Rise of Mercia

04/11/24 • 41 min

2 Listeners

In Gone Medieval’s special series examining some of Anglo-Saxon Britain’s most significant kingdoms, we arrive at the kingdom of Mercia, which once enjoyed supremacy over not only Wessex but all of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. At its peak, Mercia controlled what is now Birmingham and London, but it ceased to be a kingdom when Alfred the Great came to power. But its history did not end there.

In this episode, Matt Lewis speaks to Annie Whitehead, author of Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom, to discover the important role the Mercians - including such renowned characters as Penda, Offa and Lady Godiva - played in the forging of the English nation.

This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

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Life on Crusade

Accounts of the Crusades were usually commissioned by wealthy and influential people about themselves, to make their piety and righteousness known to others. But what about the less glamorous people who went on Crusades? And what was life like when they did so?

In this episode of Gone Medieval, Dr. Eleanor Janega finds out about ordinary crusaders and their experiences from Dr. Simon Thomas Parsons.

This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Rob Weinberg.

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Rise of Wessex

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In Gone Medieval’s special series exploring some of Anglo-Saxon Britain’s most influential kingdoms, we reach Wessex - the last kingdom left to stand against the Great Heathen Army. Under the command of Alfred the Great, Wessex achieved what no other kingdom could before it: victory against the Vikings.

In this episode, Eleanor Janega is joined by Dr. Rob Gallagher, a historian of early medieval Britain, to explore the key figures of the Wessex ascendency and the legacy the kingdom left behind.

This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Rob Weinberg.

You can take part in our listener survey here.