https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/292.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadHow we understand any event comes down to what angle we are able to view it from. And the story of AEthelstan is no exception. On the one hand, it is easy to see AEthelstan as one of the greatest kings in English history, one to place on our shelf of real-life legends along… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/291.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadWhen King Edward died, the plan was that his second son would take the throne. By all indications, neither Edward nor the power structures within Wessex, wanted AEthelstan. The young AEtheling had been discarded and sent to be raised in Mercia far from the halls of power. The throne of Wessex wasn’t for him.… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/290.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBrunanburh had been a titanic struggle. The Anglo Saxon Chronicle speaks of how the fighting lasted from morning to night, until “the field grew dark with the blood of men.” Blood spilled from warriors of no less than four separate kingdoms. The scribes speak of how the ground was littered with men impaled upon… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/289.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadYou can’t just go to war. I mean… I guess you can. But it’s not a good idea. War takes work. It takes planning. It takes preparation. War, to put it simply, is a pain in the ass. You really have to want it. And the workload only increases with the number of people… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/288.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadI wonder if King Rudolph of France resented his crown. I mean, seeking the crown probably seemed like a good idea at the time but the whole thing had been turning out to be an enormous headache. And it all started when Rudolph’s father in law (Robert) rebelled against King Charles and drove him… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/287.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadFor the last six years, AEthelstan had been ruling in a manner that hasn’t been seen in Britain for generations. Beyond being a warlord, or even a King… AEthelstan was acting more like an Emperor. All of the Anglo Saxon territories were annexed into his new Kingdom of England, the Kings of Wales were… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/286.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadAfter generations of devastating war, England has found itself at peace. Which leaves a question we haven’t had to ask in a while. What did the Anglo Saxons actually do during peacetime? For the regular freemen (which was the vast majority of the population), this is a fairly straightforward question with a straightforward answer.… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/285.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadThe Era of AEthelstan is one of contradictions. His behavior, his policies, his wars… pretty much everything that is happening during this period seems to have an element of duality. This man was discussed by scholars of his time in terms of his piety and his generosity both with the church and also with… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/284.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadLast week, we ended with King AEthelstan’s aggression towards Kingdoms of Wales and Cornwall. We don’t know precisely what occurred, or why AEthelstan demanded crippling tributes from the Welsh and then violently expelled or executed the Cornish of Exeter. But whatever the reason, AEthelstan’s actions echoed through history. In fact, the Welsh border that… Read more →
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/episodes/283.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadImagine that you went from being a disfavored bastard with little power, to the most powerful English king that had ever existed, in the space of just a few years. That you went from being functionally orphaned and shunted off to Mercia, to being so powerful that continental rulers were seeking your support and… Read more →