Posted on 10/15/2016 12:15:22 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
The first of five million 50p coins to commemorate the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 have been struck at the Royal Mint.
The coin, which shows King Harold with an arrow through his eye, marks one of the most well-known events in British history.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
What happened at the Battle of Hastings?
http://primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/bt/what.htm
I’m an inveterate, not to say OCD, player of the SEGA Genesis game Toejam & Earl ( Jus’ Toejam ) ... on the original equipment. 880 points qualifies you for the highest rank of Funk Lord, which I routinely, nay invariably! achieve.
Once I happened to finish with 1066 points, so this became a category for me ... a “Hastings” ... which I do strive for if it comes into range. By coincidence, I just happen to have scored a Hastings earlier this evening. How about that? I didn’t even know.
Just don’t stick an arrow in your neighbor’s eye when you score one...
Hmmm.
While the tapestry itself appears to unambiguously support the 'arrow in the eye' story this is in fact due to overzealous restoration.
Aha!
It was never clear to me why the British celebrate being conquered by the French.
They celebrate because they were beaten by the descendants of Vikings, not Frenchies. The French tried to pay off the Norsemen by giving the them the land that was later called Normandy.
Yes, after the Anglo-Saxons reasserted themselves not sure why they celebrate it, if they do. I can see commemorating it.
My feeling is that the fight in those days was not among peoples, but among rulers, so if you won, you won, and William became King of England, and that was it.
and the English language has never been the same!
How do the Celtic Britons feel about having their Saxon overlords being beaten by Vikings who had taken over northern France? It's just a matter of picking which natives or which invaders are yours.
Given that the bloodlines of the conquerers and the conquerors have long since become intermingled and indistinguishable, such ethnic grievances are no longer relevent.
Also William’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter got to be on the front of the coin.
True with regard to some conflicts, such as the English Wars of the Roses, where the peasants seem to have carried on pretty much unmolested, but alas not true for the Norman invasion!
Resistance to William of Normany continued for several years and resulted in mass reprisals against the locals - google the “Harrying of the North”.
Good on you. Norsemen not Gauls and Franks.
oops sorry for over-sized and double post!!
Well it’s better than being conquered by the Germans!
William the Conqueror was an A-hole of the first degree. Butchered women and children.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.