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In early 871, Wessex stood on the brink. The Great Heathen Army—an alliance of Viking warriors—had already devastated Northumbria and East Anglia, and now turned its full fury toward the last unconquered Anglo-Saxon kingdom. After a Viking victory at the Battle of Reading, King Æthelred of Wessex and his younger brother, Prince Alfred—later known as Alfred the Great—rallied their forces for a decisive counterstrike.

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In the year 865, a new and terrifying force arrived on English shores—not a raiding party, but a full-scale invasion. The Great Heathen Army, a coalition of battle-hardened Viking war bands, swept across the land with ruthless efficiency. 

Northumbria, divided by internal strife, fell quickly. East Anglia offered tribute—then resistance—and paid dearly for it. 

These early campaigns would shatter Anglo-Saxon unity and mark the beginning of a long and brutal struggle for control of England. 

This is the story of when those English Anglo Saxon kingdoms first came face-to-face with the Great Heathen Army..

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Major General Robert Rollo Gillespie was described the by historian of the British Army as "the bravest man to ever wear a redcoat".

But who was he and what did he do?

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In the year 793, the monks at Lindisfarne—one of the holiest sites in Anglo-Saxon England—were attacked by Viking raiders.

It heralded the start of growing Viking raids and then invasions that would bring Anglo Saxon England to its knees.

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In 1900, the British Empire launched what would become the final and most dramatic chapter in a decades-long struggle with the Ashanti people of West Africa—the War of the Golden Stool. Also known as the Fifth Anglo-Ashanti War, this conflict was sparked not by land or trade, but by a single, sacred object: the Golden Stool, the symbol of the Ashanti nation’s soul and unity.

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Charles Lightoller was the most senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic — and nearly three decades later, he took his own small boat to rescue soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. 

Listen to HMS Birkenhead Disaster (the origin of "Women & Children First")

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The ‘Fighting Bradford’s” were 4 brothers from the north East of England who served in the First World War.

The 4 brothers, 3 of whom were killed, were awarded 2 Victoria Crosses, 1 DSO, 2 Military crosses and numerous  Mentions in Dispatches, making them the most decorated British family in that war.

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In this episode I look at "The Man Who Would Be King", a story by Rudyard Kipling and made into a film in 1975 starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine.

A ripping adventure yarn set on the wild frontiers of British India.

But, was there any historical truth to the story?

Related episode:

James Brooke: The White Rajah of Sarawak

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The  almost comical story of the last invasion of mainland Britain in 1797. 

Other podcast that you might enjoy:

Battle of Trafalgar

The Barbary Pirates & England's White Slaves

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Subscriber-only episode

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This is a recording of the weekly live show for Patrons that is broadcast on YouTube.

It is more informal and slightly more spontaneous than my usual episodes.