The British History Podcast

132 – Scotcast Part Nine: St. Columba and King Brude

This episode will cover the years 506 to 584 and will focus primarily upon: King Brude (also known as King Bridie), the King the the Northern Picts … also referred to as King of Fortriu and St. Columba, the man credited with converting the Northern Picts… and lesser known monster expert. Support the Show

So we will begin the account of what was going on with the Picts following the withdrawal of Rome with a rather discouraging fact… isn’t it nice when I can start an episode on an up note? In the Group A version of the Pictish Chronicle there are only 3 Pictish Kings before Kenneth MacAlpin who had any of their deeds recorded. Just three. Everything else is pretty much just a chronology… just simple markers indicating the passage of time. So that’s tough, I’ll admit it. But it isn’t fatal for us. There’s still stuff to be gleaned there, and there’s still archaeology, and we knew that a lot of this was going to be mysterious when we started, right? Alright so first up we have Drust son of Erp, who we’re told reigned for 100 years, fought 100 battles, and St. Patrick arrived in Ireland in the 19th year of his reign. And you might think “well, that Saint Patrick thing should give us a good sense of when he reigned.” You’d be right… sort of. The trouble is that we aren’t even sure when St. Patrick lived and went to Ireland. But it does at least give us a rough sense of time… and it was probably in the 5th century, if the account is correct. Though the problem is the 100 years/100 battles thing definitely reeks of legend. So how much we can trust it is subject to debate. And as you might remember from the discussion of Arthur on the Member’s episodes, historical sources aren’t a salad bar. You can’t pick some things and leave others. If you find parts that are clearly erroneous, you can’t say “well, we will ignore that part but still trust the bits that are right next to it.” Errors and legends throw the entire thing into question. So right from the outset we should look at this entry, at the very least, as highly questionable. But something that should jump out at you, regardless of whether or not the account is actually accurate, is that we are tying the chronology of Pictland to events that were occurring in Ireland. That’s kind of strange, isn’t it? I mean, the arrival of Patrick and subsequent widespread conversion was certainly a big deal of the Irish, but you wouldn’t think the Picts would care all that much. However, don’t forget that Christianity flowed from the Welsh/British territories, into Ireland, and then was later introduced into the Scottish tribes by Irish missionaries. So, even though Pictland wasn’t involved, you could see how that would become an important moment for the Chroniclers following the introduction of Christianity into Pictland… and also, the Missionaries probably were well aware of the date of Patrick’s arrival and might have used that date to try to backdate the events that transpired in the Pictish Chronicle and provide some sort of fixed date to link everything to.

131 – Scotcast Part Eight

So we will begin the account of what was going on with the Picts following the withdrawal of Rome with a rather discouraging fact… isn’t it nice when I can start an episode on an up note? In the Group A version of the Pictish Chronicle there are only 3 Pictish Kings before Kenneth MacAlpin who had any of their deeds recorded. Just three. Support the Show

130 – Scotcast Part Seven – Who Were The Picts?

You can your own Hipster Hadrian t-shirt, that was discussed on this episode, at www.teespring.com/hipsterhadrian The last time we had episodes focusing upon the Scotcast, it was at the end of Season Two… at the end of roman Britannia, and quite a lot of things have changed for our friends in the north. So, as is our custom, now that we’re changing gears and focusing on a new era in the main story, lets break away from our Anglo-Saxon focus and check in with what’s been happening outside of the Anglo Saxon territories. So lets start with an event you might remember… that period, following the withdrawal of Rome, when things went completely nutty for the Welshmen living in Gwynedd and they were suffering heavily at the hands of raiders. Things had just gone straight to hell for them… and in response, we’re told that Cunedda (who probably came from around modern day Sterling) lead a warband 300 miles to the south and expelled the barbarians from the Welsh lands. Best. Neighbors. Ever. Seriously, that does seem like he was going above and beyond the call of duty there, doesn’t it? 300 miles to support a foreign kingdom? And you might be wondering what was going on there and why Cunedda would do such a thing, assuming that this really happened and it wasn’t all just legend. Well, consider what we’ve been talking about in the main podcast and also what was occurring on the island in general.

The last time we had episodes focusing upon the Scotcast, it was at the end of Season Two… at the end of roman Britannia, and quite a lot of things have changed for our friends in the north. So, as is our custom, now that we’re changing gears and focusing on a new era in the main story, lets break away from our Anglo-Saxon focus and check in with what’s been happening outside of the Anglo Saxon territories. Support the Show

Chapter Four: Anglo Saxon Ascendancy

It began with Cassivellaunus. The first recorded King to have commanded the submission of most, if not all, of the British tribes and who fought valiantly against Caesar and his legions. And although the hegemony under Cassivellaunus didn’t last, it presented a tantalizing new possibility. Unity. A century later, the Romans returned… and this time they stayed.... and for nearly 4 centuries, England, Wales, and parts of Scotland all experienced rule under a single government. The concept of Britannia, as a single unified province, which was alien in those early days, was now part of the collective consciousness. So much so that, even after Rome withdrew, we are told of how the Britons organized for a time under a single ruler… Vortigern. And according to legend, it was his rule that brought two Anglo Saxon brothers, Hengest and Horsa, to our shores to fight for the Britons. And they did as they were asked. For a time. But as is the way with mercenaries, once you stop paying... Conflicts can arise. We’re told that the brothers turned on their employers, and ravaged much of southern Britain. And it was at this point that the Britons discovered that they were not as weak as they had believed they were. They fought back. Wars raged, and at Badon Hill, the Britons at last found their victory. The Anglo Saxons were defeated. But the way had been opened, and climate change combined with tremendous amounts of unrest on the continent, lead to a continual stream of migrants coming to britain. And life for the migrants was hard, in those early days. Their health was poor and their settlements were meager, with many living in barely more than a pit in the ground. But they persisted. And they farmed. And in time, they began to organize. They acquired surpluses, and that lead to the development of hierarchies and classes. Some of the local Britons integrated with the Anglo Saxons, others spurned them, but regardless it couldn't be denied that their settlements were quickly growing in both prosperity and size. And it wasn’t long before conflicts between the Anglo Saxons and the Britons once again sparked up, and this time, the Anglo Saxons fared much better. They expanded their holdings, brought villages under their control, and captured slaves. They were forming Kingdoms. The Anglo Saxon era was dawning. And with it, came a new culture. One that didn’t fully reflect the communities of the Anglo Saxon homelands, nor did it reflect British culture… but rather, it was wholly unique, with some aspects taken from one side, some from the other, and some appear to have been developed entirely on their own. And so we began to see the growth of something that you could only describe as an early form of Englishness. After generations of struggle, the people of the East were forming their own unique identity. And with it came the possibility of unity… and that brought the return of the Bretwaldas… the Britain Rulers. Men who had the ambition, and quite possibly the ability, to rule not just one Kingdom… but many… maybe even all of England. That seed that had been planted in the days of Cassivellaunus and Suetonius was now bearing fruit. Raedwald, Edwin, AEthelfrith, Oswald, Penda, Oswiu… all of these men were on the cusp of attaining what Britain had not seen since the days of Vortigern. A unified territory. And as luck would have it, strength and ambition was gathering amongst Anglo saxon nobility at roughly the same time as the arrival a new religion. One that gave them yet another a reason to make war upon their neighbors. Christianity. And so wars sparked up, and Christ was pitted directly against Nordic gods like thunor and Woden, but ultimately the real fight was simply dynasties versus dynasties. In the end, religious writers will tell us that the old gods were defeated, and christianity was triumphant. That the battle for the soul of England was over.

It began with Cassivellaunus. The first recorded King to have commanded the submission of most, if not all, of the British tribes and who fought valiantly against Caesar and his legions. And although the hegemony under Cassivellaunus didn’t last, it presented a tantalizing new possibility. Unity. A century later, the Romans returned… and this time they stayed.... and for nearly 4 centuries, England, Wales, and parts of Scotland all experienced rule under a single government. The concept of Britannia, as a single unified province, which was alien in those early days, was now part of the collective consciousness. So much so that, even after Rome withdrew, we are told of how the Britons organized for a time under a single ruler… Vortigern. And according to legend, it was his rule that brought two Anglo Saxon brothers, Hengest and Horsa, to our shores to fight for the Britons. And they did as they were asked. For a time. But as is the way with mercenaries, once you stop paying... Conflicts can arise. We’re told that the brothers turned on their employers, and ravaged much of southern Britain. And it was at this point that the Britons discovered that they were not as weak as they had believed they were. They fought back. Wars raged, and at Badon Hill, the Britons at last found their victory. The Anglo Saxons were defeated. But the way had been opened, and climate change combined with tremendous amounts of unrest on the continent, lead to a continual stream of migrants coming to britain. And life for the migrants was hard, in those early days. Their health was poor and their settlements were meager, with many living in barely more than a pit in the ground. But they persisted. And they farmed. And in time, they began to organize. They acquired surpluses, and that lead to the development of hierarchies and classes. Some of the local Britons integrated with the Anglo Saxons, others spurned them, but regardless it couldn't be denied that their settlements were quickly growing in both prosperity and size. And it wasn’t long before conflicts between the Anglo Saxons and the Britons once again sparked up, and this time, the Anglo Saxons fared much better. They expanded their holdings, brought villages under their control, and captured slaves. They were forming Kingdoms. The Anglo Saxon era was dawning. And with it, came a new culture. One that didn’t fully reflect the communities of the Anglo Saxon homelands, nor did it reflect British culture… but rather, it was wholly unique, with some aspects taken from one side, some from the other, and some appear to have been developed entirely on their own. And so we began to see the growth of something that you could only describe as an early form of Englishness. After generations of struggle, the people of the East were forming their own unique identity. And with it came the possibility of unity… and that brought the return of the Bretwaldas… the Britain Rulers. Men who had the ambition, and quite possibly the ability, to rule not just one Kingdom… but many… maybe even all of England. That seed that had been planted in the days of Cassivellaunus and Suetonius was now bearing fruit. Raedwald, Edwin, AEthelfrith, Oswald, Penda, Oswiu… all of these men were on the cusp of attaining what Britain had not seen since the days of Vortigern. A unified territory. And as luck would have it, strength and ambition was gathering amongst Anglo saxon nobility at roughly the same time as the arrival a new religion. One that gave them yet another a reason to make war upon their neighbors. Christianity. And so wars sparked up, and Christ was pitted directly against Nordic gods like thunor and Woden, but ultimately the real fight was simply dynasties versus dynasties. In the end,

About a year and a half ago I did a series on the Staffordshire hoard. And talking with the experts and viewing the relics was easily one of my favorite moments from the entire experience of putting together the BHP. As you might remember, the hoard was found in Mercia and it is dated to roughly around the era that we’re talking about right now. In fact, I would be willing to wager that for most of you, the first time you heard the name “Wulfhere” was during those episodes. Because it’s possible that the Hoard had some level of connection to him, and it might have actually been his. Support the Show

129 – The Life of King Wulfhere

About a year and a half ago I did a series on the Staffordshire hoard. And talking with the experts and viewing the relics was easily one of my favorite moments from the entire experience of putting together the BHP. As you might remember, the hoard was found in Mercia and it is dated to roughly around the era that we’re talking about right now. In fact, I would be willing to wager that for most of you, the first time you heard the name “Wulfhere” was during those episodes. Because it’s possible that the Hoard had some level of connection to him, and it might have actually been his. So I thought that it might be a good idea to talk about Wulfhere in a single place, since while we have talked a bit about him, as his life touches upon many different stories that have been taking place in the show, it has all been through the lens of King Oswiu of Northumbria. I mean, I love the story of Oswiu and he really was the best way to frame the story of the last couple decades, since much of what was happening revolved around him. However, he wasn’t the only Anglo Saxon heavyweight at the time, and rather than simply talking about everything in the context of how impacts everyone’s favorite kinslaying King, I thought we probably should spend an episode focusing entirely on the other major powerhouse in Eastern Britain at the time. Namely, Wulfhere, son of Penda, King of Mercia. And it will mostly cover the years 655 to 670.

The episode covers 664 to 670 and the major characters are… King Oswiu, ruler of Northumbria, son of AEthelfrith, and all around terrifying fellow King Alhfrith of Deira, Oswiu’s son and one of his probable rivals Wilfrid, abbott of Ripon, guy who argued for Rome at Whitby, and all around ambitious guy. and King Wulfhere, ruler of Mercia and son of Penda.