David Crowther

The History of England

History EN ↓ 515 episodes

This my re-telling of the story of England. I aim to be honest, and rigorous - but always loving of my country's history. It is a regular, chronological podcast, starting from the end of Roman Britain. There are as many of the great events I can squeeze in, of course, but I also try to keep an eye on how people lived, their language, what was important to them, the forces that shaped their lives and destinies, that sort of thing. To listen free of adverts, support the podcast, access a library of 150+ hours of shedcasts of me warbling on, and get new shedcasts every month, why not become a mem...

Author

David Crowther

Episodes

1.13- 5 The Noble Wolf 16.01.2011 37:04

Æthelwolf hasn't always had the best press. None the less he laid the basis of an effective and well organised state centred on the traditional heartlands of Wessex, and one better placed to meet the Viking threat than other kingdoms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.12 - 5a Pirates from the North 15.01.2011 32:56

The Vikings visited fire, destruction - and trade - on a bemused and terrified 8th C Europe. Who were they, where did they come from, where did they go and and why? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.11 - 4 Greater Wessex 14.01.2011 39:09

The death of Offa & his son led to the bloodletting normal when the succession was a bun fight. But this time round, it would have longer term consequences for the balance of power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.10 - 3 The Mercian Supremacy 13.01.2011 39:16

After Wulfhere, Aethelred and Aethelbald laid the foundations, a prince from the Hwicce, Offa, took Mercia to its greatest achievements. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.9 - 2: The Rise of Mercia 12.01.2011 28:32

Pretty much a century in just one, fun-filled episode - 650 ish to 750 is. It's Mercia's turn - an increasingly integrated Mercia, growing in power. With yer Wulfhere's and Æthelbalds, Mercia's hegemony was held back only by Ine of Wessex and Wihtred of Kent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.8 Revival 11.01.2011 34:04

Towns had simply disappeared along with the post Roman economy by 500. But slowly by 600 there's tiny shoots of recovery discernible - so we talk about towns. And we have a hack at something a little tiny bit more literary, and talk of Continental Missionaries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.7 Conversion 10.01.2011 30:32

At the start of the 7th century England was a basically pagan country; by the end of it it was officially at least Christian. While no doubt many pagans still held on, Whitred of Kent's laws began to embed Christianity into the fabric of English kingdoms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.6 The Life and Times of Penda II 09.01.2011 35:04

Through much of the 7th Century, Penda increased the power and influence of the Mercians. He built his kingdom as a traditional warrior, tribal leader - defeating the Northumbrians, and East Anglians, raiding and gathering treasure, rewarding his followers; spreading his influence by marriage, exercising control by influence where he could, by force where he could not. In the long run, Penda was p...

1.5 The Life and Times of Penda I 08.01.2011 37:38

7th Century England was inherently unstable, populated by a patchwork of communities, petty kingdoms successful and less so. Into this pagan mix also comes the lure of Christianity again. Meanwhile, in central England a pagan warrior called Penda became king, probably in 626. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.4 Founding Kingdoms 07.01.2011 34:09

It's difficult to know how much to believe of the stories relayed in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle about the formation of the early kingdoms - do they simply reflect the history they wished they'd had? Plus, was Arthur a legend or reality? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.3 Building a New World 03.01.2011 31:53

What kind of society had arrived in Roman Britain? How how did societies and communities form and become the kingdoms before the days of the Heptarchy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.2 Adventus Saxonum 02.01.2011 37:48

The traditional story of the arrival of the Anglo Saxons is one of death and destruction, and the catastrophic and complete replacement of a British population by a new Germanic race within a generation. But there are other theories too - much more peaceful, much more gradual. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.1 Change and Calamity 01.01.2011 33:22

This is the story of late antique Britain. How in the 3rd to 5th centuries, Britain went through two waves of economic dislocation and transformation, that changed the face of British society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1.0 - 1 Anglo Saxons England 500-1066 24.12.2010 36:05

This episode includes an introduction to Series 1, the Anglo Saxons, and then a discussion of the sources we have available for the settlement period. We then spend some time on and the way that historians and others have seen and interpreted the Anglo Saxon period. Series 1 on the Anglo Saxons covers the period from about 400, until 14th October 1066 in just 31 episodes Episodes 1- 1.4 Cover Roma...

All About the History of England 23.12.2010 5:18

This is my chronological retelling of the story of the English in regular chunks. It’s been going since Christmas Day 2010, so there’s enough to keep you off the streets for a while and hanging around the local shopping precinct. But look, you can dip in and you can dip out too. There's all the great trends, events, and drama you’d expect, all set in the context and attitudes of their time; and on...