How the World’s Only Feudal Lord Outclassed the Nazis to Save Her People

Mental Floss ^ | November 6, 2018 | BY Lucas Reilly

[thecodont]

When Germany invaded the Isle of Sark—the last foothold of feudalism in the western world—Dame Sibyl Hathaway protected her people with the unlikeliest of weapons: Feudal etiquette, old-world manners, and a dollop of classic snobbery.

Dame Sibyl Hathaway had 275 Nazi prisoners on her hands and knew exactly what she wanted to do with them.

It was May 1945. Five years earlier, Germany had invaded Hathaway’s home in the British Channel Islands, a tiny isle of 400 called Sark. Despite having no modern defense network or fancy gun emplacements—it didn’t even have electricity—Sark had proven itself to be uniquely prepared for its unwelcome visitors. The island had an advantage that the rest of Europe had discarded centuries earlier: feudalism.

[Jim W N]

What a great article, especially on Mother’s Day.

Thanks for sharing.

[SunkenCiv]

images:
http://www.google.com/search?q=isle+of+sark&tbm=isch

smears in The (so-called) Independent:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/a-poisonous-paradise-mps-told-of-tensions-on-isle-of-sark-9062696.html

smears in The (so-called) Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/07/sarks-top-police-officer-says-channel-island-awash-with-criminals

[Blood of Tyrants]

Good story.

[x]

Dame of Sark, but she was a seigneur (feudal lord), so I guess that’s why the headline calls her that.

[Fungi]

Hey, read the entire story . Liked the part about the Germans making butter out of skim milk! Thanks for the post.

[ifinnegan]

“Dame of Sark, but she was a seigneur (feudal lord), so I guess that’s why the headline calls her that.”

The term for female is seigneuresse.

I think bob’s point is a good one.

[Zuriel]

**On May 8, 1945**

The Germans were still threatening them on VE day?

[max americana]

Nazi sympathizers/ex-Germany soldiers were still targeting GI soldiers when they occupied Germany well into 1949..

[Tijeras_Slim]

Fascinating stuff, thanks for posting!

[ifinnegan]

This image is Wikimedia Commons.

Dame Sybil in 1945.

[dadfly]

thanks great post.

our pastor just gave a great sermon on the “Wise Woman” for Mother’s Day, which he summarized by making three biblical points about her:

1. She builds her house.

2. She hears good council and accepts correction when necessary.

2. She’s made up her mind (her heart is not divided).

In the article, Dame Sybil, imo, perfectly exemplified those three principles under the dire circumstance of German occupation and completely qualifies as a very wise woman and mother.

we all would do well to follow her example under present circumstances.

[ifinnegan]

Thanks for the article. I never had even heard of Sark.

[IndispensableDestiny]

My great-grandmother did much the same with the Nazis on her manor in Lithuania. Although she was fluent in German, she would only speak in French to the Germans, so the only officers that came by were French speaking.

[elcid1970]

Any relation to Cutty Sark (hic)?

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I sure learned some things today. Thanks for posting.

[dvan]

A really great, informative and humorous , entertaining article. Thanks for posting this. It is marvelous.

[wally_bert]

I learned that Sark is an actual place from a Bergerac episode.

[Pelham]

feudalism bump

[skr]

“Lady” is just a courtesy title with no legal power.

[Peter Libra]

Extremely interesting account. I read with a wry smile that just after the Allies invaded Europe, Winston Churchill refused to supply the islanders with food packages. Saying it was the Germans responsibility. British press did not report this to my knowledge. The story that was frozen in my mind as a child was this.

A British Red Cross ship arrived when the Germans cleared out of the island. They had British food parcels and American food parcels. The islanders swarmed the ship. They threw back the British food parcels and chose the American food parcels. I know for a fact, though supplied with healthy food in the war, luxury appetizing foods were very scarce. This for the ordinary Briton.

I also heard the American and Canadian food parcels were intercepted by the British bureaucrats. For themselves and friends. We kids got a bag of apples labelled from Canada as our food parcel. Distributed to the local school.