Hello everyone and welcome to the History of England Episode 1.7 conversion. Essentially,

it's all gone horribly wrong, hasn't it? I mean broadly, I have an episode per century

when I embarked on this, and we've already had two on the 7th century, and the blessed

Anglo-Saxons aren't even converted yet. The problem, gentle listeners, is what my mother

delighted to call verbal diarrhea. So, promised this week, we'll get on with it.

Always had a soft spot for pender those, the other problem, though in all likelihood, if

we'd actually met, he'd have cut my heart out of my chest and eaten it with a little

seasoning. Anyway, never apologise, never explain, so onward.

This week, it's two things. A quick summary of how our kingdoms end the 7th century, and

the progress of the conversion to Christianity. The first is in theory easily done, we were

pretty much there at the end of last week anyway, to be honest. Northumbria, I think we'd

done. Expansion slows up in the late 7th century, but nonetheless, in the competition

of greatest Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of world history, Northumbria ends the century right

up there with the big boys. It's a kingdom that stretches from coast to coast east to west,

and right up to just south of Edinburgh, under cultural and religious powerhouse.

It's king at the end of the century was the illegitimate son of a king, and an Irish

princess, and I've such demonstrates the importance of the Celtic people and kingdoms, culture

and religion in Northumbria. Northerners have always been different, can't play footy

like us middle-anders for starters. Moving on, after being hustled off the field

of win-weight in 655 by a couple of loyal thanes pretending to be peasants, Wolf Hera made

the greatest comeback since Lazarus. And really, I ought to spend a deal of time talking

about him, he's a bit of a god, but it's white rabbit time seriously. I can feel my brain

...