Category: The Dark Ages

Learn about the rise of England, Scotland, and Wales in episodes of the British History Podcast that cover the so-called Dark Ages.

101 – I Ran (So Far Away): The Life and Times of Edwin of Deira

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Today we’re going to talk quite a bit about Northumbria. And actually, Northumbria is going to start to get really important in our story going forward. Now much of what we know of Northumbria during this period is due to the efforts of Bede, and other Northumbrians who maintained his tradition of keeping annals. And actually, it’s been argued that even the term “Northumbria” might have been coined by Bede himself. So clearly this is a very important source for us.

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100 – There’s a New Barber In Town

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So you might not know this about me… but I used to have long hair. Really long hair. That flowed down my back in ringlets and, if I left conditioner in it, sausage curls. Basically, I had captain hook hair.

And of course, I had all manner of people taking an interest in my hair and what I did with it. Generally, if someone took an interest, they were going to tell me I needed to cut it.

Anyway, ever since, I’ve been fascinated by the attention we pay to hair. And I started to wonder if the Anglo Saxons had a similar thing going on in their culture. Which lead to some research, and ultimately this episode. I hope you enjoy it.

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99 – False Starts

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This episode is going to have a lot of moving pieces and a lot of AEthel’s. So many AEthels. I’ll do my best to keep reminding you who I’m talking about and what they rule over and why they’re important, but this might be an episode you’ll want to relisten to. A lot of important things are going to happen. And all of the action will take place in just over a decade. A very very messy decade.

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98 – The Zeal of Augustine

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Ok, when we last left off, Augustine had become the Archbishop of England, had been given orders to make London the seat of the English Church, and had some Papal answers to some rather odd questions.

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97 – Augustine and Gregory Make a Diocese

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So last week we ended with Augustine converting the people of Kent to Christianity and AEthelberht coming out as Christian… was he converted by Augustine or had he already been converted? We just don’t know.

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96 – The Conversion of King AEthelberht

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In the last several episodes we’ve been speaking about religion. We’ve spoken about the paganism that existed on the island, the christians that lived on the island, the reasons why individuals and rulers might want to convert, and of course we’ve spoken about what the church in Rome was up to and what their plans were.

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95 – Two Old Men and a Slave Boy

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Ok, so lets leave Britain for this episode and head to Rome. I hear it’s nice this time of year.

Actually, I hear it’s really hot this time of year. But it seems like everywhere is right now… so Rome it is!

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93 – Chapter Three: The Warriors of God

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It has been nearly two hundred years since Rome withdrew from Britannia setting this small island at the edge of the world on a course that could not have been predicted.

Over the generations, a new culture has developed in the lands that will one day become England, and with that new culture came new gods. Gods with famous names like Thunor and Woden. Gods of war and death, to match the warrior society that now ruled over eastern Britannia.

But while the Anglo Saxons were finding a new path in this Brave New World… far to the East, in Rome, things were changing as well. Christianity had survived the fall of the Western Empire and has flourished thanks, in no small part, to an ingenious religious innovation… the concept of one true god, and an utter lack of tolerance for variations in dogma.

And now, after two centuries of separation, Rome will once more reach out and attempt to bring Britannia back under its dominion.

A ship will soon set sail, carrying within it a man who’s sole task is to bring the Anglo Saxons under the control of the church. But will the pagans listen? And what will they think of a god who is proclaimed as the prince of peace? And if they convert, how will they interpret the absolute demand for religious unity?

We have seen these people become increasingly more warlike… and one thing is certain with this new religion will come new reasons for bloodshed… as we enter BHP, Season Three… The Warriors of God.

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92 – WelshCast Part Five: More People that Gildas Hated

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Alright, so we have two more kings of Wales before we leave Gildas and his spittle flecked rantings. And something that you might notice as we go forward is that we don’t haven’t been provided a Tyrant of Powys nor are any of the Eastern Kingdoms listed. Sure, we don’t know where Aurelias Conanus ruled, but there’s not affirmative statement of a king of Powys, Rheged, or other kingdom by Gildas. He was just an unknown ruler (or maybe just a failed usurper).

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