Fortune's Wheel: A Podcast History of the Late Middle Ages

Emma is a survivor...whether you like it or not. She does what she needs to do, even if it means marrying the man who just deposed her last husband and outlasted her former step-son. But, again, like water, she moves forward. Always forward. Today, we take a look at how she adjusts to being the queen consort to a Danish king ruling over the same English kingdom she once ruled. We've covered a lot of ground in these last few episodes, but we've also seen the events play out from a different perspective. Emma is pivotal, in my opinion, to the entire 11th century of European history as we allow this medieval story to unfold. Keep your eye on Emma. Never lose sight of Emma.

And thank you all for your continued support. The numbers are continuing to increase and I've been brainstorming different ways to mix things up as we begin to expand beyond the North Sea region. But, as you know, for this show to grow it needs our awesome listeners to continue to share the show, both in word-of-mouth, texts to friends and colleagues and family, and on social media. PLEASE KEEP SHARING. I am seeing the fruits of your efforts in the downloads and unique listeners reports I collect and I am extremely humbled by your appreciation of what I'm working hard to produce. THANK YOU. So, please hit us up on Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast) and Twitter (@WheelPodcast), and you can also email the show at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy the show.

On today's show, we will see Emma make the transition from the sister of the duke to the queen of an island kingdom. Emma will marry Aethelred and we will watch the events of the 1000's and 1010s unfold at breakneck speed...through her eyes, in a way. Buckle up, as we experience Emma's view of things and how her early life will shape the woman she transforms into in innumerable ways.

I hope you enjoy the show.

Thank you all for downloading, listening, and sharing the show. Seeing the numbers continue to increase gives me the motivation to continue our deep dive into the second half of the Middle Ages, so as long as you keep listening and sharing the show I will keep producing episodes! THANK YOU so much for your support! And speaking of support, please support us and show some love on Twitter (@WheelPodcast) and on Facebook (search: Fortune's Wheel Podcast), as well as sending me an email at [email protected]!

Thank you so much for coming back. I understand it's been quite a while - seven weeks, I believe! - and believe me when I say that it's been painful not doing this. But, the transition into a virtual learning space for my students has been established and things are finally at a point where I feel like I just might be getting ahead of things, so...HERE WE ARE! And, if this is the first time you're joining us, THANK YOU. 

On today's episode, we take a little stroll backward to the year 1002. I know, I know...yes, we are far beyond the year 1002 in our story, but there's someone we need to catch up with: Emma of Normandy. Times are, well, CRAZY in 1002 and little teenage Emma is thrown right in the middle of the chaos that is Aethelred's England and it will be Emma who SOMEHOW outlasts everyone else we've met so far. She's an exceptional character among many exceptional characters throughout the story of the Middle Ages and I'm excited to tell her story!

I hope you enjoy the show.

Please keep sharing this podcast with those you know and on your social media accounts. Don't forget to tag us, too, if you share us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), or drop us a quick line about the latest episode on Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast). I update these pages frequently and I would love to hear from you! Also, you can email the show at [email protected]. Again, thank you for all of your support.

On today's episode, we're going to say goodbye to Edmund Ironside and give a big hearty welcome to King Cnut, because, well, whether you liked it or not, he was still king so it's probably best with a guy like him to just accept that fact. Cnut's going to handle himself very differently than his first official solo decision a few years earlier when he, in a fit of puerile rage, maimed and disfigured hundreds, if not thousands, of his future subjects before heading back to Denmark to raise a larger fleet. No, he will show quite the acumen for royal leadership, especially surrounded by the very people he had just brutally beaten into submission. This might be the beginning of something beautiful for England, even if its people couldn't bring themselves to believe it at first.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to listen to the show! I'm loving learning about it and writing about it and bringing you the story. If I could be so bold and request a hard ask of you all, please share the show with everyone you know. I would be forever humbled if we could get this show higher in the history podcast charts! This means more content, of course, which I will be happy to pump out just as much as I can! The purpose of this show is to tell a story, a story that leads up to the moment Europe stops looking east and south and begins to take a truly global approach to international relations. I'm humbled by you listening thus far and I can't wait to tell each new listener the same. THANK YOU.

Be sure to tag us if you post about us on social media. You can find us on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), on Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast), and on Instagram (@fortunes_wheel_podcast). You can also email the show at [email protected]. I can't wait to hear from you!

KEYWORDS: cnut, cnut-the-great, cnut the great, canute, canute-the-great, canute the great, england, history of england, history-of-england, denmark, sweyn forkbeard, sweyn-forkbeard, king cnut, king-cnut, king canute, king-canute, edmund ironside, edmund-ironside, king-edmund-ii, king edmund ii, aethelred ii, aethelred-ii, ethelred ii, ethelred-ii, aethelred the unready, aethelred-the-unredy, ethelred the unready, ethelred-the-unready, aethelred unraed, aethelred-unraed, ethelred unraed, ethelred-unraed, danish conquest of england, danish-conquest-of-england, eadric streona, eadric-streona, thorkell the tall, thorkell, thorkell-the-tall, erik hakonarson, erik-hakonarson, saxon, anglo-saxon, anglo-saxon england, anglo-saxon-england

What does Aethelred do after he's given a second chance at kingship and his enemy abruptly leaves to regroup? Well, he does the most Aethelredian thing he can, of course - he Aethelredly listens, in my opinion, to Eadric Streona! And with a new lease on ruling England, he Aethelreds it up as only an Aethelred can! (I'm learning that the name Aethelred is like the "f-word"...there's almost an unlimited number of usages depending on the context. It'll catch on after a thousand years, don't worry.)

On today's episode, we approach the end of this first bend in our overall story of the late middle ages with the deaths of Anglo-Saxon England's last remaining vestiges of local greatness, and the flickers of what's to come. As in all stories, when one arc closes there's another that always opens.

As always, thank you for listening, subscribing, and sharing the podcast! Please continue to do so! You can follow us on Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast page), Twitter (@WheelPodcast), and Instagram (@fortuneswheelpodcast). Also, you can email the show at [email protected]. I can't wait to hear from you!

I hope you enjoy the show!

Keywords: aethelred; aethelred-the-unready; edmund-ironside; cnut; canute; cnut-the-great; canute-the-great; denmark; england; wessex; northumbria; uhtred-the-bold; ealdorman; eadric-streona; thorkell; thorkell-the-tall; norman-conquest; danish-conquest-of-england; danish-conquest; offa; offa's-sword; aethelstan; aethelstan-aethling; aethling; saxon; anglo-saxon; anglo-saxon-england; fortune's-wheel-podcast; history-podcast; history; middle-ages; medieval; north-sea-empire; norway; emma-of-normandy; emma

We're revving up here for the collapse of one ancient dynasty and the rise of another! I hope you enjoy the show!

This one's a little different. On this episode, we break down one of the most famous Anglo-Saxon era documents that has (miraculously) survived these ten centuries, given in the midst of the Danish takeover of the House of Wessex's claim over the bulk of the island. England is suffering through a tumultuous couple decades at the hands of the dreaded Viking horde from Denmark; however, Wulfstan Archbishop of York, points to other reasons as to why England is suffering so. Wulfstan was a fiery preacher with a sharp tongue. He doesn't disappoint. I hope you enjoy the show.

NOTE: This episode is a day late. For this, I offer my apologies. To be frank, I uploaded the episode and just before I published, I pulled back. There was something I just wasn't happy about with the editing. I promised myself when I started this podcast that, knowing I would continue to improve the "nuts and bolts" of podcasting as well as my presentation of the narrative, I would, at every stage, provide my best work. Knowing the risk of throwing off our schedule, I decided to take the extra day or so and try my best at improving this episode. I ask only for your understanding. And thank you for your patience.

Remember, please keep sharing the show! Another big bump in listenership so I'm excited with where we are at this point. THE SHOW IS GROWING. And leave a rating and review on your favorite podcast app or site, such as Apple Podcast, Breaker, Spotify, Anchor, Podcast Addict, and more.

You can also find us on social media.

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And, as always, I welcome any and all feedback, book recommendations, and anything else you would like to share with the podcast! You can reach our email at [email protected].

I'd like offer a little mid-week BONUS episode! What's it about? Well, it's a BONUS episode, so I guess you're just going to have to download and listen. Seriously, I'm really excited about this one as it just ties so much..."background information"...into our larger narrative so far.

As always, please continue to Download (and Subscribe) on your favorite podcast app or site, such as Apple Podcast, Spotify, Anchor, Podcast Addict, Breaker, and so on. Also, search for us on Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast), on Twitter (@WheelPodcast), and Instagram (@fortunes_wheel_podcast).

Finally, this episode is nothing more than a big THANK YOU to you for your continued support and recent growth. Please SHARE this podcast with everyone you know. 

Brian just won't stop. In fact, he's even got a cool new nickname: Brian Boru. Today, we see the end this Irishman's story and we ask ourselves an important question: What exactly is "revolution"? I hope you enjoy the show.

Please don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app or site, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Podcast Addict, and more. You can find us on most social media, including Facebook (Fortune's Wheel Podcast), Twitter (@WheelPodcast), and Instagram (@fortunes_wheel_podcast).

We also now have a Patreon page, so, if you like what you hear and you want to help keep this podcast going, please consider heading over there to support my efforts to bring you the best medieval podcast out there! 

https://www.patreon.com/FortunesWheelPodcast

As always, thanks for the support!

Ah...the Emerald Isle. This mysterious land was also impacted by Vikings, though in a much different way than their English and Welsh neighbors. See, these Vikings kept to the coasts and harbors, but due to the trade initiated, Ireland became a very interesting place, especially since the main points of conflict didn't lie with the Vikings exactly...the Irish were notorious for territorial infighting. This is the first of two parts establishing Ireland as another critical component to the story of the late middle ages. On today's episode, we meet Brian Boru and watch his meteoric rise to Ireland's "high kingship" dominating all who cross his path - and "all" means ALL...I'm looking at you, Vikings.

I can't wait to tell you about it.

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