004 - Eadwig: The Boy King Who Broke England (955

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Crown & Kingdom: The Kings of England

Gabriel Chapman

10 episodes

1 day ago

Crown & Kingdom: The Kings of England – the British history podcast telling every English monarch's story in chronological order. From Æthelstan to Charles III, each episode reveals the triumphs, scandals, and betrayals that shaped the English monarchy and British history. Discover the human drama behind legendary rulers: Henry VIII's break with Rome, medieval power struggles, and royal scandals across centuries. This royal history podcast turns monarchs from timeline names into complex figures whose reigns forged an empire. Perfect for history enthusiasts seeking compelling royal stories.

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004 - Eadwig: The Boy King Who Broke England (955–959)

Crown & Kingdom: The Kings of England

11 minutes 3 seconds

2 months ago

004 - Eadwig: The Boy King Who Broke England (955–959)

Eadwig, King of England, took the throne in 955 as a teenager crowned at Kingston upon Thames, inheriting a realm forged by his grandfather Edward the Elder, his father Edmund, and his uncle Eadred. Within two years, that fragile unity was shattered. His marriage to Ælfgifu was annulled, Saint Dunstan was sent into exile, and the Mercians and Northumbrians deserted him in 957 to follow his younger brother Edgar. Was this the downfall of a reckless youth undone by scandal, or the calculated strike of reformers who saw him as an obstacle? Some say he was dragged from a woman's arms in a scene of humiliation. Others argue the story was crafted by Dunstan's allies to stain his memory. Was his generosity to nobles true kingship, or reckless largesse that drained his crown? And was his sudden death in 959 at just nineteen an accident, illness—or something darker?

This Anglo-Saxon history episode explores the reign of a boy-king whose political failure split 10th century England, not by war but by politics, and whose short rule revealed how fragile the idea of one kingdom truly was. Discover how church reform, rebellion, and royal family rivalry conspired to erase King Eadwig's legacy from medieval English history, even as his stumble set the stage for Edgar the Peaceful and the strengthening of the English crown. Perfect for listeners of British history podcasts who want to uncover the untold stories of England's medieval monarchy and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle's most controversial teenage ruler.