Chapter 84- “The Barons came to London…” (1215)
May 17th, 1215: the day London was taken by an armed force for the first time. This being said, powerful forces within London helped them do this, and the city was to not just be under military occup...
2 Mars 202440min
Chapter 83- “…render him their slave.” (1214-1215)
The story begins to examine the crucial role London was to play in the political saga that led to the Magna Carta, as King John goes from being on the verge of glory, to being cast down into the pits ...
28 Feb 202442min
Chapter 82- “The land kept silent…” (1212-1214)
We return to a London in the middle of a wild few years… the Great Fire of Southwark; the destruction of Baynard’s Castle; a plot to kill King John; an invasion by the French; three crusades and the d...
21 Feb 202448min
Chapter 81- “…all I have lost.” (1199-1211)
We arrive at the first dozen years of the reign of ‘Bad King John’; and enter a decade where the principal focus of the Kingdom was the disintegration of the great Empire of Henry II. But who was Joh...
14 Feb 202455min
Chapter 80- The Dancers in the Shadows (1196-1199)
The story takes a moment to reflect… there has been a lot going on over the last few years, but for all the events happening elsewhere, what can we work out was going on ‘behind the scenes’ in London ...
7 Feb 202451min
Chapter 79- The Shade of William Longbeard (1196)
A very special episode of the Story, as we examine the circumstances around one of London’s most overlooked but important characters; William FitzOsbert aka William Longbeard, who man who appears to h...
31 Jan 20241h 1min
Chapter 78- The London Stone (1192-1196)
The story of the First Mayor of London continues as we cover 4 intense years of English political history; the King’s Crusade rages across the Holy Land; the King of France seeks to destroy the Angevi...
24 Jan 202439min
Chapter 77- The London Podestra (1191)
The story finally reaches the pivotal moment in London’s history; the arrival of the first mayor. But what exactly WAS a mayor in this era? Where had this idea come from? How did this new post in the ...
17 Jan 202443min
