The Story of London

A bumper episode crammed with detail as we try and get through events in London during the first decade of the 12th Century; churches were built; volcanos in Iceland ruined crops; there was ANOTHER invasion from Normandy, we have a brilliant new Queen; Jewish and Christian scholars engaged in debates; and the first escape from the Tower of London took place. Oh, and 200 priests staged a pitiful pr...

The Story returns to London with a look at the realities of the ‘splendour’ of medieval rule; the rash of church building across the city; a fairly unique animal pest problem and the usurpation of the throne of England… AGAIN! Two fascinating years in the life of London. Full script will be placed here in the next week or so: https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM

A special episode dedicated to examining the conditions that led to the First Crusade, and the side effects that Crusade had upon England, and London. We are not going to try and tell the story of the crusade, but just go try to place the crusade into context, and get a glimpse of the social, economic, theological and political impact it was to have at the time and in the years to come.

The reign of William II of England (William Rufus) is often overlooked, but was to have a profound impact upon the city; a decade of intense rebuilding after disaster, MORE disasters, political arguments and we meet the forefather of the London’s financiers- Ranulf Flambard. It’s time to explore the Red Storm Over London…

Welcome to 1086… and arguably the worst two years in London’s history. Famine, plague, fire and war all descend upon the unfortunate residents, as circumstances dictate the worst of all times. Detailing a horrendous couple of years in the Story of the city… check out support materials available on https://www.realpolitik.zone/the-story-of-london/

Introducing the next stage of the story of London… The Dark Age.

We end Season 2 of the podcast with an argument- why 1086 constitutes the end of an era in London’s history and also why it represents the start of the darkest time in the cities history. A wide ranging guide to why you could see the last Season as London rising to heights it would not see for centuries, before it comes crashing down.

In the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1077 London rebuilt itself, and the powers that be erected the great White Tower of London. This episode examines the foundation of the Tower, and also it’s two sister towers built on the other side of London, as well as the creation of churches within the city and the impact of the Domesday Book. Free script will be available via the weblink to this page.

In the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, London witnessed as England burned in rebellion and revolt… but what part did the city take in the terrible events which followed?

William the Conqueror is the new King of England… now what the hell does London do about this? A chapter that looks at the immediate aftermath of the arrival of the Norman’s, and how London tried to navigate it’s way around their new overlord. Some things remain the same, but some things forever changed.

The last few months of 1066 was to see London suddenly find itself as THE crucial focus of invasion of England, and a minor political figure from the city called Ansgar is about to become one of the most important men in the country, as we conclude the account of the city in one of the most amazing years in its history.

We finally reach 1066; King Edward of England is dying and London prepares for the grand ceremony to consecrate his new vast abbey down on Thorney Island… but in the shadows an ambitious English noble is about to plunge the nation into crisis.

In the decade before the Norman Invasion London had to come to turns with a reality it could not argue with: Harold Godwinsun and his family dominated English politics. But this meant London was helpless as this inept man steered the nations towards inevitable disaster… a harsh (but I think honest) look at Harold’s failures, events that cause the Norman Invasion of 1066.

Sometime in the 1050’s Edward the Confessor constructed two new buildings which were to play a pivotal role in the cities history going forward- Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster. But the stories of their creation hide a deeper secret about what was going on in the court of the king… Full script will be available on https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM soon.

The concluding part of A Godfather Trilogy is the one where we finally understand why I spent so much time on this little moment from English history- Earl Godwin returns in fire and fury and London finds itself besieged for the first time since the reign of Cnut… a full script will be available at https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM

The epic conflict between King Edward and Earl Godwin properly erupts as they clash over power and influence… leading to a dramatic meeting in South London. A script and write up will be posted here https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM in the next week or so.

Around 1000 years ago there began a political fight that was to change the fate of the nation beyond all others; a clash of two men, two ‘Godfathers’ of the nation, whose struggle for domination would cause profound changes to the fate of London. This is part of a three part special, which explains the backdrop to this argument. A full script will be available on https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM...

Warfare has changed a lot over the centuries; but somethings remain constant. This episode looks in detail at the power and might of the fleets of England in the 11th Century, and how London became not just the centre of them, but the focus of the power of England. A crucial episode in the story of London; a rough script will be found on https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM in the next few days.

A new King takes the throne of England… and London gets to witness a series of really unfortunate events. For years. We start the reign of Edward the Confessor with a plethora of natural disasters and how Londoner’s may have conceptualised the world to come to terms with them. A script will be available here: https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM in the next few days. As well as that- here is the link...

In June 1042 a wedding feast take places in Lambeth; who got married at that wedding and what happened at that wedding, and the stories of those people, offer a unique insight into the power politics that led to the rise of King Edward the Confessor. Feasts, politics and sly insults from Monks abound… A full script with pictures of this episode will be available on https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHG...

The 1030’s were a tough decade for London. It started with Cnut as Emperor of Northern Europe; it saw natural disaster, political crisis and three kings having been in control. How London (and England) coped and how London ended up dictating who was going to rule after Cnut (or trying to) is the subject of this episode. Script will be available here https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM for any who wa...

London finds itself with a King who would be an Emperor; an episode trying to explain how Cnut went on to become overlord of Denmark, Norway, parts of Sweden and more… and how London was very much part of this. A version of the script will be available here for those who like to read along, https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM.

The complex and difficult relationship between Cnut and London carries on as we look at the reasons behind many of Cnut’s early political moves, the reasons why these are hard to fathom, and the most insane robbery ever carried out by a King of England. Script will be posted here https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM But the bad South London accent is free!

England had been invaded and a foreign King sat upon it’s throne; as he ruthlessly consolidated power, eliminating any remaining threats to his new regime, London was to find itself on the receiving end of his retribution… a version of the script will be available here https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM for those who want to read along.

A Danish Prince leads his armies across England… the King grows ill… his rebellious son tries to marshal resistance… the year 1016 sees London as a beacon of hope in a desperate campaign making it briefly the eye of a storm. Full script will be available here https://imgur.com/gallery/hajiHGM for those who wish to read along.