logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2016
30m 27s

212 – Alfred the Last AEtheling

Jamie Jeffers
About this episode

It’s mid April of 871. For four long months, the House of Wessex has been battling against an invasion army of Danes who are holding the Royal Tun of Reading. Battle after battle had resulted in bruising defeats at the hands of these pagans. They had won against the Danes in Ashdown, true, but what […]

The post 212 – Alfred the Last AEtheling first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Up next
Aug 2016
213 – Danegelds, Peace, and Shame
Last time we left off, Alfred… who we have been following since his earliest days, and whom we now know the most intimate details of, including the state of his butt (which was swollen) and the state of his libido (which apparently was also swollen)… well, by mid 871 his brother ... Show More
33m 47s
Sep 2016
214 – National Lampoon’s Viking Vacation
It’s 872 and Halfdan’s year has been a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, he had received a major Danegeld from Mercia, to add to the one he received from Wessex in the previous year. And now he was residing within London. But on the other hand, he had just gotten word […] The ... Show More
24m 26s
Sep 2016
215 – King Burgred and the end of the Danish Sausage Fest
It’s 873 and so far Halfdan has extracted THREE Danegelds from King Burgred in exchange for promising to not occupy Mercia. And, of course, he’s gone on to occupy Mercia… most recently in a town called Torksey. He also put down a rebellion in Jorvik and reclaimed the city. He pus ... Show More
50m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
549. The Road to 1066: Revenge of the Vikings (Part 2)
Following the bloody St Brice’s Day Massacre, of the 13th of November 1002, which saw King Æthelred brutally exterminating the Danes from England, the Vikings were hungry for revenge. None more so than the terrifying Scandinavian King, Sweyn Forkbeard. Having capitalised on his f ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 16
CLASSIC: When Vikings Loot The Wrong Town
Ben here: we're out on the high seas this week -- true story! While we're away, we're sharing some of our favorite Classic episode. Here's one we absolutely loved, and travel-related: "Like many Viking leaders, Halfdan and Bjorn wanted to be known for their fearlessness in battle ... Show More
39m 1s
Jun 2011
1.30 - 22 1066 and Goodbye to all That
1066 was a year that changed a lot of things - though not as much as you might think. 3 experienced war leaders fought for control of England - and we all know who won, so no need to worry about plot spoilers. The History of England podcast takes us...<div class="feedflare"><a hr ... Show More
33m 5s
Aug 2024
Alvilda la princesse guerrière - d’après les légendes danoises
<p>Connaissez-vous les Vikings? Venus du Nord de l’Europe, et notamment du Danemark, ces terribles guerriers ont régné sur les mers entre le VIIIe et le XIe siècle. Pour se donner du courage, les Vikings se rappelaient leurs récits mythologiques. Rédigé au XIIe siècle, le livre l ... Show More
16m 44s
Dec 2024
Episode #216 - Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part I)
When the capital of the Roman empire was moved from Rome to the city of Constantinople, the city on the Bosporus strait became one of the most important places on planet earth. One top being the heart of Roman religious, political, and cultural life for a millennium, the city had ... Show More
1h 14m
Sep 9
After 1066: The Harrying of the North
Dr. Eleanor Janega unravels the blood-soaked aftermath of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England. Joined by Professor Levi Roach, Eleanor delves into the harrowing campaign, known as the Harrying of the North, where William the Conqueror brutally suppressed the ... Show More
51m 47s
Sep 8
War During Winter is a Horrible Thing...
<p>On the Eastern Front of World War I, German and Russian soldiers were locked in a desperate stalemate against each other and one of the most brutal winters in a century. But as the conflict decimated their enemies, ravenous wolf packs began to stalk the battlefield, seeing the ... Show More
31m 52s
Sep 1
The English Civil War
What sparks a nation to turn against its own king? Professor Suzannah Lipscomb dives into the turbulent and transformative decade that witnessed the English Civil Wars — a bloody clash that claimed nearly 185,000 lives and reshaped the very soul of Britain. From the power struggl ... Show More
44m 2s
Mar 2025
234. Battle of the Boyne: Clash of Two Kings (Ep 2)
The Restoration reinstates the monarchy in England, Scotland & Ireland, and Irish Catholics believe that they will get their lands back for their loyalty to the king. And when the openly Catholic King James II succeeds his older brother, they are even more hopeful. But English Pr ... Show More
41m 12s