I’ve gotta be honest, some of these spells seem a bit rude.

The post Medieval Magic Sample: Shout at the Devil first appeared on The British History Podcast.

William Rufus’ first year as King had probably not gone down as he hoped. And as Bishop Odo and his co-conspirators boarded their ships and sought sanctuary in Normandy…Rufus could only return to court and count the rest of his problems..

The post 456 – Law and Order: Durham first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Word of Rufus’ army, and the destruction of the rebel forces at Tunbridge, had no doubt reached Pevensey and its commander, Robert of Mortain… and I think it’s highly likely that the messengers also reported that the King’s army had turned north, towards Rochester. Bishop Odo’s stronghold.

The post 455 – Odo’s Rebellion: Lord of the Flies first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was Easter of 1088.  This was, typically, a  time when the most powerful figures of England would gather at Court.  But this wasn’t a typical  year.

The post 454 – Odo’s Rebellion: Worst Easter Ever first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Primogeniture, the practice of handing all wealth and power from father to the eldest son, had done a lot to consolidate power along single family lines. But it created all manner of problems for …well, pretty much everyone else.

The post 453 – Odo’s Rebellion: The Cold War first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We’re joining the Sisterhood of the Travelling Uterus for this one.

The post Medieval Medicine Sample: Trotula Edition first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Somewhere around the time  William the First was bursting out of his tomb like roasted chestnut and  William the Second was making it rain with his dead dad’s money….something was turning in western culture as a whole.

The post 452 – Odo? Oh Yes. first appeared on The British History Podcast.

You know, I almost titled the last episode  “The Gang Goes To A Funeral” but the trouble was that the gang /didn’t/ go to the funeral. All of them decided they had somewhere else to be. 

The post 451 – The Lucky Few first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was early September of 1087, and for weeks…nearly two months, in fact… people had been discussing William’s impending death, and worrying about what would happen next.  And for good reason. This family, which ruled over Normandy, had a history of infighting and civil wars, especially during times of succession.

The post 450 – Begin With A Bang first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The story of William and the conquest has been a long road, and I’ve heard from some of you that this season has been challenging to listen to.   I get it.  No matter how awful William is he never seems to face any real consequences…

The post 448 – The Death of William the Conqueror first appeared on The British History Podcast.