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It was 1065.  And King Edward was falling ever more ill. The post 382 – Bros Before Thrones first appeared on The British History Podcast .

After the traitorous murder of King Gruffydd,  Harold returned to England victorious… and as for Wales.  Well, their King had been assassinated and their lands were carved up between rival nobles who were subservient to England. The post 381 – Weekend at William’s first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Up in the hills of Snowdonia, pinned between the sea and the English midlands, King Gruffydd fought against the invading forces of the Godwinsons.  And he was giving the English such a hard time that even  the Life of King Edward admits it in the record. The post 380 – Everybody Is Killing Everybody Else And Nobody Is Talking About It: Part 3 first appeared on The British History Podcast...

Earl AElfgar and his alliance with King Gruffydd of Wales was likely the one true barrier that stood between Harold Godwinson and the throne of England. The post 379 – Everybody Is Killing Everybody Else And Nobody Is Talking About It: Part 2 first appeared on The British History Podcast .

On the year 1059, there is an enigmatic entry in the Welsh Chronicle. The post 378 – Everybody is killing everybody else and no one is talking about it first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Water, and the ability to control water ways, was an important aspect in the Welsh imagination. In fact, the importance of Welsh power on the seas even appears in the Mabinogion. The post 377 – The King of Wales first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Things are moving quickly in our story, now. Pieces are moving into place, and the board is shifting rapidly. Thanks to the benefit of hindsight, we can see where this is going and see how these events are leading to a calamity in just a few years. The post 376 – Lost Years and Lost Lands first appeared on The British History Podcast .

For the first time in a long time, Wales was experiencing a time of internal peace, thanks in large part to its unification under King Gruffydd. The post 375 – Life and Death Politics. But Mostly Death. first appeared on The British History Podcast .

1055 had been an absolutely crazy year. But, for the Godwinsons, it hadn’t been all bad. Having clearly given up on King Edward, Queen Edith was now fully on team Godwinson and bending all of her political and diplomatic talent towards advancing her brother’s positions…and since then they’d made significant advancements with large numbers of […] The post 374 – Be Careful What You Wish For fi...

Earl AElfgar was having a rough time. The clergy and local lords of East Anglia had never really warmed up to him since his appointment to the post in 1053. Their loyalty to Harold went so deep that we can still see evidence of their loyalty to the House of Godwin in surviving records. The post 373 – The First King first appeared on The British History Podcast .

If I could interview one figure from this period, I think it would be Queen Edith. That woman had a WEIRD life. She was married off to a King. Then she watched that King try to destroy her family…As thanks she got stuffed into a nunnery by said King… then got to watch as her […] The post 372 – Hostile Takeover first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Godwin was dead, and now Harold Godwinson found himself leading the family. Befitting this new role, he was due to inherit the wealthy and politically potent Earldom of Wessex. His father’s Earldom. And according to the Vita Edwardi, the Kingdom rejoiced at Harold’s impending promotion. The post 371 – Naked Ambition first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Earl Godwin and his family were back, baby.   Well, mostly. The post 370 – Breaking Bread first appeared on The British History Podcast .

This is an old one, but it was specifically requested. Please forgive the audio quality and delivery. The post Bonus Episode from the Archive: The Poet’s Curse first appeared on The British History Podcast .

When you come at the King, you best not miss… and now the Godwins had the King of France and the Holy Roman Emperor acting as their surrogates while they were constructing no less than two invasion fleets just off of two separate English coasts … which means Edward probably realized he had went at […] The post 369 – Move or You Will Be Moved: Part 4 first appeared on The British History Podc...

“O happy earl, in bairns and forebears blessedSiring four guarantors of England’s peace. First, Edith, gem-link on the kingdom’s brest,All virtues’ friend, fit daughter for the earl,Her sire, and also her spouse, the king;By her advice peace wraps the kingdom roundAnd Keeps mankind from breaking pacts of peace. Thus from your single fount, O Paradise,You part in […] The post 368 – Move or Yo...

Swegn Godwinson was exiled….again. Only this time it was for life. As that judgment came down, the Godwins must have realized they had been maneuvered into blind dependence on the King’s mercy. The post 367 – Move, or You Will Be Moved Part 2 first appeared on The British History Podcast .

The summer of 1051 must have felt like some sort of nightmare. A French aristocrat rode into Dover, picked a fight and then slaughtered the townsfolk. And that man’s cousin, the King of England, told the townsfolk’s lord (Earl Godwin of Wessex) to go back and finish the job…by butchering his own people on behalf […] The post 366 – Move, or You Will Be Moved: Part 1 first appeared on The Brit...

In 1050, Thorrfinn the Jarl of Orkney went to Rome. And no trip to Rome is complete without a visit with the Pope. And when Thorrfin had his meeting, we’re told that Pope personally absolved the Jarl’s sins. The post 365 – The Red Cliffs of Dover first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Complex societies are able to do incredible things.  By having an interconnected civilization, with people from all over the place contributing to it, people are able to specialize… and that specialization allows for entire classes of people who can do things that would be impossible if they had to meet their own basic needs all […] The post 364 – Reconciliation first appeared on The Br...

Piece by piece, the board was being set for a comeback. The Godwin family had been thrown from power decades ago. But Godwin knew how to be patient and grind it out. And now he was back on top, the second most powerful person in England. The post 363 – Treason! first appeared on The British History Podcast .

History is just the story of humans across time. Therefore, like humanity, history is varied, it’s emotional, it’s complex. And often it’s just f*cking messy. The post 362 – Meet the Godwins first appeared on The British History Podcast .

King Edward came to England with a political migraine. The post 361 – W A Poet first appeared on The British History Podcast .

In 1040, while England was dealing with the chaos of Harthacnut’s reign and the threat of yet another succession mess, Scotland was dealing with its own set of problems. The northern Kingdom just lost its king. And that wasn’t anything new for Scotland… their Kings rarely lasted long. The post 360 – The Long Game first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Happy Halloween! The post The Witch of Fife first appeared on The British History Podcast .