France to lend Brexit Britain sore souvenir of Norman yoke – the Bayeux Tapestry The French government will agree to lend the UK its most famous memento of the Norman conquest of England after Blighty leaves the EU. President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce the loan of the Bayeux Tapestry during his visit to the UK on Thursday, which would not be transferred before 2020. According to The Times, …
Monastery institutions of either sex were likely to be hotbeds of theoretically banned practices. By the time of Henry VIII a somewhat embroidered official survey had enough credence to justify the closing of the monasteries on various grounds of immorality.
Monastery institutions of either sex were likely to be hotbeds of theoretically banned practices.
Sure you don't mean theologically banned practices - 'theory and practice' I get - but supposedly banned would be clearer.
a somewhat embroidered official survey during the reign or Henry VIII, would likely be quite embroidered, and likely to contain not so much theory or practice so much as any fantasy that serves the kings will - No being allowed to go off an hang yourself in the woods if you got this one wrong, chop chop!!
Probably the first 'weapons of mass destruction' report incident.
To circumvent any queues of UK nationals going out of the country, or coming in to the country,
Yeah, they seemingly get very 'excited' when you do that. Really got the feeling they thought I was bringing in something I shouldn't, felt quite unwelcome.
I suppose they'd prefer it if people stayed put, paid their taxes and quietly approved of Brexit and didn't point out various policy flaws or laugh at MPs.
"[...] and plans to allow fox-hunting again, [...]"
They've dropped that one already. The blue passports is a damp squib. The EU have pointed out that Westminster chose to adopt the colour used by most EU countries - it wasn't mandatory.
Maybot has claimed the laurels for the UK abolition of credit card surcharges - until it was pointed out it is an EU initiative that Westminster has adopted.
its most famous memento of the Norman conquest of England
Napoleon put the tapestry on display in Paris in 1804, while he was planning an invasion of England.
it has not yet been decided where in the UK the tapestry will be displayed
Somewhere close to Trafalgar Square or Waterloo Station?
It was missing in an illustration made in 1730 "commissioned by a certain Bernard de Montfaucon". So were his legs. The tapestry has since been restored and the depiction of Adam with an erection was there in "the later drawings by Charles Stothard, published between 1818 and 1823, though Stothard’s version of the man’s legs are not as they appear now on the Tapestry."
The tapestry is thought to have been embroidered by nuns. Just saying.
Are you suggesting Nuns were so closeted they thought men ran around outside with a 'branching tree limb' all the time.
'wllling suspension of disbelief' maybe... cue Blackadder Goes forth willy joke in 5,3,21*
*Sorry, numerically dyslexic..
isn't that a not-so-subtle dig at Bishop Odo and the celibacy of the Catholic church.
That would be a ecumenical matter possible. Certainly the prescribed way to lampoon statesmen and the upper echelons of society (most certainly in the Napoleonic/Georgian era when porn and political satire were bedfellows 'fnarr').
But was the Bishop a Shape changer? I faith?
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If my old school desk was anything to go by then some school kid in the 18th century decided to add a penis to it, probably around the time of the revolution.
Having viewed the picture, it's not really erect, it's resting on his leg but I do note the jazz hands which makes my version of history much more plausible.
"but they had gone a bit native once they settled in Northmandy - even started speaking some funny Romance language."
They seemed to do that wherever they settled - although they loaned English some words our Viking ancestors who settled in England eventually spoke English. Likewise those who settled in Russia ended up speaking Slavic.
although they loaned English some words our Viking ancestors who settled in England eventually spoke English
Somewhat to do with the fact that Danelaw had been comprehensively dismantled by the Saxons. It's also why we have separate words for farm animals (raised by Saxon peasants) and the meat (eaten by Norman overlords).
Languages morph and interbreed. It's a good and healthy thing.
The relationships are more complicated than equating the Normans with the French. They were at loggerheads with the French kings who were nominally their overlords. This situation continued over the centuries. I've seen it expressed that Henry II was spending Christmas "in his private two thirds of France" prior to the murder of Thomas Becket. Eventually they started thinking of themselves as English as the French made fun of their old-fashioned provincial accents. Eventually, however, they lost out to the French by the end of the Hundred Years War, not that it stopped them styling themselves as Kings of England, Ireland and France at least until well into the Tudor period.
loggerheads with the French kings who were nominally their overlords. This situation continued over the centuries
Indeed. The bits of France owned by England (up to the reign of Mary Tudor) were generally because they had been inherited, usually by marriage.
Since William became king, the French kings have grumbled that his descendents should pay homage to the throne of France because William was the vassal of Henry the first of France. Something that successive English kings have comprehensively ignored :-)
(Of course, Williams direct line didn't last that long (three kings - two of them sons of William) so the French would have no claim thereafter. Didn't stop them making it though..)
According to The Sun (Canada - The page 3 Sun girls equivalents found towards the rear of the newspaper can be quite scary, even with a degree of clothing, advancing into the late 30's & usually sporting tattoo's) a few years back Queen Elizabeth II is a direct descendant of William the conqueror.
However, on the death of Edward on January 5, 1066, Harold seized the crown
Several things:
Under the Saxon system, the king couldn't promise the kingship to anyone. This is because the Witangemot[1] had "ceosan to cyninge" which was the right to choose the kings successor - usually from the kings family (but not always). So Edward made a promise (if he did - there's evidence the Duke William may have been somewhat creative in his reporting of events..) that he wasn't legally empowered to make. Most modern historians also doubt that Edward had, if fact, made that promise and the records that showed he had were post-invasion and done in order to justify the invasion. History is mostly written by the victors.
Of course, under the strict feudal inheritance laws that William operated under, Edward did have the power to grant the role of heir to William.
Harold was a relative of Edward (Edward was married to Harold's sister) and also, crucially, was elected king by the Witangemot. He was crowned fairly quickly thereafter but the speed of the coronation is more likely due to the fact that most of the nobles were already present for one of the great religious feasts.
It's also worth noting that the Bayeaux Tapistry was in fact made in England and so, strictly speaking, should belong to us..
So, legally, Harold Godwinson was the legally-elected king of England and William was an illegal invader. The fact that people think otherwise is more down to Norman[2] propaganda rather than fact.
Apologies for the fact-based content of this comment and, hopefully, it doesn't contravene the spirit of commentardia.
[1] Witangemot was the gathering of the nobles, clergy and people charged with being the kings council. Sort of like a precursor to the House of Lords.
[2] Who were, lets not forget, no more French than the Saxons were - they were descendents of Norsemen who had settled in northern France and William himself was the illegitimate descendent of Rollo who was the leader who settled the Norsemen in Normandy.
As you've surely guessed, is the Bayou Tapestry. Not as old, mind you, but the food and music are much better. And maybe the weather, depending on your tolerance for heat and humidity.
Seriously, I have heard a local pronounce "Bayeux" as "bayou". I hope that he didn't cause any fainting spells in Normandy.
"....how we....." Bzzzzt! Nope, zero points! The Normans are completely different to the modern day Fwench. The Normans were of Viking origin and settled in northern France after repeatedly beating the crap out of the resident Fwench (the Franks). The clue is in the name - Norman = "Norseman".
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