The History of England: Kings, Empires, and the Birth of Britain — Fexingo History

The Harrying of the North: William the Conqueror's Brutal Campaign

In the winter of 1069-70, William the Conqueror unleashed a campaign of systematic destruction across northern England that became known as the Harrying of the North. This episode explores William's response to rebellions in Northumbria, the scorched-earth tactics that devastated Yorkshire and beyond, and the human cost: famine, slaughter, and decades of desolation as recorded in the Domesday Book. We discuss the role of the Anglo-Danish rebel leaders Edgar the Aetheling and Waltheof, the alliance with the Danish fleet, and the brutal siege of York. We also examine the survival of the northern English church under Bishop Ethelwin of Durham and the long-term consequences for landholding and power. How did William's campaign reshape the North, and was it genocide or medieval warfare? Join Lucas and Luna for a deep dive into one of the most controversial events of the Norman Conquest. #HarryingOfTheNorth #WilliamTheConqueror #NormanConquest #Northumbria #Yorkshire #AngloSaxon #DomesdayBook #EdgarAetheling #Waltheof #BishopEthelwin #MedievalWarfare #ScorchedEarth #1069 #EnglishHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #Europe Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Domesday Book: William the Conqueror's Great Survey

In 1085, William the Conqueror ordered a survey so comprehensive that his subjects called it the 'Day of Judgment' — Domesday. This episode digs into how the Domesday Book was created, what it recorded, and why it remains one of medieval Europe's most extraordinary documents. Lucas and Luna explore the logistics of the survey, the commissioners who rode across England, the categories of land and people (from king to slave), and the lingering mysteries — like why London and Winchester were left out. They also touch on the human cost: the fear and resentment the survey provoked, and how Domesday fixed a Norman feudal order onto a conquered Anglo-Saxon landscape. With specific examples from the text — like the village of West Stow or the city of Norwich — they show how Domesday lets us hear the voices of 11th-century English men and women, from thegns to cottars. A vivid look at the birth of English bureaucracy, one that still echoes in taxation and land records today. #DomesdayBook #WilliamTheConqueror #NormanConquest #1086 #MedievalEngland #GreatSurvey #TerraRegis #AngloSaxonEngland #LittleDomesday #GreatDomesday #ExeterDomesday #FeudalSystem #MedievalBureaucracy #EnglishHistory #Cottar #WestStow #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

After Hastings: How William I Rewrote England's Landscape with the Domesday Book

In 1085, King William I ordered a survey so thorough that his subjects called it Domesday — the Day of Judgment. This episode unpacks the Domesday Book: not just a tax register but a revolutionary tool of control that recorded every manor, ox, and pig in Norman England. Lucas and Luna explore how William's commissioners interrogated local juries, uncovered land disputes, and created a document that still shapes English property law today. They discuss the book's structure — Little Domesday and Great Domesday — its omissions (London, Winchester, the North), and what it reveals about the brutal redistribution of land after 1066. Along the way, they touch on the 'terra regis', 'interpreting the Domesday Book', 'Little Domesday', 'Exeter Domesday', and the 'Domesday commissioners'. A deep dive into the Norman conquest's most enduring legacy. #DomesdayBook #DomesdaySurvey #WilliamTheConqueror #NormanConquest #MedievalEngland #1086 #LittleDomesday #GreatDomesday #Exchequer #FeudalSystem #TerraRegis #AngloSaxonEngland #DomesdayCommissioners #OathHelpers #PropertyHistory #ManorialSystem #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Battle of Hastings: How William Conquered England

In October 1066, the course of English history changed forever on a battlefield near Hastings. Lucas and Luna explore the military and political drama of the Norman Conquest, from Harold Godwinson's forced march south after Stamford Bridge to the tactical decisions that cost him the crown. They discuss the feigned retreats of Norman cavalry, the fatal shield wall breaking on Senlac Hill, and the contested legacy of the battle. Was it a close-run thing or inevitable? What role did Harold's exhaustion play? And how did William the Bastard become the Conqueror? This episode focuses on the day itself, the sources we have—the Bayeux Tapestry and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle—and the immediate aftermath that reshaped England's aristocracy, language, and architecture. #BattleOfHastings #NormanConquest #HaroldGodwinson #WilliamTheConqueror #BayeuxTapestry #SenlacHill #1066 #ShieldWall #NormanCavalry #FeignedRetreat #AngloSaxonEngland #Normandy #StamfordBridge #MiddleAges #EnglishHistory #MilitaryHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Battle of Stamford Bridge: Harold Godwinson's Last Victory

In this episode, we explore the Battle of Stamford Bridge, fought on 25 September 1066, where King Harold Godwinson defeated an invading Norwegian army led by Harald Hardrada and his own brother Tostig Godwinson. We discuss the strategic decisions leading to the battle, the surprise attack that caught the Norse forces off guard, and the legendary story of a single Viking warrior holding the bridge. We also examine the aftermath: how the battle drained Harold's army and left him vulnerable to William of Normandy's invasion just weeks later. Along the way, we touch on the summer of 1066, the geopolitical situation in England, and the fateful march south that changed English history forever. #StamfordBridge #HaroldGodwinson #HaraldHardrada #TostigGodwinson #BattleOfStamfordBridge #1066 #NormanConquest #VikingAge #AngloSaxonEngland #WilliamTheConqueror #EnglishHistory #MedievalWarfare #NorwegianInvasion #GodwinsonDynasty #BattleOfHastings #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]