13 - Childeric III (Halloween Special!)

We know the French detest Halloween, but we're doing a Halloween episode anyway! How could we not, when this king - the last of the Merovingian dynasty - is known as the PHANTOM KING?!

When we have reviewed Childeric III in all his long-haired glory (or lack thereof), Ben will share with Eliza the incredible true story of the Beast of Gévaudan, a mysterious creature that terrorised the people of southern France in the 18th Century.

Find out more about the Beast of Gévaudan from...

• The beast's official website, made by a local of the region: betedugevaudan.com.
• An article in the Smithsonian Magazine by Lorraine Boissoneault.
• An episode of the Astonishing Legends podcast, with a deep dive into evidence and theories.

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Battle Royale's intro/outro music is "Dansez" by Fasion. Thank you to them for making this track free to use and listen! Go check out more of their stuff here.

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CATEGORIES

Ben and Eliza each give a score out of 10 for the first 4 categories. The 5th is determined by maths! The result is a total score out of 100.

1. Enchanté: The shallow, first-impressions round: How fabulous and iconic an image have they passed down to us?
2. En Garde: (A.K.A. “Selfish Wins”) How well did they gain and increase their personal power, either through scheming, statesmanship or good old fashion battles?
3. Voulez-Vous: (A.K.A. “Selfless Wins”) How much would we want to live under their regime? How well did they better the world around them through law reforms and cultural projects?
4. Ouh-Là-Là: How pearl-clutchingly scandalous were the events of their life, both in their time and down through the ages? How mad, bad and dangerous were they to know?
5. La Vie en Throne: How many years did they reign, and how many of their children survived them?

For more details on the scores, how they are calculated and how our kings are ranking, visit our website.