Welcome to The Story of London, a podcast dedicated to telling the history of London as a single narrative tale; from its birth until the present day.
Each episode takes us along the tale of the most fascinating and vibrant city on Earth.
There is a lot of content in here and each listener can enjoy it in a variety of ways. You can listen to an episode by itself for a slice of life from London’s past; or, if you ...
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The Story returns with an episode that examines one of London’s loveliest folklore tales- the tale of Dick Whittington and his cat; beloved of pantomimes and children’s books, This week we peer behind the scenes to look at the actual events in London behind the elevation of this man to Mayor of the City… and the dangerous political climate he found himself in. A tale of an increasingly erratic king, members of the royal family being smothered to death with a mattress, a shocking wedding, show trials in Westminster, a royal posse racing across the English countryside in the middle of the night and more; welcome to the harsh truth behind the myth.
King Richard II was to have an incredibly large impact upon London- without warning or fuss, he fell upon it and effectively destroyed it as a political force. What drove him to this? Why did he strike so true? And with the Mayors of London suspended, and the residents facing a fine the like of which the city had never seen before in its history? How was it that London managed to survive this sudden attack. A look at this paradoxical young king, how he erased the entire London political status quo without violence, and why the London to emerge was never to be the same again.
The great political saga that had rocked London for the last decade or so APPARENTLY was over; but out in the streets the old forces which had instigated so much chaos found new issues to fall out over and London seemed about to engage in a new era of infighting and politics… and yet, within only a few short years? Everything changed. London united as it had not done in decades, and started to come to terms with strange events taking place within the city; jousts held upon London Bridge… and the sudden appearance of a crime fighting wizard. Honestly! Come join us as the Story of London deals with the years when London had to cope with many strange things.
And so the story comes to its surprising ending… having destroyed their political rivals, having gained the favour of the King AND his enemies, having destroyed the Jubilee book, Nicolas Brembre and Nicolas Exton seemed unassailable in their control over London and her politics. But events elsewhere suddenly changed the political calculations, and as Brembre began a new campaign to go after the Mercers, the Saga of the Jubilee sped towards its shocking and bloody conclusion.
In 1387 a book was burned outside of London’s Guildhall by the fishmonger turned mayor Nicolas Exton. But the story of that book, of who made it, of why they made it, and what it contained, is a story of a hidden aspect of London’s life in the 14th century. This special episode of the Story of London looks back over the Jubilee Saga to see how it has danced in and out of the endless arguments and debates that gripped London in that decade… and sets the saga up for its bloody conclusion.