Anglo-Saxon England

Athelbald of Mercia was yet another Anglo-Saxon king to return from exile and rejuvenate a stagnating kingdom. More than any king we've discussed so far, he fundamentally altered the way politics in his kingdom worked through daring use of royal power to cement the position of the king of Mercia as a legal warrior diplomat at the head of an economic powerhouse. It ended in betrayal from within, bu...

After Penda's death in 655, Mercia faced a grim future. Cowed by a dominant Northumbria and ruled by a puppet king there seemed to be little hope for the people of march. But, in the shadows, nobles plotted with Penda's second-born. The puppet was killed and when Oswiu's attention was elsewhere, they raised their banner in rebellion to expel the Northumbrian officials and set Wulfhere on the thron...

Penda's career is one of the most dramatic in Anglo-Saxon history yet very little is known about him apart from what others tell us about him. In this episode I cut through the uncertainty to give you a glimpse of this man, what he accomplished, and how he not only helped forge a singular Mercian identity but also set the stage for future Mercian supremacy. Credits –  Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund...

Mercia, the kingdom which grew out of the English Midlands, dominated England south of the Humber from the 620s until its final fall in the late 800s. It was a military and cultural powerhouse for much of that time, yet its origins are mysterious, even more mysterious than those of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In this episode, we begin our look at the history of Mercia by considering its origin...

The collapse of Northumbria in the ninth century was a result of long standing crises being compacted by the sudden arrival of a new threat the likes of which they could not have imagined. The memory of Northumbria would echo down the centuries, but as the smoke cleared a whole world had come to an end and the future seemed more ominous than ever. Credits -  Sound effects created by Michael Ghelfi...

Even as its glory days slipped into the past, Northumbria was still able to produce one last great mind who would have a profound impact on the rest of the world. Alcuin of York came from an obscure family but would go on to find success in the court of Emperor Charlemagne as one of his advisors and teachers. Here he would help formulate new standards for education that would shape the future of W...

This episode, ahead of the big episode on the Northumbrian collapse,  we take a break from politics to look at one of the most important artefacts from Anglo-Saxon England: the Lindisfarne Gospels. It is my hope that this episode will give you a grounding in the history and features of this remarkable manuscript. I think you will agree that the details of its creation enhance the splendour of this...

After Osred's death in 716, Northumbria entered a period of political upheaval which eventually saw the emergence of a new dynasty to claim the throne. This family, descendants of Leodwald, quickly achieved prominence during a period of peaceful foreign relations and cultural dynamism. But just as quickly as they rose, equally quickly they fell back into the bloody feuding which typified Northumbr...

This week we look at fallout of Nechtansmere and the end of Athelfrithing domination of Northumbrian politics. Ironically, this coincided with one of the more famous kings of the dynasty, famed for his wisdom and piety. But wisdom and piety cannot save a crumbling powerbase or end subjugation to external powers.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&l...

This week we meet the single most important Anglo-Saxon scholar of them all. Bede lived an extremely quiet life, but his intellectual world was fantastically productive. He produced works which provided the the framework for all subsequent English scholarship and fully established the Anglo-Saxons on a world stage as a people capable of producing excellent scholarship.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðm...

This week we step back from royal politics to look at some of the main saints to emerge from Northumbria in the 7th C. We also look at how the distinctive culture that these people fostered set the scene of the flourishing of intellectual activity that would become known as the Northumbrian Golden Age.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&ind...

Following the death of Oswald, Northumbria was reduced to a fragmented vassal of Mercia. But that was changed under the leadership of Oswald's brother, Oswiu. Oswiu reunited Northumbria and led it to a new period of power and hegemony... that all came crashing down very quickly and left the king reeling. Under him and his son, Ecgfrith, Northumbria's decline began; not because they were weak kings...

After the death of Edwin, Northumbria was thrown into chaos by the ravages of Cadwallon who swiftly deposed the kings who rose to replace him. But, in 633, a young Northumbrian noble returned from exile in western Scotland and defeated the rampaging Welsh king. He soon established himself as a new overlord of the Northumbrians and exerted great political and religious power across Britain. He was...

This week we begin a miniseries on the Kingdom of Northumbria from the early 7th to the mid 9th C. We start with a look at one of the most famous Northumbrian kings: Edwin. The first Christian king and a ruler who established Northumbria's place as one of the most powerful kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&...

After last week's absence, we return with a new chronological episode as we continue our journey. This week we turn to the beginning of the conversion of England. We meet a lot new figures and finally come to the first definite date in Anglo-Saxon history: 597. It's the start of a fundamental change which will totally reshape Anglo-Saxon England and influence the future of England as a whole.   Mu...

In this episode we take a big picture look at the working and development of Anglo-Saxon kingship. This is the first of two episodes meant to help you better follow what is coming in the podcast by introducing you to the history, ideas, and sources of Anglo-Saxon kingship.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0...

This week we take a dive into the mysterious and often complicated world of Anglo-Saxon paganism. We discuss what we mean by 'paganism' today and look at the ways people have attempted to reconstruct the beliefs of the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons. The results may be unexpected, but they are guaranteed to be interesting.    Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdq...

In this episode we begin our discussion of Anglo-Saxon history proper with the arrival of the Saxons. Where did they come from? How many people settled in Sub-Roman Britain? And what happened to the Britons when they did? It's a complicated topic but it's also one of the most important events in the history of Britain. Afterwards the island would never be the same again.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrō...

This week we take a look at the work and thought of the main written source for sub-Roman Britain and the Saxon migration: Gildas. We discuss the problems we have trying to reconstruct his biography and look in depth at the uniquely Roman worldview of this sixth-century British monk.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%...

The second part of our look at the work the Saxons' encountered. In this episode we focus on the culture of sub-Roman Britain and the political fragmentation that paved the way for the arrival of the Saxons.   Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8Ddening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

In this first episode, we begin a two part look at the Britain encountered by the Saxons in the mid-fifth century. We discuss the reasons for and the results of the collapse of Roman society in Britain. Music: 'Wælheall' by Hrōðmund Wōdening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g&list=LL&index=5&ab_channel=Hr%C5%8D%C3%B0mundW%C5%8Ddening Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...