Join War Thunder for free using this link and get a premium tank, ship, or aircraft and three days of premium time as a bonus: gjn.link/BiographicsWarThunder
One of the most important consequence of this invasion, is on the English language. Before, the people spoke Old English. After they spoke Anglo-Norman. Both combined to form Middle English which evolved to more modern version: Quick example of the tremendous evolution of the English language before and after the conquest. This is the Lord's Prayer: 1) *Old English* Fæder ure, þu þe eart on heofonum, si þin nama gehalgod; tobecume þin rice; gewurþe þin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum; urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg, and forgyf us ure gyltas, swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum, and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge, ac alys us of yfele. Soþlice. 2. *Anglo-Norman (this is where English get its French and Latin words, do you see them in bold?).* Li nostre Pere, qui es ciels, *saintefiez* soit li tuens uons; avigne li tuens *regnes*. Soit faite ta volonte, si comme ele est faite el ciel, si foit ele faite en terre. Nostre pain de chascun jor nos donne hui. Et *pardone*-nos nos meffais, si comme nos pardonons a cos qui maeffait nos ont. Sire, ne *soffre* que nos soions *tempte* par mauvesse *temptaion*; mes, Sire, *delivre*-nos de mal. Amen. 3. *Middle English (which is a mix of the above two)* Oure fadir şat art in heuenes halwid be şi name; şi reume or kyngdom come to be. Be şi wille don in herşe as it is dounin heuene. yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred. And foryeue to us oure dettis şat is oure synnys as we foryeuen to oure dettouris şat is to men şat han synned in us. And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl. 4. *Modern English* Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 5. *For info, modern French:* Notre Père, qui es aux cieux, que ton nom soit sanctifié, que ton règne vienne, que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel. Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour. Pardonne-nous nos offenses,comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés. Et ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation mais délivre-nous du Mal. Amen.
@@ShannonRochon Same for us anglophones too. We hardly recognize the Old / Middle english. This is why English is so chaotic, it changes so quickly. I am advanced level in French, and even I understood Anglo-Norman better than Old/Middle english!
Fun fact: So why did Anglo-Norman die out? Its because the rulers and nobility kept hiring low-born women to serve their children. These low-born women spoke Old-English in the Anglo-Norman court. These children spent more time with their guardians, then they do with their parents; So slowly over the generations, Anglo-Norman dissapeared while Middle-English became stronger. This is a great example of "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world"
I just LOVE this part of history, the threeway between England, Normandy and Norway And I'm actually sad and disappointed about how there are almost no videos about this (be it with a historical, biographical or strategical point of view)
Thumbnail: The man who conquered England. Henry VII: Cool. You're talking about me, right? William I: No, about me. Henry VII: You bastard... William I: Dude.... so uncool.
1:10 - Chapter 1 - Early life 4:00 - Chapter 2 - English concerns 6:00 - Chapter 3 - The game begins 7:55 - Mid roll ads 8:25 - Chapter 4 - The norsemen attack 11:45 - Chapter 5 - The norman invasion 13:15 - Chapter 6 - The battle of hastings 15:35 - Chapter 7 - King william 18:00 - Chapter 8 - Final days
The 'arrow in the eye' story has been disputed ever since it was first mentioned; an early account of the battle says Harold was actually ridden down by four knights and dismembered. The arrow might be the invention of Normans as blinding was the tradition punishment for perjurers (which they claimed Harold was, having broken the oath he swore (under duress, if it ever happened) to help William become king).
Agree completely. How convenient that he apparently received the perjurer's punishment. Much more like he was simply hacked to death in the heat of battle as you say. Recall watching the forensic examination of King Richard's skeleton and it told a story of brutality inflicted before and after death.
@@mangot589 Yes, although interestingly the tapestry has been renovated many times, and old drawings made of that section (I think back in the 1700s) suggest the 'arrow in the eye' figure was originally holding a spear or javelin rather than taking an arrow to the face.
Agreed. Also the Anglo-Saxons only used their horses for travelling and not in battle. When arriving at the scene of a battle, they dismounted and fought on foot, forming formidable shield walls with the House-Carls and the Fyrds (local militia men) behind them. Therefore Harold was unlikely to be on a horse when he died - whether or not he was actually hit in the eye with an arrow (this is disputed today by most historians).
I love that even in historical times, commanders couldn't resist getting in a witty action movie hero style dig at their enemy before the battle started LOL.
I was surprised he didn’t go into the grisly details of Williams death and burial. The crushed testicles, the botched embalming, the land dispute, the fire and the exploding guts
Mate, the testicles were bad enough! All the rest of those misfortunes are relatively minor wheras crushed nadges are enough to make men wince almost a thousand years after.
@@personofnoimportance5590 Even the most widely-beloved rulers in history still had people who despised them. You simply can't attain that level of power without making some enemies.
I could be wrong here but I thought when William landed in England he fell out of his boat and faceplanted. His army saw this as a sign that the invasion was doomed. But quick wittedly William kissed the ground and said something like "I am kissing my new land"
When Simon said "October 14th" I instinctively glanced at the date on my laptop. October 14th 2020. It appears that I'm watching this video exactly 954 years to the day since the Battle of Hastings. It feels a bit surreal.
Simon: If that one arrow hadn't hit Harold in the eye and killed him, we might all be speaking a different language now. English would be closer to Norwegian or Danish as a language and have fewer French influences! It boggles the mind. 1 arrow randomly missing its mark and all of English history (and the history of the English language) could have been completely different!
Spot on. The "what if" scenario which historians like to play with sometimes. I don't know whether things would be better or worse but you can bet your sweet life things would be different. If the French Norman leader been killed that day and Harold Godwinson had won instead how different English and British culture would be today without the last 900 years of French Norman influence. It's curious that when ever we look back at history (if we even bother looking back at all) there's an automatic tendency to accept past events as if the were somehow pre ordained and inevitable when they were nothing of the sort. I'll just throw out one small piece of change. Off the coast of North West France are a group of small islands previously known as the islands of Normandy which in 2020 are more loyal to Britain than the British. If Harold had won in 1066 Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney would today still be part of Normandy and France and the very idea of charging around shouting that they should really be part of GB (which they are) would probably lead you to being on the wrong end of personal abuse or being confined under the French equivalent of the Mental Health Act.
by that point, Harold would have probably lost anyway, his army had taken huge casualties. That being said, the 2 armies were roughly evenly matched and Harold came close to winning earlier in the battle. Duke William had fallen off his horse, and the English were close to killing him, which is why some of the Normans thought he had died and fled. Of course, William got back up and went on to win the battle
How about this: british own their name ... to a roman TYPO. Inhabitants were knows as Prits, but a roman chronicler made a typo and wrote a B instead of a P.
I think that one of the most incredible things about the Bayeux Tapestry is that it isn't a tapestry; it's an embroidery (a fact Simon mentions but doesn't pusue).
Godwinson didn't immediately turn back after the battle of Stamford bridge. he didn't know William was coming alteady. He did rest for a several days and only turned South he heard the Normans had landed. historians actually debate if waiting any longer would have helped him even more because his army was already quite taxed at that point, and he didn't really have a lot in the way of reserves
I am a direct descendent of Henry de Ferriers, Ferrers, or Ferris, who with his older brother William followed Duke William to England in 1066. The Ferrieres family were land barons in Normandy, and owned two substantial estates. The first was Chambrais, and the other was Ferrieres-St-Hilaire. These estates are located in the chief iron producing district of Normandy. It is known that the Ferrieres family owned, and operated a large ironworks that turned out weaponry for centuries in St Hilaire, the most important, and most ancient of the forges. Many sources say that Walkelin de Ferrieres, Seigneur of St. Hilaire, was the Duke's armourer as well as his Master of Horse. In 1040 the Ferrieres emerged as one of the four great Norman baronial families and lined up on the side of the duke. Walkelin de Ferrieres was involved in a private war with Hugh de Montfort over loyalty to the duke of Normandy. The two knights took their differences to a jousting tournament and the outcome was a draw, both were killed in the combat in 1040. The Ferrieres family shares common geneology roots with William the Conqueror. Those roots stretch back through the Norsemen who came down from Orkney North to Scotland and in from Ireland as rival armies of mercenaries hired by feuding French factions in Western France. The Norsemen finally united to conquer Normandy for themselves in 871 AD. Those Viking roots have been traced back by some geneological researchers through the Norsemen and Danish sagas to a forgotten Norse king who ruled Finland in 160 AD. William, and Henry followed duke William into the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and led a considerable force of Ferrieres soldiers who played a key role in routing the Saxons after the defender's King Harold was killed in a valiant defense of his realm. William de Ferrieres was also killed at Hastings. But Henry survived the battle to take his brother's spoils of war as well as his own. William the Conqueror gave Henry large grants of land in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, and the Ferrieres became one of the great baronial land owners of Medieval Europe. Henry de Ferrieres went from a Norman knight to one of England's biggest landowners. I have tons of information on Henry, and the Ferrieres family, and I find it very interesting. Samual Ferrers a direct descendent of Henry de Ferrieres came to Charlestown, Massachusetts from Reading England in November 17, 1673. Samual's great grandson was Reed Ferriss who was born in 1730. Reed Ferriss married Anne Tripp a descendent of Elizabeth Alden, The first child of John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins who came over on the Mayflower. The name Ferrers was changed to Ferriss after Samual had his first child. Several generations later the last s was dropped from the last name, and the modern name Ferris was started. This is interesting history, but I realize this part of English history is turbulent, and my interest is strictly history and that's as far as it goes with me. I wish ill will to no one. Stay safe everyone.
Henry de ferrieres 1036-1101 is my 29th great Grandfather. This family line also took me to king Llewelyn ap sidsyll king of wales. On another family line I’m related to Edward Vl as first cousin 16x removed. That’s just top of the iceberg that is my family history. There was me thinking I wouldn’t find anything I interesting!
Edited Formerly an inaccurate comment about medics and guns, apparently they do in fact carry them in combat, for use defensively only, losing there protection in the geneva convention when they use them offensively.
All medics in ww2 were trained with weapons and carried some type of defensive firearm. Doss refused to even touch a rifle in training and despite being a medic in the Pacific where medics were specifically targeted and often had to fight for their own lives, he never did pick up a weapon. He also treated and evacuated dozens of soldiers from atop an escarpment all while dodging enemy soldiers and artillery and still not using any weapon
Better yet a biography on Dr Norman Bethune would be great. He saved thousands of lives. Of course you have never heard of him because he is NOT American. There are many stories outside of USA history.
Throughout the video: "3 Claimants... Only 1 claimant left." Godwinson: Noice Hardrada: Noice William: Noice Edgar Aetheling of House Wessex, grandson of King Edmund Ironside and nephew of King Edward the Confessor, later elected as king by the Witan after Godwinson's death : am I a joke to you
Just letting you know that automatically liking the video without watching any of it doesn't count towards YT's algorithm which decides which videos get pushed into peoples' feeds so you're doing the channel a disservice by not waiting and making your like matter.
Was waiting for Simon for making a video in William the conqueror. Through the conquest of William the conqueror the French language became the language of the nobles in England and many French words taken into the English language. Through the conquest of William the conqueror the fate and the future of Britain and France became intertwined forever.
Well not forever. Eventually English nobles with land in France had to make a choice between the two nations and commit to being either English or French, and not retain territory on both sides of the Channel.
This would be a great opportunity to make two videos about Harold Godwinson, and Harald Hardrada , who in my opinion, although he only had a walk on role for the Battle of Hastings, led a more interesting life than either William the Conqueror or Harold Godwinson.
I had the privilege of seeing the Bayeux Tapestry during a European vacation in 2018. Each section had a “phone” you could pick up and it would tell you what that specific section of the tapestry was depicting. Quite cool!
My son through his mother has awhile host of relatives on the Bayeux tapestry from His Great Uncle William the Conquerir-his half brother Odo, his Great Grandfathers Robert de Mortagne and Engenulphe de l’Aigle and other family members.
Finding this all fascinating, especially after doing my dad’s paternal ancestry which went to Harold Godwinson. Funny thing is I was telling a friend about that discovery and it turned out his ancestry went back to William the Conqueror. We haven’t tried to kill each other yet. 😂
My family history shows we were Normans who were part of that invasion force but didn't explain much. Now I know a little more about how my family became English before becoming American. Thanks.
The men that survived these ancients battles without shame or the mark of cowardice deserve praise. Just imagining The loss of life and immeasurable chaos experienced during a battles such as the ones discussed would leave none unscathed.
Harold II definitely did travel to Normandy, just not voluntarily. He was blown off course. Also, Kings of England at that time were chosen by the Witan or Witanagemot if I remember right. It means “assembly of wise men”. The Crown was not Edward’s to promise. And had every bit of luck not gone against Harold II, we would live in a different world today.
Just had to say, Simon, your introduction for this video made me stop what I was doing to look at the screen and comment on how impressive it was. Well spoken
Just a recommendation for any future biographies that include the naming of so many locations. It might be a good idea to show an outline of the region on map rather than the scenic pictures.
@Simon: A new channel idea came to me the other day that I'd like to suggest to you. Before I reveal it, though, I know you're juggling multiple channels already (including a couple new ones that you just added over the last few weeks/months); so, I don't expect you to actually make a channel out of this idea of mine, but it'd be kool if you did 'cuz I think it's right up your alley. The name is "Chronographics" which goes nicely with your already existing Biographics and Geographics channels. It'd be a history-themed channel where you'd focus on specific critical years or eras in world history and give general overviews of events that happened during those years/eras and touch on the people who played parts in those events.
Hears 10:40 - automatically thinks of - Englishmen! I am waiting here In my heart I know not an ounce of fear We are waiting here my trusted axe and me Just come at me, I will not flee Death! I know that it awaits Soon I will enter Valhalla's gates!
Steven McCullough, don't feel alone. When I watch these vids on my computer, I have a matrix on my laptop to keep a score card! Man it can get confusing.
I would very much look forward to that as well. And a historical presentation of King Harold, the great Anglo Saxon king killed at the battle of Hastings. I also wold like to see historical perspective of Brian Boru, and Robert the Bruce, as I am of Irish, Scottish and English ancestry.
What I remember most about William I'd what Horrible Histories has taught me. I'm William the Conqueror My enemies stood no chance They call me the first English king Although I come from France 1066, the Doomsday book I gave to history So fat on death my body burst But enough about me
This says it was published on 6 May 2020. Today is 5 May 2020 for most of the planet. In fact, it only just became 6 May 2020 in Sydney, Australia. What sorcery has youtube called upon?
Harald hardrada's men: *I VILL DRINK FRUM YAR SKALL!!!* Harold Godwinson's men: *It's almost harvesting season!!!* William's men: *No... but i brought steel!!!*
JoAnn Ivaldi A mixture of bravery in battle, good service to the King or other high ranking noblemen, luck and a bit of arse licking. The titles I believe were actually Germanic in origin from around Roman times. However, you have the ranking in the correct order with Barons at the “bottom” with Earls/counts administering a county while Dukes oversee them.
I’m William the Conqueror my enemies stood no chance They called me the first English king although I come from France 1066 the Domesday Book I gave to history So fat on death my body burst but enough me about me
*_I'm William the conqueror my enemies stood no chance, became the first English king even though I come from france, 1066 the doomsday book I gave to history, so fat on death my body burst but enough about me, so to help you remember all your kings we came up with this song so a simple rhythm in 63 and you wanna sing along_*
@@AnthonyEvelyn I would suspect hard cider, as in modern times. Normandy is in the far north of France, better for apples and pears than for Vitis vinifera grapes (which were originally from the Caucasus and thrive in Mediterranean areas).
The problem was that the Witan chose the King of England, plain and simple. King Edward could only nominate someone to succeed him, including his son, had he had one. The Witan chose Harald. So William was indeed a "Conqueror," and took England in defiance of English law. So the "English" (Anglo/Saxons) naturally -- and rightly -- hated William and his descendants. No mystery.
My English grandmother taught me a verse to remember the names of the early English kings: "Willy, Willy, Henry, Steve, Henry, Dick, John, Henry Three"
Not to mention George Trevor! But my grandfather, my father's father, and my grandmother's father Joseph Johnson were subjects of the Queen. That would be one Queen Victoria.
@@ronmoonen3602 Ron, I B that is Edward, you gave the Norman a d French spelling here. Although, the Eduard spelling probably did apply to the early Edwardian kings and you are correct in this.
I had 3 uncles given middle name Verdun. Growing up, my father was not 100% sure why they were named so. But obviously had an inkling it was to do with Verdun in France! After my cousin Pauline did our family tree, tracing back through relatives here in Australia, New Zealand & finally back to our origins of England, she’d established we were from Bertram de Verdun of France. He was we believe a high ranking soldier/official who fought with William The Conqueror in The Battle Of Hastings. He was granted quite a substantial portion of England as a reward. Nonetheless having roots going back so far & now being his direct descendants on the far side of the world is pretty cool!🛡⚔️👑😎🇦🇺
Even after the battle, William had nothing. Most of the English nobility did not participate in the battle. They elected William thinking nothing would change. But William betrayed then. He replaced the English nobility with Norman and Breton nobility. The thing for England is that it stopped a roving ground for Scandinavian warriors.
It always fascinates me how these relatively small countries were able to exert so much power and influence throughout the world. Four European nations (UK, France, Spain, Portugal) put together contain less than 3% of the world's population, but the four languages they invented are spoken by *33%* of the world's population.
Great video. Would love to see videos on the more notable Plantagenets and also a coverage of the War of the Roses from its protagonists like Henry 6, Earl of Warwick, and Richard 3
It is still not clear if Ragnor actually did exist. Even if he did: there were very few written scources during the early Middle Ages/start of the Viking Age. The written word was a privilege almost soley granted to the clergy. In Scandinavia they almost exclusively wrote in the form of runes. Ragnar or at least Ragnar's life would be at best a product of a few written accounts and stories passed on from one generation to the next in combination with Viking saga's.
You completely missed that he married into a "flemish" family who a few generations before had married into the royal family of the major english nation. When he left to invade england, he stopped there to pick up many paid soldiers to build his strength, and the duke and his two sons and forces went to england to help defeat it by backing William.
He must have been a good 6'5," 6'6." That's 7 or 8 inches taller than I am so it's pretty tall... Not a giant by a long shot though (maybe in medieval times though)...
Me too. And I'm related to William the Conqueror. One has to respect old Bill but English would be so much more linguistically pure had Harold won. What could've been.
Imagine defeating the Vikings at Stamford Bridge only to hear William the Conqueror had invaded hundreds of miles away before you’ve had time to celebrate.
“Harold might have got an arrow in the eye no one is too sure” Bad weather prevented an earlier voyage to England He was further called William the conqueror not for his victory over the English but before that because of his success in the battle of Maine in 1064
I am an American. I spent thirteen years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, another four years in college, and four years (part-time) in law school. I had never heard of the Battle of Hastings, the Norman Invasion, or William the Conquerer until after I finished law school and took control of my own education. American education largely treats it as a non-event unless you end up in a specific degree program in college. I think this is a remarkable state of affairs considering the impact these events had on the English language, British and American law, literature, politics, subsequent world affairs, etc. I have occasionally mentioned the Norman Invasion and the Battle of Hastings with other Americans. I have usually been met with blank looks.
Why so? All English and then British monarchs since then are descended from King William, as am I and an estimated several million of the English population.
@@Simonsvids The Norman invasion was the death of Anglo Saxon England. The Normans massacred Saxons. It was essentially an apocalyptic event for a way of life. If either Harald had won England would have likely maintained it's more germanic and nordic culture and had more in common with Scandinavia. The North sea empire would have likely been revived. It's also just sad that England hasn't had an actual Saxon king in over 1000 years. It's honestly one of the most tragic moments in history in my opinion.
@@proudsaiyanprince2651 There is a 'what if' to everything. For all we know had the Saxons won one of their number could have turned out to be a Hitler or Stalin, or a Mother Theresa.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Join War Thunder for free using this link and get a premium tank, ship, or aircraft and three days of premium time as a bonus: gjn.link/BiographicsWarThunder
Yo
Why was this comment made 2 weeks ago while this video came out just 20 minutes ago?
Biographics comment #188 at 3 hours in. I’m getting faster. 😁
I’ve been waiting for William the Conquerer.
Make a video about Augustus Cesar
Kind sir Simon, can you please make a video of King Canute
One of the most important consequence of this invasion, is on the English language. Before, the people spoke Old English. After they spoke Anglo-Norman. Both combined to form Middle English which evolved to more modern version:
Quick example of the tremendous evolution of the English language before and after the conquest. This is the Lord's Prayer:
1) *Old English*
Fæder ure,
þu þe eart on heofonum,
si þin nama gehalgod;
tobecume þin rice;
gewurþe þin willa
on eorðan swa swa on heofonum;
urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg,
and forgyf us ure gyltas,
swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum,
and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge,
ac alys us of yfele.
Soþlice.
2. *Anglo-Norman (this is where English get its French and Latin words, do you see them in bold?).*
Li nostre Pere, qui es ciels,
*saintefiez* soit li tuens uons;
avigne li tuens *regnes*.
Soit faite ta volonte, si comme ele est faite el ciel,
si foit ele faite en terre.
Nostre pain de chascun jor nos donne hui.
Et *pardone*-nos nos meffais,
si comme nos pardonons a cos qui maeffait nos ont.
Sire, ne *soffre* que nos soions *tempte* par mauvesse *temptaion*;
mes, Sire, *delivre*-nos de mal. Amen.
3. *Middle English (which is a mix of the above two)*
Oure fadir şat art in heuenes
halwid be şi name;
şi reume or kyngdom come to be.
Be şi wille don
in herşe as it is dounin heuene.
yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred.
And foryeue to us oure dettis şat is oure synnys
as we foryeuen to oure dettouris şat is to men şat han synned in us.
And lede us not into temptacion
but delyuere us from euyl.
4. *Modern English*
Our father which art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
in earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
5. *For info, modern French:*
Notre Père, qui es aux cieux,
que ton nom soit sanctifié,
que ton règne vienne,
que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offenses,comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous laisse pas entrer en tentation mais délivre-nous du Mal.
Amen.
I speak both French & English & I find it fascinating that I completely understood the Norman passage but barely could read the English ones.
@@ShannonRochon to be honest I can kinda read parts of the middle English. Just enough to know that it's a prayer.
@@ShannonRochon Same for us anglophones too. We hardly recognize the Old / Middle english. This is why English is so chaotic, it changes so quickly. I am advanced level in French, and even I understood Anglo-Norman better than Old/Middle english!
Fun fact: So why did Anglo-Norman die out? Its because the rulers and nobility kept hiring low-born women to serve their children. These low-born women spoke Old-English in the Anglo-Norman court. These children spent more time with their guardians, then they do with their parents; So slowly over the generations, Anglo-Norman dissapeared while Middle-English became stronger. This is a great example of "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world"
For reading the old/middle English: where are the German/Dutch/Scandinavian speakers? Does that help?
Finally, I've been waiting for this since 1067
Patience IS a virtue....but DAMN! 😮🖖
Almost as long as we’ve been in lockdown
Damn commitment bro 😯 👍
Are you a highlander?
I just LOVE this part of history, the threeway between England, Normandy and Norway
And I'm actually sad and disappointed about how there are almost no videos about this (be it with a historical, biographical or strategical point of view)
“He said no.”
“That bastard!”
“Wait, I thought you were the bastard?”
“Dude! .... uncool.”
Ah I see someone is a person of culture as well
Thumbnail: The man who conquered England.
Henry VII: Cool. You're talking about me, right?
William I: No, about me.
Henry VII: You bastard...
William I: Dude.... so uncool.
My man! Man of culture!
Yes an oversimplified reference.
Just yes
D’Oh no!
1:10 - Chapter 1 - Early life
4:00 - Chapter 2 - English concerns
6:00 - Chapter 3 - The game begins
7:55 - Mid roll ads
8:25 - Chapter 4 - The norsemen attack
11:45 - Chapter 5 - The norman invasion
13:15 - Chapter 6 - The battle of hastings
15:35 - Chapter 7 - King william
18:00 - Chapter 8 - Final days
Thank you🥰
The 'arrow in the eye' story has been disputed ever since it was first mentioned; an early account of the battle says Harold was actually ridden down by four knights and dismembered. The arrow might be the invention of Normans as blinding was the tradition punishment for perjurers (which they claimed Harold was, having broken the oath he swore (under duress, if it ever happened) to help William become king).
Agree completely. How convenient that he apparently received the perjurer's punishment. Much more like he was simply hacked to death in the heat of battle as you say. Recall watching the forensic examination of King Richard's skeleton and it told a story of brutality inflicted before and after death.
Dismembered sounds bad. Then he surrendered?
Well, I think that has a lot to do with the Bayeux tapestry.🤷♀️
@@mangot589 Yes, although interestingly the tapestry has been renovated many times, and old drawings made of that section (I think back in the 1700s) suggest the 'arrow in the eye' figure was originally holding a spear or javelin rather than taking an arrow to the face.
Agreed. Also the Anglo-Saxons only used their horses for travelling and not in battle. When arriving at the scene of a battle, they dismounted and fought on foot, forming formidable shield walls with the House-Carls and the Fyrds (local militia men) behind them. Therefore Harold was unlikely to be on a horse when he died - whether or not he was actually hit in the eye with an arrow (this is disputed today by most historians).
“Seven feet of English ground, for he is taller than other men” ok that was a pretty badass line I have to admit
Epic line
Took me 2 seconds to realize that was the equivalent to saying "I'll put you in the dirt you bastard" but said in a more.... eloquent way, I assume?.
I love that even in historical times, commanders couldn't resist getting in a witty action movie hero style dig at their enemy before the battle started LOL.
18:12 "William was injured by the pommel of his saddle".
Crushed his balls.
*maybe*
Split his belly as well as he'd gotten fat with age...
I was surprised he didn’t go into the grisly details of Williams death and burial. The crushed testicles, the botched embalming, the land dispute, the fire and the exploding guts
Mate, the testicles were bad enough! All the rest of those misfortunes are relatively minor wheras crushed nadges are enough to make men wince almost a thousand years after.
Why they did that to him? He wasn't liked?
@@personofnoimportance5590 Well he certainly wasn't very popular and when he died, everyone was mode worried about who gets to wear the crown next.
I never heard about the testicles part. 😣
@@personofnoimportance5590 Even the most widely-beloved rulers in history still had people who despised them. You simply can't attain that level of power without making some enemies.
I feel like Simon should dress up like the characters he's talking about. That would be even more fun :p
I second that proposal - how about it, Simon?
Budget for this show would go waaaay up
That is one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard! This channel would double in size over night! 🤣
lol
@@kanyekubrick5391 Well, he could team up with those historical costume channels. Also, if he does I can't wait episode about Marilyn Monroe.
William the Conqueror was helped by lot of french knights : From Picardie, Artois, Brittany, Flanders, Anjou, Orleans, and of course Normandy.
Once I see Flanders I can’t help but think these knights spoke like Ned.
Every time Simon says "Tracts of Land" my mind goes to Holy Grail... "Huuuuge tracts of land"
Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
Not at all, they could be carried
Don't build castles in swamps. They fall over and/or sink.
One day lad,all this will be yours.
What the curtains?
I could be wrong here but I thought when William landed in England he fell out of his boat and faceplanted. His army saw this as a sign that the invasion was doomed. But quick wittedly William kissed the ground and said something like "I am kissing my new land"
When Simon said "October 14th" I instinctively glanced at the date on my laptop. October 14th 2020. It appears that I'm watching this video exactly 954 years to the day since the Battle of Hastings. It feels a bit surreal.
I literally just started Medieval Total War II for the first time today and then this video came out. Perfect timing good sir.
You lucky man...phenomenal game. Hope you enjoy.
You've found at least one thousand hours of fun during quarantine
Lol, I just started ck2. Also, I love mtw2
Great game have fun Denmark if fun to play as btw
@@hagridkerr2458 Thanks for the Total War encouragement good sirs
Simon: If that one arrow hadn't hit Harold in the eye and killed him, we might all be speaking a different language now. English would be closer to Norwegian or Danish as a language and have fewer French influences! It boggles the mind. 1 arrow randomly missing its mark and all of English history (and the history of the English language) could have been completely different!
Spot on. The "what if" scenario which historians like to play with sometimes. I don't know whether things would be better or worse but you can bet your sweet life things would be different. If the French Norman leader been killed that day and Harold Godwinson had won instead how different English and British culture would be today without the last 900 years of French Norman influence. It's curious that when ever we look back at history (if we even bother looking back at all) there's an automatic tendency to accept past events as if the were somehow pre ordained and inevitable when they were nothing of the sort. I'll just throw out one small piece of change. Off the coast of North West France are a group of small islands previously known as the islands of Normandy which in 2020 are more loyal to Britain than the British. If Harold had won in 1066 Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney would today still be part of Normandy and France and the very idea of charging around shouting that they should really be part of GB (which they are) would probably lead you to being on the wrong end of personal abuse or being confined under the French equivalent of the Mental Health Act.
by that point, Harold would have probably lost anyway, his army had taken huge casualties. That being said, the 2 armies were roughly evenly matched and Harold came close to winning earlier in the battle. Duke William had fallen off his horse, and the English were close to killing him, which is why some of the Normans thought he had died and fled. Of course, William got back up and went on to win the battle
How about this: british own their name ... to a roman TYPO. Inhabitants were knows as Prits, but a roman chronicler made a typo and wrote a B instead of a P.
@@ecurewitz Just incredible how close things came to turning out very differently.
MrPoupard yup
I think that one of the most incredible things about the Bayeux Tapestry is that it isn't a tapestry; it's an embroidery (a fact Simon mentions but doesn't pusue).
Count of Flanders: "Okily-dokily!"
Homer of The Simpsons : "stupid Flanders..."
Stupid Sexy Flanders.
@@sodadrinker89 lol apparently it felt like wearing nothing at all...nothing at all... NOTHING AT ALL!
LMBO
Godwinson didn't immediately turn back after the battle of Stamford bridge. he didn't know William was coming alteady. He did rest for a several days and only turned South he heard the Normans had landed. historians actually debate if waiting any longer would have helped him even more because his army was already quite taxed at that point, and he didn't really have a lot in the way of reserves
I am a direct descendent of Henry de Ferriers, Ferrers, or Ferris, who with his older brother William followed Duke William to England in 1066. The Ferrieres family were land barons in Normandy, and owned two substantial estates. The first was Chambrais, and the other was Ferrieres-St-Hilaire. These estates are located in the chief iron producing district of Normandy. It is known that the Ferrieres family owned, and operated a large ironworks that turned out weaponry for centuries in St Hilaire, the most important, and most ancient of the forges. Many sources say that Walkelin de Ferrieres, Seigneur of St. Hilaire, was the Duke's armourer as well as his Master of Horse. In 1040 the Ferrieres emerged as one of the four great Norman baronial families and lined up on the side of the duke. Walkelin de Ferrieres was involved in a private war with Hugh de Montfort over loyalty to the duke of Normandy. The two knights took their differences to a jousting tournament and the outcome was a draw, both were killed in the combat in 1040.
The Ferrieres family shares common geneology roots with William the Conqueror. Those roots stretch back through the Norsemen who came down from Orkney North to Scotland and in from Ireland as rival armies of mercenaries hired by feuding French factions in Western France. The Norsemen finally united to conquer Normandy for themselves in 871 AD. Those Viking roots have been traced back by some geneological researchers through the Norsemen and Danish sagas to a forgotten Norse king who ruled Finland in 160 AD.
William, and Henry followed duke William into the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and led a considerable force of Ferrieres soldiers who played a key role in routing the Saxons after the defender's King Harold was killed in a valiant defense of his realm. William de Ferrieres was also killed at Hastings. But Henry survived the battle to take his brother's spoils of war as well as his own. William the Conqueror gave Henry large grants of land in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, and the Ferrieres became one of the great baronial land owners of Medieval Europe. Henry de Ferrieres went from a Norman knight to one of England's biggest landowners. I have tons of information on Henry, and the Ferrieres family, and I find it very interesting. Samual Ferrers a direct descendent of Henry de Ferrieres came to Charlestown, Massachusetts from Reading England in November 17, 1673. Samual's great grandson was Reed Ferriss who was born in 1730. Reed Ferriss married Anne Tripp a descendent of Elizabeth Alden, The first child of John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins who came over on the Mayflower. The name Ferrers was changed to Ferriss after Samual had his first child. Several generations later the last s was dropped from the last name, and the modern name Ferris was started. This is interesting history, but I realize this part of English history is turbulent, and my interest is strictly history and that's as far as it goes with me. I wish ill will to no one. Stay safe everyone.
Henry de ferrieres 1036-1101 is my 29th great Grandfather. This family line also took me to king Llewelyn ap sidsyll king of wales.
On another family line I’m related to Edward Vl as first cousin 16x removed.
That’s just top of the iceberg that is my family history. There was me thinking I wouldn’t find anything I interesting!
Simon, could you do one on Desmond Doss, the American medic who saved over 70 lives, all without carrying a weapon
hacksaw ridge was a great movie
Edited Formerly an inaccurate comment about medics and guns, apparently they do in fact carry them in combat, for use defensively only, losing there protection in the geneva convention when they use them offensively.
All medics in ww2 were trained with weapons and carried some type of defensive firearm. Doss refused to even touch a rifle in training and despite being a medic in the Pacific where medics were specifically targeted and often had to fight for their own lives, he never did pick up a weapon. He also treated and evacuated dozens of soldiers from atop an escarpment all while dodging enemy soldiers and artillery and still not using any weapon
Better yet a biography on Dr Norman Bethune would be great. He saved thousands of lives. Of course you have never heard of him because he is NOT American. There are many stories outside of USA history.
@@Peggyt-jp6mt Norman Bethune Biographics would be AWESOME.
Good to see his story still told. William is my 32nd Great Grandfather. Fun as hell to find out through Ancestry.
Same! I’m (allegedly) a direct descendant as well.
Are you a wilson
Surely with going back 1000 years everyone in the uk is a descendant of him lol
@@lewissamuel1541 exactly. Americans seem to find it absolutely fascinating though 😂
Throughout the video: "3 Claimants... Only 1 claimant left."
Godwinson: Noice
Hardrada: Noice
William: Noice
Edgar Aetheling of House Wessex, grandson of King Edmund Ironside and nephew of King Edward the Confessor, later elected as king by the Witan after Godwinson's death : am I a joke to you
I was thinking that!
Edgar was a tragic figure, though not so much as Wulfnoth, Harold’s youngest brother, who was kept imprisoned by William.
Didn't he out live William I and live a decent life after that.
Yeah,kind of I didn't even knew who he was at first.
Edgar's descendents married into Williams line and the royal family today can also trace their lineage to him as well
Funny, some days I automatically hit "Like" for Simon, then hope the best so I don't feel stupid.
Mr Mike sameeee lol
Just letting you know that automatically liking the video without watching any of it doesn't count towards YT's algorithm which decides which videos get pushed into peoples' feeds so you're doing the channel a disservice by not waiting and making your like matter.
Well, frankly, you really can’t go wrong with Simon.🤷♀️. I mean, anything’s possible, but...
Was waiting for Simon for making a video in William the conqueror. Through the conquest of William the conqueror the French language became the language of the nobles in England and many French words taken into the English language. Through the conquest of William the conqueror the fate and the future of Britain and France became intertwined forever.
Well not forever. Eventually English nobles with land in France had to make a choice between the two nations and commit to being either English or French, and not retain territory on both sides of the Channel.
@@mikespearwood3914 oui enfin anglais tu veux dire français de choisir entre la maison de Plantagenêt ou Capétiens ☺️
This would be a great opportunity to make two videos about Harold Godwinson, and Harald Hardrada
, who in my opinion, although he only had a walk on role for the Battle of Hastings, led a more interesting life than either William the Conqueror or Harold Godwinson.
"I'm William the Conqueror, my enemies stood no chance!"
Jennifer Decker they called me the first English king although I come from France
@@jaffaloves007 "So fat my body burst but enough about me"
jaffaloves007 1066, The doomsday book I have to history
I had the privilege of seeing the Bayeux Tapestry during a European vacation in 2018. Each section had a “phone” you could pick up and it would tell you what that specific section of the tapestry was depicting. Quite cool!
My son through his mother has awhile host of relatives on the Bayeux tapestry from His Great Uncle William the Conquerir-his half brother Odo, his Great Grandfathers Robert de Mortagne and Engenulphe de l’Aigle and other family members.
The arrival of the Normans in England changed the English language forever. Fascinating!
Finding this all fascinating, especially after doing my dad’s paternal ancestry which went to Harold Godwinson. Funny thing is I was telling a friend about that discovery and it turned out his ancestry went back to William the Conqueror. We haven’t tried to kill each other yet. 😂
My family history shows we were Normans who were part of that invasion force but didn't explain much. Now I know a little more about how my family became English before becoming American. Thanks.
Now you know, you must gather your army and March for the English throne
It absolutely doesn't. I hope that you didn't pay too much to be told that nonsense.
The men that survived these ancients battles without shame or the mark of cowardice deserve praise. Just imagining The loss of life and immeasurable chaos experienced during a battles such as the ones discussed would leave none unscathed.
Harold II definitely did travel to Normandy, just not voluntarily. He was blown off course. Also, Kings of England at that time were chosen by the Witan or Witanagemot if I remember right. It means “assembly of wise men”. The Crown was not Edward’s to promise. And had every bit of luck not gone against Harold II, we would live in a different world today.
Just had to say, Simon, your introduction for this video made me stop what I was doing to look at the screen and comment on how impressive it was. Well spoken
A map of the battle would be helpful, I got lost with Harold and Harald, and battles always look better when you can watch the clever moves
Any plans for a Biographics video on Saint Cuthbert? And a Giographics video on Holy Island, too?
Just a recommendation for any future biographies that include the naming of so many locations. It might be a good idea to show an outline of the region on map rather than the scenic pictures.
HERE'S AN IDEA...TAKE THE INFO FROM THE VIDEO & RESEARCH THE INFO...
@Simon: A new channel idea came to me the other day that I'd like to suggest to you.
Before I reveal it, though, I know you're juggling multiple channels already (including a couple new ones that you just added over the last few weeks/months); so, I don't expect you to actually make a channel out of this idea of mine, but it'd be kool if you did 'cuz I think it's right up your alley.
The name is "Chronographics" which goes nicely with your already existing Biographics and Geographics channels. It'd be a history-themed channel where you'd focus on specific critical years or eras in world history and give general overviews of events that happened during those years/eras and touch on the people who played parts in those events.
Why don't you do it then?
That would be awesome, I'd watch that for sure. Do it Simon!
Thank you Simon and Co. for keeping us entertained always bio/geographics
Been waiting for this for soooo long. Thank you 😍😍 @Biographics
These videos are truly awesome. Thank you for the great content!
I just visited the tapestry in Bayeux today!
Hears 10:40 - automatically thinks of -
Englishmen! I am waiting here
In my heart I know not an ounce of fear
We are waiting here my trusted axe and me
Just come at me, I will not flee
Death! I know that it awaits
Soon I will enter Valhalla's gates!
10:52 That warrior must've ate a mushroom before heading into battle.
I'm directly related to him.
Hopefully he'll get me a Christmas present this year
William "The Conqueror" is my 27th great grandfather... I really enjoyed this video... Thank you!
Been waiting a long time for this one, Super pumped! Keep up the great work lads!
So many kings. I'm going to have to watch this several times to remember who's who. Thanks Simon, well done as always.
Steven McCullough, don't feel alone. When I watch these vids on my computer, I have a matrix on my laptop to keep a score card! Man it can get confusing.
That is GUILLAUME le conquérant for you!
Norman French is very different to standard French due to the Scandinavian origins. Hence he's Wilhelm not Guillaume.
@@maldegaar No, his name was Guillaume. The Normans were essentially French by that time, albeit French people with viking ancestry.
King William I the Conqueror was a direct male line descendant of Antiochus II Theos. 👑💍🇬🇧
Please do one on Alfred the Great of England!
I would very much look forward to that as well. And a historical presentation of King Harold, the great Anglo Saxon king killed at the battle of Hastings. I also wold like to see historical perspective of Brian Boru, and Robert the Bruce, as I am of Irish, Scottish and English ancestry.
Robert the Bruce was yet another one of Norman decent.
What I remember most about William I'd what Horrible Histories has taught me.
I'm William the Conqueror
My enemies stood no chance
They call me the first English king
Although I come from France
1066, the Doomsday book
I gave to history
So fat on death my body burst
But enough about me
Heather Garnham totally a fan of horrible histories! I love the wives of king Henry VIII song!
@@jessicasparkle I'll be at work when one of their songs comes into my head.
This says it was published on 6 May 2020. Today is 5 May 2020 for most of the planet. In fact, it only just became 6 May 2020 in Sydney, Australia. What sorcery has youtube called upon?
Timezones dear boy, timezones... :P
twocvbloke in a day and age where we have flat earthers on UA-cam, I’m afraid that the concept of time zones goes over the heads of a lot of people
Harald hardrada's men: *I VILL DRINK FRUM YAR SKALL!!!*
Harold Godwinson's men: *It's almost harvesting season!!!*
William's men: *No... but i brought steel!!!*
I can't get enough of English history. How did Barons, Earls, Dukes, etc get these titles? Where did they come from and what do they mean exactly?
JoAnn Ivaldi A mixture of bravery in battle, good service to the King or other high ranking noblemen, luck and a bit of arse licking. The titles I believe were actually Germanic in origin from around Roman times. However, you have the ranking in the correct order with Barons at the “bottom” with Earls/counts administering a county while Dukes oversee them.
Earl is the Anglicized version of the anglo-saxon title of "yarl". The rest were introduced by the Normans.
Simon Whistler is the narration god.
I’m William the Conqueror my enemies stood no chance
They called me the first English king although I come from France
1066 the Domesday Book I gave to history
So fat on death my body burst but enough me about me
Good summary of William the Conqueror's life 👍👍
1:02 "William the conquerAHH"
*_I'm William the conqueror my enemies stood no chance, became the first English king even though I come from france, 1066 the doomsday book I gave to history, so fat on death my body burst but enough about me, so to help you remember all your kings we came up with this song so a simple rhythm in 63 and you wanna sing along_*
dittany not 63
William!
Bit short innit. We need more kings. Who came next?
@@Kerriangel William ii cheeks were red killed out hunting so its said
Wat
@@jessmstephens "Thats my next eldest son!"
"The Age of Vikings was over"
William and the Norman's: "Hold my mead"
there were a few Viking invasions of England afterward, but all were quickly repulsed
The Normans drank wine.
@@AnthonyEvelyn I would suspect hard cider, as in modern times. Normandy is in the far north of France, better for apples and pears than for Vitis vinifera grapes (which were originally from the Caucasus and thrive in Mediterranean areas).
The problem was that the Witan chose the King of England, plain and simple. King Edward could only nominate someone to succeed him, including his son, had he had one. The Witan chose Harald. So William was indeed a "Conqueror," and took England in defiance of English law. So the "English" (Anglo/Saxons) naturally -- and rightly -- hated William and his descendants. No mystery.
My English grandmother taught me a verse to remember the names of the early English kings:
"Willy, Willy, Henry, Steve,
Henry, Dick, John, Henry Three"
You're a Henry Hunt.
You skipped Alfred and Eduard
Not to mention George Trevor! But my grandfather, my father's father, and my grandmother's father Joseph Johnson were subjects of the Queen. That would be one Queen Victoria.
@@ronmoonen3602 Ron, I B that is Edward, you gave the Norman a d French spelling here. Although, the Eduard spelling probably did apply to the early Edwardian kings and you are correct in this.
Good grief, the word is believe, another typing error.
thank you it's a joy to learn about people events and history from you!
I had 3 uncles given middle name Verdun. Growing up, my father was not 100% sure why they were named so. But obviously had an inkling it was to do with Verdun in France! After my cousin Pauline did our family tree, tracing back through relatives here in Australia, New Zealand & finally back to our origins of England, she’d established we were from Bertram de Verdun of France. He was we believe a high ranking soldier/official who fought with William The Conqueror in The Battle Of Hastings. He was granted quite a substantial portion of England as a reward. Nonetheless having roots going back so far & now being his direct descendants on the far side of the world is pretty cool!🛡⚔️👑😎🇦🇺
Baldwin V lookin like a damn QR code lmao
I not only enjoyed this one I found it quite interesting as well! Thank you!
Even after the battle, William had nothing.
Most of the English nobility did not participate in the battle. They elected William thinking nothing would change. But William betrayed then. He replaced the English nobility with Norman and Breton nobility.
The thing for England is that it stopped a roving ground for Scandinavian warriors.
When will we see "Simon Whistler- a life on youtube"?? Press F to support
Never get enough of hearing about the sheer balls of the men of the past and that little island that’s affected the entire planet!
It always fascinates me how these relatively small countries were able to exert so much power and influence throughout the world. Four European nations (UK, France, Spain, Portugal) put together contain less than 3% of the world's population, but the four languages they invented are spoken by *33%* of the world's population.
Great video. Would love to see videos on the more notable Plantagenets and also a coverage of the War of the Roses from its protagonists like Henry 6, Earl of Warwick, and Richard 3
Harold Godwinson: Leaves Hastings
William the Conqueror: It's free real estate
Walter Tyrell was his nemesis.
Biographics of ragnar lodbrok and his sons would be sick
It is still not clear if Ragnor actually did exist. Even if he did: there were very few written scources during the early Middle Ages/start of the Viking Age. The written word was a privilege almost soley granted to the clergy. In Scandinavia they almost exclusively wrote in the form of runes. Ragnar or at least Ragnar's life would be at best a product of a few written accounts and stories passed on from one generation to the next in combination with Viking saga's.
Another great one Simon; entertaining and informative as always 👌
Can you do one on Alfred the Great?
You completely missed that he married into a "flemish" family who a few generations before had married into the royal family of the major english nation. When he left to invade england, he stopped there to pick up many paid soldiers to build his strength, and the duke and his two sons and forces went to england to help defeat it by backing William.
Hope you might do a episode one day on Michiel de Ruyter.
Or someone else from the Netherlands
1000 Years Ago, Life wasn't Like What Life is Today!
"7 ft of English ground, because he is taller than other men" . Now that is a bad man talk.
He must have been a good 6'5," 6'6." That's 7 or 8 inches taller than I am so it's pretty tall... Not a giant by a long shot though (maybe in medieval times though)...
Thank you ,
Everyday I wake up and shed a single tear for Harold Godwinson
Why?
Godwinson can’t cry for himself though; you know, cause his eye was destroyed
Every day I cry for all the kings that has been killed
Me too. And I'm related to William the Conqueror. One has to respect old Bill but English would be so much more linguistically pure had Harold won. What could've been.
Nah, William all the way
I always listen to your vids every time I smoke up, thanks for the content :)
I feel bad we dont know the Name of the viking that held the bridge by himself. He should be infamous.
Honestly I find it difficult to belive that part. Wonder how big that bridge was. And a guy had to swim below to stab him? Really?
He's my 27th Great-Grandfather
I always have felt sorry for King Harold. He tried so hard in such a short time
Brent Fairlie same bro, he was low-key going ham
Harold did seem like he would be a good ruler
Imagine defeating the Vikings at Stamford Bridge only to hear William the Conqueror had invaded hundreds of miles away before you’ve had time to celebrate.
“Harold might have got an arrow in the eye no one is too sure”
Bad weather prevented an earlier voyage to England
He was further called William the conqueror not for his victory over the English but before that because of his success in the battle of Maine in 1064
Simon: please do one about "Queen Amanirenas" 🙏🏽
A 185 mile march in only 4 days is incredible!! Then to fight a battle, repeat the march and fight a second battle - insane
Simon, do Alfred the Great or Edward the Elder.
Thanks for uploading this was informative and fun to watch.
Awesome job!
Please do one on Iowa's most distinguished son: Henry A. Wallace!
I thought Iowa's most distinguished son was James T. Kirk
Interesting to hear about one of my ancestors on my mother’s side of the family
Can you please do a video on Eleanor of Aquitaine or Empress Matilda please!!
These videos are always how I end my day. Simon is my spirit animal.
Hands up who thinks Simon is an awesome host
I am an American. I spent thirteen years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, another four years in college, and four years (part-time) in law school. I had never heard of the Battle of Hastings, the Norman Invasion, or William the Conquerer until after I finished law school and took control of my own education. American education largely treats it as a non-event unless you end up in a specific degree program in college. I think this is a remarkable state of affairs considering the impact these events had on the English language, British and American law, literature, politics, subsequent world affairs, etc. I have occasionally mentioned the Norman Invasion and the Battle of Hastings with other Americans. I have usually been met with blank looks.
It's one of those moments in history where the worst of the 3 won.
Since two of them died from arrow wounds, technically they got the shaft instead of the crown.
Why so? All English and then British monarchs since then are descended from King William, as am I and an estimated several million of the English population.
@@Simonsvids The Norman invasion was the death of Anglo Saxon England. The Normans massacred Saxons. It was essentially an apocalyptic event for a way of life. If either Harald had won England would have likely maintained it's more germanic and nordic culture and had more in common with Scandinavia. The North sea empire would have likely been revived. It's also just sad that England hasn't had an actual Saxon king in over 1000 years. It's honestly one of the most tragic moments in history in my opinion.
@@proudsaiyanprince2651 There is a 'what if' to everything. For all we know had the Saxons won one of their number could have turned out to be a Hitler or Stalin, or a Mother Theresa.
We are all speaking French, thanks to William the Conqurer.
Could you please do a bio on Ip Man? Thank you :)
Knew you wouldn't let me down.
Amazing video, just like all the rest of your work. keep up the quality content.