Episode 78: Under Siege

In this episode, we explore the outbreak of civil war in England as forces loyal to Matilda took up arms against King Stephen. The civil war led to a breakdown of central authority. The power vacuum was filled by local barons who constructed castles throughout the countryside. This ushered in a new era of siege warfare. We explore these events as recorded in the Peterborough Chronicle, and we examine how siege warfare influenced the English language.

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 78

9 thoughts on “Episode 78: Under Siege

  1. Just wanted to post a quick note that I’ve been listening to these in order since the beginning of March and enjoying them greatly. I’ve caught up! Thank you for being such a wealth of information.

  2. Great job with these podcasts Kevin! Truly terrific. I’m looking forward to buying the next batch of transcripts as well – any idea when you’ll be putting them up?

    Keep up the great work!

  3. Great episode, as usual. One nice little connection between castle warfare and Authurian legend – the root of siege as sitting is reflected in the Siege Perilous, which is a seat at the Round Table.

    • There are currently no transcripts for Episodes 77-84. I began preparing transcripts with Episode 85, and then I went back and started with Episode 1. I have completed the older episodes up to Episode 76, so there is still a small gap. I hope to have those completed soon.

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