Ok, today we’re going to talk about defensive equipment. What is the point of all that training if you’re going to die right away in battle. So we’ll need a way to keep you alive and healthy for as long as possible. As you might imagine, the shield, or bord in Old English, is a key piece of equipment in Anglo Saxon warfare. And unsurprisingly, the shield is one of the most common items of found in graves from the pagan period. Though that...

Remember the Romans? God I hope you answered yes. So those Romans and their approach to weaponry was surprisingly utilitarian. The weapons were issued by your superiors, and then returned after use. They were a tool and nothing more. It wasn’t even like the famous speech in Full Metal Jacket. “This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.” Nope, it was just a weapon of war. “Here’s your gladius, Paulus. Try to...

You’re probably gathering from last week that warfare is becoming a great deal more common. We had that great early era where a lot of what we were dealing with seemed mostly like farmers occasionally getting into spats that got out of control, with a few exceptions. But now we have these Werods running around, and we have the sons of Ida fighting with their neighbors, and the southern kingdoms fighting with their neighbors… Sure,...

So it’s 568. And things in what will someday become England are still chaotic. Remember what was going on up north in Bernicia? Where Ida, who was probably part of some sort of Anglian group, had taken control of Bamburgh, then he died, and then his sons started taking over for him? Well, that’s still going on. It looks like Adda is probably dead. Maybe. It’s really muddy. And like I mentioned earlier, he probably was the king who was...

Last time we were speaking about Hrothgar the Hypothetical and how he became a member of the Warband, and how they were probably a group apart with their own sets of morals and codes. But there’s a few bits that weren’t included in the narrative we were weaving with young Hrothgar that I think you’ll find really interesting. Let’s tackle them! Podcast: Play in new window | Download Share...

Ok, so last time we talked about how Aethelberht of Kent invaded the kingdom of Wessex and was pushed out by Ceawlin and his army. We don’t have a lot of facts regarding that conflict, we aren’t even told why they were fighting, but we know that they were both destined to become Bretwaldas and that in the end Aethelberht was chased back into Kent. And, presumably following this moment, Ceawlin earned the title of Bretwalda. So...