Brandon Michael Bender

St. Brice’s Day and the Danish Conquest

Did the St. Brice’s Day Massacre lead to the Danish Conquest of England?

Vice Presidents Who Became President: VP to President History and Trivia

Even though it’s been decades since a former VP was elected president, there have been many former VPs who became US president. In fact, it’s one of the most common routes to the presidency. Let’s take a look at the 15 men who became President of the United States after being Vice President.

Rex Factor Interview

Image credit: Rex Factor. Æthelred the Unready appears on the Rex Factor banner (25 July 2020). On July 25th, I appeared on Rex Factor to discuss the military career of Æthelred the Unready. Rex Factor is a long-running podcast that discusses medieval history in a light-hearted manner, assigning monarchs and consorts marks according to battleynessContinue reading “Rex Factor Interview”

The Worst U2 Album? Looking Back at 1997’s “Pop”

So does “Pop” deserve its ridicule and obscurity?

The End of Æthelred: On this day in 1016, King Æthelred II Died

“He ended his days on St. George’s Day, and he had held his kingdom with great toil and difficulties as long as his life lasted.”

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion of Normandy: When, if at all, did it take place?

Æthelred’s plan was to invade Normandy and capture Duke Richard II.

Æthelred the Unready: What Lies Beneath the Legends

The image that had emerged by the 12th century was of a ruler who was afraid of candles, had defecated at his baptism, was scolded at his own coronation, was haunted by the ghost of his murdered brother, and who preferred drinking and sleeping to fighting vikings.

The Anglo-Saxon Magna Carta: Æthelred the Unready’s Agreement of 1014

Using the restoration agreement of 1014 as a starting point, it is possible to make sense of one of the most dramatic eras in English history, when King Æthelred not only had to fend off massive Viking invasions, but also had to navigate through dangerous factions, disloyal subjects, and an open rebellion by his own son.

Lecompton: The Pro-Slavery Capital of Bleeding Kansas

No territorial governor or distant president could bring order to Kansas: “You might as well attempt to govern the devil in hell.”

Æthelred the Unready: New Book Re-examines Infamous Anglo-Saxon King’s Military Practices

After a year and a half of writing, editing, and revising (and many more years of research), it’s finally out: my new book, England’s Unlikely Commander: The Military Career of Æthelred the Unready, is available from Rounded Globe. England’s Unlikely Commander takes a look at the military practices of late Anglo-Saxon England, using sources likeContinue reading “Æthelred the Unready: New Book Re-examines Infamous Anglo-Saxon King’s Military Practices”