Category: Storyline

Every episode of The British History Podcast that moves the story forward in a chronological way.

120 – Penda and Oswiu: The Winwaed

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So when we last left off, things were going crazy in the North and in the Midlands. But the very last thing I mentioned was that Honorius, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had died. Well, his seat remained vacant for about six months until March 26, 654 (or maybe 655) when a new Archbishop was ordained. Archbishop Deusdedit… and since Deus means god in Latin, I can only assume that Deusdedit translates to God Did It.

Ok all joking aside, Deusdedit ALMOST means god did it… his name actually translates to God Has Given.

But what I’m getting at is that his name was… you know… humble.

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119 – King Penda: No Posers

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So where were we?

Oswiu had arranged for the murder of his cousin, which is awkward in itself… but the slain King Oswine was also related to Eanflaed, Oswiu’s wife. So… even if Oswiu wasn’t fussed about kinslaying, chances are that dinner still had suddenly become a lot more awkward following that rather underhanded victory. So perhaps to appease Eanflaed, or maybe to keep the Deirans happy… Oswiu built a monastery at the location of Oswine’s murder at Gilling.

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118 – Oswiu and Oswine: There’s No Anglo Saxon Word for Take Backsies

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When we left off Cenwalh of Wessex had left his wife, irritated Penda (since his wife was Penda’s sister), and gained a fancy new wife but lost his kingdom when Penda arrived to have a little chat with him. So he did what many nobles of the time seemed to do… he fled into exile. In the case of Cenwalh (and presumably his wife) he legged it to East Anglia and the court of King Anna.

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117 – Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

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Oswald was the King of Northumbria and son of AEthelfrith who was killed by Penda at Maserfield.
Oswiu was his brother
Osric of Deira was the King of Deira, and nephew of Edwin, who was killed by Cadwallon.
and Oswine was the son of Osric…

So to recap… Oswald and Oswiu are brothers and Bernician. Osric and Oswine are father and son, and are Deiran.

Isn’t this fun?

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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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112 – The Battle of Heavenfield

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The year was 633 or 634, and the tide was turning against Northumbria for the first time in as long as anyone could probably remember. AEthelfrith’s victory at the Battle of Chester was not just a problem for the Welsh, it was also a problem for Mercia because it further established Northumbria domination. And while AEthelfrith was later killed by Raedwald in battle, the balance of power didn’t shift. The North remained dominant, and we can see that evidenced by the fact that Edwin immediately took the throne and attacked Elmet and forced them into submission… and then went on something of a rampage dominating his neighbors, including the Mercians.

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111 – Edwin: What Goes Around Comes Around

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That’s something I’ve heard my entire life. When I was younger and picked on at school my father would sometimes say “Don’t worry, Jamie, what goes around comes around.” The problem with that bit of advice is that it requires a sense of fairness in the world that isn’t always there… not to mention a tremendous amount of patience that is short supply when you’re a small awkward kid being picked on and simply want some sort of justice.

But sometimes it does happen… sometimes what goes around does come around.

Ok, so why am I talking about this?

Well… let’s have a very quick review of what has happened with Edwin.

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