Rex Factor

Rex Factor is a fun podcast reviewing all the kings & queens of England & Scotland.

History
251
S1.10 Aethelred the Unready
The last of the boy kings and one of the most infamous of the Saxons, poor Aethelred has a rather torrid time. As if coming to the throne after his brother was murdered was not enough, he is faced with the most powerful Viking force in a century and...
46 min
252
S1.09 Edward the Martyr
Following the triumphal reign of Edgar the Peaceable, everything was looking rosy for the Saxons, but life is far from easy for our fifth boy king and the nation's fortunes enter into something of a rapid decline. Why does everything fall apart so...
28 min
253
S1.08 Edgar the Peaceable
After several difficult reigns, Edgar oversees something of a golden age for the Anglo-Saxons and despite his nickname is also a rather colourful character to boot. In our longest podcast thus far we encounter our toughest decision yet when it comes to...
44 min
254
S1.07 Eadwig
Eadwig's accession to the throne in 955 sees a new generation wearing the crown in Anglo-Saxon England, but the ministers of state remain the same and from the very start Eadwig finds himself at odds with Dunstan, Odo and Eadgifu. Will the third b...
33 min
255
S1.06 Eadred
At 23 years old, Eadred is perhaps a little old to be the second "boy king", which is just as well because facing him is the most notorious Viking to grace these shores: Eric Bloodaxe! Will this grandson of Alfred the Great have the stomach f...
37 min
256
S1.05 Edmund I
Our story thus far has been one of constant triumph for the Anglo-Saxon kings, and in 939AD the young Edmund I inherits a fully fledged English kingdom. But can the first "boy king" live up to the glories of his forebears and earn himself the...
32 min
257
S1.04 Athelstan
We're back from our summer break and to kick us off we have King Athelstan, the first true king of all England (if not Britain). He was a powerful warrior, a prolific law-maker and he even managed to find the time to dally in foreign affairs and c...
39 min
258
S1.03 Edward the Elder
Our monarchic journey hurtles headlong into the tenth century as we move on to Edward the Elder, a Saxon warrior king who sets a trend for not being Edward I. However, following Alfred the Great is no mean feat - not only did he earn our Rex Factor...
38 min
259
S1.02 Alfred the Great
In our second podcast we do our first review of a king, namely Alfred the Great (871-99). He impresses us with his record on defensive tactics and cultural endeavours, but we are forced to get creative to try and find some evidence of scandal from the...
38 min
260
S1.01 Backgroundy Stuff
In our first ever podcast we take a brisk stroll through history with sweeping generalisations taking us from Stonehenge to the ninth century. Reviewing proper will start with Alfred the Great next time.
41 min