Posted on 10/14/2016 5:35:22 AM PDT by harpygoddess
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, in which William the Conqueror initiated the Norman conquest of England by defeating the forces of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold, who was killed in the conflict (although there's been recent speculation that Harold survived). William, Duke of Normandy, had been promised the English throne by his cousin, Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042-1066), and Harold, earl of Wessex, had sworn agreement to that succession. However, with the death of Edward, Harold crowned himself king, leading William to mount a sea-borne invasion to assert his own right.
Landing his army on the south coast of England, he confronted Harold at Hastings, routed the Anglo-Saxon army, declared himself King William I, and ultimately established Norman hegemony over all of England.
Shortly after the Normans conquered England in 1066, William seized all of the lands, then divvied up control among those soldiers and nobles who helped him defeat the Anglo-Saxons (and keeping a fair bit for himself). However, as dramatic as that was, it is even more shocking that today, most of Britain remains in the hands of the descendants of those early Norman conquerors.
I was just reading about that...
This is why we eat “beef”, not “cow”, and polite people say “manure” when they meant “sh
Almost 1000 years of continuous British(English) monarchy!
And to think, in 50 years there will likely be another King William too.
Assuming it is sultan Abdul III instead.
It wasn’t till last year that I came to realize that my family heritage comes from this period, and some relatives were part of the Norman invasion. The Battle of Hastings has an impact with me.
Durned in-laws can't get along...
Can’t we all just get along? (/sarcasm)
All the reigning kings and queens of England since then have been descendants of William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy.
All the reigning kings and queens of England since then have been descendants of William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy.
We are also about a week and a half from the 601st Anniversary of Agincourt :)
The Battle of Hastings was the last successful invasion of England, until the current Muslim invasion engineered by England’s elected representatives.
That is excellent, and I’ve never seen it before. Thank you!
My family can trace directly back to William himself. I suspect many can if they just do the work.
Agincourt, the charge of the Light Brigade and Leyte Gulf, actually - all took place on the same day (October 25)
http://vaviper.blogspot.com/2010/10/today-in-history-agincourt-charge-of.html
The Normans conquer the Anglo-Saxons, who previously conquered the Britons, who very likely conquered the Picts.
Reparations all around!
My family also traces back to William.
As a result, though, if you're descended from any of William's nobles, you're also descended from the old aristocracy of Cornwall or Devon or Yorkshire or Kent. That's just the way it was.
Excellent essay!
My college English professor would be aghast!
He ENCOURAGED the use of pretentious words in writing, calling them “Learn-ed Words”, not ‘learned’ but ‘learn-ed’, two syllables.
He ENCOURAGED the use of foreign phrases and idioms in writing to ‘spruce it up’ has he said.
This was in 1973..................
I was just gonna say that! You rascal, you copied me beforehand!!
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