The British History Podcast

It was January of 1095 and Rufus was still at war with his eldest brother, Duke Robert. A war that could have been avoided if the Red King had simply kept his word… or even just apologized. But he wasn’t interested in doing either of those things, so people were dying in Normandy.

As I’ve mentioned a few times… we are discussing one of those periods of history where everything was kind of happening all at once.  This presents a challenge when trying to create a clear narrative that you can follow, while also staying true to the order of events.

In the space of less than a year, the Norman barons had surged deep into Wales and were further entrenching themselves using castles and other fortifications.

King Malcom Canmore hit his breaking point.

If you think that video games are too violent, wait until you hear about Face Slap.

Ok, I know at the end of that last episode I kinda sorta promised you a fight. And we are definitely going to have one. But we are pausing real quick to cover some SERIOUSLY good gossip…and possibly a murder?

All of those promises Rufus made to be a better man had finally convinced God.  After about two months of being bedridden, the King finally recovered from his mysterious illness.  And now that the Divine had delivered its side of the bargain… well, there was really no point to any of those promises anymore. So Rufus immediately set about invalidating all his penitential acts.

Rufus was once again the only brother in England.

Come get schooled.

We don’t really know precisely what Henry got up to once he fled Mont Saint Michel. What few records we have are incomplete and some contradictory. But from those records we /are/ able to glean some details… and when we take the accounts in total, what immediately becomes clear is that, just because Henry was in exile, it didn’t mean he had accepted his defeat. He had plans and he set them in moti...

After Robert kicked Henry out of Rouen, the Duke tried to restabilize his position in Normandy. And his first move was to make an alliance with Robert of Belleme.

You’ve probably heard the phrase “it takes money to make money,” and while usually the person telling you that is just trying to sell you something you don’t need….there is some truth to it. At least in the way our economy works. It’s also true of how feudal economies worked.

We’ve been spending a lot of time with Rufus and Robert. And that was the way things were back in the 11th century, too.  Rufus and Robert got the attention, while Henry… the youngest, and apparently most forgettable brother… was often left out.  And this reality was made most clear when their father died… and, despite holding vast territories, the Conqueror didn’t bother to give Henry a single hi...

It’s one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The White Tower, or more recently, the Tower of London. If you’ve visited London you likely took time to go see it.

With Count Henry and Robert of Belleme imprisoned under his tender care, Bishop Odo had free rein to guide the impressionable Duke Robert in whatever direction he wanted.  And he had a direction in mind.

The last two episodes have been focused on how King William Rufus handled the aftermath of the rebellion, and the political moves being made.  But Rufus didn’t exist in a vacuum… and across the Channel, his brothers were also making moves.

William the Conqueror had not set his sons up for success, and at the heart of it was land. Obviously, the way he distributed those lands in his Will had been a bit of a disaster, as it had set his two eldest sons up for war.

I've gotta be honest, some of these spells seem a bit rude.

William Rufus’ first year as King had probably not gone down as he hoped. And as Bishop Odo and his co-conspirators boarded their ships and sought sanctuary in Normandy…Rufus could only return to court and count the rest of his problems.

Got a jealousy problem and a spare leek? Boy, do we ever have a cure for you.

Word of Rufus’ army, and the destruction of the rebel forces at Tunbridge, had no doubt reached Pevensey and its commander, Robert of Mortain… and I think it’s highly likely that the messengers also reported that the King’s army had turned north, towards Rochester. Bishop Odo’s stronghold.

It was Easter of 1088.  This was, typically, a  time when the most powerful figures of England would gather at Court.  But this wasn’t a typical  year.

Primogeniture, the practice of handing all wealth and power from father to the eldest son, had done a lot to consolidate power along single family lines. But it created all manner of problems for …well, pretty much everyone else.

We’re joining the Sisterhood of the Travelling Uterus for this one. The post Medieval Medicine Sample: Trotula Edition first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Somewhere around the time William the First was bursting out of his tomb like roasted chestnut and William the Second was making it rain with his dead dad’s money….something was turning in western culture as a whole.