We chat to the historian David Woodman about his book The First King of England: Athelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom. He tells us about why Athelstan (not Alfred) should be considered England's first king, how Athelstan was able to exert so much power in England and Britain, plus gets us exciting for the upcoming millennium of the foundation of England.
Head to David's website for more information about him and his work:
https://www.dwoodman.co.uk/
Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400 additional bonus podcasts:
https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor
"(00:00:00) Intro"
"(00:02:30) Athelstan Becoming King"
"(00:10:29) Athelstan as First King"
"(00:15:14) Vikings"
"(00:28:16) Athelstan's Laws"
"(00:33:12) Athelstan and Religion"
"(00:38:25) Emperor of Britain"
"(00:49:57) Alfred vs Athelstan"
"(00:56:52) Farewells"
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1:03:00
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1:03:00
Messages & Previews 11
We respond to some of your messages about all elements of the podcast, as well as share some previews of our bonus content.
Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400 additional bonus podcasts:
https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor
"(00:00:00) Intro"
"(00:01:30) Messages"
"(00:37:57:) Previews"
"(00:51:06) Farewells"
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58:33
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58:33
Battle of the Champions (Live at Ludlow 2025)
Available for all to listen, the recording of our live show at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms on Friday 15 August 2025 in which we pit the champions of the first three series of Rex Factor against each other: Henry II, Robert the Bruce and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In this recording, we compare Henry, Robert and Eleanor in the traditional fashion (biographies then factor by factor) before handing over to the audience to vote. Whilst the votes are counted, we have a Q&A before revealing the final results.
Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400 additional bonus podcasts:
https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor
"(00:00:00) Intro"
"(00:05:09) Live Show"
"(01:12:26) Q&A"
"(01:45:35) Results"
"(01:47:53) Finale"
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1:59:32
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1:59:32
Queen James (Gareth Russell)
We welcome Gareth Russell back onto the podcast, this time to talk about his latest book Queen James: The Life and Loves of Britain's First King, looking at the life and reign of King James VI (of Scots) / I (of England), with a particular focus on his personal life and the six men with whom he was infatuated or in love.
For more on Gareth, you can find him on X/Twitter (https://x.com/garethrussell1) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/_garethrussell)
Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400 additional bonus podcasts:
https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:08:54
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1:08:54
Right to Reply 10: Grand Final Results Comments
We go through the comments from the public vote in the Grand Finals of the play-offs, talking through the perspectives on the Nearly Rexy Consorts, Round One and Semi-Final Losers, Series 4 and Grand Final votes.
Sign up for lots of bonus content, including an ad-free version of the main podcast and over 400 additional bonus podcasts:
https://www.patreon.com/rexfactor
"(00:00:00) Introduction"
"(00:03:33) Nearly Rexy Consorts"
"(00:13:10) Round One Losers"
"(00:24:12) Semi Final Losers"
"(00:32:58) Series 4"
"(00:44:15) Grand Final"
"(01:02:21) Ending"
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Ireland