Loading summary
Transcript17 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hello and welcome to another episode of this Is History. I'm glad to have you here. Before we begin, just a gentle reminder that you can join our royal court on Patreon where you can become one of my royal favourites. It's a great way to expand your understanding of the history behind each episode and amplify your general medieval history knowledge. Thanks to our thriving community of medievalists. Special thanks go to our royal favourites from Portugal, Sonia and Michelle, who've kindly updated our travel thread with some excellent medieval Portuguese castles and of course, royal favourites. Get early ad free access to every Thisishory main and bonus episode. Hit patreon.com thisishistory to sign up now on with the show. When I was a little boy in the Middle Ages, I loved window shopping at the market. The sharp clink of the blacksmith making the day's most fashionable armour plates. But the next week, the stall disappeared. I was devastated. If only I had a magic portal to help me retrace my steps. Thankfully, Shopify does just that. If you've ever found yourself scrolling an online store with that purple shop button glowing in the corner, that's Shopify. It's an online commerce platform that makes buying and selling super easy. Shopify gives everyone that extra push to make that final purchase with one magic button. It saves all of those last minute details like payment and shipping information, so you don't have to plug them in every time. So if you want fewer people abandoning your cart, give Shopify a try. Sign up for your pound one per month trial and start selling today at shopify.co.uk thisishistory Go to shopify.co.uk thisISHistory that's shopify.co.uk thisIShistory.
- [01:54]
B
The new Popeyes and Hot.
- [01:55]
A
Ones menu is fire flavor. Trust me, because I'm about to eat it. That hits right away. Attempt the Popeyes Hot Ones menu in stores. Love that chicken from Popeyes limited time.
- [02:07]
B
And participate in U.S. restaurants.
- [02:16]
A
Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales, walks along the road from London to Canterbury, listening to the cheerful chatter of pilgrims going in the same direction. Muted sunlight is breaking through an overcast sky and his boots crunch on dried leaves. Up ahead inside Canterbury's city gates, bells are ringing and the refrain of hymns carries on the gentle breeze. As he passes through the crowds In Canterbury streets, 17 year old Henry looks at the magnificent Gothic towers of Canterbury Cathedral. He raises a hand gently to touch his cheek. It's a miracle he's alive to hear these bells and see this beautiful house of God coming into View. It's September 1403. A couple of months ago, Henry was lying on an operating table in England's Midlands at Kenilworth Castle, where the surgeon, John Bradmore, cut an arrowhead out from somewhere deep inside his head. It was a horrible, painful, long and frightening experience. The surgery and recovery took a month. But somehow, not only did Henry not die, he's made a full recovery. Instead of being lowered into an early grave, he's walking about as though nothing happened. It's like God wants him alive for some reason, which is why Henry's here in Canterbury. He's come to pray at the tomb of Thomas Beckett. Beckett was an Archbishop of Canterbury who was hacked to death in his own cathedral back in the day of Henry's Great, Great. A Few More Greats, Granddad Henry ii. Go back to season one if you want to catch up on that. These days, TB is England's favourite saint, some guy called Geoffrey Chaucer, a vague relative of Henry's granddad. John of Gaunt has even written an epic poem about pilgrims visiting his shrine. Now Prince Henry enters Canterbury Cathedral, which is filled with solemn chanting of cathedral cannons and the hiss of burning candles. He waits in a line of shuffling pilgrims, kneels before Becket's tomb and whispers thanks to God for keeping him safe. Then he gets up and goes back outside on to his next pilgrim destination, a shrine to the Virgin Mary at Walsingham in Norfolk. As he goes, he might reflect that although things have been hairy in England since his dad became king, at least it's not as bad as it was in 1170 when Becket was chopped down. But what Prince Henry doesn't know is, is that in Plantagenet, England, things often get worse before they get better. God never enjoys having his churchmen hacked up like dog meat. And that's a lesson this generation of Plantagenets is going to have to learn the hard way. I'm Dan Jones and from Sony Music Entertainment. This is history Season 8 of A Dynasty to Die For Episode 2 Whack a Mole how much does God interfere in human affairs? People have answered that question in different ways over the centuries. In the 21st century, many of us like to think we're super rational, post enlightenment beings who understand enough about science and statistics to put God to one side when we're explaining the vagaries of life. But sometimes we're maybe a little bit more like medieval people than we imagine. Watch a soccer match and you'll see players sign themselves with the cross and point to the skies when they Score a goal. If someone sneezes, it's still considered good form to say bless you, as though the big man upstairs is weighing up whether to turn that sneeze into a fatal dose of the plague. And let's just say, if you're a heavyweight world politician who survived an assassination attempt, it's not totally unlikely you'll be telling everyone afterwards that you're alive. Thanks to divine intervention, the Middle Ages may not be so far away as we think. So let's dive back into the Middle Ages and take a look around England where we left it at the end of the last episode. Henry IV had won the Battle of Shrewsbury. His son, Prince Henry, somehow survived being shot in the face with a longbow, but needed the best surgeon in the land, John Bradmore, to keep him alive. The operation is a success. Bradmore gets the arrowhead out, sews Henry's face up, and I reckon he prescribes a potion of his own devising to make sure Henry doesn't have a monstrous scar on his face. This is my theory anyway, and I know lots of people will disagree. But I'll explain it in more detail on today's episode of this Is History. Plus, head over to our Patreon to hear that when young Henry is back up on his feet, he goes and gives thanks to God at Thomas Becket's tomb in Canterbury. Then he goes on to see the Virgin Mary in Walsingham. We don't know exactly what he says when he prays, but we can speculate that he asks God to show him why he's been saved. We can also guess that young Henry asks God to spare some consideration for his dear old dad, King Henry iv, because ever since he became king, the old geezer's problems have been mounting up and they don't show all that many signs of dissipating. The list of issues is long and gets longer by the month. Wales remains in uproar, convulsed by a rebellion started by the guerrilla leader Oweng Glyndur. Prince Henry's post pilgrimage intrey is daunting. He has to beat the Welsh into submission, win back castles and punish those rebels he can lay his hands on Ireland, where Richard II had tried to stamp some royal authority in the waning days of his reign, is showing no signs of obedience. Henry IV has sent his second son, Thomas, across the Irish Sea to be the figurehead of royal efforts to bring the place under English control. But Thomas and his advisors get nowhere. They have to pawn their valuables just to cover their costs. Of living. Thomas is incredibly unimpressed with the whole caper and not at all keen to stay there. Scotland is another royal pain in the hind quarters. The Scots are as keen as they ever have been to raid across the English border. They're also quite fond of encouraging the rumor that they're harbouring Rich II somewhere or other. Rumors of the old King's miraculous escape from death at Pontefract Castle just will not go away. Scotland is an extra painful thorn in Henry IV's side because of the political ag it gives him domestically. In an ideal world, he'd love to send his third son John up there to get some experience in charge of peacekeeping, but he has to walk on eggshells because of the Percy family. The Percy's are the noble dynasty who were behind the rebellion against Henry IV that led to the Battle of Shrewsbury. Henry Hotspur and Thomas Percy were the prime culprits there. Those two got spaghetti bolognese as punishment for their insurrection. But Hotspur's dad, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, is sitting pretty in northern England and kind of untouchable. He wasn't involved in the Battle of Shrewsbury and he claims he knew nothing about the plot that caused it. He's also the holder of almost all the key castles and lands in the north of England that hold the line against the Scots. And he fancies himself as the kingmaker who put the Lancastrians in power in 1399. Much as it would suit Henry IV to get rid of him, he can't. Northumberland is capable of causing him way too much trouble. So King Henry has to bite his tongue, plaster on his fakest grin and make nice with the old bastard. All of that would be quite enough, but just a heap on the misery. The King is also forced to deal with an apparently endless succession of plots, schemes and subterfuges against his crown. He may have thought his win at the Battle of Shrewsbury would stick a fork in rebellions against the Lancastrians. No such luck. It's like whack a mole out there. There are so many attempts on Henry's throne, in fact, that he'd be forgiven for thinking that someone has it in for him. Is it God? The Earl of Northumberland or someone else? Whichever it is, as 1403 turns into 1404, then 1405, Henry IV, the put upon King of England, is starting to run very short on patience.
- [12:49]
C
Disney wants to know, are you ready for Marvel Studios Thunderbolts, the newest Avengers, now streaming on Disney plus.
- [12:58]
A
Let's do this.
- [12:59]
C
One of the best Marvel movies of All Time is now streaming on Disney plus.
- [13:03]
A
Hey, you weren't listening to me.
- [13:05]
C
I said Thunderbolts the New Avengers is now streaming on Disney plus.
- [13:09]
B
Meet the New Avengers.
- [13:12]
A
That's cool, man.
- [13:13]
C
Marvel Studios Thunderbolts the New Avengers. Rated PG 13. Now streaming on. You guessed it, Disney Plus. This podcast is supported by FX's English teacher. Last year's critically acclaimed series returns to follow Evan, Gwen and Markie as they vie for their students divided attention. See why Cosmopolitan called its premiere season a master class of comedy, while glamour raved it's the year's funniest and most heartwarming new comedy series. F's English Teacher returns September 25th on FX. All episodes streaming on Hulu.
- [13:51]
A
A hard hand slaps the rump of a horse and the beast takes off running at a canter, then a gallop. Within a couple of steps, the rope attached to it tightens and the man tied to the hurdle is dragged along the rutted ground. He starts screaming in terror and pain, but his yells are disturbed by his body throw, thudding and bumping along the road. Pebbles tear his skin. A tree root sticking out of the path breaks a few of his ribs. But his punishment is only just beginning. This guy is called William Searle and he's suffering one of the nastiest punishments that Henry IV can think of. It's 1404 and a few weeks ago, Searle was caught in a plot to put a fake Richard II on the English throne. Searle had been handing round forged documents which are apparently authenticated with Richard's privy seal. They urged the English people to rise up against the usurper king and fall in behind the real one. Sadly for Searle, he's been captured and now he's facing the music. Henry has ordered that he be dragged behind a horse in half a dozen English towns, and in each one strung up by his neck until he's almost dead, then revived and taken off for the same treatment somewhere else. At the end of all this, Searle is going to be disemboweled and beheaded at the Tower of London. You might think this sort of grisly display would put people off rebelling, but it doesn't. A few months later, there's another plot. In Windsor castle. There live two boys aged 13 and 11. They're called Edmund and Roger Mortimer and they're descendants of Edward III. Edmund was actually thought to be Richard II's preferred candidate as successor, so he's a high value prisoner. He's so high value indeed that there's an attempt in early 1405 to bust him and his brother out of Windsor Castle. It's masterminded by Lady Constance Despenser, who was married to one of the Epiphany plotters, killed as they tried to snatch the crown back for Richard. In 1400, Constance bribes a locksmith to make her some spare keys and actually gets the lads out of the castle, hustling them all the way to Gloucestershire before they're captured. The boys are returned to their confinement and Constance is chucked in prison, as is Henry's cousin, the Duke of York, who's also implicated in the plot. The locksmith has his head cut off. All told, this is the seventh plot against Henry's throne to be uncovered in five years and it's beginning to take its toll on the guy's nerves, which is partially what explains the events that go down a few months after the plot to free the Mortimer boys. Events that will seem to change the whole course of Henry IV's life and reign. It gets going in the northern city of York. On May 17, 1405, the Archbishop of York, a guy called Richard Scroope, stands up in the city centre and gives a rabble rousing sermon, decrying King Henry for taxing the country too heavily and for keeping a court riddled with corruption. Now, Scroope may have a point. Henry has indeed been trying to squeeze every groat he can out of the country and his court is full of people who are getting paid fat pensions for doing not much, except for having supported the revolution of 1399. But for this condemnation to be coming from Scroop, well, that's a kick in the balls. In fact, it's a headbutt in the balls with a pokey door, the eye for good measure. It's not that long since Scroop was bowing and scraping to welcome Henry as new King and savior in his capacity as Archbishop. Now he's rinsing the King in public and encouraging the mob to rise up. Across York, manifestos are being pinned up accusing the King of all sorts. They get people going, big time. By the end of May, there are 8,000 men and women up in arms and they've set up camp on the outskirts of the city. Scroop is backed by a 19 year old nobleman called Thomas Mowbray, the son of the Duke of Norfolk the King was supposed to fight a duel against in the bad old days of 1398, which you can revisit in season seven. And for good measure, the wily old Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy. Has thrown in with the rebels and garrisoned half a dozen of his biggest castles against the crown. As piping hot crocks of shit go, this is right up with the best of them. And Henry IV finally loses his rag. He's in Hereford when he finds out what's going on. Prepping to go and help Prince Henry deal with the latest nonsense from Owain Glyndur. But he swings north to deal with the sorry goings on in York. On the scene before him, however, is a solid ally, the Earl of Westmoreland, who's babysitting Henry's third son, 16 year old John, who has finally been sent up north as the King wanted. These two go out to meet the rebel and call on the Archbishop to negotiate under safe passage. Archbishop Scroop comes to meet them. They immediately arrest him and send him off to cool his heels in Pontefract Castle. At this point, the citizens of York realize this might not be a fight they want to continue. When Henry IV arrives on the scene, they send a few of their number out to him. Dressed in their underclothes, the wretches throw themselves on the ground and beg for mercy. Henry, meanwhile, has been conferring with his son John and his mate Westmoreland, and he says, fine, I'll show you what sort of mercy I have in mind. He tells all the citizens to come and meet him outside the City on Monday, June 8, and to bring picnic blankets and bags of popcorn. When they get to the appointed place, the people are horrified to see two prisoners paraded out before them. It's Thomas Mowbray and Archbishop Scroope. With barely any formalities, these two are brought to a chopping block to have their heads removed. Not since Thomas Becket has a senior churchman been treated so, so violently by a king. It's absolutely shocking, but King Henry has had enough. Scroop and his mob can file this one under F around and find out. Henry knows God isn't going to love this, but at this point, he's willing to take his chances.
- [21:36]
B
When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans, send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th. And never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn more@WhatsApp.com.
- [22:18]
A
A few weeks after Archbishop Scroop is butchered outside York, young Henry of Monmouth, Prince of Wales, stands outside Berwick Castle with cannons booming all around him. Normally, the loudest sound here would be the roar of the nearby sea on the northeastern English coastline. But Henry's new toys, siege guns, make a hell of a racket as the gunpowder ignites and they blast massive stones against Berwick's walls. Henry's been practicing using these monsters against castles in Wales during the fight against Oanglindo. The walls of Berwick are thick, and according to one chronicler, the cannon stones are shattered by the hardness of the walls. But Henry knows using cannon is as much about psychological warfare as physical destruction. One of his gunners gets a lucky shot in and it pelts a stone through a tower window, killing a defender standing beside it. This is enough to scare the garrison into giving up. And when they do, the nearby fortress at Alnwick surrenders as well. The only blot on Prince Henry's copybook is that he can't capture the owner of these two castles. One time kingmaker, the Earl of Northumberland, who was a major backer of the York rebellion, has scarpered to Scotland. He lives to fight another day, though the power of the Percy family is now pretty much broken. All in all, then, this seems like a sign that God is still pleased with young Prince Henry. But when he packs up his cannons and goes off to meet up with his dad, King Henry, he gets a shock, because, by the look of things, God is seriously pissed off with him. What's happened is this. As soon as Archbishop Scroope has been beheaded, King Henry leaves York to head back south. Things to do, people to see. But he hasn't gone very far when he beds down in a village inn and has the worst night's sleep of his life. According to one account, the king wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming in terror that traitors are throwing fire over him. His servants scramble up and manage to calm him down with a stiff drink and soothing words. But the next morning, the king's whole body is covered in rank pustules which stand out of his skin like nipples. He's laid up for a week. If you've heard our miniseries the Glass King, you'll know that kings having mad attacks of delusion and physical pain in this age can make their subjects kind of twitchy. When Henry sees his dad, he's recovered somewhat and is protesting that he's in good health, thanks to the mercy of the Creator. But Prince Henry has to wonder, is he really better? And is the creator really merciful? Chopping off an archbishop's Head is a pretty spicy way to test the patience of the Almighty. And it doesn't seem that difficult to draw a line from cold blooded bishop slaying to your entire body is covered in disgusting weeping nipples. But King Henry insists he's feeling better, so father and son head off down south and go their separate ways. Prince Henry has done a good enough job that his father promotes him to a new role in Wales. He's given the title of lieutenant for the whole principality. His authority is basically absolute and he's no longer a figurehead in any sense. Age 19, he's the boss. The next time he's going to see his dad will be in the spring of 1406. There's a parliament due which is going to need to vote for a big tax increase to pay for the war in Wales, where the French are threatening to get involved along with the now renegade Earl of Northumberland. But by the time that parliament meets, God's displeasure with Henry IV is going to be very plain. And pustules are only the half of it. Henry IV has been doing his best to defend the realm he rules as king, but at every turn his luck seems to get worse. Whether it's punishment for deposing an anointed king or beheading an archbishop from 1406, it seems very obvious that the man upstairs has it in for Henry iv. The only question is how long God intends to take. Torture him before sending him on his way. Thank you again for listening. I do hope you had better luck today than dear old Henry iv, who has more than enough reasons to be a little paranoid. Which brings me to this episode's discussion starter. If you were in Henry IV's position, would you be a little bit superstitious? After all, you're testing God's wrath in the medieval period and you've just whacked a man with a hotline to God. To join the discussion, look out for producer Al's post on our Patreon. That's patreon.com thisishistory.
- [28:22]
B
You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. With Indeed sponsored Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs. Don't wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com kidsandfamily just go to Indeed.com kidsandfamily right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need.