Ten Minute English and British History #09 - The Normans and the Anarchy
Twitter: / tenminhistory
Patreon: www.patreon.com/user?u=4973164
This episode covers the aftermath of William the Conqueror's death and what his sons got up to. The relationship between England and Normandy takes centre stage as well as how this fits into France's issues at the time. Events come to a head after the death of Henry I and the anarchy which follows, pitting Empress Matilda against Stephen for the throne. All of this, of course, leads to the rise of the House of Plantagenet.
Recommended reading:
The Blackwell Companion to Britain in the Later Middle Ages - Very good but themed thematically, so don't expect a good overview of events but fantastic depth.
Amazon affiliate link: amzn.to/2DrhKvK
Medieval Britain: A Very Shory Introduction - This is one of the best books for an overview of the politics of the period. It is very light on certain periods and misses out some continental context, though. Very cheap, though.
Amazon affiliate link (UK): amzn.to/2IpRMNh
Ten Minute English and British History is a series of short, ten minute animated narrative documentaries that are designed as revision refreshers or simple introductions to a topic. Please note that these are not meant to be comprehensive and there's a lot of stuff I couldn't fit into the episodes that I would have liked to. Thank you for watching, though, it's always appreciated.
Disclaimer:
Amazon Associates Program: “Ten Minute History is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.co.uk.
Пікірлер: 527
The hand-held signs in these videos are surpassed only by the dry wit in the narration. This is one of the best history channels on KZread.
@roberttucker1527
4 жыл бұрын
I agree
@fulcrum2951
4 жыл бұрын
Your mother
@Cnut_the_grape
3 жыл бұрын
@@fulcrum2951 rekt
@GT-lv1xg
3 жыл бұрын
my favourite part is when he says king henry continued the long tradition of english monarchs and died
@Joseph2302
3 жыл бұрын
Don't forget the noise when they die
"No more anarchic than other civil wars" Well, that's a relief.
@frankie7529
4 жыл бұрын
lol. Made me chuckle. Why hasn't this comment got more likes?
2:52 “Do as I say” “You’re not my mum” Hilarious
@DoomOffial
6 жыл бұрын
4:45 "you dun goofed"
@gifigi600
3 жыл бұрын
Yes this is what you say to stranger who wants you to do something
I get a chuckle out of how you depict people dying. They just fall over suddenly with a Thud.
@postblitz
3 жыл бұрын
The universality of the human condition. We all just suddenly Thud one day.
@Deadbass_
2 жыл бұрын
He caught a case of being moral
@macsenplays
2 жыл бұрын
And then William the Conquerer's death "caused problems, mostly for William due to the whole 'being dead' thing".
@l.s.s.8-8-16
2 жыл бұрын
I feel like I'm watching South Park Does History 2.0
@Merrinen
2 жыл бұрын
A week of this channel: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thudsday.
Killed in a hunting accident? That reminds of something...
@DD-lo5hi
6 жыл бұрын
Alwin Priven EU4?
@alwinpriven2400
6 жыл бұрын
yes
@AlphaNOmegaa
6 жыл бұрын
"sorrow overtakes you" lmao
@brandonhernandez371
6 жыл бұрын
Alwin Priven Robert Baratheon game of thrones
@SamLemont
6 жыл бұрын
Sorry, thought you were a deer...
"Normans and the Anarchy" sounds like a good band name.
When you realise that the first few hundred years of English history is a bunch of French nobles fighting over who gets to exploit the conquered English peasantry ...
@MDud-pg2un
4 жыл бұрын
Exploiting peasants seems like a history of everything before XIX century. I do hope it won't backfire and end in some kind of a massive and brutal international movement or something
@emm_arr
4 жыл бұрын
Mmm. It's odd, but most major landowners TODAY in the UK are from families of these French nobles who went native.
@nevarelixe3963
4 жыл бұрын
@@emm_arr Makes for one of my favorite Fandom decisions, actually; The Potters being descended of Anglo-Saxon (or even Briton) blood, with the Malfoy's being "new" Norman blood, and thus the Potter family being Noble and Ancient, with the Malfoy's only being a Noble family.
@konnalad
4 жыл бұрын
Normans weren't French.
@iamthepeppernator
4 жыл бұрын
Actually, it's a bunch of Vikings nobles who had gone native in France fighting over exploiting the English peasantry....quite a mess, it was
6:53 "drowned in the English Channel, after his ship sank." Together with 140 other noblemen and 160 further passengers and crew. It would have been more, though some people wisely though about taking the next boat to England when they saw how everyone on board was already completely drunk because the young prince was throwing a party with free wine for everyone. The ship was the last to leave port very late and apparently crashed into a rock when the prince dared the captain to overtake the rest of the fleet. Don't drink and sail.
@ThePooper3000
3 жыл бұрын
Apparently it was rumored back then that the captain allowed himself to drown when he noticed that the prince died, because he didn't want to face the king's wrath.
@rennor3498
3 жыл бұрын
Apparently they crashed super close to their destination, the water in which they drowned was very shallow. People from the mainland could hear their screams throughout the night. If they weren't so drunk they could have easily swimmed to the shore.
@quietdavedevon
3 жыл бұрын
And thus the booze cruise had it's inauspicious beginnings
@Yora21
3 жыл бұрын
@@rennor3498 It was very close to the port they were leaving. But it was November and everyone was dressed to be outside in stormy weather all night. There's no way you'd swim anywhere unless you're an experienced cold water swimmer i great shape and manage to strip of f all your clothes before you land in the water.
@douglasbubbletrousers4763
3 жыл бұрын
@@Yora21 Speak for yourself buddy. You have no idea what the these thighs could do. The reality is that the Nobles were pathetic snobs who died a poor but not unexpected death because of their learned incompetence. If I was out there with them when the ship came down you would’ve seen me kick these puppies into high gear and fly off back to shore like David Hasselhoff in the Spongebob Movie. No excuses for the weak
"Killed in a hunting accident" Hmmmmmmmmmm.
@dominict9325
6 жыл бұрын
"Oh nooooooo, William died out hunting. Yeah, it was an accident." *hides bow behind back*
@Julianna.Domina
2 жыл бұрын
CHEEEENNNEEEEYYY
2:07 Small note to make here just in case you care - Alnwick isn't pronounced as it's spelled, it's pronounced more like Annick.
@michaelmilburn911
6 жыл бұрын
Yeah as a Geordie I was going to comment that as well!
@TheRagingStorm98
6 жыл бұрын
Is This The Krusty Krab? Lovely place been there on holiday. And your right it I'd said as Annick.
@xXxSkyViperxXx
6 жыл бұрын
sounds like Annick is just a sped up version of pronouncing Alnwick where L and W are just said too fast enough that theyre gone
@ultramarine0123
6 жыл бұрын
The north remembers
@michaelmilburn911
6 жыл бұрын
xXxSkyViperxXx More like a silent 'l_w' which you don't see very often in English
French: Louis, Louis, Louis English: William, William, William
@San_Deep2501
3 жыл бұрын
Spill some henry here and there
@18utkb
3 жыл бұрын
@@San_Deep2501 😂😂lol
@slyasleep
3 жыл бұрын
Louie Louie
@ZigZag-mw9ir
3 жыл бұрын
I think Edward is a much more common name
@illyrian9976
3 жыл бұрын
Don't forgett mah boy charles
It's amazing how many convenient "suddenly they died" moments there are during this period.
@invidatauro8922
6 ай бұрын
In complete fairness, while it could be suspicious, people really did just drop dead a lot back then. Usually this had to do with diet.
the death animations are so funny lmao
@jamestang1227
6 жыл бұрын
thud
Interesting thing about William the Conqueror’s sons. Robert, William, and Henry had a brother named Richard. That brother died in that very same forest by the same means a “hunting accident”. Richard was also the second son.
@caiusofglantri5513
2 жыл бұрын
But, as it happened in 1070 when Henry was under 4 years old, this hunting accident can't be blamed on him.
I love how you manage to make them look distinctly like the person they're supposed to be. William the Conqueror and Richard the Lionhearted are both medieval kings, often portrayed in chain mail, but your William looks like William and your Richard looks like Richard and there's no mistaking them or any of the other characters! Excellent work.
I am sadened you didn't start this video by saying "the problems began in 1087 when William the Conqueror decided to change his title to William... the dead".
When does Matilda get fed to a dragon
I'm reading The Pillars of the Earth, so this video definitely helped me understand the political background of the story. Thanks 🙂
@Hugo-kt8hm
2 жыл бұрын
This is exactly the story in The Pillars of the Earth, but to be honest there are waaay too many characters to follow !
An arrow related accident which was in no way, shape or form looked suspicious. I love the humour in this videos.
At least now my knowledge of the Anarchy doesn't come solely from The Pillars of the Earth.
@Usammityduzntafraidofanythin
6 жыл бұрын
lulsame
@stuckupcurlyguy
5 жыл бұрын
Fuck that book is good
@ladym.7594
3 жыл бұрын
My entire knowledge of world, specifically British history, comes from Ken Follet novels. Wouldn't say I regret it tho
@aldunne3187
3 жыл бұрын
You're not alone there mate.
@TheShamiester
2 жыл бұрын
Eyyy same
You're like a history superhero. Keep up the great work!
Crusaders kings 2 ftw!
@vasilisdouklias6992
6 жыл бұрын
Abyssinia Empire needs more plots
I love the way Canterbury cathedral slowly grows in the background just like it did in real life. 'Preciate it
I'm disappointed that you failed to add that Henry I had nearly 25 children, most of whom were illegitimate. Also, Robert Earl of Gloucester was one of these, so Matilda was his half-sister.
The interesting thing about Odo was that he was William the Conqueror's half-brother; they had the same mother, and William clearly felt he was at least useful so he kept him in his court, though he was disgraced before William died. He must've favored Robert, as he remained in the Norman court during Robert's rule, dying in Sicily while Robert was on his way to the First Crusade.
One thing I have to say is that Alnwick is pronounced "Ann-ick"
The "Brother Cadfael" series of novels was set in Shrewsbury, England on the Welsh border during the Anarchy. The series is superbly written and actually many of its storylines (20 novels total) are centered on the political developments during the Anarchy. Think you'd all love the novels.
To my nation-state accostumed brain it feels very off to see nobles taking such huge swaths of land on wildly different countries simply by marrying, reaching agreements, and changing titles, and no one really minding as long as it didn't directly challenge their authority.
@colehartel7206
2 жыл бұрын
I suppose to the people actually living there it didn't really make much difference which noble claimed the right to exploit them. They had the same daily struggle regardless.
"Oh no, how awful" This channel is gold
Such a great series! Thank you!
The Anarchy is what The Dance of Dragons is based off in House of the Dragon😁
@Fordo007
4 ай бұрын
Matilda's dress color in the video here matched very well.
You know what’s impressive? All his videos are ten minutes exactly.
@thelaziestguyuveverknown
5 жыл бұрын
Not this one. This is 9:59. Where's my missing second?!
@Cjnw
3 жыл бұрын
@@thelaziestguyuveverknown where's my fried chicken??
@douglasbubbletrousers4763
3 жыл бұрын
@@thelaziestguyuveverknown Wow, I just noticed that too. Unsubscribed. I’ll come back when he gives us that extra second he promised us. Who knows what we missed? I’m sick of all the lies
@Julianna.Domina
2 жыл бұрын
@@douglasbubbletrousers4763 no one ever keeps their promises to me. She said she'd love me forever, now this?
@EuroScot2023
2 жыл бұрын
Gosh! Isn't that exciting! All it means is that he crams too much content into too short a video and gabbles the script.
you're a good lad making these
Fun Fact: Robert of Normandy's eldest son, William Clito, who spent most of his life either in captivity or fighting to regain his father's Duchy, and died of a gangrene wound, was also known as William the Miserable.
@MaryamofShomal
Жыл бұрын
Well that does not sound fun at all, that sounds…miserable.
9:36 when you got tall England wrong
“Alnwick” is (at least today) said “Anik”. I grew up there (along, I grant, with other places).
These videos are absolutely brilliant... Thanks for making them :) Oh, and never stop the plop noise to indicate someone dies!
"before his body was cold" That's a clever one. Fully and all.
Whenever you release an episode it makes my day. You should do this with more countries!
you forgot to mention that if Stephen had won the war the royal line of Aldred The Great would’ve died out there. Matilda was directly related to Alfred The Great through her maternal line was Stephen was not related whatsoever.
Great stuff as always.
Henry II's grandson, Henry III would go on to "re-Anglicize" the English thrown by taking Edward the Confessor as his patron saint, and naming his eldest son Edward. His youngest son he would name Edmund.
@macsenplays
2 жыл бұрын
Ironically, the Anglo-Norman monarchic line still discounts everything prior to William the Conqueror. Edward should've been Edward IV.
@michaelbayer5094
2 жыл бұрын
As someone pointed, early English history if full of kings and nobles speaking French (or a version of it). I think Edward III was the first king since the Conquest to speak English at court.
English succession was such a nightmare. I teach Shakespeare, so every so often I have to plow through English succession wars to be able to teach the background to Shakespeare's history plays. How Henry II backed into being king is something I have to look up every time. So, I guess, thanks?
@sydhenderson6753
10 ай бұрын
The scene in Henry V with the explanation of how Hal has a claim to the throne of France is also really convoluted (and intended to be since his claim was really dubious).
@MrISkater
8 ай бұрын
Bump
William: “man, all this warring with Scotland is really annoying…” Earl of Northumbria: “I bet a succession crisis would make them stop.” William: “what?”
I swear English history is literally one plot twist after another
Just think of all the insanity that happened during this era!
@thesherbet
6 жыл бұрын
Also how it does follow a pretty logical order of events, as convoluted as the laws were it did lead to some weird ass outcomes when they're followed properly
@jordannemelka6231
6 жыл бұрын
Could you image the leaders of your country constantly dying and succession becoming more and more ambiguous? They change kings more often than elections do in modern day times.
@Julianna.Domina
2 жыл бұрын
@@jordannemelka6231 all thanks to modern medicine, relative democratization, and a great distaste for civil wars.
Dude, great work 😎🤘🍻
The comments are great these programs are brilliant and it's true your dry wit is very funny
25% history 75% explaining medieval social administrative infrastructure
This series has been super informative, keep it up!
This era of English history would make an interesting Assassin's Creed setting!
Stable video 👍
Explanation of royalty across Europe and the British Isles always makes my head hurt
Very entertaining. A bit of as bugger to keep up with though, but as concise and nice as you could possibly wish for. (Nice as in The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch)
@itarry4
2 жыл бұрын
Has to get a like on principle.
"In many respects it was more of a routine War of Succession." You know, just another day in the office. :->
Ahh war. Making history interesting.
@writershard5065
6 жыл бұрын
Eh, war happens all the time. Political intrigue, trade and commerce, and the motivations of various historical figures makes it interesting. And for some weirdos like me, studying how the world worked and people's world views is far more interesting.
@finitewehosh6542
6 жыл бұрын
Writer Shard your telling me Hiroshima getting nuked wasn't intriguing?
@wanderingrandomer
5 жыл бұрын
@@finitewehosh6542 Not really. That wasn't exactly subtle, just a giant fuck off bomb. The aftermath of events like that is far more interesting.
"Roughly 11 seconds later..." Yep that was about it.
Fun fact: When William II died, all of the nobles that were with him left his body when he was killed.
Wow henry really embodies the “ambitious youngest sibling” stereotype
the joint happiness of hearing the local town of Arundel but also the mild annoyance that nobody local ever says it right (should be said Arun-dul not -del)
PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE give us the next episodes :)
I will always know William as “William the Bastard”
Walpole
@HistoryMatters
6 жыл бұрын
It'll be a few episodes before he turns up.
@williamsledge3151
6 жыл бұрын
Ten Minute History yeah!!!!!!
Are you going to release the Angevin Empire Video today?
A great historical fiction book that is based the Anarchy time period is “Pillars Of The Earth” by Ken Follet.
LOL Dick Cheney was everywhere!
“Scotland was too terrible of a place to conquer England and Scotland was too terrible of a place to be conquered by England”
Love these videos, every single one of them!!!
By the way...Henry I should not be displeased. He is, after all, the king through which William the Conqueror's dynasty and bloodline flowed, totally bypassing his 3 elder brothers. All English and British monarchs are descended from him, after all.
“Ladies were entitled to sweet nothing” 😂
You're always saying "the next year" so funny
Blois is pronounced “Bwah “
@justarandomfrenchdude9091
5 жыл бұрын
Nope, it's pronounced Blôaa
@steveg2251
4 жыл бұрын
As in Bwah ha ha ha?
When's the next episode?
One thing I find out from all this is the movies showing historical events from the Roman times to Queen Victoria have nothing on what has really happened in the past.
Louis and Eleanor did not divorce, their marriage was annulled.
Correct pronunciation of Alnwick is "Ann-ick". The "L" and "W" are silent.
Is something causing a delay? Asking out of curiosity
The pronunciation of Alnwick made me die a little inside.
I love when this guy says church
Women actually did inherit things, just not kingdoms and land. There are alot of other things to inherit. And this is also assigning the problems of 1% of the population onto the other 99%. Women in gwneral didn't have to go to war. Didnt suffer violent deaths ( this is true even today) Didnt have to work and as always lived much longer and see their grandchildren. Enjoyed retirement much longer too.
Are there any sources on the pronunciation of 'plantagenet'. You and I both seem to say Plant-a-gen-et, but I have heard (french style) Plant-a-jhen-ay before now.
@Cjnw
3 жыл бұрын
It is *Plantagenêt* Cyrillic: *Плантаженей*
Quick note to all the pronunciation comments. It probably was pronounced 'Aln-Wick' in the 12th Century, being the 'Wick' (dairy farm) on the river Aln (still there). Also being named after Alan Whicker .
Amazing as always.. I wonder if he'll do the history of the holy roman empire.. cause that sounds very murky to me.
@steveg2251
4 жыл бұрын
It was neither Holy nor Roman nor an empire.
Another good one :)
Now who are the 28 people who disliked this awesome video???
@jarom676
3 жыл бұрын
They might die in hunting accidents 🤔😅
@anthonykatsivalis224
3 жыл бұрын
@@jarom676 yes and it won’t be a mystery lmao
I love the way the historical figures die in the series.
Wait! Stephen? That's an odd name for a king. 🤔
@aleksandarvil5718
24 күн бұрын
@Joy-TheLazyCatLady Stephen = = VERY COMMON FIRST NAME for : 1) Grand Princes _(Grand Župans)_ /Kings /Tsars [ Nemanjić dynasty ] of medieval Serbia ; 2) TWO Bans and ALL Kings of medieval pre-Turks!Bosnia from Kotromanić dynasty; 3) THREE Croatian Kings Stjepan Držislav, Stjepan I, Stjepan II; 4) FIVE kings of medieval Hungary, including Saint Stephen of Hungary; 5) Stefan Batory, Prince of Transylvania AND King of Poland; 6) SIX Voivodes of Moldavia ( Romanian principality ) !!!
@Joy-TheLazyCatLady
24 күн бұрын
@@aleksandarvil5718 I was actually thinking of just plain old Stephen (pronounced Steven). I realize that it is an old name and has many spellings but saying all of that takes the fun out of my silly joke. ✌🏻
@aleksandarvil5718
24 күн бұрын
@@Joy-TheLazyCatLady 😅
Is this the start of the Angevin empire?
@SamLemont
6 жыл бұрын
Yeah, Henry II was the king that started it, and his son John was the one that let it die.
Henry II was, without doubt, the baddest of the bad ass Plantagenet kings. I mean, really, even John was a bad ass by later standards, even though he lost the crown jewels in the mud and had to sign the Magna Carta. But from Henry II to Henry III, just a succession of bad ass kings. Then came Richard II. Sigh.
Do a series on Scotland
As the others have said, a very good video. Would like to point out that Arundel is pronounced Arundle, not Arun-Dell.
Hi. (Sorry for my bad English)
@Cjnw
3 жыл бұрын
*П Р И В Е Т!!* (Прошу прощения!!) 🇷🇺😛
"People simply starved." Is still something of an understatement. I read in a meadeval history of Britain that the population fluctuated anywhere between 1 and 6 million several times ('generally' around 3 million) in a few hundred years, down right apocalyptic if true. Can you suggest some other sources on the issue?
@greatalexander3820
6 жыл бұрын
The general population of England generally rose throughout the medieval period from about 2 million people in 1080 to about 4 million people in 1300 however the population sharply decreased due to the Black Death and then rapidly rose between the 1380's and the 1430's (about the end of the medieval period in England).
I am ignorant. i read references to what i assume are board games. Who is Baratheon? Not in any histories i have read. Clearly something got quite popular and i have missed it.
I'm going to watch this series all the way to the present day
Could you do a video about British celtic history. Pre Roman invasion.
@andrejgamingii102
6 жыл бұрын
Cabbage Nation i think it is impossiple cuz there’s very little knowledge
Duke of Northumbria: "Fine, i'll do it myself"
This is just the dance of the dragons
Why does this video start with 1086 and not 1066? What happened in between those 20 years?
Awesome...quite a roller coaster this one