Poet Andrew de Coutances, an Anglo-Norman cleric, describes the French as godless, arrogant and lazy dogs
Posted on 01/17/2010 12:08:03 AM PST by bruinbirdman
Twelfth-century poem newly translated into English casts fresh light on the origin of today's Francophobic stereotypes
Although it is meant to be an 'entente cordiale', the relationship between the English and the French has been anything but neighbourly.
Poet Andrew de Coutances, an Anglo-Norman cleric, describes the French as godless, arrogant and lazy dogs
When the two nations have not been clashing on the battlefield or the sporting pitch they have been trading insults from 'frogs' to 'rosbifs'.
Now the translation of the poem has shown just how deep-rooted in history the rivalry and name-calling really is.
Written between 1180 and 1194, a century after the Norman Conquest united England and Normandy against a common enemy in France, the 396-line poem was part of a propaganda war between London and Paris.
Poet Andrew de Coutances, an Anglo-Norman cleric, describes the French as godless, arrogant and lazy dogs. Even more stingingly, he accuses French people of being cowardly, and calls them heretics and rapists.
It has taken David Crouch, a professor of medieval history at Hull University, months to complete the translation of what is one of the earliest examples of anti-French diatribe.
The poem was written at a time when Philip II of France was launching repeated attacks on Normandy, taking advantage of in-fighting within the English royal family.
Prof Crouch says that the poem is of great interest to historians because of its "racial rhetoric", which was deployed by Anglo-Norman intellectuals in support of their kings' bitter political and military struggle.
While rivalry between the English and their Gallic neighbours now only tends to surface at sporting occasions and European summits, the poem recalls battles between the two countries and describes the vices of the French in detail.
In one passage, it claims that
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
*** And I say that with a very trace of amount British ancestry in my bloodline, according to my father. Mostly Scottish.***
What was it Edward Gibbon said about the land of the Picts and Scotts north of Hadiran’s Wall? ;-)
Worth remembering that - in particular Verdun; where, at enormous cost, the French successfully withstood the most powerful assault in the history of warfare up to that time.
And if it was not for Charles Martel, Western Europe would have been Islam a long time ago. Some of my surname Scottish ancestors were convicted of treason by the English. A couple for conspiring with the French. Back then, the Scottish Guards were an elite unit guarding the French King.
Here is a link to his chapter about the Picts and Scotts from The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Don't know exactly what you are referring too ? Perhaps a quote outside this work ?
Sorry - The above link is from his book The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 4
When I went to Scotland for a family reunion I was excited for several reasons*, but the cuisine was not one of them.
It turns out that Scottish food is pretty good and has a big French component (cream sauces, for instance); one of the reasons is the cultural diffusion between the two countries: Back in the olden days when they had a common enemy, there was much traffic and diplomacy between them.
“The English had problems with all their neighbors. That was the nature of Kingdoms back then”
To hear it from a friend of mine that’s the way it is in a lot of gated retirement communities down in Florida.
French Fort Douaumont on the Verdun line. The walls of the fort are almost a mile across from each other.
...
........Before the battle........................................................................After the battle.
Gives the term "waffle" a new meaning.
Reminds me of those Seinfeld shows where Kramer retires down in Florida.
As do most of us these days, I'm happy to assure you. If I had a bit more time, I might give you a sample week's menus for my home cooking here in south-west England. You might be surprised.
Oh I thought this was about the RNC/GOP DC elites and the Republican “leadership”.....
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