Samuel Stephen Chronicles

Episode 3: The Fiscal Crisis (1377-1380) Edward III is dead. Richard II is ten years old. France is winning the war. And the English government needs money it does not have. This is the story of three poll taxes in four years. Three experiments in control. Three escalating failures. And the final decision that would ignite England. TIMELINE COVERED: June 21, 1377 - May 30, 1381 KEY FIGURES: - Edwa...

Episode 3 — Æthelstan and the Architecture of Power In this episode, we examine the most consequential succession crisis in early medieval England — and the quiet political machinery that resolved it. After the death of Edward the Elder , England does not pass smoothly to a single heir. Instead, the nobility of Mercia makes a radical choice: they proclaim Æthelstan king — not of Mercia, and not of...

A podcast exploring how documentation shapes power across history—from medieval manorial rolls to Hollywood contracts. Each episode examines how archives become weapons, and how people throughout history have resisted erasure through paperwork. Hosted by Samuel Stephen, novelist and historian. Get full access to Samuel Stephen Chronicles at samuelstephenchronicles.substack.com/subscribe