Curthose and his attendants, what remained of them, were rushing as quickly as they could to Rouen… and he was, presumably, crossing his fingers hoping that the people of that city would welcome him. And, honestly, after Caen I’d say it was even odds at best.

The post 503 – The Holy Ghosting first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Henry, with the help of Bishop Serlo, had just rebranded himself and his knights as the pious leaders of Greater Christian Normandy by going through little more than a ritualized barber shop scene and, while we know it was just cosplay, the fact is that people fall for bad faith optics all the time Which […]

The post 502 – The Cage Match of Bayeux first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Today we have a special episode with the return of Professor Rory Naismith! You will remember him from his interview on Anglo Saxon Economics and Money, and today he is back to talk with us about his new book on Offa, King of the Mercians.  Professor Rory Naismith is the Professor of Early Medieval History […]

The post An Offa Interview with Rory Naismith first appeared on The British History Podcast.

For months, messengers had been arriving from Normandy carrying news of the disorder and chaos that was gripping the Duchy.  Now, normally, this would have been good news for King Henry.  It was no secret that the King wanted to reunite his father’s cross channel empire under himself… nor was it a secret that he […]

The post 501 – Bishop Serlo’s Pop Up Hair Salon first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We answer SO many questions. So… so many questions.

The post 500 – 500th Episode AMA Extravaganza first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Some families are just…the worst. You know how it is, there’s the one or two in there that are half decent, but mostly you avoid them too because the rest of the family is just awful.

The post 499 – William of Mortain and How Some People Never Have Enough Wealth first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The death of Duke Robert’s chief ally, William of Breteuil, and the succession crisis it kicked off, was destabilizing the duchy of Normandy.   And while I’m sure it was a relief that King Henry and Robert of Meulan had brokered a sort of resolution to the crisis… everyone watching knew their intrusion into Norman […]

The post 498 – Power and Predictability first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was 1103 and things were a mess. And…when are they not? But a major reason for this mess was (oddly) William of Breteuil. Now, as you might recall, William of Breteuil was the firstborn son of the Conqueror’s close friendWilliam fitz Osbern… and, thanks to this proximity to power, he was one of the […]

The post 497 – That’s Me In The Spot. Light. first appeared on The British History Podcast.

For the first time since William the Conqueror, there was going to be a primatial council at Westminster Abbey.   This was a HUGE deal.   Like… enormous.  Anselm had been trying to hold a major reform council for years, but King Rufus had refused.  Reform, as you may remember, wasn’t something that the red king was […]

The post 496 – That’s Me In The Corner first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Ok, let’s return to 1101 and 1102, because Henry’s fight with Anselm, and fight between Henry and the Pope (and the fight between Anselm and the Pope) were …amazingly….only half of the story.  

The post 495 – Power Struggles: Part Two first appeared on The British History Podcast.

In early February of 1102 Queen Matilda was giving birth. 

The post 494 – Power Struggles: Part One first appeared on The British History Podcast.