Presenting The Story of London, a podcast dedicated to telling the history of London as a single narrative tale; from it’s birth until the present day.
Each episode takes us along the tale of the most fascinating and vibrant city on Earth.
The format is every episode is self-contained, while also continuing to the next part in the chronicle. It covers events as they happened, from the actions of the great and the ...
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In October 1247 King Henry III led a grand procession from London to Westminster, carrying a sacred and holy relic the like of which London had never seen before. Its importance is overlooked because in the great scale of things- it didn’t amount to much in the long history of the city. But at the time? It captured a pivotal moment, as the King and City continued to fall out, and the seeds were being sown for something VERY ugly in London’s future.
We return to all things London with an in depth look at the events of the early part of the 1240’s; we have earthquakes, storms, prophecies, politics, factions, new buildings being built, old buildings being revamped, processions and a whale suddenly finds itself at London Bridge! It’s also an insight into one of confusing eras of London’s political history as two mayors, Mr Tovey and Mr Bat, begin to reflect the growing divisions in the city.
The Story takes a brief break from the regular narrative of events, with a look at two things that were impacting upon the city. The first was the ongoing crusades, and we look at the stories of the 5th and 6th Crusades along with the ‘Barons Crusade’ as this will become increasingly important later on, and then examine the perilous economic situation London was facing. Economics drives politics and politics drives history, and much of what was to come is explained here.
The story continues with an insight to six years in the cities history; we have a minor but important confrontation between the bishop of London and a bunch of French moneylenders; two royal weddings (both of which were scandalous for differing reasons), ongoing political tensions, wild street parties, drought, ambitious civil engineering and more. There are even some Vikings… in the distance but still. Vikings! The Story of London continues the cities amazing history.
Crime has always been a feature of urban life; but during this era a series of criminal cases are reported… which highlight a growing conflict between the authorities of London and the crown. But arguments about jurisdiction and authority soon obscure deeper debates and passions in the city. An episode that brings to life the alien nature of justice in the 13th century.