506 – Chapter Eleven: The Machine

Today we’re returning to our story.  We’ve spent the early part of this chapter focusing on the reforms that Henry was instituting, and why he was doing them… but now, we have to return to the halls of power and the people moving through them. The post 512 – Oops, All Henrys first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Congratulations Sheriff, you’ve made it through the crucible.  Literally. Now, granted, you’ve lost some money along the way.  Percentages were shaved off because of the purity of the silver.  Coins were tossed out because edges had been literally shaved off by the scoundrels in your shire.  And, of course, money was flowing rapidly out of […] The post 511 – Exchequers and ExBalancers: Part Two first appeared on The British History Podcast.

We are about to do something a little unusual for the BHP.  We’re going to muddy the timeline. Now, normally we stick to the chronological timeline.  We live the story as it unfolds.  But the birth of the Exchequer presents us with a bit of a headache because it’s being built right now in the […] The post 510 – Exchequers and ExBalancers: Part One first appeared on The British History Podcast.

King Henry’s Court was huge. And that makes sense.  His predecessor, King Rufus, was a party animal and, as such, his Court had swollen into a massive, roving scene where anyone who wanted power… or just free wine… crowded in through the doors. The post 509 – Court Costs first appeared on The British History Podcast.

The King was triumphant and his older brother was, if we’re taking the King’s word for it, retired and happily living in the lap of luxury… and most of the King’s other enemies were either imprisoned, dead, or keeping their heads down for fear of the King throwing them into the lap of luxury, too.  The post 508 – The Reformation Begins first appeared on The British History Podcast.

A sample of our deep dive into the performance and the culture that surrounds the Song of Roland. The post Chansons de Geste and 12th Century Performance Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Henry had defeated his brother… but he hadn’t defeated Normandy.  At least, not yet.  Duke Robert still had supporters out there and Falaise was still loyal to the Duke.  In fact, Duke Robert’s son, William Clito, was sheltering in Falaise. The post 507 – Law and Order: Normandy first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Buckle up for a retelling of the medieval MCU that was driving Crusader culture. The post The Song of Roland Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

At long last, the struggle was over. The post 506 – Chapter Eleven: The Machine first appeared on The British History Podcast.

It was the 15th of August, and King Henry was at Bec. He didn’t want to be at Bec, of course.  He wanted to be in the field, fighting Robert.  However, until the matter with Anselm was resolved, he didn’t dare take to the field.  So here he was. The post 505 – The Battle of Tinchebray first appeared on The British History Podcast.