History

[davids]

The Borgia's lived around the corner from me. Literally.

 

[summerisle]

 

[summerisle]

 

[summerisle]

 

[PhilM]

 

[Rita_Poon]

mordor is gonna see her arse.

 

[summerisle]

Very interesting that, cheers. I've got a book somewhere which is about Flanders and the Somme ten years after the war ; many photographs still showing the devastation of the battlefields, now overgrown. I'll have to dig it out. Somewhere in the book it mentions that Birkenhead was once twinned with Ypres, although when I enquired at Birkenhead library they didn't have any information about it.

 

[PhilM]

Very interesting that, cheers. I've got a book somewhere which is about Flanders and the Somme ten years after the war ; many photographs still showing the devastation of the battlefields, now overgrown. I'll have to dig it out. Somewhere in the book it mentions that Birkenhead was once twinned with Ypres, although when I enquired at Birkenhead library they didn't have any information about it.

I've been to Northern France and Belgium a few times now on war graves tours, and while it's now grown over you can still see the physical scars of the war.

Moreover, the Belgian and French governments still have dedicated teams dealing with ordinance from the wars that farmers unearth on a regular basis.

If you haven't been already and ever get the chance, visit Lochnagar in the Somme (Picardy). In regard to Ypres and Birkenhead, I've never heard that...

... and I've visited and stayed in Ypres and around the salient many times.

 

[chrismpw]

This year it's 1100 years since England had its first king of all England- Athelstan. There are a series of events and talks in Malmsbury, near me, (his hood) this month to mark the fact.

For those that don't know, England was a short lived country made up largely of what we'd now call Scandinavians and Germans, that was quickly beaten and conquered by the Normans in 1066 and is still living under the feudal remnants of that Norman aristocracy even though they haven't realised and still proudly think they're actually England.

Makes you proud to be English doesn't it?

 

[stipe]

This year it's 1100 years since England had its first king of all England- Athelstan. There are a series of events and talks in Malmsbury, near me, (his hood) this month to mark the fact.

For those that don't know, England was a short lived country made up largely of what we'd now call Scandinavians and Germans, that was quickly beaten and conquered by the Normans in 1066 and is still living under the feudal remnants of that Norman aristocracy even though they haven't realised and still proudly think they're actually England.

Makes you proud to be English doesn't it?

Normans replaced mostly aristocracy, no? Ordinary people remained (culturally) Anglo-Saxons and Germanic language prevailed over Franco-Norman (who of course added their own influence).

Same way with Franks in what would become France, Germanic tribe of Franks invaded Roman (very populous) Gallic provinces and replaced their ruling structure. But they were too few in numbers and with centuries simply got swallowed in Romanized Gallic populace, only name of the country remained.
Or take Spain for example, nothing remains of former Germanic Visigothic Kingdom.

 

[stipe]

Anti-Irish propaganda from 1899.

 

[chrismpw]

Normans replaced mostly aristocracy, no? Ordinary people remained (culturally) Anglo-Saxons and Germanic language prevailed over Franco-Norman (who of course added their own influence).

Same way with Franks in what would become France, Germanic tribe of Franks invaded Roman (very populous) Gallic provinces and replaced their ruling structure. But they were too few in numbers and with centuries simply got swallowed in Romanized Gallic populace, only name of the country remained.

Yes the big Norman land grab ... which is why so much land on England is still owned by so few ... and the subsequent land price is why we have some of the most expensive and, for the price, smallest homes on the planet, even after 1000 years of feudal subjugation to the land. William 1 is also responsible for the sacking of the north because they didn't roll over and submit (like southerners) which established a long standing derision for the north, among the aristocracy/ruling classes/establishment which is STILL clearly observable today.

*tugs forelock

 

[stipe]

Yes the big Norman land grab ... which is why so much land on England is still owned by so few ... and the subsequent land price is why we have some of the most expensive and, for the price, smallest homes on the planet, even after 1000 years of feudal subjugation to the land. William 1 is also responsible for the sacking of the north because they didn't roll over and submit (like southerners) which established a long standing derision for the north, among the aristocracy/ruling classes/establishment which is STILL clearly observable today.

*tugs forelock

Regional/historical rivalry within a single country is pretty normal, we (Croatia) got only 4 million people but rivalry/hate between continental and Adriatic parts is thing to behold.

Or take Italy for example, what Northern Italians think of the Southerners is borderline racism, or Naples, amount of hate that city take, they are almost seen as "sub-humans" by Northerners (as awful as that sounds).

 

[chrismpw]

Regional/historical rivalry within a single country is pretty normal, we (Croatia) got only 4 million people but rivalry/hate between continental and Adriatic parts is thing to behold.

Or take Italy for example, what Northern Italians think of the Southerners is borderline racism, or Naples, amount of hate that city take, they are almost seen as "sub-humans" by Northerners (as awful as that sounds).

I couldn't get through posh/expensive/European northern Italy quickly enough when I visited on a road trip. Much preferred the down to earth south. It's the opposite way around to England.

 

[stipe]

I couldn't get through posh/expensive/European northern Italy quickly enough when I visited on a road trip. Much preferred the down to earth south. It's the opposite way around to England.

Yeah, also unlike you Italy unified pretty late (in 1860s) so probably a lot of influence from old rivalry between Italian states.
Also from what i understand North got a lot of Germanic influence, it was dominated or was direct part of Austrian Habsburg Empire until basically early 20th century so very different historical development than the more rural south.