Today In History - Battle of Hastings - 14 October 1066

BritishBatles.com ^

[ConorMacNessa]

A pivotal moment in Western Civilization. I doubt the current generation emerging from our schools have heard of it.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

O stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their command.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[SamAdams76]

Imagine living in the Dark Ages. Way before J.S. Bach and flush toilets.

Dark bread and dark beer. You didn't dare drink the water!

Sleeping on a bed of straw - usually infested with vermin. But if you were wealthy, you indulged in a very rich diet of multi-course meals with all sorts of dainty dishes, washed down with flagons of wine.

If you were poor, the average life expectancy was about 32 years so you didn't suffer that long.

[Fiji Hill]

A pivotal moment in Western Civilization. I doubt the current generation emerging from our schools have heard of it.

Judging from the answers people on the streets of Sleepy Hollow, NY gave to Jesse Watters when he interviewed them, asking what they knew about Christopher Columbus, you are probably right.

[matginzac]

Ok, so here’s a question...
Wouldn’t a movie about William the Conquerer be a great idea?

[matginzac]

And we live with the consequences of the Battle of Hastings even today...

[GreyFriar]

And a BBC News Story that King Harold II survived the Battle of Hastings and died as a hermit at age 80.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-sussex-29612656

“An underground scan is being carried out at Waltham Abbey in Essex in a hunt for evidence that King Harold survived the Battle of Hastings.”

“Novelist and amateur historian Peter Burke wants to test his theory that the king recovered and lived for 40 years after the battle on 14 October 1066.”

[ConorMacNessa]

Works for me - several decades ago, Hollywood produced several good historical films. A little short on historical accuracy, but better than what we'd get today, IMHO.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

O stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their command.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[Fiji Hill]

But if you were wealthy, you indulged in a very rich diet of multi-course meals with all sorts of dainty dishes, washed down with flagons of wine.

And that might bring on an attack of gout, known at the time as a disease of kings and nobles.

[Textide]

Absolutely! You can play Crusader Kings 2 or Medieval Total War 2 to get a feel for the time period now though. A movie would be fantastic.

[ConorMacNessa]

Had not heard that - I wonder what evidence they could find - unless I'm wrong, we have no DNA samples and I'm curious as to how such a contention could be established.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

O stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their command.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[SES1066]

What is truly amazing is that all 3 contenders for the English crown were of close Viking descent at a time when the Viking raids were well within family memory (793-1035). One can take the speculation of a win by Hadrada serving to lock England into a more lengthy north-looking confederation but I think he too would have been defeated by William. It is the thought of Harold defeating William with the fresh troops that draws the speculation of what-if!

Fully agree that this is one of the cusps of history! Thanks for the reminder!

[matginzac]

I’ve read some of the history and consider it as good if not superior to those movies done of Henry II etc.
Think it could sell in today’s mindless, CGI dominated cesspool called Hoolywood?

[GreyFriar]

His dog tags? :-)

[Fiji Hill]

Ok, so here’s a question... Wouldn’t a movie about William the Conquerer be a great idea?

William the Conqueror, a Romanian movie, was made in 1982. Romanian army soldiers played Anglo-Saxon and Norman warriors and peasants.

[ConorMacNessa]

One aspect of the campaign not often highlighted is the relative swiftness with which Harold was able to recover after a punishing battle at Stamford Bridge to face William at Hastings.

From the accounts I have seen, it appears that the Saxons had guts to spare, but were outwitted and outmaneuvered by William on the field. Once they broke ranks to pursue William's feints, they were doomed. Their battle line stretched and essentially lost its integrity.

Must leave to pick my son up from work. Will bbiab, FRiends.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

O stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians that we lie here, obedient to their command.

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[matginzac]

I’m not a big vid game person but understand how some of them could give you the feel of the era.
William’s story of being a bastard yet inheriting, beating Matilda for her disrespect yet she falls for him, his children being less than up to the task of keeping things together and his death was stunningly sad, his corpse abandoned by the servants...yet we live with the results of his ambition and determination to this day...wow!
I’d go see it.
Who’d play William? Russell Crowe? Daniel Day-Lewis? Who?

[matginzac]

Ok, so it wasn’t on my radar screen so I take it it didn’t do too well at the box office.
I’m thinking a Gladiator-type epic...the story deserves nothing less.

[CatherineofAragon]

"A pivotal moment in Western Civilization. I doubt the current generation emerging from our schools have heard of it. "

I doubt they have, as well...which is why the History Channel is now devoted to aliens and pawn shops. Have to hold the attention of the low-info crowd.

[BatGuano]

A few years ago we had the chance to visit Bayeaux and see the famous “tapestry”. I knew the subject of the art but expected a huge work of art hung on a huge wall. Much to our surprise the “tapestry” is about 15” high and about 200’ long! (15 inches by 200 feet.) Amazing work to see even if the hall is dimly lit. (to preserve the piece.)

In nearby Caen, William's castle remains can be seen.

If you visit France, I recommend Normandy for the history is there to see.

[Fiji Hill]

E. D. Hirsch, an advocate of "cultural literacy," a common body of knowledge with which everyone in a given culture should be familiar, wrote that there are four dates that every American should know: 1066, 1492, 1776, 1939-1945.

• 1066--the eruption of the Sunset Crater volcano near present-day Flagstaff, Ariz.

• 1492--the fall of the Muslim kingdom of Granada to the armies of Christian Spain

• 1776--Adam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations and the first volume of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire hit the book stores

• 1939-1945--The USC Trojans made four trips to the Rose Bowl