The British History Podcast

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.

You know, I almost titled the last episode  “The Gang Goes To A Funeral” but the trouble was that the gang /didn’t/ go to the funeral. All of them decided they had somewhere else to be. 

It was early September of 1087, and for weeks…nearly two months, in fact… people had been discussing William’s impending death, and worrying about what would happen next.  And for good reason. This family, which ruled over Normandy, had a history of infighting and civil wars, especially during times of succession.

Strap yourselves in. These kids are something else.

The story of William and the conquest has been a long road, and I’ve heard from some of you that this season has been challenging to listen to.   I get it.  No matter how awful William is he never seems to face any real consequences…

That's right, just like big pharma, we're giving out a free sample.

Europe at the end of the 11th century was a rapidly changing world and it is all going to have a profound impact on the history of Britain. I want you to really have a good understanding of what is going on here, and to do that I have been forced to go back and forth between simultaneous stories.

When we left off, things were looking pretty bad for William and William’s hope of a legacy. Maine was once again in rebellion against Normandy. But this time half of France seemed to be looking for an excuse to join them. Denmark was preparing an invasion of England … and even William’s brother-in-law, Count Robert […] The post 446 – Death and Taxes first appeared on The British History Podcast .

Matilda was dead and now things were coming apart at the seams.

Based on the e-mails I have been getting, some of you are having a hard time understanding why on god’s green earth did Odo think he could just trot down to Rome and become the new Pope.  The truth is he was less crazy than we might think, and I’m going to take a moment to explain the situation a little better. Partly because this becomes important to our story later on and partly because it’s hil...