I knew a few women who were over 100 years old when I worked at a nursing home. When I think of the middle ages, I always think of 500 or 1000 years ago as just 5 or 10 of those women living and dying back to back. It makes you realize how recent all of it was. The first crusade literally just happened.
I felt the same reading about humans coming out the ice age. What's happened in the last 10,000 years in human history is incredible. And in that same time, we had so many indigenous people rarely contacted until recently, and were bullied and oppressed quickly after arrival. Understanding comes from hearing perspectives, and so many perspectives are lost in time or suppressed. Our world is incredible, but many people are stuck in a "good vs evil" way of seeing it rather than seeing it as part of everyones journey - the good and bad included. Also, many governments, religious or not, have wiped and erased history over and over to protect their own sense of importance. Sorry to ramble
I think like that too. When you read historical books you realize how "recent" it all is, and how it's just a continuous flow. I like to consider how much my grandfather influenced me, and how it would've been the same to him, and there you have 250 years.
So this video is almost at 100 000 views which is absolutely unbelievable to me. It also singlehandedly brought me from 11 to over 3000 subscribers in just over 2 weeks, equally unbelievable. Thank you so much to everyone who has watched it and decided to follow this channel, it really means so much to me! On another note, my next video is coming out tomorrow, concluding my history of medicine series. The one following that will be continuing this series and I'm very excited for you all to see it. Expect it at the end of January!
Historical interest in this era has been renewed for an interesting reason. A japanese historical epic based in this time called "Vinland Saga" has been pushed as rights to distribution of the second season have been taken by streaming giants like Netflix. You might notice front page ads for the show when new episodes are released every monday. While not completely accurate, it does do a great job of depicting the violence and brutality of the day, and has become a cult favourite. Might be worth a watch from a historian for perspective! Its a really great show but obviously they're writing it as an epic to have a cohesive story, but they don't always prioritise accuracy.
As a 51yr old Englishman I've always bemoaned our secondary-school-taught History lessons having glossed over such an interesting period of our history (the proverbial 'dark ages' indeed, pah). We jumped from the end of the Roman Empire straight to 1066 and I had to learn about the figures of this time period after leaving school. The fact that King Canute is still a part of (common?) language today (for the 'Tides' thing) acts as a reminder that these times were'n't so dark after all and hopefully opens the door abit more to this period. Thankyou for filling a huge chasm in all our collective knowledge with such an elegant video.
I agree. But let us go back, further... The Celts built a great civilization, that conducted trade throughout Europe. They were master metal-workers and artisans. They were highly progressive, socially, allowing women to accumulate wealth and hold positions of authority, and they recognized that individuals possessed rights. But most of what is taught about them, today is from the accounts of Julius Caesar, who was hardly their friend and benefactor...
@@Pootycat8359 the Brit Celts never fully lost their identity during the Roman occupation, and enjoyed the best of both parts…they thrived in the south and acquired Roman sophistication. Their biggest threat at the time were the Picts and Irish celts. When the Roman legions left, they turned on the heat, and for some reason, they were not able to defend themselves against these raids. The Romans advised them to use the Germanics ( who they also used as mercenaries) who were good fighters…..and as was stated here, they recruited these German mercenaries to fight off the Picts; which they did but what the speaker omitted is that the Brit Celts did not live up to their end of the bargain when it came to making payments for the services of the German mercenaries!…. Which made them very mad!!!… they in turn ravaged the Celt kingdom and took as much land as they could. They sent word back and more Germans came…. That spelled the end of Celtic culture in what is now England!!!… not so much from the Roman occupation… the Viking invasion served to eradicate it even further, as did the Norman invasion.
@@Slo-ryde Wow... I've never heard such an illuminating report, thankyou. I've never really heard a reasonable account of how the Celtic way of life diminished, after Roman Occupation declined, so that would be a very good explanation. I knew that the countless citizens of the Roman Empire didn't just disappear overnight... many of them were born here and were absorbed(?) (so to speak) over the coming decades but I've always wondered how much of Britain still had discernable Roman methodology, skillsets, architechtural knowledge etc by the time Canute was on the scene. Fascinating. Next year, I want Santa to bring me a Time-Machine.
@@markzambelli by the time Cnute took charge, hardly any of the Roman influence remained, and that was because much of the Roman Celts were gone! Other than Wales, the Celtic culture was cleansed out in much of England. The Roman celts left at the start of the Germanic onslaught. Those with lesser means were slaughtered as retribution; others who could, fled west into Wales and Cornwall. The Celts did make efforts to build an army and did win some battles, but it was too little too late and were in no way able to push out the Germans. They convened in Wales, and used the hills and wooded lands as an effective barrier to ward off a complete take over!!… they withdrew into Cornwall but that was mainly to use it as a departure zone towards NW Gaul, to rejoin their Celtic cousins. The Anglosaxons likely knew this and left them alone, as they were quite happy to see them leave without having to risk anymore lives in battle! The migration could have taken 20 to 40 years, with tens of thousands Brit Celts leaving, and arrived in such huge numbers that this part of Gaul was then called Brittany, even to this day. Many of course probably migrated to other parts of Gaul over time, but by the time that the Vikings invaded northern France ( Normans), this Celtic migration had been long completed! Wales was able to hold out and preserve a degree of Celtic identity, but it too was eventually taken over by the Anglosaxons and then Normans. In summary, I would put the blame on the ( Roman) Celts for their downfall because they: 1. Failed to meet their contractual agreement with the German mercenaries 2. Failed to offer or negotiate alternate means of payment ( such as lands). 3. Failed to put together an effective army to defend themselves from the outset! Hope this was informative🙂
You have not mentioned Cnut's (Canute) marriage to Emma of Normandy, widow of Aethelred, which helped to legitimize ( or at least strengthen), his claim to the English throne. She served as ruler when he was in Scandinavia fighting to expand his lands. Thier son Harthacanute succeeded briefly after fights with his paternal half-brother, Harold (called Harefoot), but died childless in 1042. Her son with Aethelred, Edward, eventually succeeded to the throne after a long and complicated struggle.
I agree, he should have mentioned this important marriage, it really helped reconcile the Anglo-Saxons to his Danish rule. Emma was also the only woman to have married two English kings.
You're right, I wound up cutting that out of the script but I kind of regret it. My thought was that it happened in 1019, but still it was important for his legitimacy as you have noted and she of course remained his wife throughout the 1020s.
Its definitely one of those parts of history that makes it feel real, and adds lots of depth. Especially for Edward the Confessor, the relationship between him and his mother is genuinely fascinating and tragic.
Good to see coverage of England prior to 1066. And the coverage of Cnut is much needed as he was a true Monarch that deserves the title of "Great". The English have never been to keen on Cnut as an English King because of his Danish Heritage and his mother actually Polish I think. And he died relatively early unfortunately. Well done sir! I will continue to check out your channel!
Yes, his mother was polish. Fun fact - polish king Bolesław I the Brave, lent him Polish troop for this invasion, also he lent him money for mercenaries. Bacause of this, Canute paid thim a tribute. So, technically speaking - England was Polish colony for a while :-)
@@marmac83 You remind me of something I noticed: A pen-knife in French is "un canif", which looks very like the word "knife" the way it must have been pronounced a thousand years ago - otherwise nobody would have thought to write a "k" there (a knife in general is "un couteau", which clearly has a different origin).
@@kriseastlondon965 I wouldn't use "colony" in this time of feudal realms and "family-interests". Bolesław Chrobry (as his uncle) had for sure a big interest to strengthen his family connections to gain maybe some help back - e.g. for his interest in the western slavic territories between the Danish Kingdom and "Germany", that he probably tried to gain control over. He at least gained control of his "motherland" of Bohemia and Moravia... (Because as I remembered it correctly he and his sister were actually polish & czech - as children of Mieszko and Dobrava(?)) So Knut was a norse-slavic.
Never heard of this channel before but what a great video. I wanted to learn more about Cnute after watching Vinland Saga lol. Will definetly stay tuned for more
I used to have a boat moored up near Bosham (Chichester Harbour)which is where Cnut famously tried to stop or turn back the tide. Yes I am aware that it was probably Cnut making a point to his sycophantic courtiers and hangers on that not even a King could hold back the tide rather than actually believing that he could do so through Kingly power. P.s There are still to this day plenty of incidents where unsuspecting visitors have parked their cars either on the slipway at Bosham or the foreshore only to find on their return that their car was doing a pretty piss poor impersonation of a submarine!
I enjoyed this, and learned several new things of interest. I never knew that Cnut went to Rome to attend an Imperial Coronation, for example. I’m always surprised at how much people traveled in this period, considering the difficulties involved. Subscribed right away. Keep up the great work!
Fun fact: The oldest hospital in Europe, The Hospital of the Holy Spirit (Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia) situated in Rome is built on the old site of The Schola Saxonum, a school in Rome for high status Anglo Saxon pilgrims. Alfred The Great famously went their with his sister when they were children and later Saxon demi kings and earls would flee there to escape the viking expansion creating a Saxon district which is now called the Borgo district. Of course by the time of Cnut Christianity had all but taken over the old gods so it's entirely possible that Cnut visited this district.
@@eardwulf785 I have been reading about Anglo Saxon Britain and recently learned about that. It's fascinating that so many Anglo Saxons traveled to Rome. I am very curious if the route they took is known. Do you know?
@@lizzy-wx4rx Tbh without doing a little research I couldn't say. I remember reading somewhere about it being dangerous with bandits but that would have to mean travelling on land through France. Somewhere in Italy, don't think it's Rome is one of the most beautiful hand written and hand crafted religious books. It was created by the monks at either Jarrow or Durham and it was taken to Italy as a gift for possibly the Pope or a high ranking clergyman (my memory is not what it used to be) But its really worth looking up online, the story of its making and its journey is remarkable
In Brentford there's a recent monument to 1016 Battle of Brentford, which names Knut as King of Denmark, Norway & England. There is Knutsford in Cheshire. In Leicester the white locals are of Danish descent; many local place names end in -by. e.g. Granby, Oadby, Ratby. All this I observed first hand. History treats Vikings as raiders but they took England early on & established other realms across Europe. Note the 'good luck cross' on Thorkell's shoulder 12:18 - 12:50
@@Afrologist No one non-white has been in Leicester since 1900? Are you sure about that? Just 40% of Leicester's demography is white (British or otherwise), with 43% of the remaining population alone being Asian or Asian British.
I live near Torksey which then was an island on the River Trent, Lincolnshire. Sven Forkbeard lived here as it was a safe haven, on his 60th Birthday he went on a piss up in nearby Gainsborough, then proceeded to drop dead (what a party), he was put in a barrel full of vinegar and shipped back home for his funeral. A local Minster (Church) at Stow, funded by Lady Godiva, has a graffiti Viking longship scrapped into an internal column. The area to the mouth of the river Trent leading into the Humber ( the super highway to York by its many names) called the Isle of Axeholme was the final Danish stronghold in 1066, they were actually paid to leave after the Battle of Hastings rather than fought, quite odd when you think about it in that the Battle of Stamford Bridge about 30 miles away had only just seen a massive Viking defeat, you might then have thought the Axeholme mob might have then run off but these Norse people were tough cookies. History is all around us if we look.
Hey there! Glad the RUclips algorithm has thrown you my way, it's always lovely when it does throw a really new creator my way. Subbed - really enjoyed this deep-dive, never actually seen anyone put Cnut's time under the microscope before.
Brilliant!! Excellent summaries when needed & specifics when needed. Facts spot on, focus tight……the 1020s. This period of English history is sadly thought to be so boring tis called the dark ages whilst there iz much documentary information that exists. As one who knows & loves history tis good to see a young person taking the time & effort to learn AND share the knowledge they’ve obtained in such a splendid way; you are now one of the torch bearers of all of our legacies. I was indeed entertained. An entertainer is one who delivers the content in a way that “wows” the audience yet leaves them wanting more….I WANT MORE!!! Thank you
in 2020 I cycled on my penny farthing across England wearing a recreation of the armour of Cnut, following his campaign against Edmund Ironsides. Finishing at Bosham with a recreation of the tide-turning incident, it really brought it home how fragmented the country was at that point, with both sides bringing in reserves from their own heartlands to the west and north. this period of history is massively under-represented in our general teaching today, and Cnut himself is often overlooked as one of 'our' most effective and stable monarchs.
I love the fact that an American has so much interest in these people as to make a video about it👍 iam English (and more Anglo Saxon than anyrhing else my family have been here since at least atested the year 800!).. Well done mate!...
Ƿes þu hal. I enjoyed the video presentation. I'm fascinated by the Medieval period in England (Anglaland) and found this presentation very informative, clear and concise. Well done and I'm looking forward to future content. Be well.
This is exactly the kind of historical content I've been looking for! I went to look for more videos only to find that this channel is brand new, which is in and of itself really exciting. I subbed and watched every video you've made so far, and I'll certainly be back for more. Fantastic content.
Interesting history that is not normally referenced is always a pleasure to see. Thanks for your good work and here's a 👍to go with my shiny new subscription. Cheers from Ottawa, ON.
Cnut married the widow of Aethelred The Unready, who left their two children, Edward and Alfred, to be raised in Normandy. Emma and Cnut seemed to be more of a partnership than she was with Aethelred. The Danes took turns raiding and settling within England, and the earl Godwin grew in wealth and importance. He married a Norse noblewoman and their children were all given Norse names. It is said that Harold Godwinson could speak Norse and told Hardrada very bluntly what he could expect in terms of a concession before Stanford. "Six feet of England's finest soil, maybe seven given his size." I really like your even-handed approach with history. You are probably 20 years younger or more than I am, and you are very far ahead in your presentation of history. You have a talent for teaching and inspiring, and i urge you to use it, as there is no other subject that gives us roots to the past.
I think Emma of Normandy is one of the most interesting people of this period. She was married to two of the kings of England (Aethelred and Cnut) and was the mother of two of the kings of England -- Harthacnut, by Cnut, and Edward the Confessor, by Aethelred. One of her sons with Aethelred--Alfred--was murdered by the Danes under the rule of Emma's stepson Harold Harefoot. Her son Edward the Confessor was basically the last Anglo-Saxon king of England (save for Harold Godwinson's very brief reign). I would love to see a dramatization of her life.
I shouldn't be but am pleasantly surprised to see a US channel dealing with English history. Many years ago I studied Old English and was able to read Beowulf and other Anglo Saxon writings but now need a glossary for every other word. I picked up quite a lot of history through this study. I love it. thanks.
Doing this series of early kings and a centralization of England is pretty cool and you do a good job with well edited videos, keep it up I want to see more!
Thanks for your video. His daugther Gunhild was married to the king of the german imperium romanorum Heinrich III. They had a daughter called Beatrix who was the leader of a monastery for high aristocratical women founded in 839 by the saxon kings of the house of the Liudolfinger in my small hometown in Germany. That's why I'm interested in this period and I appreciated to learn more about her grandfather in this video.
Being dyslexic, there have been certain words that rise to the top of the list of those that require extra caution when processing. Not to mention the stress of reading them aloud in a public situation. "Cnut", tops that list.... with a vengeance.
This video brings back childhood memories of my time in York in 1021. The availibility of food was always a bit dodgy, but with hunting and fishing supplementing farming, I managed to survive.
The increased interest in Anglo Saxons over the past few decades is also due to JRR Tolkien. And hey, I'm not criticizing - it's a great video! - I'm just chiming in on the conversation.
One small complaint/tidbit of information regarding your map. The "Scoti" was the original term for the Irish that was taken by the papacy as a punishment to the defiance of the Irish church. Up to the 14th century the term Scoti Majoris was used for Ireland and Scoti Minoris was used for Scotland.
Fun fact - Polish king Bolesław I the Brave, lent him Polish troop for this invasion, also he lent him money for mercenaries. Bacause of this, Canute paid thim a tribute. So, technically speaking - England was Polish colony for a while :-)
I live in NZ now, so do not know if it is still the case, but Cnut conquering England was erased from the curriculum when I was a kid growing up there. They taught us about the Romans, the Saxons, and the Normans, but Cnut never got a mention. I guess it did not fit well with the Alfred The Great story of him fending of the Vikings and uniting England (we were told Alfred did it, but apparently Aethelstan did after him). . There was a recent BBC documentary that claimed the Saxons assimilated peacefully with the Britons. Perhaps in places, but I do not buy it on the whole. The Britons appear to have retreated to places like Wales and Strathclyde. That's where the Brythonic language survived. That would make the Welsh more British than the English perhaps.
Keen observation. The dogma is that only the native Celts (Welsh/Cornish/Scottish) are British. The English are mainly northern Germanic with a sprinkling of French. Bizarre that so many English people consider themselves British! Or is it? My pondering has led me to the theory that even when the native language or Britain slowly died out in modern day England - a sense of being British still remained (in the native British communities in England that weren’t wiped out by Anglo Saxon invasion). Modern examples of this phenomenon exist in the Welsh Valleys near Cardiff ( they have a low proportion of Welsh speakers, yet still identify with being Welsh)- as well as Scotland and Ireland. Somewhere along the way the English people as a whole forgot that the word Britain and England are mutually exclusive!
Thank you, very erudite, and very well researched - very well done! I have liked and subscribed. I will have to watch it a few times to get all the details into my head, thank you again. I'm pleased to see that you included the Frisians as part of the Anglo/Saxon/Jutish invasions of England. My research has shown me that there was perhaps much more than that involved in Frisian participation in the creation of England. A 17th century Swiss Polymath and language specialist from Zurich, Franciscus Junius Juniior, who lived in Frisia for two years is very clear that old English as well as middle English have their roots in Old Frisian and not Old Saxon or any other a Germanic language. More modern scholars such as the Reverend Bosworth (A dictionary of Anglo Saxon 1838) agrees with this as do many other. The DNA data from people in England today concerning their Frisian or Anglo/Saxons/Jutish origins is pretty convincing as far as to the English peoples' Frisian origins as well. You'll find some vids on this subject in my profile. Thanks again.
Great video, very dense with information yet engaging. Subscribed! My only suggestion would have been a sentence or two on Cornwall at this time - it’s alluded to in the maps but can easily be overlooked if you’re not looking for it.
Gonna have to sub to this diamond in the rough. Small channel, but will grow with time and effort for sure! Dark Ages (early medieval) isn't very discussed compared to high and late medieval periods, due to obvious reasons, but still great content nonetheless!
4:28 of which not all Danes died as ethnic Danish settlements have been recorded as late as the Norman period indicating at least 1/3 if not more survived the massacres.
Hi, this video was highly interesting and gave me some details I did not know of before. I am Danish and know a bit about our history. I would love to have a conversation with you sometime about the history of, not only, the viking age and how it effected England, France, Russia and so on, but also how it effected the former homes of those vikings. In short, great video! I hope your channel grows and gets the attention it deserves! Edit: I'm going to watch your other videos now :)
It is an interesting thought that in those times, due to the slowness of travel and the limitations of appearing everywhere in a Kingdom, it might well have made little difference if the King was a few valleys away, or across the North Sea. All the same to a peasant under the local Thain. Even a Thain might take months to find out where the King is I guess? Whereas the KIng is getting info from all directions.
Indeed, there is an interesting letter by Cnut in 1027 addressed to his nobles in England basically telling them that he won't be back in England for a while because he has to deal with things in Denmark.
I have read an article suggesting that the North sea links led to early trade and hence the development of a creole language in Eastern England that was the basis of the English language. There are also questions raised by some archaeologists about the idea that the Angles, Saxons etc actually invaded as did the later Vikings but partly sort of infiltrated via trade and took over in maybe lower level skirmishes. However I have not read up on recent ideas about this.
Thanks to YTs algorithm I found a great small channel which I hope will continue to grow and teach more more about our english past in a well explained manor. Was beginning to loose faith in the YT culture and its Cats and Fail videos or anything else which can be shown within 20 seconds. I look forward to your next video. I am also impressed how much Cnut travelled back then, in times when it was not so convenient as it is today.
Tho my main interest lies in the bronze age, I thoroughly enjoyed this look at a different time period. Great series and I am looking forward to seeing more of it.
Thanks for covering this period of relative stability in England. But what of the English? How did they live? Was it in small collections of hovels like the "townships" of Ireland, or in organised villages, or in defended towns with walls? Did they work as a family on a small holding, or as collectives, or were they organised in gangs for labour? Did they have any freedom of movement, and any representation? How were taxes and rents paid, and when? Were skills taught in an organised way, or just acquired from your father or your boss? Cnut had international connections, but what about merchants and fishermen, and what instruments did they have (akin to letters of credit, bankers drafts, bills of lading and insurance) to reduce friction of trade and mitigate liabilities? And how were communication and distribution achieved? Cnut held England together... but that was an administrative and logistical achievement... so how was that done? From the top, organically from the bottom - or ad hoc? That's what I'd like to know.
13:40 How long would such a trip take, and would the traveler go by land or by sea? What was the state of Continental Europe at this time? Would traveling over land through Europe have been possible or safe?
Nice video - clear and uncluttered and nice well-paced deliivery. Thanks! I live in Norwich, in Danelaw I guess, and do quite a bit of metal detecting a few miles to the south-west. I found my first Saxon coin recently, of Edward the Confessor. But that's against perhaps 50 Medieval coins dating from John onwards. I've wondered why the Saxon stuff is so much more scarce, on a par with Celtic and certainly scarcer than Roman. Is it just much more concentrated in small hotspots perhaps?
Interestingly enough, even if the Normans never invaded English was still well underway towards it's vowel & grammatical shifts that we'd see in the following centuries. Normans strongly influenced English vocabulary; however, the idea that if they never invaded that English would still sound/look like German is misled, moreso it'd resemble modern English in terms of grammar & phonology while having a lexicon more in common with the Frisian dialects.
We can't know for sure what phonological changes would have happened - look at the very different pronunciations of the Scandinavian languages today. But it's reasonable to assume that structurally English would be a lot more similar to those languages than e.g. Icelandic.
It’s always cool to randomly find small channels with extremely well made content
Thanks! That means a lot
💎
Indeed. Indeed.
Yes, occasionally the YT algorithm produces a gem like this!
So many talented people out there!!
I knew a few women who were over 100 years old when I worked at a nursing home. When I think of the middle ages, I always think of 500 or 1000 years ago as just 5 or 10 of those women living and dying back to back. It makes you realize how recent all of it was. The first crusade literally just happened.
I often think in these terms, it's quite remarkable to have that moment of clarity! It really "cleans" the lens into the past.
I felt the same reading about humans coming out the ice age. What's happened in the last 10,000 years in human history is incredible. And in that same time, we had so many indigenous people rarely contacted until recently, and were bullied and oppressed quickly after arrival. Understanding comes from hearing perspectives, and so many perspectives are lost in time or suppressed. Our world is incredible, but many people are stuck in a "good vs evil" way of seeing it rather than seeing it as part of everyones journey - the good and bad included. Also, many governments, religious or not, have wiped and erased history over and over to protect their own sense of importance. Sorry to ramble
literally?
So true Hank.
I think like that too. When you read historical books you realize how "recent" it all is, and how it's just a continuous flow. I like to consider how much my grandfather influenced me, and how it would've been the same to him, and there you have 250 years.
So this video is almost at 100 000 views which is absolutely unbelievable to me. It also singlehandedly brought me from 11 to over 3000 subscribers in just over 2 weeks, equally unbelievable. Thank you so much to everyone who has watched it and decided to follow this channel, it really means so much to me!
On another note, my next video is coming out tomorrow, concluding my history of medicine series. The one following that will be continuing this series and I'm very excited for you all to see it. Expect it at the end of January!
So glad I found another great history channel! Keep up the great work I can't wait for future videos!
Congratulations! I just subscribed! Happy this video was suggested to me
Historical interest in this era has been renewed for an interesting reason. A japanese historical epic based in this time called "Vinland Saga" has been pushed as rights to distribution of the second season have been taken by streaming giants like Netflix. You might notice front page ads for the show when new episodes are released every monday. While not completely accurate, it does do a great job of depicting the violence and brutality of the day, and has become a cult favourite.
Might be worth a watch from a historian for perspective! Its a really great show but obviously they're writing it as an epic to have a cohesive story, but they don't always prioritise accuracy.
As a 51yr old Englishman I've always bemoaned our secondary-school-taught History lessons having glossed over such an interesting period of our history (the proverbial 'dark ages' indeed, pah). We jumped from the end of the Roman Empire straight to 1066 and I had to learn about the figures of this time period after leaving school.
The fact that King Canute is still a part of (common?) language today (for the 'Tides' thing) acts as a reminder that these times were'n't so dark after all and hopefully opens the door abit more to this period. Thankyou for filling a huge chasm in all our collective knowledge with such an elegant video.
I agree. But let us go back, further... The Celts built a great civilization, that conducted trade throughout Europe. They were master metal-workers and artisans. They were highly progressive, socially, allowing women to accumulate wealth and hold positions of authority, and they recognized that individuals possessed rights. But most of what is taught about them, today is from the accounts of Julius Caesar, who was hardly their friend and benefactor...
@@Pootycat8359 the Brit Celts never fully lost their identity during the Roman occupation, and enjoyed the best of both parts…they thrived in the south and acquired Roman sophistication. Their biggest threat at the time were the Picts and Irish celts.
When the Roman legions left, they turned on the heat, and for some reason, they were not able to defend themselves against these raids.
The Romans advised them to use the Germanics ( who they also used as mercenaries) who were good fighters…..and as was stated here, they recruited these German mercenaries to fight off the Picts; which they did but what the speaker omitted is that the Brit Celts did not live up to their end of the bargain when it came to making payments for the services of the German mercenaries!…. Which made them very mad!!!… they in turn ravaged the Celt kingdom and took as much land as they could. They sent word back and more Germans came…. That spelled the end of Celtic culture in what is now England!!!… not so much from the Roman occupation… the Viking invasion served to eradicate it even further, as did the Norman invasion.
They were called the Dark ages because all the rulers were black up until the 1800s. They white wash history and teach us what they want us to know.
@@Slo-ryde Wow... I've never heard such an illuminating report, thankyou. I've never really heard a reasonable account of how the Celtic way of life diminished, after Roman Occupation declined, so that would be a very good explanation.
I knew that the countless citizens of the Roman Empire didn't just disappear overnight... many of them were born here and were absorbed(?) (so to speak) over the coming decades but I've always wondered how much of Britain still had discernable Roman methodology, skillsets, architechtural knowledge etc by the time Canute was on the scene. Fascinating.
Next year, I want Santa to bring me a Time-Machine.
@@markzambelli by the time Cnute took charge, hardly any of the Roman influence remained, and that was because much of the Roman Celts were gone! Other than Wales, the Celtic culture was cleansed out in much of England. The Roman celts left at the start of the Germanic onslaught. Those with lesser means were slaughtered as retribution; others who could, fled west into Wales and Cornwall.
The Celts did make efforts to build an army and did win some battles, but it was too little too late and were in no way able to push out the Germans. They convened in Wales, and used the hills and wooded lands as an effective barrier to ward off a complete take over!!… they withdrew into Cornwall but that was mainly to use it as a departure zone towards NW Gaul, to rejoin their Celtic cousins. The Anglosaxons likely knew this and left them alone, as they were quite happy to see them leave without having to risk anymore lives in battle!
The migration could have taken 20 to 40 years, with tens of thousands Brit Celts leaving, and arrived in such huge numbers that this part of Gaul was then called Brittany, even to this day. Many of course probably migrated to other parts of Gaul over time, but by the time that the Vikings invaded northern France ( Normans), this Celtic migration had been long completed!
Wales was able to hold out and preserve a degree of Celtic identity, but it too was eventually taken over by the Anglosaxons and then Normans.
In summary, I would put the blame on the ( Roman) Celts for their downfall because they:
1. Failed to meet their contractual agreement with the German mercenaries
2. Failed to offer or negotiate alternate means of payment ( such as lands).
3. Failed to put together an effective army to defend themselves from the outset!
Hope this was informative🙂
You have not mentioned Cnut's (Canute) marriage to Emma of Normandy, widow of Aethelred, which helped to legitimize ( or at least strengthen), his claim to the English throne. She served as ruler when he was in Scandinavia fighting to expand his lands. Thier son Harthacanute succeeded briefly after fights with his paternal half-brother, Harold (called Harefoot), but died childless in 1042. Her son with Aethelred, Edward, eventually succeeded to the throne after a long and complicated struggle.
I agree, he should have mentioned this important marriage, it really helped reconcile the Anglo-Saxons to his Danish rule. Emma was also the only woman to have married two English kings.
You're right, I wound up cutting that out of the script but I kind of regret it. My thought was that it happened in 1019, but still it was important for his legitimacy as you have noted and she of course remained his wife throughout the 1020s.
@@studiumhistoriae his 2 wives, plus who knows how many side chicks.
@@studiumhistoriae Kudos.
Its definitely one of those parts of history that makes it feel real, and adds lots of depth. Especially for Edward the Confessor, the relationship between him and his mother is genuinely fascinating and tragic.
Good to see coverage of England prior to 1066. And the coverage of Cnut is much needed as he was a true Monarch that deserves the title of "Great". The English have never been to keen on Cnut as an English King because of his Danish Heritage and his mother actually Polish I think. And he died relatively early unfortunately. Well done sir! I will continue to check out your channel!
His name was "Canute." Who was "Cnut? In Nordic languages it's "Knut."
Yes, his mother was polish. Fun fact - polish king Bolesław I the Brave, lent him Polish troop for this invasion, also he lent him money for mercenaries. Bacause of this, Canute paid thim a tribute. So, technically speaking - England was Polish colony for a while :-)
@@marmac83 All 3 spellings are frequently used. For example, in the title of this video it is spelled Cnut.
@@marmac83 You remind me of something I noticed:
A pen-knife in French is "un canif", which looks very like the word "knife" the way it must have been pronounced a thousand years ago - otherwise nobody would have thought to write a "k" there (a knife in general is "un couteau", which clearly has a different origin).
@@kriseastlondon965 I wouldn't use "colony" in this time of feudal realms and "family-interests". Bolesław Chrobry (as his uncle) had for sure a big interest to strengthen his family connections to gain maybe some help back - e.g. for his interest in the western slavic territories between the Danish Kingdom and "Germany", that he probably tried to gain control over.
He at least gained control of his "motherland" of Bohemia and Moravia...
(Because as I remembered it correctly he and his sister were actually polish & czech - as children of Mieszko and Dobrava(?))
So Knut was a norse-slavic.
Never heard of this channel before but what a great video. I wanted to learn more about Cnute after watching Vinland Saga lol. Will definetly stay tuned for more
I used to have a boat moored up near Bosham (Chichester Harbour)which is where Cnut famously tried to stop or turn back the tide.
Yes I am aware that it was probably Cnut making a point to his sycophantic courtiers and hangers on that not even a King could hold back the tide rather than actually believing that he could do so through Kingly power.
P.s There are still to this day plenty of incidents where unsuspecting visitors have parked their cars either on the slipway at Bosham or the foreshore only to find on their return that their car was doing a pretty piss poor impersonation of a submarine!
But Canute's command to make the sea go back did work, it's just that it took a few hours to happen.
@@Rog5446 Good point, well made.
Silly cnuts.
Indeed. I've found the turning back the tide story is almost universally misapplied these days.
Seriously excellent summary of a confusing and often overlooked period in British history. I look forward to the next one.
I enjoyed this, and learned several new things of interest. I never knew that Cnut went to Rome to attend an Imperial Coronation, for example. I’m always surprised at how much people traveled in this period, considering the difficulties involved. Subscribed right away. Keep up the great work!
Fun fact:
The oldest hospital in Europe, The Hospital of the Holy Spirit (Ospedale di Santo Spirito in Sassia) situated in Rome is built on the old site of The Schola Saxonum, a school in Rome for high status Anglo Saxon pilgrims.
Alfred The Great famously went their with his sister when they were children and later Saxon demi kings and earls would flee there to escape the viking expansion creating a Saxon district which is now called the Borgo district. Of course by the time of Cnut Christianity had all but taken over the old gods so it's entirely possible that Cnut visited this district.
@@eardwulf785 I have been reading about Anglo Saxon Britain and recently learned about that. It's fascinating that so many Anglo Saxons traveled to Rome. I am very curious if the route they took is known. Do you know?
@@lizzy-wx4rx
Tbh without doing a little research I couldn't say. I remember reading somewhere about it being dangerous with bandits but that would have to mean travelling on land through France.
Somewhere in Italy, don't think it's Rome is one of the most beautiful hand written and hand crafted religious books. It was created by the monks at either Jarrow or Durham and it was taken to Italy as a gift for possibly the Pope or a high ranking clergyman (my memory is not what it used to be)
But its really worth looking up online, the story of its making and its journey is remarkable
Well men built the world and travelled. These men back then wanted to conquer and take over lands
In Brentford there's a recent monument to 1016 Battle of Brentford, which names Knut as King of Denmark, Norway & England. There is Knutsford in Cheshire. In Leicester the white locals are of Danish descent; many local place names end in -by. e.g. Granby, Oadby, Ratby. All this I observed first hand. History treats Vikings as raiders but they took England early on & established other realms across Europe. Note the 'good luck cross' on Thorkell's shoulder 12:18 - 12:50
You can just say locals, noone nonwhite has been in Leicester since the turn of the 20th century.
Surnames ending in BY are of viking descent apparently as well . I'm In Leicestershire with a surname ending in BY.
@@Afrologist No one non-white has been in Leicester since 1900? Are you sure about that? Just 40% of Leicester's demography is white (British or otherwise), with 43% of the remaining population alone being Asian or Asian British.
@@metalswifty23 I meant since *before* the turn of the 20th century.
@@Afrologist That still wouldn't make sense, because you'd be saying that no one that isn't white has been in Leicester since before then.
I live near Torksey which then was an island on the River Trent, Lincolnshire. Sven Forkbeard lived here as it was a safe haven, on his 60th Birthday he went on a piss up in nearby Gainsborough, then proceeded to drop dead (what a party), he was put in a barrel full of vinegar and shipped back home for his funeral. A local Minster (Church) at Stow, funded by Lady Godiva, has a graffiti Viking longship scrapped into an internal column. The area to the mouth of the river Trent leading into the Humber ( the super highway to York by its many names) called the Isle of Axeholme was the final Danish stronghold in 1066, they were actually paid to leave after the Battle of Hastings rather than fought, quite odd when you think about it in that the Battle of Stamford Bridge about 30 miles away had only just seen a massive Viking defeat, you might then have thought the Axeholme mob might have then run off but these Norse people were tough cookies. History is all around us if we look.
Love your videos and perspectives / way of explaining and seeing! Just found your videos today and already binging
Hey there! Glad the RUclips algorithm has thrown you my way, it's always lovely when it does throw a really new creator my way.
Subbed - really enjoyed this deep-dive, never actually seen anyone put Cnut's time under the microscope before.
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Brilliant!! Excellent summaries when needed & specifics when needed. Facts spot on, focus tight……the 1020s. This period of English history is sadly thought to be so boring tis called the dark ages whilst there iz much documentary information that exists. As one who knows & loves history tis good to see a young person taking the time & effort to learn AND share the knowledge they’ve obtained in such a splendid way; you are now one of the torch bearers of all of our legacies. I was indeed entertained. An entertainer is one who delivers the content in a way that “wows” the audience yet leaves them wanting more….I WANT MORE!!! Thank you
in 2020 I cycled on my penny farthing across England wearing a recreation of the armour of Cnut, following his campaign against Edmund Ironsides. Finishing at Bosham with a recreation of the tide-turning incident, it really brought it home how fragmented the country was at that point, with both sides bringing in reserves from their own heartlands to the west and north.
this period of history is massively under-represented in our general teaching today, and Cnut himself is often overlooked as one of 'our' most effective and stable monarchs.
Excellent Summary, Context and Detail. Learned so much. Looking forward to subsequent installments.
Very nice - clarifies a number of points that most of us are ignorant of. Thank you!
I love the fact that an American has so much interest in these people as to make a video about it👍 iam English (and more Anglo Saxon than anyrhing else my family have been here since at least atested the year 800!).. Well done mate!...
What an encouraging start to 2023, finding this wonderful channel. I’ve subscribed with glee!
Not sure why you showed up in my feed, but thank you!! This is good stuff!!!
Ƿes þu hal.
I enjoyed the video presentation.
I'm fascinated by the Medieval period in England (Anglaland) and found this presentation very informative, clear and concise.
Well done and I'm looking forward to future content.
Be well.
This is exactly the kind of historical content I've been looking for! I went to look for more videos only to find that this channel is brand new, which is in and of itself really exciting. I subbed and watched every video you've made so far, and I'll certainly be back for more. Fantastic content.
Interesting history that is not normally referenced is always a pleasure to see. Thanks for your good work and here's a 👍to go with my shiny new subscription.
Cheers from Ottawa, ON.
Cnut married the widow of Aethelred The Unready, who left their two children, Edward and Alfred, to be raised in Normandy. Emma and Cnut seemed to be more of a partnership than she was with Aethelred. The Danes took turns raiding and settling within England, and the earl Godwin grew in wealth and importance. He married a Norse noblewoman and their children were all given Norse names. It is said that Harold Godwinson could speak Norse and told Hardrada very bluntly what he could expect in terms of a concession before Stanford. "Six feet of England's finest soil, maybe seven given his size."
I really like your even-handed approach with history. You are probably 20 years younger or more than I am, and you are very far ahead in your presentation of history. You have a talent for teaching and inspiring, and i urge you to use it, as there is no other subject that gives us roots to the past.
I think Emma of Normandy is one of the most interesting people of this period. She was married to two of the kings of England (Aethelred and Cnut) and was the mother of two of the kings of England -- Harthacnut, by Cnut, and Edward the Confessor, by Aethelred. One of her sons with Aethelred--Alfred--was murdered by the Danes under the rule of Emma's stepson Harold Harefoot. Her son Edward the Confessor was basically the last Anglo-Saxon king of England (save for Harold Godwinson's very brief reign). I would love to see a dramatization of her life.
I shouldn't be but am pleasantly surprised to see a US channel dealing with English history. Many years ago I studied Old English and was able to read Beowulf and other Anglo Saxon writings but now need a glossary for every other word.
I picked up quite a lot of history through this study. I love it. thanks.
Doing this series of early kings and a centralization of England is pretty cool and you do a good job with well edited videos, keep it up I want to see more!
Fascinating. Thank you, Subscribed.
Great to find your channel! Looking forward to watching more!
Thanks for your video. His daugther Gunhild was married to the king of the german imperium romanorum Heinrich III. They had a daughter called Beatrix who was the leader of a monastery for high aristocratical women founded in 839 by the saxon kings of the house of the Liudolfinger in my small hometown in Germany. That's why I'm interested in this period and I appreciated to learn more about her grandfather in this video.
Man. I absolutely loved this video.
Best dialogue from The Last Kingdom:
"I'm Cnut"
"You're a what?"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Cnut, making dyslexics look twice for centuries 😅
Excellent content, proof that sub count does not indicate quality - keep them coming! 💯
Subscribed. Great idea for a series. Hopefully we can help your channel get bigger
What a cool idea for a series. I'm looking forward to future installments.
You should shoot for a longer format. I loved the video. Far more interesting than one might initially suspect.
Excellent and succinct video. Based on what I have read, Cnut really was one of the best kings of England, despite not being an Englishman.
Good sound quality and a reasonably-paced delivery. Very interesting too
Very interesting and a topic not covered on RUclips. Wishing all the best and will be watching your channel.
Great video, very clear summary!
Excellent content, and historical analysis. I look forward to future videos.
Awesome video. Subscribed. You deserve way more followers than what you already have
Being dyslexic, there have been certain words that rise to the top of the list of those that require extra caution when processing. Not to mention the stress of reading them aloud in a public situation.
"Cnut", tops that list.... with a vengeance.
Intelligent and fascinating video
This was great! Thanks for the video
Thomas Hobbes' description of life as: "poor, nasty, brutish, and short" undoubtedly was accurate of life in England 1000 years ago.
Must have been a cnut of a time to live.
Great vid. Subscribed and looking forward to more
This video brings back childhood memories of my time in York in 1021. The availibility of food was always a bit dodgy, but with hunting and fishing supplementing farming, I managed to survive.
Fantastic video.
Thanks for making this
Excellent presentation, very informative and not dumbed-down or cheapened by silly graphics and background sound.
The increased interest in Anglo Saxons over the past few decades is also due to JRR Tolkien. And hey, I'm not criticizing - it's a great video! - I'm just chiming in on the conversation.
Thx, nicely done in such a short video.
Looks like the algorithm picked you up. Congrats. You got a new sub
How cool! I have been looking for any historical info or docus on this time line. Thank you
The roaring 1020s. What a time.
Very interesting and fascinating information! I learned a lot about this time period. Thanks for sharing this information.
This is awesome! Really looking forward to more
Way cool. Thank you. Subscribed.
Nicely done. Would love to see more.
One small complaint/tidbit of information regarding your map. The "Scoti" was the original term for the Irish that was taken by the papacy as a punishment to the defiance of the Irish church. Up to the 14th century the term Scoti Majoris was used for Ireland and Scoti Minoris was used for Scotland.
You've got yourself a new subscriber! Keep up the great work man!
Can’t wait to see your vid about what 2020’s were like in 1000 years!!!
Fun fact - Polish king Bolesław I the Brave, lent him Polish troop for this invasion, also he lent him money for mercenaries. Bacause of this, Canute paid thim a tribute. So, technically speaking - England was Polish colony for a while :-)
Love the hand-drawn look to the map! Definitely keep that in future videos if it's easy enough to create.
Cnut, I misread that, it speaks for itself what I thought it said
I live in NZ now, so do not know if it is still the case, but Cnut conquering England was erased from the curriculum when I was a kid growing up there. They taught us about the Romans, the Saxons, and the Normans, but Cnut never got a mention. I guess it did not fit well with the Alfred The Great story of him fending of the Vikings and uniting England (we were told Alfred did it, but apparently Aethelstan did after him). .
There was a recent BBC documentary that claimed the Saxons assimilated peacefully with the Britons. Perhaps in places, but I do not buy it on the whole. The Britons appear to have retreated to places like Wales and Strathclyde. That's where the Brythonic language survived. That would make the Welsh more British than the English perhaps.
Keen observation. The dogma is that only the native Celts (Welsh/Cornish/Scottish) are British. The English are mainly northern Germanic with a sprinkling of French. Bizarre that so many English people consider themselves British! Or is it?
My pondering has led me to the theory that even when the native language or Britain slowly died out in modern day England - a sense of being British still remained (in the native British communities in England that weren’t wiped out by Anglo Saxon invasion).
Modern examples of this phenomenon exist in the Welsh Valleys near Cardiff ( they have a low proportion of Welsh speakers, yet still identify with being Welsh)- as well as Scotland and Ireland.
Somewhere along the way the English people as a whole forgot that the word Britain and England are mutually exclusive!
Thank you, very erudite, and very well researched - very well done! I have liked and subscribed. I will have to watch it a few times to get all the details into my head, thank you again. I'm pleased to see that you included the Frisians as part of the Anglo/Saxon/Jutish invasions of England. My research has shown me that there was perhaps much more than that involved in Frisian participation in the creation of England. A 17th century Swiss Polymath and language specialist from Zurich, Franciscus Junius Juniior, who lived in Frisia for two years is very clear that old English as well as middle English have their roots in Old Frisian and not Old Saxon or any other a Germanic language. More modern scholars such as the Reverend Bosworth (A dictionary of Anglo Saxon 1838) agrees with this as do many other. The DNA data from people in England today concerning their Frisian or Anglo/Saxons/Jutish origins is pretty convincing as far as to the English peoples' Frisian origins as well. You'll find some vids on this subject in my profile. Thanks again.
Great video, very dense with information yet engaging. Subscribed!
My only suggestion would have been a sentence or two on Cornwall at this time - it’s alluded to in the maps but can easily be overlooked if you’re not looking for it.
Thanks, excellent presentation just found you
Subscribed. Love the content!
Amazing video! I love the visual style and high quality of production. I can’t believe you don’t have more subs
The High Medieval period. So underrated. It wasn't the "dark ages" anymore.
The medieval period wasnt the dark ages.
That was hundreds of years earlier
Well-done! Informative! One shot, one kill!
Translation: one vi-day-oh, and I s'scribe!
Good video!
Cant wait to see more!
Gonna have to sub to this diamond in the rough. Small channel, but will grow with time and effort for sure! Dark Ages (early medieval) isn't very discussed compared to high and late medieval periods, due to obvious reasons, but still great content nonetheless!
4:28 of which not all Danes died as ethnic Danish settlements have been recorded as late as the Norman period indicating at least 1/3 if not more survived the massacres.
Very true. There were still Danes living there when Cnut came to be king
@@studiumhistoriae yep
Thanks man. Very interesting.
Hi, this video was highly interesting and gave me some details I did not know of before. I am Danish and know a bit about our history. I would love to have a conversation with you sometime about the history of, not only, the viking age and how it effected England, France, Russia and so on, but also how it effected the former homes of those vikings.
In short, great video! I hope your channel grows and gets the attention it deserves!
Edit: I'm going to watch your other videos now :)
Cool idea. Good job algorithm!
loved the video, subbed
great job!
Hello,a Dane her,fun to hear about Knud den Store,from a different point of view!
Being half Dane and half Brit, I found this fascinating. Great vid.
Yee amazing content instant subscriber plz keep up ❤❤❤❤
What cool content!
Excellent! Thanks.
It is an interesting thought that in those times, due to the slowness of travel and the limitations of appearing everywhere in a Kingdom, it might well have made little difference if the King was a few valleys away, or across the North Sea. All the same to a peasant under the local Thain. Even a Thain might take months to find out where the King is I guess?
Whereas the KIng is getting info from all directions.
Indeed, there is an interesting letter by Cnut in 1027 addressed to his nobles in England basically telling them that he won't be back in England for a while because he has to deal with things in Denmark.
@@studiumhistoriae Wow, thanks for that!
Nice video, subbed
I have read an article suggesting that the North sea links led to early trade and hence the development of a creole language in Eastern England that was the basis of the English language. There are also questions raised by some archaeologists about the idea that the Angles, Saxons etc actually invaded as did the later Vikings but partly sort of infiltrated via trade and took over in maybe lower level skirmishes.
However I have not read up on recent ideas about this.
Thanks to YTs algorithm I found a great small channel which I hope will continue to grow and teach more more about our english past in a well explained manor. Was beginning to loose faith in the YT culture and its Cats and Fail videos or anything else which can be shown within 20 seconds. I look forward to your next video. I am also impressed how much Cnut travelled back then, in times when it was not so convenient as it is today.
Keep these going! Do the Iroquois next!
The Indigenous Americas are certainly on my list! I want to show as much as I can the whole global landscape during this time
Tho my main interest lies in the bronze age, I thoroughly enjoyed this look at a different time period. Great series and I am looking forward to seeing more of it.
What interests you about the bronze age?
Superb vid Sir! Subbed.
Thanks for covering this period of relative stability in England. But what of the English? How did they live? Was it in small collections of hovels like the "townships" of Ireland, or in organised villages, or in defended towns with walls? Did they work as a family on a small holding, or as collectives, or were they organised in gangs for labour? Did they have any freedom of movement, and any representation? How were taxes and rents paid, and when? Were skills taught in an organised way, or just acquired from your father or your boss?
Cnut had international connections, but what about merchants and fishermen, and what instruments did they have (akin to letters of credit, bankers drafts, bills of lading and insurance) to reduce friction of trade and mitigate liabilities? And how were communication and distribution achieved? Cnut held England together... but that was an administrative and logistical achievement... so how was that done? From the top, organically from the bottom - or ad hoc? That's what I'd like to know.
Cool video
1000 years of history and in politics the main change in England’s leadership is that an “n” and a “u” have changed places.
13:40 How long would such a trip take, and would the traveler go by land or by sea? What was the state of Continental Europe at this time? Would traveling over land through Europe have been possible or safe?
nothing quite like being under a great cnut
a true classic
Nice video - clear and uncluttered and nice well-paced deliivery. Thanks! I live in Norwich, in Danelaw I guess, and do quite a bit of metal detecting a few miles to the south-west. I found my first Saxon coin recently, of Edward the Confessor. But that's against perhaps 50 Medieval coins dating from John onwards. I've wondered why the Saxon stuff is so much more scarce, on a par with Celtic and certainly scarcer than Roman. Is it just much more concentrated in small hotspots perhaps?
Interestingly enough, even if the Normans never invaded English was still well underway towards it's vowel & grammatical shifts that we'd see in the following centuries. Normans strongly influenced English vocabulary; however, the idea that if they never invaded that English would still sound/look like German is misled, moreso it'd resemble modern English in terms of grammar & phonology while having a lexicon more in common with the Frisian dialects.
We can't know for sure what phonological changes would have happened - look at the very different pronunciations of the Scandinavian languages today. But it's reasonable to assume that structurally English would be a lot more similar to those languages than e.g. Icelandic.