{"podcast":{"title":"New Books in British Studies","slug":"new-books-in-british-studies-6600","podcast_index_feed_id":6600,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/LIT4185533436","website_url":"https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/peoples-places/british-studies/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/12ba5f1e-ee6e-11e8-b4fe-e3ef39923847/image/321372bbf566e77f150e66c39d797e13.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"New Books Network","episode_count":1823,"summary":"This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T18:21:14.905597+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-british-studies-6600"},"episode":{"title":"Rory Naismith, \"Offa: King of the Mercians\" (Yale UP, 2026)","slug":"rory-naismith-offa-king-of-the-mercians-yale-up-2026","published_at":"2026-04-14T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-british-studies-6600/rory-naismith-offa-king-of-the-mercians-yale-up-2026","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-british-studies-6600","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK6694798519.mp3?updated=1776063955","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK6694798519.mp3?updated=1776063955","summary":"In Offa: King of the Mercians (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Rory Naismith presents an authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as the king who stood at the turning point of Anglo-Saxon history. Offa ruled the Mercian heartland of the west midlands from 757 to 796. But while Alfred the Great and his dynasty are seen as agents of a new beginning that resulted in a unified Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Offa is best remembered as the builder of a great dyke and as a symbol of an older, divided order. In this major new biography, Professor Naismith challenges this view. Professor Naismith reveals how Offa cemented Mercia’s position as the dominant force in the southern part of Britain, strengthened the internal cohesion of his domains, and laid the basis for a new model of kingship. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including charters, coins, and chronicles, Professor Naismith reveals Offa as a king who was ambitious and successful, and who carefully constructed his image and that of the royal family. Far from just one in a sequence of overlords, Offa had a lasting impact on how kingship was practised and conceived across England. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies","meta_description":"In Offa: King of the Mercians (Yale UP, 2026), Professor Rory Naismith presents an authoritative biography of Offa of Mercia, revealing his importance as…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3111,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-british-studies-6600/episodes/rory-naismith-offa-king-of-the-mercians-yale-up-2026/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-british-studies-6600/rory-naismith-offa-king-of-the-mercians-yale-up-2026.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}