History Deconstructed - for A Level

Edwin Castel
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History Deconstructed breaks down the big questions of history, one factor at a time. Hosted by Edwin Castel, an experienced history teacher who studied at Durham and Oxford, the podcast is designed for A Level history students or anyone with an interest in history. Each episode tackles a key topic (starting with the Tudors), exploring it factor by factor to build clear, thoughtful answers, alongside fascinating stories, surprising facts, and bonus episodes on exam-style questions and memorable historical figures.

Episodes

  1. Nov 1

    Bosworth Field, the battle that made a king. The road to Bosworth part 4

    The battle of Bosworth Field 1485 surely ranks as one of the key turning points in English history. If not quite as momentous or epoch defining as the battle of Hastings, it nevertheless represents a key moment of contingency and jeopardy. Henry Tudor approached that battle, on paper at least, as the underdog. Defeat would have meant death or, at best, penniless exile. Henry VIII and the reformation, Elizabeth I and the armada would never have happened. This episode gives a vivid account of the battle and deconstructs the key question; why did the battle of Bosworth enable Henry to become king in 1485? This is the decisive moment in our miniseries on how Henry Tudor became king of England.   Further Reading:   Elton, G.R.. England Under the Tudors Penn, Thomas. Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England  Jones, Dan. The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors Cunnigham, Sean. Henry VII Lipscomb, Suzannah, A visitors companion to Tudor England.

    Bosworth Field, the battle that made a king. The road to Bosworth part 4

  2. Oct 23

    The Tudor name, have we got it all wrong? HD in focus

    What springs to mind when you hear the name Tudor? Is it the larger than life monarchs, the portraits and palaces from the period, or the big historical changes? What we normally take for granted of course, is that it is the family name we give to the dynasty that ruled England between 1485 and 1603. And yet, how secure should we be in that assumption? What did people at the time think of the name Tudor, and was it even used by the Tudor monarchs themselves? The answer may surprise you. Drawing on a seminal article by C.S.L. Davies, this episode explores the origins of the Tudor name and how contemporaries would have viewed it. This is an HD in focus episode where we explore in greater depth key aspects covered in our main episodes.   Further Reading:     C.S.L. Davies, Tudor, What’s in a name? History, January 2012, Vol. 97, No. 1 (325) (January 2012), pp. 24-42  https://www.jstor.org/stable/24429363   Leanda de Lisle, Tudor: The family story (2013)

    The Tudor name, have we got it all wrong? HD in focus

  3. Oct 17

    Henry Tudor in exile- the road to Bosworth part 3

    In this episode we meet our main protagonist, Henry Tudor. We deconstruct the pivotal question: how did Henry’s long years in exile prepare him to claim the English crown in 1485? We begin with a dramatic moment of danger in Brittany, capturing the uncertainty and peril that defined his early life on foreign soil. From there, the narrative unfolds into a decade-long education in political survival, an experience that would shape Henry into the cautious yet determined leader he would become. Along the journey, we also meet one of the most remarkable women in late medieval England: Margaret Beaufort, whose unwavering ambition and strategic acumen played a crucial role in her son’s rise to power. Join us as we trace the trials, alliances, and lessons that forged Henry Tudor on the road to Bosworth.   Further Reading: Sean Cunningham, Henry VII Dan Jones, The Hollow Crown Thomas Penn, The Winter King SB Chrimes, Henry VII Michael Hicks, The Wars of Roses course on Massolit https://massolit.io/courses/the-wars-of-the-roses-c-1450-1525

    Henry Tudor in exile- the road to Bosworth part 3

  4. Oct 10

    Richard III: tyrant or hero of the north? The road to Bosworth part 2

    Richard III. A monarch remembered by history for the murder of his own nephews; yet also seen by many as a hero of the north, with modern day Ricardians keeping his flame burning with memories of a physically brave warrior king. This episode starts with an account of the extraordinary discovery of his body in a nondescript Leicester car park, before deconstructing the question for this episode. How did Richard III’s unpopularity enable Henry to become king in 1485? In doing so we will uncover one of the most infamous episodes in English history, the disappearance of Edward V and Richard Duke of York, the “princes in the tower”.   Further Reading:   Dan Jones, The Hollow Crown (2014) Michael Hicks, The Wars of Roses course on Massolit https://massolit.io/courses/the-wars-of-the-roses-c-1450-1525 Sean Cunningham, How did Henry Tudor become king of England? https://massolit.io/courses/493

    Richard III: tyrant or hero of the north? The road to Bosworth part 2

  5. Oct 5

    Wars of the Roses: the road to Bosworth part 1

    How did the Wars of the Roses pave the way for Henry Tudor's seizure of the throne in 1485? In this episode,  we deconstruct how decades of dynastic conflict transformed a relatively obscure exile into a viable claimant to the English crown. Beginning with a vivid account of the Battle of Towton, the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil, we trace the origins and escalation of the struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York. Along the way, we explore how Yorkist rule both provided Henry with a model of effective kingship and created the political instability that made the Tudor outsider's triumph at Bosworth possible.

    Wars of the Roses: the road to Bosworth part 1

  6. Sep 27

    England in 1485: the dawn of the Tudors

    England in 1485 was a country on the edge of change. It was emerging from the turmoil of the late medieval period and was crossing the threshold into the early modern world.  The kingdom was a land of contrasts; extremes of wealth and poverty existed alongside one another; traditional hierarchies stretching back into the mists of time were beginning to accommodate "new men".   In this episode, we deconstruct England on the eve of Henry Tudor’s invasion, exploring its geography, people, economy, society, and culture. From the lives of peasants working the land to the power of great magnates who dominated politics, discover what England was really like before the arrival of the first Tudor king.   Further Reading:   John Guy, Tudor England (2000)   Susan Brigden, New Worlds, Lost Worlds (2000)   Thomas Penn, Winter King: Henry VII and the dawn of Tudor England (2011).

    England in 1485: the dawn of the Tudors

  7. Sep 22

    Why the Tudors?

    What is it about the Tudors? Despite ruling England for little more than a century, the Tudors remain one of the moststudied periods in both A Level and popular history. In this inaugural episode of the podcast, we deconstruct a simple question: Why the Tudors? From larger-than-life monarchs and political intrigue to religious upheaval and profound social change, we examine what makes the Tudor era so enduringly fascinating. Along the way, we will consider not only the colourful personalities at its centre but also the transformativedevelopments that reshaped England and left a lasting impact on its history.

    Why the Tudors?
  • 7 Episodes

About

History Deconstructed breaks down the big questions of history, one factor at a time. Hosted by Edwin Castel, an experienced history teacher who studied at Durham and Oxford, the podcast is designed for A Level history students or anyone with an interest in history. Each episode tackles a key topic (starting with the Tudors), exploring it factor by factor to build clear, thoughtful answers, alongside fascinating stories, surprising facts, and bonus episodes on exam-style questions and memorable historical figures.

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