logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2015
24m 29s

160 – An Offa Inheritance

Jamie Jeffers
About this episode

King Offa of Mercia has died after a surprisingly long and productive reign. The degree of power he had gathered for himself was truly something to behold. While his reach didn’t stretch into Mercia’s ancient enemies beyond the Humber, Northumbria, he had a stunning degree of influence over the English Kingdoms in the south. Throughout […]

The post 160 – An Offa Inheritance first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Up next
Apr 2015
161 – King Ceonwulf’s Rise in Power
While Offa was an effective leader in Mercia during his life, his dynastic purge was a disaster. Looking at what followed, it appears that he heavily targeted extended members of his own family. Now this placed his immediate family in a very good position to pursue power… and we ... Show More
23m 50s
May 2015
Q&A: How to Start a Podcast
I’ve gotten this question a lot over the years and after quite a lot of thought, I’ve come up with a few basic pieces of advice. I talked it over with some fellow podcasters and they gave it the thumbs up, so hopefully it will help you out if you’re looking to launch your own […] ... Show More
7m 31s
May 2015
162 – Emperor Coenwulf, Emperor Charlemagne, and The World
So today, lets briefly talk about the world context since we’ve largely just focused on our main character. No not Coenwulf, or Offa… the main character is and has been Britain… but sometimes it feels like it’s an island adrift and alone, when in actual fact there’s a whole world ... Show More
29m 23s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2019
070 – No more Normans and Horrid Henry
1186 - 1197 We sadly saw goodbye to the Norman kings in Sicily and usher in a new era in which the Hohenstaufen, under emperor Henry VI, son of Barbarossa, extend their dominion from the north sea to the centre of the Meditteranean. 
22m 13s
Feb 2025
4 Living Former Monarchs whose Thrones were Abolished
In the last episode we met 7 living former monarchs who chose to retire, hand their thrones to their children and enjoy their golden years. But not all living former monarchs chose to get off the throne, some were pushed off. In the 20th century, 28 national-level monarchies acro ... Show More
26m 48s
Jun 2021
Episode C6 – The Splendid Flame
Synopsis: In the wake of the Sea Peoples, the Hittite Great King Kuzi-Teshub focuses on rebuilding and strengthening his kingdom.  A powerful new threat soon emerges in the form of King Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria. “In the service of my Lord Ashur, my chariots and warriors I ... Show More
27m 43s
Jan 2014
#10 - W. Zhou 2: The King Who Cried "Barbarian!"
This episode, we start at the mid-point of the Western Zhou period, and follow it all the way down to its conclusion with the shattering of Royal authority, the sacking of the capital, and the vengeance of the White Wolf Clans on the Zhou. By the end of the episode, though a Zhou ... Show More
40m 6s
Aug 2025
Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria
Known as the 'King of the World' and the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal bestrode the ancient Mesopotamian world as a warrior but also a scholar, ruling the great Assyrian empire at the height of its power.In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Assyriologist Dr Sel ... Show More
52m 11s
Jul 2022
Episode S6 – Castle of the Slave
Synopsis: Joseph and Hyrcanus of the Tobiad clan served as tax farmers in Coele Syria for nearly half a century, weathering the transition from Ptolemaic and Seleucid control along with the constant maelstrom of Jerusalem politics. “Hyrcanus determined not to return to Jerusal ... Show More
29m 7s
Apr 2022
Valar Rereadis: TWOIAF - The Kingdom of Sarnor
<p>A kingdom dominated by corrupt nobles who ignore an existential threat while fighting each other... sound familiar? A realm that finds itself suddenly confronted with a huge mass of Dothraki united under one leader... sound familiar? An ancient culture's history and art burned ... Show More
2h 36m
Feb 2020
Episode T15 – Grypus
Synopsis: Cleopatra Thea convinces her son Antiochus VIII Grypus to return to Syria and share the throne.  But once Zabinas is defeated and the kingdom secure, Grypus decides to avenge his brother’s murder. “Ptolemy (Physcon)…proceeded to devote his entire strength to the des ... Show More
28m 26s
Oct 2021
Agnès Sorel, dame de Beauté
<p>Agnès Sorel naît au XVe siècle dans une famille noble et sa position de demoiselle d'honneur à la Cour lui donne l'occasion de rencontrer le roi Charles VII, qui tombe immédiatement sous le charme et en fait sa favorite officielle, une position créée pour elle et qu'elle conse ... Show More
47m 2s
Aug 2024
Episode 87: Al Radi the irrelevant
We’ve reached the end of the road as far as Abbasid authority is concerned. Although it had waxed and waned before, there would be no recovering from the lows it had fell to this time. The caliph had no independent authority, helpful counselors, loyal generals, powerful armies, n ... Show More
31m 12s