Comprehensive Review of A Truly Tumultuous Period After living in England for 6 years and developing a consuming interest in British history from the CComprehensive Review of A Truly Tumultuous Period After living in England for 6 years and developing a consuming interest in British history from the Celts and Romans to Angles, Saxons, Danes, and Normans, and spanning the Plantagenet, Tudor, and Stuart dynasties, I've learned that the further you dig, the more you discover and want to understand. It's a never-ending process, so you have to keep some kind of focus or you'll be forever going down different rabbit holes on Wikipedia, from one page and link to the next.
So I won't attempt a proper review of this book. Suffice to say I was inspired to specifically seek out something on this period after stopping in the Nottinghamshire cathedral town of Southwell, and having dinner at The Saracen's Head, a coaching inn dating back to the 14th century, that had pictures of Charles I featured prominently, with this explanation:
"The unfortunate King Charles I entertained the Scottish Commissioners for dinner at the Saracens Head the night before surrendering to the Commissioners at Newark Castle. Charles believed he had secured sanctuary from Cromwell and the Parliamentarians. The Scottish Commissioners betrayed the King and handed him over to the Parliamentarians for a substantial fee."...more
Curiosity and Genius Personified What more can I say that hasn’t already been said far more eloquently and insightfully by others over the centuries. LCuriosity and Genius Personified What more can I say that hasn’t already been said far more eloquently and insightfully by others over the centuries. Leonardo was a one-of-a-kind genius in so many fields that he defied all categories, and his personal character was just as complicated and fascinating. The best way to approach him was by listening to this excellent biography on audiobook, and watching Leonardo (2021), and 8-part Italian production in English starring Aidan Turner. He really captures to complex and insatiably curious character of Leonardo, and the storyline and period mesh very well with The Medici to give you a bigger picture.
My interest was initially piqued when I got drawn into the history of the Roman Republic and Empire, it was a natural progression to want to understand the later history of the Italian Renaissance, along with all the warring city-states and complicated power struggles of them with the Papal States, European Powers, and Eastern Orthodox Church. It’s just such a convoluted and fascinating mess, and yet despite all the power struggles and brutality and violence, it also gave birth to this incredible flowering of intellectual creativity that eschewed the narrow and dogmatic Medieval Christian mentality, and produced such artistic geniuses as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and the stunning architecture, much inspired by classical Greek and Roman culture. ...more
Meticulously Detailed by Deeply Biased Revisionist Biography How can anyone properly and fairly review a massive history of Isabella & Ferdinand of CasMeticulously Detailed by Deeply Biased Revisionist Biography How can anyone properly and fairly review a massive history of Isabella & Ferdinand of Castile and Aragon of Spain, an avalanche of details on the dynastic and political scheming of the Spanish, Papal, English, French, Portuguese, Ottoman, and Italian powers; the origins of the Spanish Inquisition; Isabella’s sponsorship of Christopher Columbus’ exploration and conquest of the New World; the war and expulsion of the Moorish kingdom of Granada after 700-800 years of Muslim rule; the forced conversions and expulsion of the Jews of Spain?
Just reading through the polarized reviews of this book, it is either an excellent, well-researched, and accessible alternate take on the rare women in power in Medieval Europe, or a wildly biased apologia of Isabella’s role in the Inquisition and New World conquest, a devout and dedicated Catholic fighting valiantly against the encroaching and evil Ottoman Turkish Empire.
Well, like all things in life, the truth (if there can ever be such a thing, especially when talking about historical figures in a tumultuous and incredibly complex period of history) lurks in all these views, and is defined through the lens of each readers’ perspective, biases, knowledge, background, and beliefs.
There’s no question Isabella was a remarkable ruler and woman in a time and society where power was almost entirely held by male hierarchies. It’s also undeniable that Kirstin Downey is a huge proponent of Isabella and wants to present her in the best light possible, and provide more justification for why her role in the Inquisition and New World conquest has been distorted by historians due to their bias against powerful women. There is an obvious agenda at play like any revisionist view of history that fits into the cultural trend toward female empowerment that extends to our view of history that has been shaped by men all these centuries. So it’s a valid exercise to undertake, but in this case the level of bias to defend Isabella’s less-palatable actions and intolerant Catholic views does cross the line from historical research into conjecture and personal opinion, as Downey is a journalist and not historian by profession.
Suffice to say Queen Isabella remains a very divisive figure, and while I learned a wealth of information about her from this very engaging and detailed book, I really am not sure how much of it I can trust as fairly depicted facts and events, and how much was overwhelmed by the author’s personal views. You could say that about any historical author really, but this book seemed to be more overtly biased than many other histories I’ve read. The only way to balance that would be to read another 5-6 books covering the same territory, but there’s a limit to what you can absorb in a single lifetime. That’s what makes history so fascinating and frustrating at the same time. ...more
A Compelling Revisionist Take on the "Serpent Queen" I discovered this book thanks to the recent Starz network drama series The Serpent Queen (2022), A Compelling Revisionist Take on the "Serpent Queen" I discovered this book thanks to the recent Starz network drama series The Serpent Queen (2022), played admirably by Samantha Morton. Catherine de Medici is regularly reviled as a ruthless, scheming woman who seized and maintained power through any means, including poisonings and witchcraft used against her own family and allies. However, this is a revisionist biography that points out, and rightly so, that the historical accounts of that period were mostly written by her rivals and enemies, and there is also the obvious element of resentment by powerful men at the time of the affront of a woman of those times daring to try and rule when their normal role was largely to have male children to ensure the succession of various dynasties, and not to have independent thoughts or (god forbid) actually be involved in the politics of the royalty and nobility.
What we learn from this alternative take is that Catherine faced some very difficult circumstances very early on in her initially privileged life as a Medici as the political winds of fate blew against her family, and she spent time raised as a hostage by her enemies. She was then forced into a dynastic marriage aimed to unite the Florentine and French powers, and her only way to survive was to get pregnant and produce a male heir, while having to endure the humiliation of her husband’s open love affair with his mistress Diane de Poitiers, who he treated as his personal confidant and partner, while keeping her pregnant with ten successive children.
Catherine then has to face a seemingly endless series of crises between rival factions within France, conflicts with the Spanish crown, and then most damaging is the massive rift in society that emerges with the Protestant Reformation and Hugenot rebellions against oppressive Catholic rule. She is forced to take sides against the Huguenots to preserve stability, but at great costs of lives and the loss of her own children to intrigue and illness and war. Throughout all the adversities, so remains determined, cool-headed (on the surface), and ruthless, when many other male leaders are vain, foolish, and hot-headed. This if anything makes her even more hated by her rivals and enemies, and certainly would explain why they would excoriate her later in the historical annals, and blame her for the infamous Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.
The book does pummel the reader with names and details that are quite overwhelming, so I ended up letting much of them just slide past me and try to just focus on the overall flow of events, as it’s impossible to really follow and remember each person’s allegiances, position, and motivations. The drama has apparently been green-lighted for a second season, which should cover the latter half of this book, and that is a very exciting prospect that I look forward to....more
A Hefty Thematic Approach to the Middle Ages Across Many Continents and Centuries
This is an ambitious attempt at a coherent, thematically-based overviA Hefty Thematic Approach to the Middle Ages Across Many Continents and Centuries
This is an ambitious attempt at a coherent, thematically-based overview of the Middles Ages in the British Isles, the kingdoms of Northern/Southern Europe, Arabian, Persian, and Turkish nations, and the Huns and Mongols, all in the engaging, entertaining, and understandable style that has made Dan Jones the Neil de Grass Tyson the of the history world, popularizing the incredibly tangled web of that period, looking at events not just through the deadly-dull litany of names, battles, successions, dynasties, alliances, and territories, but trying to draw out coherent themes such as the environmental, political, religious, scientific, and cultural elements that permeate all human history.
Is it all too much to digest? In my case I’ve been listening to history audiobooks covering most of the periods and regions and events that Dan Jones covers, so in a way it was a nice review and broader overview of what I had been learning about in discrete segments. He freely admits he has to breeze though hundreds of subjects that each are subject to whole fields of study, so has to summarize the most important themes and events without getting bogged down in the details, but still include loads of anecdotes on notable individuals and events to keep it relatable and interesting, and that is Dan Jones’ forte. I was able to follow things and really put together the big picture, as much as that is possible.
However, if you are keen to know about individual empires or periods or leaders or religious movements, it’s probably better to pick books with a narrower focus. If you just enjoy the way Dan Jones can clarify the convoluted mess that is history, you’ll find this well worth a read/listen. ...more
A Dense, Quirky Telling of 2,000 Years of London's Story This is quite an unusual and quirky and unforgettable book. It’s a long-form love poem to the A Dense, Quirky Telling of 2,000 Years of London's Story This is quite an unusual and quirky and unforgettable book. It’s a long-form love poem to the city over the past two millennia of its incredibly eventful and storied history. It does a great job of covering the city not chronologically like a bog-standard history book. Instead, it takes a loosely thematic approach, covering it from dozens of angles - the early native Britons era, then the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Middle Ages, Plantagenets/Tudors/Stuarts, then the Victorian and Imperial Age, Industrial Revolution, WWI, WWII Blitz, and then the Post-War years and Thatcher and up to around the turn of the century.
The book is far from even-handed and unbiased - Peter Ackroyd believes the city has a personality and spirit of its own, embedded in the millennia of history in the very mud, stones, brick, human detritus, and later concrete, steel, and glass. And each neighborhood of London has its own distinct identity, which reverberates and remains throughout different ages. It’s quite a fanciful concept, and while I wouldn’t deny it in a more conceptual sense, he actually seems to believe it in very literally. Apparently this theme runs through much of his other fiction and non-fiction works.
What I found most interesting was reading the polarized reviews of this book by other GR readers. They fall mainly into two camps, which fall broadly into these polar opposite views:
1) Ackroyd’s London is a brilliant and erudite book, brimming with amazing scholarship and chockablock with anecdotes, both entertaining and edifying. He is a genius and a national treasure.
2) Ackroyd’s London in its later stages is clearly a middle-class English book promoting a xenophobic, Eurocentric view of Englands Imperial and Colonial legacy, glibly glossing over the exploitive nature of that time, and instead taking a cosy nostalgic view of England at its zenith of political and economic and cultural status, and offensive and insensitive as such.
Well, like all things, I imagine the truth lies in-between, and moreover it depends on the perspective and views of the reader. The book is both really, so you will react to it accordingly, most likely. As an American expat who spent half his life in Japan, and only recently moved to the British Isles, I’ve been voraciously learning as much as I can about this complex and contentious legacy, trying to see the good and the bad, and putting things in their historical context but also understanding how the bad aspects of Imperial/Colonial rule most certainly are deserving of harsh criticism in this multicultural and multi-polar global era.
I think I can see both sides. I can say with certainty that I found the book very interesting to listen to, especially with its thematic, easily digested chapters that broke up a very long book. It never bored me, even though some of the florid writing did elicit some eye-rolling. It told me a lot about London I didn’t know, piqued my interest in the city even more, and provided much food for thought. In that sense, it was well worth the time I invested....more
A Wide-Ranging Coming-of-Age Tale in Victorian England This was Dicken's 3rd novel, coming after the success of Oliver Twist and it's strong social comA Wide-Ranging Coming-of-Age Tale in Victorian England This was Dicken's 3rd novel, coming after the success of Oliver Twist and it's strong social commentary on the plight of the poor and downtrodden in London, and this one is no different, though it does initially focus on a vicious and exploitive all-boys school in Yorkshire, before returning the story to London, and also has a long interlude featuring a traveling actors' troupe. I plan to listen to all of Dicken's major works in audiobook, and the full version of this is a hefty 35-hours, so I elected to go with the abridged full-cast dramatizations done by BBC Radio 4, which are excellent summations of the storylines that avoid some of the length of excess details and side-plots. This was a very enjoyable and engaging read, with all the usual Dickensian wicked villains, stout-hearted heroes and heroines struggling against many adversities, social satire of the upper classes, and strong criticisms of the inequalities of the social class structure. ...more
The First Modern History of the Political/Social Forces Behind War While Herodotus may have written the first coherent historical narrative in the WestThe First Modern History of the Political/Social Forces Behind War While Herodotus may have written the first coherent historical narrative in the Western canon, it took Thucycdides to write the first work of empirical 'modern' history in his clinical and analytical study of the political and social forces that drive men and nations to war, and an incredibly detailed picture of Athens and Peloponnesia's destructive war in 5th century Greece, which involved the Delian League (led by democratic Athens) and the Pelopponesian League (lead by oligarchic Sparta), spread over three stages and including proxy wars and a disastrous invasion of Sicily by Athens.
It's a ruthless study in Real Politik that strips away divine influence, political and philosophical ideals, and exposes the more base motives of human nature as they relate to the striving for power over others, the strategies of manipulation and coercion, and the ferocity of violence and cruelty that both individuals and city-states can unleash on each other due to fear and jealousy and hate and greed. It's often not a pretty picture, and lacks any of the whimsy of Herodotus, or interest in cultural practices. But it feels incredibly modern in sensibility, and very much in keeping with the political and military conflicts of nations in the modern era, which is profoundly disappointing if you were hoping that humanity would improve its behavior over the past 2.5 millennia.
As a listening experience, it can get a little wearying to hear one conflict after another, and so many place and individual names, but as a piece of political analysis it is extremely impressive and influential to this day, though it's message is far from hopeful, though perhaps useful as a cautionary tale....more
Having dived down the history rabbit hole with Great Courses audiobooks the past year, focused mainly on Mesopotamia, Greece/Rome, Britain, the Celts,Having dived down the history rabbit hole with Great Courses audiobooks the past year, focused mainly on Mesopotamia, Greece/Rome, Britain, the Celts, and the Italian Renaissance, it was a no-brainer I'd have to revisit The Histories after I bought it for uni in another lifetime and never got past the first chapter, 30 years ago. It was a very worthwhile listen, especially given the content as the first proper Western historical narrative based on travel, first-hand interviews, and research, though there is plenty of myth woven in as that was integral to Greek understanding of the world. As others have pointed out, it is equal parts storytelling, ethnography, cultural history, and a very detailed analysis of the Greco-Persian wars, with much insight.
Herodotus also gets full marks for repeated disclaimers that what he writes is true *to the best of his knowledge, based on what he has been told*, and that he tries to be as objective as any observer can be, despite all the intellectual and cultural assumptions and biases that inevitably creep in. He does a remarkable job, although it would be a brilliant experiment if there were a Persian Herodotus who could depict events from the other side. Now that would be turning the tables!
I have to admit that I wasn't able to give this one its full due as I listened in all different levels of attention (while "resting my eyes" and such), so not sure I have much more to offer, but I am certainly glad I read it now, at age 48, rather than back at age 18 in my first year at university. There is so much more life-experience I can draw on now to approach the material, its a far richer experience.
These are some excellent reviews that are far more comprehensive and interesting than my light effort, so check them out.
Brings Together Most Recent Theories on Origins of Celtic Peoples/Languages/Culture This is a very handy overview of the various theories of how the CeBrings Together Most Recent Theories on Origins of Celtic Peoples/Languages/Culture This is a very handy overview of the various theories of how the Celtic people, languages, and culture arose, background on the various population movements, historical kingdoms, and resurgence in interest in Celtic heritage in various countries. Covers some familiar territory with other things I've read, but good to have it all in one place, and Dr. Paxton is always enthusiastic on her topics....more
Incredibly Relevant to Our Times, When Democracy is Struggling I really enjoyed Prof Garland's "Greece and Rome: An Integrated History of the Ancient MIncredibly Relevant to Our Times, When Democracy is Struggling I really enjoyed Prof Garland's "Greece and Rome: An Integrated History of the Ancient Mediterranean", which was a really useful and innovative approach to understanding the two closely-linked cultures, something you don't usually see as most academics specialize in one or the other.
This course felt so relevant to our current global political woes as it made explicit reference and comparison to the rise of Trump in the US, and various struggles of democratic regimes around the world to handle the burden of governing in our increasingly complex and integrated global society. It's one thing for the Athenians with just 50,000 citizens and 200,000 slaves make decisions via direct democracy, but that model cannot work for 250 million Americans, and of course global geopolitical forces no longer respect borders, so the constant frustrations that citizens feel about their governments and feelings of apathy/disenfranchisement are understandable but perhaps inevitable.
As I was listening to this audiobook, living in the UK, Boris Johnson resigned over a series of scandals that eroded his support within the Tory party. He was succeeded by Liz Truss, who lasted a mere 45 days in office before being ousted due to an ill-conceived set of unfunded tax cuts. As of yesterday Rishi Sunak is the new PM, and while his wealth and privilege (partly due to his wife) may make it hard for him to credibly understand the plight of the have-nots, at least his background at Goldman Sachs and hedge funds and schooling at Stanford will perhaps translate to some basic financial knowledge. The Athenians would have felt no qualms about having someone with such an elite and wealthy pedigree, though in our modern age we do question such a background....more
A Brilliant General, Charismatic Leader, and Maniacal Personality Alexander is widely viewed as probably the greatest military genius of the ancient WeA Brilliant General, Charismatic Leader, and Maniacal Personality Alexander is widely viewed as probably the greatest military genius of the ancient Western world, being a fully mature commander at the ripe age of 18 when his father Philip II of Macedon was assassinated, coming into this sudden baptism by fire in the midst of war without any seeming hesitations, and then pursuing victory after victory, fighting in the thick of battle at the forefront, driving his armies further east than any leader before him. He was more tolerant of kingdoms he vanquished than was common at the time, but entirely ruthless to those who resisted. He was well educated and highly-intelligent, fearless, and instinctual.
This all served to fuel the expansion of his empire to unforeseen heights at a blistering pace that has never been repeated. And yet he seemed to have no limits to his ambitions or drive, and it was his army itself that refused to go further East and forced him to turn back home to Macedonia. When he died of a fever at age 32, he still had plans to conquer further West, and we can only speculate how well this sprawling empire would have held together if he had lived longer.
As it turns out, the empire almost immediately into a squabble among his generals and eventually was split into three main kingdoms that in some cases lasted for centuries afterwards, leaving a profound legacy of Hellenic cultural influence on their subject territories, before falling under the sway of the Roman Republic centuries later. ...more
Prof Dise Likes Battles and Taxation Schemes More than "Soft" Cultural Details This set of lectures is certainly of interest to those with a deep desirProf Dise Likes Battles and Taxation Schemes More than "Soft" Cultural Details This set of lectures is certainly of interest to those with a deep desire for the minute details on how a number of ancient Near East and Mediterranean ancient civilizations rose, flourished, and collapsed 3,000-4,000 years ago, all before Alexander the Great redefined the rules of military and diplomatic tactics, and the Romans perfected their system of central control and tributaries. There is a wealth of details on ancient Empires like Sargon the Great of the Akkadian Empire, the Third Dynasty of Ur in Sumerian, the Hitties of Anatolia, the mighty but brutal Assyrian Empire, the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, the Babylonian Empire, Persian Empire of Cyrus, Darium, and Xerxes, New-Babylonian Empire, and the brilliant general Hannibal of the Carthaginian Empire.
If you like a very precise, organized approach that revels in military tactics and taxation and govt structures etc, this will be perfect for you. If you wanted to know the softer cultural details of art, religion, languages, social structure, etc, then it's really not the right one....more
A Bit Too Short to Cover Topic In-Depth, But Good Intro I was always interested in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, but had never taken timeA Bit Too Short to Cover Topic In-Depth, But Good Intro I was always interested in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, but had never taken time to explore till I saw this audiobook available in the free Plus Catalog on Audible and thought I'd give it a go. Since Prof Podany is a historian and expert in cuneiform, as opposed to archaeology, there is a strong focus on extracting the details of Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian civilizations through the huge number of clay tablets they have left behind. Unfortunately, many of those are purely administrative records of trading transactions, legal judgements, wedding contracts (had no idea these went back 5,000 years!), and a host of letters exchanged between the kings of those civilizations. While the latter do give more insight into the actual thoughts and concerns of the upper classes (and there is plenty of bombast and self-promotion contained therein), we don't get nearly the level of insight as we have into the Greek and Roman cultures that are so thoroughly documented. That is hardly the fault of the author, she just has to extrapolate a lot of insight through a very small straw. And it shouldn't be a surprise either considering the incredible age of these civilizations, who are matched only by the Egyptians in terms of development. Still, a fascinating glimpse into a very different world, especially their unwavering belief in their gods as an integral part of daily life and social structure....more
A Great Overview of This Incredible City's History It's not possible to fully cover the history of London since Roman times two millennia back, but ProA Great Overview of This Incredible City's History It's not possible to fully cover the history of London since Roman times two millennia back, but Prof Bucholz does an excellent job in his 12hrs of mini-lectures, full of enthusiasm and insight into the political, military, cultural, scientific, religious, and architectural highlights that this wonderful city has to offer. As I am also an American and now expat living in London the past 5 years, I've seen so many of the places he is discussing, and specifically enjoyed visiting the Museum of London and Museum of London Dockyards the past few months repeatedly, so it was a perfect combination....more
Takes a Different Approach to This Most Famous English Monarch I listened to this series of lectures right after finishing A History of England from thTakes a Different Approach to This Most Famous English Monarch I listened to this series of lectures right after finishing A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts by Robert O. Bucholz, another in the Great Lectures series of audiobooks. While there was of course overlap with the prior lectures and much of the documentaries and films I've seen on Henry VIII and his wives, advisors, bishops, nobles, court, and everyday life at the time, I still learned a fair about Henry's obsession with his image of Imperial Royalty and strength and virility as a sovereign with a divine right to rule, and his willingness to go to any lengths to produce a male heir. Prof Hoak devotes plenty of time to the philosophy of Thomas More's Utopia, Erasmus, Anne Boleyn's political stratagems, Thomas Cromwell and Cardinal Woolsey, and also tries to paint a picture of the everyday lives of people in this period of Tudor rule. It's interesting and well worth the time....more
The Most Momentous Event in the History of the British Isles Everyone with an interest in British history knows the date of 1066 and the invasion of WiThe Most Momentous Event in the History of the British Isles Everyone with an interest in British history knows the date of 1066 and the invasion of William the Conqueror of Normandy, and his victory over the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson. He was killed by an arrow in the eye at the Battle of Hastings, according to the famous Bayeux Tapestry.
But that event marks only the culmination of an extremely tumultuous period of English political history, with the crown in contention among multiple claimants since the powerful Edward the Confessor, who reigned from 1042-1066, had no heirs. Harold Godwinson was the brother-in-law to Edward, and also descended from Cnut the Great, a Danish prince who briefly untied the thrones on England, Denmark, and Normal from 1028-1035. Harold also had a brother named Tostig, who was so reckless that he was exiled to Norway. When Edward the Confessor dies, the opportunistic Tostig convinced the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada that he should invade England and seize the English crown. Meanwhile, William, Duke of Normandy, had finally established control of Normandy after a bloody and protracted struggle with rival claimants and battles with France and Flanders. He was an illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy, and descended from the Viking Rollo (Hrolf), the latter being the strongest warrior from among the Norsemen who invaded northern France and settled among the Franks there. William was the cousin of Edward the Confessor, and felt he had a claim to the English throne, saying that Edward had promised it to him despite later naming Harold Godwinson as his heir on his deathbed.
Confused enough yet?
Is it clear that the terms “English”, “French”, and “Norman” have a lot in common with “Viking”, “Dane”, “Norsemen”, “Flemish”, and “Frank”. And that they are all battling for spoils, land, political power, trade. Not to mention that everyone seems to be related to each other in some way, whether it be by blood, marriage, or political alliance. And since they didn’t have legal documentation and last wills and testaments, basically any power vacuum caused by the death of a powerful monarch usually set in motion a struggle among rival claimants.
So Harald Hardrada of Norway invaded Yorkshire and Northumbria with Tostig, the latter hoping to reclaim is Earldom. Northumbria was mostly a mix of Danes and Anglo-Saxons, and they initially had some success. This presented the newly crowned King of England Harold with a serious dilemma, as he had been preparing to repel an invasion of the south coast of England by William Duke of Normandy. However, William was delayed by prolonged storms that prevented his fleet from making the crossing. So Harold (of Wessex) made the fateful decision to head north to confront the forces of Harald (of Norway). They met in the Battle of Stamford Bridge, and Harold prevailed, with both Harald and Tostig killed in the fighting. However, with almost no time to recover, Harold learned that William had finally made the crossing and invaded the south coast of England. He forced this battle-weary troops to march south and confront the Norman army. A massive battle ensued, the fateful Battle of Hastings, which was hard-fought and closely matched, but William gained the victory when Harold was struck down with an arrow in the eye.
So all settled then? Not so fast.
William of Normandy may have proven victorious on the battlefield with a force of 7,000 Norman knights and mercenaries, but he was keen to take control of the entire British isles. This became known as the Norman Conquest, as he and his supporters back in Normandy then threw all their combined resources to completely conquer all of the Anglo-Saxon barons and dukes, one by one, crushing each with the most ruthless means possible, which often meant “harrowing” the land, namely burning all the crops, killing the livestock, and slaughtering any rival armies and murdering many civilians for good measure.
They then systematically took over and replaced the entire British aristocracy, build hundreds of castles to enforce their rule (castles previously being quite rare in the Isles), making French the language of the elite, and then creating a monumental land survey known as the Domesday Book in 1086 that recorded who owned every parcel of land at the time Edward the Confessor died in 1066 and then who owned it 20 years later. What it records is the wholesale transfer of land ownership to William, his brother Odo, and all his numerous Norman barons and knights and supporters, and complete disenfranchisement of the former Anglo-Saxon landowners. It’s a monumental change in British social organization and political power, and could only be achieved through repeated and ruthless suppression.
So now the picture is crystal-clear? Glad to hear it.
This unbelievably complex and volatile story is told in great details by Mark Morris, using primary sources as much as possible, and approached in a very academically-researched but readable format. It’s quite well done and you’ll learn a lot (maybe a bit overwhelming), and realize that nothing about those times was simple or straight-forward, and the impact of the Norman Conquest has affected British culture and society in profound ways for the millennia that followed unto the present day. ...more
Epic, Comprehensive Overview of An Incredible Era After joining both the National Trust and English Heritage and visiting dozen of stately homes, castlEpic, Comprehensive Overview of An Incredible Era After joining both the National Trust and English Heritage and visiting dozen of stately homes, castles, and Tudor-era listed building and villages, I decided to give this another listen as I am finally getting all the factions and major players straight in my head. It remains an incredibly chaotic, volatile, and fascinating study of Tudor and Stuart royal history.
If you want to know about the tumultuous and transformative events of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties and the incredible changes in medieval England and Europe, all told with enthusiasm and erudition by Prof Buckolz, and American who clearly has great affinity for the complexity and humanity of all the players in this violent, dramatic, and exciting historical stage, then this series of lectures is the perfect solution to your needs. I've been deep down the rabbit hole of British history of late, and this was a great addition to my knowledge, covering events both new and familiar with a depth and insight that kept things fresh and interesting. Highly recommended....more
Religious Fanaticism Cuts Both Ways This is another well-written historical non-fiction work by Dan Jones, who is well known for his knowledge of medieReligious Fanaticism Cuts Both Ways This is another well-written historical non-fiction work by Dan Jones, who is well known for his knowledge of medieval British and European history, thanks to both his books and numerous historical documentaries and YouTube videos. I consider him a great popularizer of a sometimes dry subject (for some, not me), the Neil DeGrasse Tyson of Medieval History. When I was trying to untangle the complex web of kings, nobles, knights, priests and cardinals, armies and soldiers, merchants and peasants that made up this period, I found his videos both entertaining and helpful.
When in comes to the Knights Templar, I think we mostly have a vague image of valiant knights with a red cross and white tunic, fighting against infidels and defending the Christian faith. Then there is the conspiracy nonsense capitalized on by Dan Brown in The Davinci Code and other books. Dan Jones sets out from the outset that he doesn’t subscribe to that, thank goodness.
What we do learn about the Templars and the Crusades in general is that they started out relatively harmlessly, keen to protect Christian pilgrims heading to the Promised Land as there were bandits and hostile locals along the way. But this quickly evolved into a paramilitary order funded by various English and European powers, both kings and popes, and then they morphed into the first prototype of a banking intermediary, collecting donations from various group and funneling this into paying for military equipment, soldiers, castles, supply networks, and full-scale campaigns against Muslim powers. Finally when they got caught up between rival powers, they ended up making the wrong enemies and being exterminated by King Phillip IV of Spain and Pope Clement V in 1312-14.
What really comes clear from the details is that the medieval world was essentially dominated by religious fervour, systemic violence and wholesale slaughter of the “enemy”, “infidel”, “other” in the name of Christ and God and Allah. The fanaticism of both sides is frankly appalling as they massacred civilian populations, both elders and children, men and women, and revelled in the bloodshed as a holy act on behalf of their gods and religions. If you think of the sheer mass of murders and blood that has drenched the “Holy Land” of Palestine for the past 3,000 years, it is staggering that anyone could still make any claim to it being connected to the divine. I was hoping that all the aggressors on both sides would wipe each other other, with diseases and lack of supplies killing off any stragglers.
I often am amazed at just how much energy, passion, and resources the medieval nations expended on basically killing each other over religion, territory, dynastic politics, and sheer rancor, and it makes me despair that humanity is even worthy of being saved from itself. Sure we’ve come a long way since then, but if we had redirected even a fraction of that energy to peaceful endeavors like farming, the arts, trade, etc, just imagine the world we could have created....more
Covers the Power Struggle of the Lancasters and Yorks prior the Tudors After joining both the National Trust and English Heritage and visiting dozen ofCovers the Power Struggle of the Lancasters and Yorks prior the Tudors After joining both the National Trust and English Heritage and visiting dozen of stately homes, castles, and Tudor-era listed building and villages, I decided to give this another listen as I am finally getting all the factions and major players straight in my head. It remains an incredibly chaotic, volatile, and fascinating period in British history.
This is another well-written historical non-fiction work by Dan Jones, who is well known for his knowledge of medieval British and European history, thanks to both his books and numerous historical documentaries and YouTube videos. I consider him a great popularizer of a sometimes dry subject (for some, not me), the Neil DeGrasse Tyson of Medieval History. When I was trying to untangle the complex web of kings, nobles, knights, priests and cardinals, armies and soldiers, merchants and peasants that made up this period, I found his videos both entertaining and helpful.
This is actually well-covered territory for me after watching a veritable parade of YouTube documentaries from Real Royalty, The People Profiles, Timeline etc, and then several very good drama series, namely The White Queen and The White Princess. It really helps to put actors and scenes to the endless litany of titles, duchies, earldoms, and tangled mess of closely related nobility, often slightly related. It makes even harder when they adopt a title that generally replaces their given names. When you think about the sheer complexity of geneologies, allegiances, treaties, land ownership, taxation, and so forth, and then recall that they did not have any of the modern technology, record-keeping, govt offices, databases, and google to help remind yourself, it’s incredible to imagine how people of the times kept track of any of it, let alone all.
As to the story of the War of the Roses itself, which as a concept did not exist initially, and only took shape over time, it’s a dynastic struggle between the rival houses of Lancaster and York that split off from the long-reining Plantagenet dynasty, which itself evolved from the House of Normandy (William the Conqueror) and House of Wessex much early. So it’s a centuries-long struggle, and also deeply entwined with the power struggles on the continent, particularly the French and Spanish monarchies, the Holy Roman Emperors, and the Papacy in Rome.
The picture is so complex that we bought a giant European Royal Family Tree poster from “usefulcharts.com” just to try and keep track of the alliances across nations and dynasties. If you look at the map, you’ll begin to understand just now tangled and incestuous the whole thing is. In summary, if you are interested in the subject, Dan Jones’ books and YouTube documentaries on the Plantagenets and Tudors are a great place to explore....more
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