take pity on these two.”

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158 – Offa With His Head

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Last week was dark, wasn’t it? Not only that, but it only covered the first half of 793. The end of the 8th century was an eventful period so lets pick up right where we left off and talk about what else was happening in the other half of 793… and specifically with King Offa and Charlemagne.

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157 – Lindisfarne

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Northumbria was no stranger to problems… blood feuds, regicide, and kinslaying… they really have it all up there. But as 793 began, it was clear that things were taking an even darker turn. As the new year dawned, a massive whirlwind slammed into the northeastern coast. The sky was ignited with flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder could be heard throughout the land.

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156 – An Offa Marriage

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When we left off things were looking pretty good for Mercia. Wessex was now acting as a subkingdom, with their King (Beohtric) married to Offa’s daughter… Kent was thoroughly dominated, East Anglia appears to have been brought fully under Offa’s control. Really, Offa’s only neighbors that he didn’t have command over, appear to have been the Northumbrians and the Welsh. He had his own Archbishopric located in Lichfield, the Papacy was interested in maintaining a good relationship with Mercia. All in all, it was pretty good.

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155 – Its Always Sunny in Mercia: The Gang Throws a Party

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Back to our story, when we last left off, King Offa of Mercia was doing pretty well. He had just received Papal support for his plans of succession and he was demonstrating that he was a mover and shaker not just among the English kingdoms, but on the world’s stage. On his southern border, King Cynewulf of Wessex was dead and there was a friendly King that now sat on the West Saxon throne. All in all, it was looking pretty good.

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154 – Having it Offa

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Today we’re covering more about King Offa, and the reason is that he’s a really big deal. He reigned for about as long as King Henry VIII, he constructed one of the wonders of the world, he was the starting point for the continuous use of currency in England, Alfred the Great ranked Offa’s laws along side AEthelberht of Kent and Ine of Wessex, he was the first English king to deal with continental politics as an independent leader (if not an equal), and frankly he had a much bigger impact upon British History than virtually every other monarch or Roman emperor we’ve covered so far…

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