Episodi

  • Arthur The Once and Future King Myth vs History — Fexingo History

    Arthur The Once and Future King Myth vs History — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode of The History of England, Lucas and Luna explore the historical and legendary figure of King Arthur. Did a real war leader inspire the myth? Lucas examines the earliest sources: Gildas's 'De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae' mentions a British leader at the Battle of Badon Hill, but never names Arthur. The 9th-century 'Historia Brittonum' lists twelve battles including Badon, crediting Arthur as a 'dux bellorum' who carried an image of Mary. Nennius writes of Arthur slaying 960 Saxons in one charge at Badon. The 'Annales Cambriae' dates Badon to c. 516 and Arthur's death at Camlann in 537. Lucas weighs the scarcity of contemporary evidence and discusses the political context: the chaos after Rome's withdrawal, the need for a unifying hero by later Welsh and English dynasties. He also touches on the absence of Arthur from Bede's 'Ecclesiastical History' and the likelihood that Arthur was a composite figure. Tune in for a sober, evidence-based look at Britain's greatest legend.

    #KingArthur #ArthurianLegend #BattleOfBadon #Nennius #Gildas #HistoriaBrittonum #AnnalesCambriae #DarkAges #SubRomanBritain #Camlann #DuxBellorum #EarlyMedieval #BritishHistory #MythAndHistory #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #England #EnglandHistory #BritishEmpire

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    6 min
  • Vortigern: The British Warlord Who Invited the Saxons — Fexingo History

    Vortigern: The British Warlord Who Invited the Saxons — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode of The History of England, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy figure of Vortigern, the fifth-century British leader whose decisions reshaped the island forever. Drawing on the sparse and conflicting accounts from Gildas, Bede, and the Historia Brittonum, they unpack the legend and the likely history behind the 'Groans of the Britons' and the invitation of Saxon mercenaries. Who was Vortigern—tyrant, fool, or desperate pragmatist? They examine the political chaos after Rome's withdrawal, the threat of Picts and Scots, and the fateful choice to hire Hengist and Horsa. The conversation also touches on the dubious story of Vortigern's tower at Dinas Emrys, the prophecy of the red and white dragons, and the enduring mystery of whether he was a real king or a mythological scapegoat. This episode offers a nuanced look at a pivotal moment when Britannia gave way to England.

    #Vortigern #SubRomanBritain #GroansOfTheBritons #HengistAndHorsa #Gildas #Bede #HistoriaBrittonum #Nennius #DinasEmrys #SaxonInvasion #FifthCentury #AncientBritain #EarlyMedieval #BritishHistory #MythAndHistory #PostRoman #MigrationPeriod #FexingoHistory #History #EnglandHistory

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    8 min
  • The Last Roman Soldiers: Britain's End of Empire — Fexingo History

    The Last Roman Soldiers: Britain's End of Empire — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In the early 5th century, the Roman Empire withdrew its legions from Britain, leaving the island to fend for itself. This episode explores the twilight of Roman Britain: the usurper emperors like Magnus Maximus who drained troops for continental ambitions, the increasing raids from Picts, Scots, and Saxons, and the famous 'Rescript of Honorius' telling British cities to look to their own defense. We delve into the archaeological evidence—abandoned villas, hoarded coins, and the mysterious disappearance of Roman administration. Lucas and Luna discuss how the departure wasn't a single event but a slow unraveling, and why the 'End of Roman Britain' set the stage for the Anglo-Saxon world. Key figures include Stilicho, Constantine III, and the shadowy Vortigern. We examine the debate over whether Rome left Britain or Britain left Rome.

    #RomanBritain #EndOfEmpire #MagnusMaximus #RescriptOfHonorius #ConstantineIII #Stilicho #Vortigern #Picts #Scots #Saxons #LateAntiquity #Archaeology #RomanWithdrawal #SubRomanBritain #BritishHistory #RomanLegions #BarbarianRaids #FexingoHistory #History #EnglandHistory

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    5 min
  • Britain's Forgotten Frontier: The Antonine Wall — Fexingo History

    Britain's Forgotten Frontier: The Antonine Wall — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    After Hadrian's Wall, the Romans pushed north again. Emperor Antoninus Pius ordered a new barrier—the Antonine Wall—across Scotland's narrow waist. This episode follows the brief, turbulent life of Rome's most ambitious northern frontier. We explore why the wall was built, how it was constructed from turf on a stone base, and the daily lives of the soldiers who manned its forts. Key figures include the governor Lollius Urbicus, who led the invasion, and the emperor who never visited Britain. We examine the wall's abandonment after only twenty years, the reasons behind Rome's strategic withdrawal, and the legacy it left. Discover the real story of a wall that history nearly forgot—a testament to Roman ambition and the fierce resistance of the Caledonian tribes. Along the way, we'll discuss archaeological finds like distance slabs that celebrate the wall's construction, and the network of forts and watchtowers that made it a formidable barrier. This is the tale of a frontier that failed, but whose ruins still speak of a empire's reach and limits. Join Lucas and Luna as they uncover the secrets of the Antonine Wall.

    #AntonineWall #RomanBritain #LolliusUrbicus #AntoninusPius #Caledonia #HadriansWall #Rome #Scotland #RomanFrontier #DistanceSlabs #FortLetocetum #GaskRidge #ForthClyde #BridgenessSlab #RomanArmy #FrontierHistory #History #FexingoHistory #EnglandHistory #BritishEmpire

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    6 min
  • Hadrian's Wall: The Great Divide That Shaped Britain — Fexingo History

    Hadrian's Wall: The Great Divide That Shaped Britain — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the construction and legacy of Hadrian's Wall, a monumental Roman frontier built across northern Britain in the 120s AD. We discuss the political context: Emperor Hadrian's visit to Britain in 122 AD, the decision to abandon Agricola's earlier expansion into Caledonia, and the practical realities of building a 73-mile stone barrier from the River Tyne to the Solway Firth. We examine the wall's design—milecastles, turrets, and forts like Vindolanda and Housesteads—and the daily lives of the soldiers garrisoned there, drawn from across the empire, including Gauls, Thracians, and Syrians. We also consider what the wall meant for the people north of it, the Pictish tribes, and how it functioned less as a continuous battlement and more as a controlled gateway for trade and taxation. Finally, we touch on the wall's later life in the centuries after Rome left Britain, its use as a stone quarry, and its modern status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This is a story of division, identity, and the physical remnants of empire.

    #HadriansWall #RomanBritain #Hadrian #Vindolanda #Housesteads #Caledonia #Picts #Milecastle #SolwayFirth #RomanEmpire #UNESCO #Frontier #Limes #Legion #Auxilia #History #FexingoHistory #AncientRome #EnglandHistory #BritishEmpire

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    6 min
  • After Boudica: The Romanization of Britain — Fexingo History

    After Boudica: The Romanization of Britain — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In the wake of Boudica's devastating rebellion, Rome faced a choice: crush Britain into submission or build a province that could last. This episode explores the dramatic shift from military conquest to cultural integration under governors like Agricola. We delve into the construction of Roman roads, towns, and villas; the introduction of Latin, law, and taxation; and the rise of a Romano-British elite who straddled two worlds. We also examine the limits of Romanization—how the native population resisted, adapted, and ultimately transformed Roman culture itself. From the founding of Londinium as a commercial hub to the worship of Roman gods alongside Celtic deities, this is the story of how Britain became part of the classical world.

    #RomanBritain #Agricola #Romanization #Londinium #Caledonia #Tacitus #Villa #Latin #Celtic #RomanRoads #Britannia #Governor #Annals #Conquest #Empire #History #FexingoHistory #EnglandHistory #BritishEmpire #MedievalEngland

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    7 min
  • Boudica's Revolt: The Warrior Queen Who Burned London — Fexingo History

    Boudica's Revolt: The Warrior Queen Who Burned London — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In this episode of The History of England, Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most dramatic uprisings in Roman Britain: Boudica's rebellion of 60-61 CE. They explore the political and personal grievances that sparked the revolt — including the brutal annexation of the Iceni kingdom, the public flogging of Boudica, and the rape of her daughters. Lucas recounts the sacking of Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium (London), and Verulamium (St Albans), where tens of thousands were killed. The conversation then turns to the decisive Battle of Watling Street, where the Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, despite being heavily outnumbered, used superior tactics and discipline to crush the rebel army. Lucas reflects on Boudica's legacy as a symbol of resistance and the Roman response that followed, including a shift toward more conciliatory governance under later governors. The episode ends with a question about what Britain might have looked like had the revolt succeeded.

    #Boudica #Iceni #RomanBritain #AncientHistory #Revolt #WarriorQueen #Camulodunum #Londinium #WatlingStreet #SuetoniusPaulinus #Nero #Tacitus #CassiusDio #CelticTribes #BritishHistory #History #FexingoHistory #England #EnglandHistory #BritishEmpire

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    6 min
  • An Island Called Britain: Before the First King — Fexingo History

    An Island Called Britain: Before the First King — Fexingo History
    Apr 23 2026
    On a cold November morning in 1066, a Norman duke named William watched his cavalry charge up Senlac Hill near Hastings. But this episode doesn't start there. It goes back — way back — to the moment when the land we call Britain was still attached to Europe, before the English Channel even existed. We meet the first people who crossed over on foot, hunting mammoths across a frozen plain. Then the Beaker folk, who brought bronze and a taste for ritual. Then the Celts, who gave the island its first recognizable tribes — the Iceni, the Catuvellauni, the Trinovantes — and fought Julius Caesar when he came looking for glory. Caesar landed twice in 55 and 54 BCE, but he left without conquering. So what was Britain like before Rome turned it into a province? We stand on the chalk downs of what will one day be called England and look at a landscape already ancient before the first Roman legion arrived. This is the deep past — the foundation beneath every castle, crown, and constitution that will follow.

    #History #FexingoHistory #Britain #PrehistoricBritain #Stonehenge #BeakerFolk #CelticBritain #Iceni #JuliusCaesar #RomanInvasion #55BCE #54BCE #AncientHistory #BritishIsles #MammothHunters #SenlacHill #NormanConquest #1066 #EnglandHistory #BritishEmpire

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    8 min