The 1327 Deposition of Edward II: A King Undone

The 1327 Deposition of Edward II: A King Undone

In 1327, King Edward II of England was forced to abdicate after a year of civil war, political betrayal, and personal humiliation. This episode explores the final act of a reign undone by favoritism, military failure, and the ambition of his own wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer. We trace the events from the Despenser War to the capture of the king at Neath Abbey, the charges read before Parliament, and the disputed manner of his death at Berkeley Castle. The legend of the red-hot poker is just one piece of a story shaped by shifting loyalties, the power of the baronage, and the first formal deposition of an English monarch since 1066. We discuss the role of the Lantrant chronicle, the influence of the pope's legates, and how Edward's fate echoed the fate of other deposed kings like Richard II. This is a tale of a reign that collapsed from within. #EdwardII #IsabellaOfFrance #RogerMortimer #DespenserWar #Deposition #BerkeleyCastle #LantrantChronicle #NeathAbbey #HughDespenser #Parliament1327 #MedievalEngland #Plantagenets #RoyalBetrayal #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #MedievalKings #EnglishHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1383 Siege of Despenser's Crusade: Bishop with a Sword

In 1383, Henry Despenser, the warlike Bishop of Norwich, led a bizarre English crusade against French-backed schismatics in Flanders. This episode explores Despenser's motivations, the political chaos of the Western Schism, the brutal siege of Ypres, and how a bishop's military ambition backfired spectacularly. Featuring key figures like Pope Urban VI, Clement VII, Philip van Artevelde, and chronicler Jean Froissart, we uncover a forgotten chapter of the Hundred Years' War where piety and politics mixed explosively. #DespenserCrusade #HenryDespenser #WesternSchism #Ypres #Flanders #PhilipvanArtevelde #JeanFroissart #HundredYearsWar #MedievalHistory #BishopCrusader #SiegeOfYpres #UrbanVI #ClementVII #Ghent #14thCentury #History #FexingoHistory #MedievalEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1250 Black Death Origins: Rats, Fleas, and Yersinia pestis

In this episode of Medieval Europe: Knights, Kings, and Brutal Survival, Lucas and Luna explore the origins of the Black Death that ravaged Europe from 1347 to 1351. They trace the disease's journey from the steppes of Central Asia, through Crimea and Constantinople, to the ports of Italy. Discover the role of the Mongol siege of Caffa in 1346, where the first recorded biological warfare may have occurred. Learn about the bacterium Yersinia pestis, its transmission via fleas on black rats, and the three forms of plague: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. The hosts discuss the social and economic upheavals caused by the pandemic, including labor shortages, the collapse of the manorial system, and the rise of peasant revolts. They also touch on contemporary theories about the plague's cause, from divine punishment to astrological explanations. This episode provides a deep dive into the science and history behind one of the deadliest pandemics in human history. #BlackDeath #YersiniaPestis #Caffa #Mongols #Plague #BubonicPlague #PneumonicPlague #SepticemicPlague #MedievalEurope #1347 #Pandemic #Rats #Fleas #BiologicalWarfare #ManorialSystem #PeasantRevolt #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1382 Rising of the Tuchins: France's Forgotten Peasant Revolt

In 1382, while the Hundred Years' War raged, a mysterious peasant uprising swept through the Massif Central of France. Known as the Tuchins, these rebels took their name from the Occitan word 'toc' for the knock of a woodcutter's axe. Led by Pierre de la Verrière, they attacked castles, nobles, and tax collectors, channeling a deep fury against the seigneurial system and war taxes. Unlike the more famous Jacquerie of 1358, the Tuchins' revolt was a slow-burning guerrilla war that lasted years, fueled by mercenaries turned bandits during the Great Peace. King Charles VI's government eventually crushed them, but their legacy lingered in local memory. This episode dives into the social and economic pressures of 14th-century France, the brutal suppression, and why this revolt remains obscure. Featuring the Tuchins, Pierre de la Verrière, Charles VI, the Jacquerie, the Massif Central, and Occitan culture. #Tuchins #PierreDeLaVerrière #PeasantRevolt #MassifCentral #Occitan #CharlesVI #Jacquerie #HundredYearsWar #MedievalFrance #GuerrillaWar #TaxRevolt #SeigneurialSystem #GreatPeace #1382 #MedievalHistory #FexingoHistory #History #EuropeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Sword That Made England: 1066 Battle of Hastings

When Harold Godwinson fell with an arrow in his eye, the course of English history was rewritten in a single day. But how did William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy, actually win the Battle of Hastings in 1066? This episode takes you inside the shield wall, the feigned retreats, and the brutal tactics that decided the fate of a kingdom. We reconstruct the morning of October 14, 1066, from the Norman cavalry charges uphill to the shattered housecarls of Harold’s elite guard. Hear about the Breton left wing that nearly collapsed, the fatal gap in the English line, and the desperate night after Senlac Hill. Along the way, we explore who fought on each side: the oath-breaking Harold, the pope-backed William, and the Norse king Harald Hardrada who nearly took the crown first. No, this isn’t just another Bayeux Tapestry recitation. We dig into the military realities: armor, archers, cavalry tactics, and the terrible cost of a crown won by blood. If you think you know 1066, prepare to hear the clang of axes on kite shields. #BattleOfHastings #1066 #HaroldGodwinson #WilliamTheConqueror #NormanConquest #SenlacHill #BayeuxTapestry #Housecarls #Fyrd #NormanCavalry #FeignedRetreat #HaraldHardrada #StamfordBridge #MotteAndBailey #MedievalWarfare #AngloSaxonEngland #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]