Rex Factor

In 1016, fifty years before Hastings, England is under threat of conquest from the young Viking leader, Cnut. Aethelred the Unready had proved unable to defend his kingdom, but his son Edmund proves a far more powerful and courageous warrior. Has the damage already been done, or will Edmund reprise the glories of his ancestors and victory for England and, for himself, the Rex Factor?

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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 struggles to keep the Scandinavian hordes at bay. Listen in to find out why this reign sets us on the path to 1066, why we really shouldn't call him "unready" and how he makes a mockery of our scoring system.

Do you think we did a good job with Aethelred? Email rexfactorpodcast@hotmail.com or follow us on twitter @rexfactorpod and tell us what you think!

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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 quickly? Why is Edward rather ominously known as 'the martyr'? Find out in Rex Factor!

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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 assessing whether or not Edgar the not-so-peaceable is worthy of the Rex Factor.

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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 boy king, with a penchant for scandal, be able to win the struggle for control of his kingdom?

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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 for the fight? Will he even have the stomach for his dinner?

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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 ultimate accolade...the Rex Factor!

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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 create some genuine scandal (though not by having foreign affairs). Is he a shoe-in for the Rex Factor or will this be the toughest challenge yet for the Saxon king?

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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 accolade last week, but he was even the original subject for Rule Britannia! Did Edward slay his enemies, scandalise the world and rule his kingdom with aplomb? Only one way to find out...

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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 great man. But does he have the Rex Factor?

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