Offa, King of the Mercians

Offa, King of the Mercians

From Gone Medieval by History Hit

April 24, 2026 · 1h 4m · Episode 520

About this episode

The episode explores the complex legacy of Offa, King of the Mercians, through an interview with Professor Rory Naismith.

Was Offa a tyrant whose reputation was forever tainted by the killing of his prospective son-in-law? Or a visionary ruler whose achievements have been overshadowed by legend? Offa is largely known for murderous acts and building a dyke. But he was so much more: a great leader who reshaped Mercia into the dominant power in southern Britain, and pioneered new models of kingship that would influence generations. Matt Lewis talks to Professor Rory Naismith, to rehabilitate Offa and challenge the way we understand power in early medieval England. MORE Rise of Mercia Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Rise of Wessex Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Matt Lewis. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producers are Rob Weinberg and Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe .   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Matt Lewis

Guest: Professor Rory Naismith

Topics covered

  • Offa
  • Mercia
  • early medieval England
  • kingship
  • leadership
  • historical reputation

Keywords

  • Offa
  • Mercia
  • kingship
  • leadership
  • early medieval England
  • historical reputation
  • Professor Rory Naismith

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: History Hit

Places: Mercia, southern Britain, Wessex

More episodes of Gone Medieval

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Gone Medieval podcast page.