18 July 2025
Sceptred Isle
Richard talks to brilliant historian Helen Carr about her history of the Fourteenth Century, Sceptred Isle. They chat about being the great-granddaughter of a EH Carr (come on, you know who he is), the incredible violence of the 1300s and how that juxtaposes with notions of romance and chivalry, whether Richard II was a narcissist or even worse comparable to one of the nation's favourite entertainers, how the Black Death brought misery and opportunity, whether rumours about Piers Gaveston and red hot pokers have any truth to them, did the 100 years war have to be quite that long and how seriously was anyone taking it, severed penises thrown on to fires and much more.
Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/sceptred-isle-a-revolutionary-history-of-the-fourteenth-century-helen-carr/7738985
