Rex Factor History

William Clito

394 views · 1w ago · 1:07:36

William Clito was the son of Robert Curthose and a thorn in the side of Henry I. With many in England, Normandy and France seeing Clito as the rightful heir, Henry's foreign policy largely centred around dealing with Clito, who was brave, well-thought of and a genuine threat. So, as with all the Nearly Monarchs, where did it go wrong for Clito, and did he do enough for the Rex Factor?

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

William Adelin

985 views · 3w ago · 47:55

Our nearly monarch this week is William Adelin, only legitimate son of Henry I and famously a victim of the White Ship Disaster. Before this, however, he was being shaped for kingship, learning governance from his mother, Matilda of Scotland, seeing high stakes diplomacy from his father and even engaging in his first battle. So what might have been for William Adelin?

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Robert Curthose

945 views · 1mo ago · 1:10:38

We kick off the Norman nearly monarchs with Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror who managed to miss out on becoming king twice. A dramatic life story, tussling with his father and brothers, a bromance with Edgar the Ætheling and a starring role in the First Crusade. But is it enough for the Rex Factor?

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Right To Reply 11: Saxon Nearly Monarchs

647 views · 1mo ago · 1:12:30

It's our first Right to Reply of the Nearly Monarch series as we go through your messages on the Anglo-Saxons (and Viking) We hear of suggestions for other Nearly Monarchs to include, different approaches to the scoring system, plus your thoughts on all the nearly monarchs we've covered so far (including Offa).

Topics: General Messages · Offa · Æthelwold · Ælfweard and Edwin · Edith of Wilton · Edward the Exile

Eleanor Parker: The Last Anglo-Saxons

458 views · 2mo ago · 1:01:24

Guest: Eleanor Parker

This week we chat to Dr Eleanor Parker about the next generation of Anglo-Saxons in 1066 - the young men and women whose lives took a very different path with the Conquest and how they adapted. From the semi-legendary Hereward the Wake to the children of Harold Godwinson, old favourites like Edgar the Ætheling and St Margaret of Scotland, and many more!

Topics: Interview · C Corner

Tuesday Talks 251

280 views · 2mo ago · 7:22

Ali is still ill and on (a different) holiday, so another solo video update from Graham - now in the Lake District rather than Scotland. Hopefully Ali will be better and we'll both be back in normal positions for a proper TT next week.

Tom Licence on 1066

746 views · 3mo ago · 1:16:54

This week we chat to Professor Tom Licence about 1066 - initially the question of the succession and who should have succeeded Edward the Confessor, but our timing was excellent as Tom had recently been in the news for his new research that is changing how we should assess Harold Godwinson's campaigning in 1066, so we talk about that as well.

Topics: Interview · C Corner

Edgar the Ætheling

426 views · 3mo ago · 1:02:43

The final Nearly Monarch of our first mini-series, Edgar the Ætheling is the forgotten figure of 1066 but the one with the best claim to the throne. The only royal Saxon prince left alive, the son of Edward the Exile, he was passed over in favour of Harold Godwinson, but was turned to after Hastings.

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Harald Hardrada Review

302 views · 3mo ago · 1:08:15

In the second part of the Harald Hardrada podcast, we review him and decide whether his exploits in Russia, Byzantium, Norway and his invasion of England will earn him the Rex Factor. (Unfortunately the camera pointed at Graham stopped working for part of the recording, so apologies for his lack of motion at times!)

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Tuesday Talks 246

186 views · 4mo ago · 9:50

It's a shorter one this week as we are together having had a day of recording finished with watching a film. So, we provide an update on all the recordings (including a cooking episode with Saxon food), plus a few little insights into things that we'll talk about in more detail next time.

Harald Hardrada Biography

383 views · 4mo ago · 1:00:16

The legendary Viking ruler, Harald Hardrada, is our first two-parter of the series due to his remarkable life story. Russian exile, adventures in the Byzantine Emperor, and becoming King of Norway all before he invaded England in 1066. In this episode, we cover the whole of his remarkable life, with the review to come in the next episode.

Topics: Byzantium · Norway · England · C Corner

Edward the Exile

576 views · 4mo ago · 59:35

One of the least famous nearly monarchs but perhaps the most pivotal, Edward the Exile was the son of Edmund Ironside and a nephew to Edward the Confessor and his survival might have meant the Norman Conquest would never have happened. We learn about Edward's remarkable exile, taking in Scandinavia, Russia and Hungary and the tantalising possibility of his becoming king in England only for fate to intervene...

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Edith of Wilton

483 views · 5mo ago · 1:06:14

Our first female nearly monarch of the series, Edith of Wilton, was the daughter of Edgar the Peaceable and a potential rival to her half-brother, Æthelred the Unready. The question is, was she a political power player in the running for the throne, was she a holy nun with no ambitions towards secular riches, or maybe a bit of both?

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Tuesday Talks 240

320 views · 5mo ago · 41:32

We have continued car chat, reasons for not recording today, some domestic dramas for Graham (a missing cuddly toy and some four-legged arrivals - both expected and unexpected). Plus, Ali reflects on having a grumpy weekend.

Ælfweard and Edwin

509 views · 5mo ago · 52:10

It's a double-header this week with the brothers Ælfweard and Edwin - not a nearly ruling duo but both seem to have met mysteriously early ends amidst a rivalry with their older half-brother Æthelstan. We learn about divisions between Wessex and Mercia, disputes over legitimacy and the mysterious fate of each brother.

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Æthelwold

737 views · 6mo ago · 1:02:31

Series 4 begins! We review our first nearly monarch, Æthelwold, a nephew to Alfred the Great (perhaps familiar to many from The Last Kingdom series) who challenged his cousin, Edward the Elder, for the throne. Largely dismissed by the official history, we find that his claim to the throne (and the threat he posed) was serious and he was able to find some impressive allies along the way. But will he have what it takes to kick off the new series with the Rex Factor?

Topics: Biography · Battleyness · Scandal · Subjectivity · Longevity · Dynasty

Emily Murdoch Perkins - Regina: The Queens Who Could Have Been

427 views · 6mo ago · 1:06:04

Guests: Emily Murdoch Perkins, Emily Perkins

As an introduction to our series on the nearly monarchs, we speak to Emily Perkins about her book Regina: The Queens Who Could Have Been, which looks at the queens who could have ruled if first-born daughters had been prioritised in the succession. Emily Murdoch Perkins’ book Regina: The Queens Who Could Have Been is available in all good bookshops, but if you want the gold foil shiny hardback, that’s a limited edition until June 2026, so grab it while you can!

Topics: Introducing Emily · Book Overview · Æthelflæd Lady of the Mercians · Marie of Blois · Margaret Tudor · Eleanor of Woodstock