England Becomes a Thing.

[@SoGal_YT]

Thanks for watching! Like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video 👍🏻 Follow me on social media, and join my Patreon: ❤ Patreon: www.patreon.com/sogal_yt?fan_landing=true 🐕 Instagram: instagram.com/sogal.yt/ 🏀 Twitter: twitter.com/SoGal_YT ⚽ Facebook Page: facebook.com/SoGal-104043461744742 🏖 Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/238616921241608 💥 Discord: discord.gg/amWWc6jcC2 🖖 My Star Trek Podcast: www.tribblespodcast.com/

[@pipercharms7374]

I like to joke that we got sick of the invasions and snapped and were like right you all are getting invaded! Which I'm sorry for, apart from France :P France deserved any invasions we sent there way due to Normandy taking us over XD

[@alistairthorn1122]

Map looks very questionable. Strathclyde reached as far north as the river Clyde. Dumbarton was at the very northern limit of Strathclyde and a fort that was built at Dumbarton Rock was an important fortification in the ancient kingdom.

[@villainousreport9600]

SoGal, I see your bedroom has a new psychedelic vibe, I may have to wear my shades the next time I visit.

[@da90sReAlvloc]

Don't over look how much influence Romans had on our history, It was the Romans who first called us brittons,. Have you noticed. Our figure of Britannia wears a Roman helmet, Romans ruled Britain for 400 years. We had our own Roman emperor our own Roman currency, we all spoke Latin at one point, Plus Romans married Britons and left their DNA in Britain, Rome also Christianised us,. We worshipped druids before that , Also it was the Romans who named London (londinium). When. Rome left Britain they left us with Roman structures but more importantly they left us DNA and some of their soldiers who had mated with Brits stayed,. They showed us how to make weapons and ships and give us military structure, So yes the Romans had and continue to have a huge impact on our little island For example before the Romans came to Britain we had pagan celebrations,. Then the Romans came over and showed us how to celebrate they had a festival in the winter called saturnalia in which they wore crowns of leafs drank feasted and exchanged presents, However this celebration was changed to Christmas as the Romans Christianised us, We still wear paper crowns , drink feast and exchange presents So yes even now Britain is still very Roman

[@SoGal_YT]

@@alistairthorn1122 A few people are pointing out errors in the video. May have to reconsider doing anything from this channel.

[@superted6960]

England was (and is) agriculturally a very fertile place, getting better the further south you go. In an age when good harvests were essential for life (something we rather take for granted today) the land was prized by invaders for that alone. Many of the Norse invaders were scratching a living on marginal land back home so were keen to come and settle. And if the existing inhabitants got in the way that was just tough.

[@orwellboy1958]

I came here to say this but not only did you beat me to it, you explained it much better than I could. 👍

[@DrumsTheWord]

Spot on. Plus SoGal's instinct that an Island would be easier and safer to defend once conquered.

[@andromidius]

Yeah its weird how good this country is for farming (when the weather isn't acting up) and yet we're less and less of an agricultural society. Our farmers are struggling to survive and we import the vast majority of our food.

[@duckwhistle]

It's worth noting Scandinavia actually had a century or so of realy good farming before the viking invasions started that had resulted in a population boom. Subsequently even decent farm land was divided amoung sons till farms were too small.

[@YekouriGaming]

Also there were barely any defensive works left after the Romans had taken over. Which is partially why the Vikings initially could plunder without much resistance, and could start creating the Danelaw without massive sieges. The only defence against invasion was bow and arrow, so even the Normans could come and take it in 1066

[@phueal]

Aethelflaed is an amazing character, and well worth looking into further. She is romanticised in popular fiction in Bernard Cornwell's "Lost Kingdom" series of books, but she was formidable in real life too: she didn't fight in battle herself but did lead armies in wars to reconquer lost land, as well as being very pious and building up the Christian church and religion of the time (which sounds a bit dull to us, but at the time when the Church was the foundation of society this was the equivalent of building up a strong and cohesive social order). She was very popular at the time but never called "queen", because Mercia was only pseudo-independent and was subordinate to the King of Wessex, but she did rule in her own right and was known instead as "Lady of the Mercians".

[@sanspareil3018]

I agree both Alfred and Ethelflaed were amazing characters. I dont know about Bernard Cornwells portrayal of Alfred though.

[@saxoncodex9736]

I have a video on her? kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6PPn5mCpM51rpY Also episode 15 will open your eyes from top to bottom 😍

[@Gill3D]

As I understand it, the Anglo Saxons only had the title of 'Lord' for their male leaders and had to invent a new title for Æthelflæd. She thus became the first 'Lady' in history.

[@jackthehat1093]

Being a wise and respected ruler obviously isn't enough apparently. Powerful female characters also have to be good at violence and hack their way effortlessly through battle hardened warriors without even wearing armour. Galadriel from Lord of the Rings is the same in Rings of Power. Aethelflaed in The Last Kingdom goes from naive princess>>>prisoner>>>Lady of Mercia>>>leading the charge in battle. Without any training or combat experience.

[@johnc2988]

Aethelflaed was, as you say, an amazing character and her daughter was 'removed from power' by the extended family about eight months after she took her mother's mantle.

[@stevealharris6669]

Hello from East Anglia (Thetford , Norfolk - The Danes Great Heathen Army`s winter quarters 869/70)

[@vaudevillian7]

The Viking territory was known as the Danelaw, you can see where this was today by the place names - not sure if you’ve watched Jay Foreman’s Map Men video on why English Place Names are So Hard to Pronounce but that covers it briefly

[@SoGal_YT]

I have, but that video didn't really show how much territory the Vikings had conquered, if I remember correctly.

[@vaudevillian7]

@@SoGal_YT if you have a quick look at it again there’s a fairly brief map that shows the place names with Norse origins aligns almost perfectly with the Danelaw - basically anywhere ending -by, -thorpe, -thwaite, -toft, or -kirk, there’s some exceptions to those but that’s a good starting point when looking at a map

[@hirepgym6913]

The first actual Invading Viking Fleet not just raiders landed at Folkestone (where i live) Folkestone means Meeting Stone or place the viking's then attacked Sandwhich before destroying the main Saxon army at Maldon where the coin making mint was .

[@stevelknievel4183]

Eric Bloodaxe got that name because he was a quiet man who liked to stay at home and read books.

[@hirepgym6913]

I am a decendant of Blood Axe from Harold Finehair down to Hakkon and half brother Eric Blood Axe down to Hardrada ! it goes further my cousin was Sir Alf Ramsey my fathers side he was Michael Collins cousin some call General Michael Collins just atitle he gave himself.

[@vaudevillian7]

It’s worth looking into the British before the arrival of the Saxons. Also look into Doggerland, I think you’ll find it interesting…

[@DerekOwenLangdon]

What is the difference between American/ English Politics? Nothing whatsoever! They are both land grabbing Colonial thieves!!

[@lyndarichardson4744]

Glad you enjoyed the video Sarah, there was some of this I didn't know.

[@yossal2608]

I live in Essex at the exact point where a Danish viking boat sank, it was there to take a fleet up to London to fight there, there was also a saxon Fort there to fight them, and the saxons won. There is now a stone which marks the defeat of the vikings now for anyone to see.

[@Isleofskye]

Drom that illustrious past to Gemma Collins and Joey Essex....😁

[@mathewballmb]

As someone that lives a mile down the road from Eddington I love that it was mentioned in one of your videos, there's still an iron age hillfort where the battle was and the most modest monument to king Alfred's win.

[@jpspectren8]

Great to have you back Sarah looking forward to more videos from you.

[@Isleofskye]

I thought it was just me but why has Saeaj been absent,please?

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Seconded

[@onemoreminute0543]

11:40 Yeah, the Vikings had some pretty epic sounding names. Eric Bloodaxe, Harald Bluetooth, Ivar the Boneless, Bjorn Ironside, and my personal favourite, Harald Hardrada - THE THUNDERBOLT OF THE NORTH! (also had the nicknames Burner of Bulgars and Hammer of Denmark)

[@glynnwright1699]

And, of course, Noggin the Nog.

[@Onnarashi]

I didn't know Harald was called the Hammer of Denmark. He was Norwegian, of course.

[@onemoreminute0543]

@@Onnarashi I guess he was also called that because of his numerous attempts to subdue Denmark and bring it under Norwegian control.

[@saxoncodex9736]

Ivar the Boneless being 3rd cousin 23 times removed from Ivor the Engine, look you 😍🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂😍

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@saxoncodex9736 best wishes from the Hiberno Norse shore of the Dee estuary....

[@kentbarnes1955]

Sorry to be so late to the party here...starting watching 4 days ago...but kept getting sidetracked by "real life". Another excellent and enjoyable video. I always learn something watching your reactions to these type of things. Keep up the good work (now to catch up on that Spitfire Part 1 video). Side note: I had to pull up a current map of England/Scotland...it's much the same as where your video ended up. Here's a suggestion though...is there a similar video to the History of how Ireland was formed (interesting there was a land call Dublin). Have a great weekend coming up.

[@babalonkie]

Basically... England was formed from constant various European Invasions and England saying enough is enough. Due to the various languages and culture being introduced to island, "English" was formed using all the languages after in a attempt to unify and correlate between the various different people. You will then start to see the rise of the British Empire not long after. "A apple never falls far from the tree".

[@sanspareil3018]

The name England is derived from the tribes of Angles that came from an area north of Saxon Germany. You could say the Vikings eventually won as the Normans who conquered England and subdued it from 1066 were I believe of Viking decent. Alfred and The Lady of the Mercians, Ethelflaed, are worth looking into. Historian Michael Wood did good documentaries on them. A striking statue of Ethelflaed was erected in the town she ruled from, Tamworth, back in 2018.

[@PyrusFlameborn]

Normans are indeed of viking descent. William the Conquerer's great-grandfather was Rollo. At the time Paris kept being raided and sacked by vikings so the King made a deal with Rollo: Rollo would be given rule over the lands on the French coast and become a vassal and in return he would protect Paris by preventing other viking raiders from sailing upriver to Paris. The region ruled by Rollo is named after his people. The land of the Northman aka Normandy.

[@shakya00]

@@PyrusFlameborn This is long before William conquered England, centuries later. The Normans were more of a French-Viking mix with strong "French" cultural influence than mere "vikings" (in William time) and Normandy a French territory.

[@davidmarsden9800]

Viking settlers tended to blend into native populations and go native. Everywhere from England, France, Italy, Russia and surrounding countries like Ukraine and Baltic area. Just like modern day British expats.

[@geoffknight874]

The Saxons are also of Viking decent.

[@demonic_myst4503]

not really tho william the con qeror had english blood

[@steven54511]

Back in the day, my ancestors were Border Reavers - which, basically, meant that they switched allegiance between the Scots and the English almost at will - especially if it meant that they got something out of the deal. One of my most famous ancestors was "Fingerless Will" - who, as you probably guessed, was a thief/rustler/poacher - and eventually he lost several fingers for his crimes! Yikes!! So pleased to see you back Sarah, you're missed when not posting regularly.

[@davidfuters7152]

Mine too But my ancestor was hung , for cattle rustling, sheep stealing and coercion Rough times

[@SoGal_YT]

Thanks, Steve :)

[@pjmoseley243]

@@davidfuters7152 how come you actually exist if your ancestors were hung Dave?

[@sirmattalott1484]

My city Nottingham is a good example of a town which was split into Danish and French speaking/ruling halves quite far into Englands existence.

[@davelewthwaite]

The odd little bit at the top of Cumbria that England left to Scotland was (and to a certain extent, still is) an area of salt flats and marshes that I think they just didn't like the look of. The border now sits at the end of the River Sark near Gretna, but there's a lot more history between then and now.

[@robertmarks2379]

That black line your pointing to is the ice wall the English built to keep the northmen out. The Wall was built eight millennia ago and is about 100 leagues or 300 miles (482.8 kilometers) long, about 700 feet tall (213 meters) and averages 300 feet in width (91 meters)

[@stephenparker6362]

Hi, again, Sarah, another very interesting video, the Battle of Hastings took place in the autumn of 1066 more than a hundred years after the later events shown here. I would again recommend the Oversimplified video on the Battle of Hastings its very informative and entertaining. Anglo Saxons didn't really invade England, the Angles and Saxons, with others invaded England and became the Anglo Saxons when they settled here.

[@martinbobfrank]

Don't forget the Jutes,as they came over with the Angles and Saxons as well. However, they stayed mainly in Kent. I've been to Kent for work, and I don't blame them for staying there; lovely place.

[@saxoncodex9736]

? I have done a series of videos, I'm not sure where you have heard what you posted, but it is news to proper Historians and Archaeologists? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gIGuhouverehe6M

[@stephenparker6362]

@@saxoncodex9736 Hi, I have always understood that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes were distinct peoples from Denmark and Northern Germany but were not known as Anglo Saxons until after they had arrived in England,

[@saxoncodex9736]

@@stephenparker6362 Very good point, well said, first define distinct peoples? Here is the nub of the problem. If you live in Britain since around the end of the last Ice age, you can trace your ancestors back to the Basque Region in Spain. If you live in the Western part of Scandinavia, or in what is today, Schleswig Holstein, Denmark or the Low Countries then you can trace your ancestors back to the Basque Region of Spain, Angles Saxons and Jutes. There is however some DNA difference, but here we come across one of those puzzles many Scientists don't want to challenge. If you surf the net long enough, an advert will pop up about Identical Triplets in USA doing a DNA test and finding they all have different Ancestry? WTF on a large scale. Identical Triplets are very rare, usually triplets (and we had a set in my school) are a pair of twins and then a separate brother or sister, this was the case with the triplets in my school. However there was a TV programme in US that did a DNA test on these Identical triplets, they were all girls looked nearly identical, and yet their Historical DNA was distinct. Here is the problem, your historical DNA should just match who your ancestors were, yet here were 3 girls with the same biological parents and yet their History was different. Incidentally many years ago I viewed a video which tried to explain why these differences came up, it was from top Professors of DNA testing (Harvard, Yale I can't remember) I do remember they were bullshitting. We just don't know exactly where ~My~ ancestors came from😍 Not the first time some one has called me a Bastard 🤣😂🤣😂

[@davidmarsden9800]

Essex, Wessex, Middlesex = East Saxons, West Saxons, Middle Saxons. Middlesex was the County that London and the surrounding area was in, now defunct. Norfolk, Suffolk = North Folk, South Folk. Some of our parliamentary seats and council or judicial areas are based on old Saxon kingdoms with names around me like Skyrack, Ainsty and Lyndsey.

[@martingibbs1179]

In regards to the language i've heard there was the Angle and the Saxon languages, which were very similar given they came from the same area of Europe. However, it is to my understanding that only the Angle version actually had a written language, so the Saxons wrote in Anglish if they wrote at all. I think in the end people were speaking a language that was a mix of Saxonish, Anglish and Danish, but since they wrote in Anglish and not in runes it was collectively referred to as Anglish.

[@samsativa245]

They say "the grass is always greener on the other side" and for the vikings, this was true of England compared to icy Scandinavia. Our grass is greener than anyones. Fertile land. That's what made it desirable. Also been a huge exporter of metals since the Bronze Age like tin for example, Cornwall and Devon are recorded as the earliest source of tin in ancient europe and there is evidence of the tin trade from there to as Far East as the eastern Mediterranean

[@Morgan-sp4uz]

The timeline of England involving the battle of Hastings (1066) was a whole other mess later on. Only it had moved to the the English and the French fighting back and forth, with yet again an invasion or two from those pesky Vikings.

[@wessexdruid7598]

The Normans were actually the same pesky Vikings (Norsemen) who had settled in Northern France.

[@johnc2988]

@@wessexdruid7598 The Burgundians were also Scandinavians who settled in France

[@stephenheathfield6057]

I love the new look.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Me too...

[@jlhuz]

Awesome video. There were a few things that I didn’t know 😮 Hi from the Northeast of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 👋

[@tomlynch8114]

It’s small at the moment but in recent years a Northern (English) independence movement has emerged with the aim of establishing a republic under the name of Northumbria.

[@Anonymous-xr8hx]

That'll never catch on though

[@fyrdman2185]

lmfao it's a party formed by just a bunch of online left wing nerds, there's not really a separatist sentiment here in the North, maybe Liverpool but that's because they're irish

[@andrewcomerford264]

The tiny piece of blue on your map is the south bank of the Solway Firth. The present Scottish/English border runs down the centre of it.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

The great battle of Brunanburh/Bromborough 937AD,Wirral,namechecked albeit in Welsh in the medieval poem of sir Gawain and the green knight....also the place where England began under Athelstan..

[@stephendavies1585]

another great video SoGal.

[@Yamaha666]

michael wood did a good series on anglo saxons/england a few years ago

[@stephenparker6362]

This was a really interesting time there are a couple of other videos it would be worthwhile watching namely Anglo Saxon Invasion of Britain by Kings and Generals and Alfred the Great Saviour of the Saxons by The People Profiles, an excellent channel. It would be interesting to do them.

[@tomlynch8114]

In terms of Viking settlement they did settle in some areas but also just tended to raid and trade in others. You can see it in place names particularly in Northumbria. The Vikings tended to settle in the south (what is now roughly Yorkshire) and you’ll find lots of place names with endings such as ‘by’ ‘thwaite’ and ‘Thorpe’ which are of Viking/Norse origin. However north of the River Tees (in what is roughly North East England) the Vikings raided and traded but tended not to settle, so these Norse names are very few and far between. There are much more 16:23 place names ending ‘Ton’ ‘Don’ ‘Ham’ ‘Worth’ which are of Anglo-Saxon origin.

[@davidmarsden9800]

They heavily settled Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Westmoreland, Northumbria, and the Danelaw down into Essex. Not forgetting settlements on the west coast of Scotland and the Scottish Isles were part of the Kingdom of Norway until the 15th Century.

[@Rob749s]

The original British still exist as Welsh and Cornish. The Picts were northern Britons native to what is now Scotland, but were absorbed into a new kingdom from Ireland (Dal Riata, which then became Alba, and then Scotland - named after the Scoti). As the Romans withdrew from Britain, The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes took control, although we're pretty unsure how and why they were there, some suspect they were part of the Roman garrison, or maybe mercenaries. These groups became the Anglo-Saxons. When the Danish invaded they simply referred to the group collectively as "Anglish", since that was the part they invaded first. Ironically the English language was actually the language of the Saxons. The language of the Angles was more prestigious so the Saxons simply stole the name.

[@alonsoquirosgranados7568]

I love your hair, personality, intelligence and beauty dear Sogal♥

[@Edd25164605]

'Destiny is all!'. (If you know,you know)

[@Groffili]

The word "English" comes from one of the germanic tribes that came over/invaded from the North Germany/Southern Denmark region... the Angles. Even if we today consider the Saxons the more important part of this germanic mixture, the people of that time seemed to think of "Anglic" as the dominant culture... and so "English" was used to describe all the groups and kingdoms that we today call "Anglo-Saxon".

[@alansmithee8831]

@Groffili. I heard that after the Synod of Whitby that Northumbrian Angle manuscripts became a source of the written language. The ones that made their way to Wessex became useful to teach scribes, vital when Alfred needed to organise resistance to the Danish invaders and much quicker than teaching Latin. So the Saxon scribes learned to write in Angle "English". I also reckon Alfred saw it as a tool to gain leverage in the former Angle kingdoms that Danelaw replaced.

[@chrisbovington9607]

Great place to start - the beginning! This is often called the Early Middle Ages now. It used to be called the Dark Ages. The terms are mostly interchangable. They left out the later part of this period where Anglo-Saxon England consolidates further but is then conquered again by Cnut (Canute) and then ruled by his son for a bit before the AS regain control. Next comes the beginning of the Middle Ages proper as William the Conqueror kicks off the Norman period which also includes his 2 sons as monarchs and then also King Stephen, in whose reign the kingdom slides into The Anarchy until the Plantagenet dynasty takes over with Henry II. Some people consider the Plantagents as Normans but that's a bit of a stretch. The Plantagenets are a long-lived dynasty that eventually finish out the Middle Ages with the Wars of the Roses (dynastic infighting) which culminates in the Tudors and the beginning of the Early Modern Period.

[@davetdowell]

English at that time is what we now call "Old English", google can cover that for you, I believe they've even got a google translate module for it.

[@penultimateh766]

"Sogal's fans react to her nice voice and cute haircut!"

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Indeed

[@normanwallace7658]

St Edmund the Martyr was England's first Patron Saint buried at Bury St Edmunds in the Abbey that beares his name in West Suffolk.( he was bound & executed with Arrowes ) the Land was very arrable & perfect for both grazing & growing crops.(So in todays parlance Desirable Realestate!!)

[@makinapacal]

In 973 CE Edgar officially had himself crowned has King of England in a Church near Bath England. Certain details of this Coronation service has survived in English Coronations up to the present day. Symbolically this can be said to mark the official birth of England.

[@leslieallen7070]

Sarah,the answer is simple,they knew then as they know now that this little island is the most beautiful place in the world.(period)

[@geoffknight874]

Don't you mean full stop. Lol. Just being silly.

[@winterknight4176]

Michael Wood's 'Story of England' might be what you are looking for, except it is in six 1 hr episodes. He also has a three part series on Alfred the Great, his Daughter and Grandson, but this is not available on KZbin.

[@barriehull7076]

The name Kent is believed to be of British Celtic origin. The meaning has been explained as 'coastal district,' 'corner-land' or 'land on the edge' (compare Welsh cant 'bordering of a circle, tire, edge;' Breton cant 'circle;' Dutch kant 'side, edge'). In Latin sources the area is called Cantia or Cantium, while the Anglo-Saxons referred to it as Cent, Cent lond or Centrice. Wikipedia.

[@Isleofskye]

Thanks and that has put my mind at rest as I have been called "Kent" many times on London roads and I wondered how they knew that I am, indeed,a resident of said County... N.B. I think they have been calling me,Kent..

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Then there is Kendal = Kent Dale in Cumbria....

[@alansmithee8831]

@@eamonnclabby7067 Mint!

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@alansmithee8831 excellent....

[@jenb658]

The prefix to a name “Ed” meant “riches or wealth” which, we surmise is as if they had a modern title like Sir, Baron, Earl or Lord. It’s similar to the suffixes associated with Northern European names that were introduced to the UK at that time like Ericsson ( Eric’s son), Anderson, Peterson, Gustavson etc.

[@villainousreport9600]

The Vikings were interested in two main things, wealth and land. 1- Raiding for gold, silver and gems was the original get rich quick scheme. 2- The Viking homeland had little and quite poor farmland, whereas English land was great for growing crops and keeping livestock.

[@PyrusFlameborn]

Also Harald Hardrada unified Norway and gave each of the clans a choice: submit to his rule or leave Norway in exile. A number of clans choose to keep their independence and left Nkrway to resettle in England

[@johnc2988]

Raiding was to take people for slaves. The average raider could almost set themselves up for life if their share of the booty was an handful of slaves. Only monasteries and the like had any quantity of gold or gems and once stripped would take years to replace whereas good farming land already cleared would soon be repopulated. Once taken the land could always be farmed by the enslaved for the benefit of the invaders. The east coast of England was generally under Scandinavian control until 1066 when Harald Hadrada was beaten by Harold. Harold went for double or quits but lost to William of Normandy. Harold's mother was a Dane, Harald Hadrada was a Norwegian and William was either of Danish or Norwegian extract. So all in all England was taken by the Scandinavians. The Scandinavians took large parts of what became western France and Burgundy. Most of Scotland and Ireland was taken by the Scandinavians with the Picts making a peace treaty with the Scots (Irish Scandinavians). The last outposts of the Scandinavian jaunts and conquests in Europe was the taking of Sicily and the south of Italy. Still a lot of Norman buildings in those areas.

[@pallasathena1555]

You should totally react to only fools and horses, best uk comedy ever

[@johnharrison154]

England was rich, good agricultural land, well ordered society and a moneyed economy. That's why the Vikings kept coming back. And they hadn't finished by the end of this video, we still have King Canute and Harald Hardrada to come. Not to mention William the Conqueror who had Viking ancestry.

[@gabbymcclymont3563]

The last kingdom is a wonderful show about the creation of England. Its not compleatly acurate but its womderfly filmed.

[@DavidStruveDesigns]

The funny thing is, if you think about it York owes its name and existence to the Vikings - although they called it Jorvik (pronounced Your-vik). So that means the US city of New York owes _it's_ name to the Vikings too, since it's named after York.

[@wwciii]

An important point is that rivers etc. make great lines for cartographers but people tend to setthe on both sides of a river.

[@barriehull7076]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pantiles In Royal Tunbridge Well, Kent, but once in Sussex. There is a plaque on the outside of the theatre that says the stage was in Sussex and the rest was in Kent. It could be the other way around but in any case it's strange for it to be that way. The Pantiles was used as a filming location for the 1967 musical Half a Sixpence starring Tommy Steele and Julia Foster.[9] In 1991 it was used as a backdrop for the band World Of Twist, on the cover of their debut album, Quality Street, with the group dressed in period costume.

[@internalpolitics461]

Been looking forward to this one

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Very commendable post ....

[@lordofchaosinc.261]

It's strange people are still named Alfred and Edgar but not Edwick or Ethelred and all that.

[@alansmithee8831]

@Lord of Chaos Inc. I heard some bloke Norman said it was down to Guillaume Duke, French cousin of Archy, that got shot because his ostrich was hungry. Apparently his mate Harold got hit in the eye with an arrow. They sound like a dangerous bunch.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@alansmithee8831 all subject to an ASBO...

[@stevegasparutti8341]

Of course it ll changed in 1066 when William of Normandy captured the kingdom of England at the battle of Hastings. William and all the Dukes of Normandy were of Viking blood. They invaded parts of France as well as England.

[@williambranch4283]

Romano-Britons in Britain and Picts in Scotland and Irish in Ireland in 450 CE. The Germanic Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Franks and Frisians colonize 450-550 but the Anglo-Saxons are dominant. The Irish colonize part of Scotland by 550 CE and the Romano Britons retreat to Wales and Strathclyde by 550. The Anglo-Saxons develop from 550-800. Then the Vikings (also Germanic) come to play all over Britain and Ireland for over 250 years after that, until the Normans come in 1066. The Vikings in Ireland are conquered by the Irish by this time, but the Vikings still control NW Scotland for another 200+ years, making the unique Highlander culture.

[@dougcollins9980]

Æthelflæd was one of very few women to rise to power up to that time (or for hundreds of years after - she had two factors behind her position. She was the eldest daughter of Alfred the Great - and she had the skills and education to be an effective leader. Very few women were ever given the training and education that she was granted by her father Alfred.

[@paulwalsh9680]

Take a look at some books by Bernard Cornwell. Though fiction, they're set against the backdrop of historical events: "Azincourt" and "Lords of The North" for example

[@sangfroidian5451]

This documentary focused more on political control than peoples. England wasn't empty after the Romans left, it was populated by Romanised tribes of Britons who were attacked by Picts and Scots. Estimates of Anglo Saxon migration are up to 100,000. The Angles and Saxons then took over control of eastern areas of England and over time intermingled with the existing Britons, although control and rule was most definitely in Anglo-Saxon hands. Resistant Britons were relegated to Cornwall, Wales and exile. Modern English is a complex soup of a language developed from an Anglo Saxon base with some Viking words added, then a substantial French influence (due to the Norman conquest) resulting in Middle English which simmered over a number of centuries to arrive at the English we know today and is worth a video or two in itself.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

The interaction between the competing groups was very extensive, Saint/King Oswald who Tolkein based Aragorn on, spent his exile amongst my tribes ( O Neil and O,Cahan) in what was then the sea kingdom of Dalriata, present day Argyle and north Ulster...maybe try The King in the North by Max Adam's,vividly described the British Isles of 400 to 700AD...

[@davidmarsden9800]

The British Empire mainly consisted of countries mainly with a coastline or being an island for a reason. The lessons from our history show how easy it is to take land by sea rather than march overland. Especially when you have a strong navy and we made ports in strategic spots to resupply ships traveling around it.

[@iniflyi1349]

The cool thing about being British and living here and being a big fan of history you can got to places in England where there is ruins of castles and churches from this time peroid and so on my local city near me has a castle in the center that has been there since 1121 and the old walls of the old city still up with modern protection to make sure no one damages them etc its crazy how there is so much history all around.

[@davidmarsden9800]

London still has stuff from around 43AD, in York there's still stuff from around 70AD and lots of other places have similar things. There are plenty of defensive and living structures from long before that in the bronze and stone ages too. All concentrated in a small island over centuries and a few millennia.

[@alansmithee8831]

Hello SoGal and Roger. Woof to Scarlett. I could go on for hours, but spoilers. The Borders between England and Scotland were lawless, wild west style. The name Armstrong is from there, but it is just a "small step" across since the days of King James, who became king of both. This video was good, but skipped details and under stated the Danelaw. Also Edinburgh is an English town, the northern Angles, as Christians joining with the kingdom of Alba to form Scotland, separate from the Danelaw. History with Hilbert's Geordie video explains how Northumbria and the Scots language are Angle, as opposed to Yorkshire which was more Danish. Cumbria, the southern part of Strathclyde was settled by those Norse Irish from Dublin, the remaining celts also becoming part of Scotland. The Angles were from round southern Denmark and were in northern kingdoms, where the later Danes settled. Saxons in the south were from Germany. Kent, your ancestral county was settled by Jutes, Jutland being in Denmark. There were also Frisian settlers, Frisian being seen as the nearest to English is still spoken from the Netherlands to Denmark, through Germany. The Christians had taken Northumbrian Angle scriptures as their standard texts, prior to Danelaw, so written education was in English not Saxon and the country became England and spoke English, not Saxish, despite the role of Wessex. Anglo-Saxon became English after the Normans, Vikings settled in Normandy, France, brought French words into use, following William winning at Hastings in 1066. They brought Bretons with them, the descendants of celts from Britain, refugees from the Anglo-Saxon invasion, who believed they were coming home, like modern Jewish settlement in Israel. I live near towns called Normanton and Bretton. Map Men did a North South divide video showing how place names are Saxon or Viking in origin, as per Danelaw. You mentioned Ukraine, which was also influenced by Vikings. See Harald Hardrada. He crops up in the 1066 story, having been in Ukraine, back to Scandinavia, then invading and fighting near York against the other Harold that you mentioned. You get lots of Facebook posts on the group from York, not far from me, though I am not on Facebook. You said the nearby Lake District was beautiful, so you might imagine why we call my county "God's country". I was never surprised the area was fought over in history. I saw a map on KZbin showing historical battles as points on a map. England is smothered in them, suggesting it was prime real estate. The battle of Brunanburh mentioned was thought to be at Bromborough on the Wirral, near my friend from university, like me a wargamer. I spotted this suggestion in a copy of his Society of Ancients newsletter, having seen Michael Wood's TV series on this period of history. A fellow subscriber, who is also a Viking fan, lives near there and generally asks how I am doing over in Danelaw. He reckons artifacts are turning up to confirm this. You might take a look at Scotland History Tours channel, which I enjoy, despite being south of the border.

[@ZombieATAT]

12:37 I'm kinda stuck in the middle of what you refer to as "tension" (I live in Yorkshire). Due to the North-South divide, people in my region harbour resentment towards Southerners and have little (if any) ill intent towards the Scots and Irish. That divide was greatly increased by Mrs Thatcher and her callus actions. Wales and Ireland have reason to hold a grudge but Scotland willingly joined the UK (I believe for assistance with debts?).

[@williamwilkes9873]

I'd guess you have it accurately worked out with anlglo - salons/Picts/Celts/vikings etc.,......maybe there may have been a respite........but you had to many Hastings..........& we all knew what went down........to this day even.some of my cousin's, aunts etc., have Germanic or french names, though born in southern England.............my mother's maiden name is a translation of Greenland......viking country.........late but, nice new year..........good vid'.

[@williamwilkes9873]

Sorry, l said many.............l meant "mention*........

[@stevetheduck1425]

The little glossed-over detail of the Kingdom of Kent vanishing into Wessex has a bit of history, still remembered today here. Kent was the Kingdom with the most trade with Europe proper, mostly through what is now Belgium and the Netherlands. Wessex and Kent allied, their royal families intermarried and by the time of Alfred the Great, were essentially one Kingdom, but with two law codes. This difference was thrashed out almost peacefully by the standards of the day, and the Viking invasions later went across and back across Kent a number of times, without truly doing much damage, except in the tribute given to avoid war. When Wessex and other kingdoms allied and moved the Vikings back, London was recaptured, and Kent still remained quasi-independent. The borders of Kent even today preserve a division either side of the River Medway (the middle way river), either side of the county town Maidstone (maiden's stone or Middle town) usually only remembered as a joke distinction between the 'men of kent' and the 'kentishmen'.

[@Groffili]

"Viking" isn't a ethnic or even cultural term... it's a job description. Very roughly, it means "the people who travel overseas on business". A lot of the folks who did all these raids/invasions/settlements of England came from Denmark and danish settled/controlled lands in southern Norway... so "Danes" is the correct description. The area which the settled was thus called the "Danelaw" - the land under Danish rule, and while the independent "viking" control was overcome by the English, the settlements and the unique culture still persisted. The connections between western Scandinavia and the British Isles were a lot closer in that period than in the earlier roman times or the later medieval era. The Vikings (and here I use the term deliberately) were fantastic seafarers, and the North Sea was just their town pond. For a while, England, Denmark and Norway were even united under a single ruler, and Harold, the last Anglo-Saxon king, had to cope with an invasion from Norway for a claim to his throne at the same time as William of Normandy (himself a descendant of Norse invaders) tried the same. It's a highly interesting tale. Harold's army had marched against the Norwegian invasion, under their king, Harald Hardrade, and fought them off at Stamford Bridge in the north of England, killing Harald of Norway in battle. At the same time, William of Normandy had landed in the south of England, and Harold had to forcemarch his army down to face him. The Battle of Hastings was a close call... and it would have been interesting to see how it would have turned out if William had had to face a rested and numerically superiour Anglo-Saxon army.

[@Onnarashi]

Danes didn't settle in southern Norway, but otherwise you're correct. We Norwegians are Norwegiam, not Danish.

[@Groffili]

@@Onnarashi OK... "controlled" only then. Though I really have no idea how much of a distict _national_ identity the different norse people would have in the 9th century.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@Onnarashi and us on the wirral still have a lot of Hiberno Norse ancestry.....same in Liverpool/scouse...or Lobscouse...which Mrs C cooks...

[@coloz3882]

The Anglo Saxons only ever existed in England, it is lazy history to say the Anglo Saxons invaded England. The Anglo Saxons formed in England from continentals and indigenous British people's, the Angles, Saxons etc contributed to the formation of the Anglo Saxons in England. Anglo Saxons did not exist on the continent and never have... Love your videos by the way..

[@BC_Joshie]

A lot of these history of Britain videos are lazy and only get their information from a quick google search to make a video. a lot of it is very vague, also a lot of it is wrong and completely skips key parts.

[@pipercharms7374]

I think when people say anglo saxons they are refering to the different people that came over from germanic europe, angles, saxons and jutes, not that there were people called anglo saxons, thats always been my take on it anyway?

[@williambranch4283]

There were Saxons still, ask Charlemagne ... or present day Saxony.

[@pjmoseley243]

@@pipercharms7374 dont forget the Frisian people also added to the mix, they brought over the black and white cows with them I understand.

[@jamesswindley9599]

They were also pretty peaceful, there’s not been much evidence that they massacred Brits, they just settled and took charge of everything 😅❤

[@jamestheteabeaumont5900]

Horrible Histories actually covered the "mysterious murder" of King Edmund in a stupid Death in series 1; he was stabbed in the up the backside by a Viking hiding in his toilet.

[@jensschroder8214]

The English language is interesting. The basic stock of the words are of Germanic or Danish origin. The Saxons and Angles left their mark. The grammar has a lot to do with the Norwegians (the Vikings). Then a French king came to England and brought with him his French dialect and many French words. Old Germanic English words have been replaced. For example, hound became dog, maiden became girl, swine became pig. The Dutch came with the book printing works and then tried to adjust the grammar again. They added letters or changed them as they thought. In addition, the many local dialects and changes in the English language. And today, although the grammar in English is quite simple, but in the words there are many inconsistencies of spelling. Oh yes, the Americans tried to simplify the spelling. Today, some words are spelled slightly differently in English than in American English.

[@stevet7695]

The very excellent "Robwords" channel on YT covers a lot of the origins and changes to English throughout the middle ages and up to the near present.

[@oliversherman2414]

I love your channel keep up the great stuff

[@ms.antithesis]

i find it intresting that this video ends right before 1066, since 1066 is seen by many as the event that created modern england, since the french influence brought on by them was the last event that turned the kingdom of the angles. The Angle-land. Into the kindgom of the Anglo-normans, the mix of german, french, a bit of danish, and native britonic and celtic that created the modern day english language, and what can argued to be the creation of England as something more than just one of the kindgoms of Britain.

[@LaPOLEA]

The Britons ie Celtic tribes/ Clans were all over our Island in what is now England, theyvall spoke different Celtic languages which our still spoken today .

[@shoutinghorse]

One thing never mentioned in the video was that Ethelflaed of Mercia was the sister of Edward the Elder and so when she died Edward took advantage and took Mercia for himself (and Wessex). Also Edwards oldest child, Aethestan had been given to Ethelflaed as her ward and was in Edwards eyes not only his heir of Wessex but also the rightful heir of Mercia. Their father, Alfred the Great had a dream that one day a Wessex king would rule all of England and unite it into one great Anglo Saxon kingdom.

[@19Paul91]

Historians dont think that a whole host of Anglo-Saxons came and displaced the whole population of natives, rather the top strata of society was replaced. Similar to the Romans and Normans who would later invade. Most of the population were the same natives that changed how they lived to fit in with the ruling class of the time.

[@LuisBrito-ly1ko]

Kings and Generals pretty much covered this period in more detail, and they answer the questions you asked.

[@davidmarsden9800]

The Jutes, Hengist and Horsa were originally invited here to help the Britons against pirates and invaders after the Roman army pulled out in around 410AD. Unfortunately they decided to invade here themselves after a while and others followed afterwards. There is a debate going on recently as to if they actually existed, but that's the long lasting story.

[@ftumschk]

Hengist and Horsa could merely be symbolic epithets. Their names - literally "stallion" and "horse" - are redolent of strength, stamina, speed, and other attributes associated with warriors. Even if there _were_ two real brothers who featured in the story, it's eminently possible that their names were made up later, to reflect their heroic nature.

[@davehemsley4124]

The Vikings kept coming back for the pubs and chip shops

[@rs1884]

I live, and was brought up in Nottingham (fabled from the Tales of Robin Hood). In the time period covered by this video it was a part of Mercia with its own Burgh called Snotingeham (alternatively Snotingaham) (The Anglo-Saxon word ham meant village. The word inga meant ‘belonging to’ and Snotta was a man. So its name meant the village owned by Snotta. Gradually its name changed to Snottingham then just Nottingham.) The Castle was established in 1067 (one of the first Castles built after the Norman Conquest), so the town was expanded with the French speakers in the west and the Anglo-Saxons to the east. The original Castle was made of wood, later rebuilt in stone. To dispel the myth of the Tales, the Anglo-Saxons and the Normans lived in peaceful co-existence, and each had their own laws with trading across what is now the 'Old Market Square' divided with a wooden fence running through it east to west, Normans to the north and Saxons to the south. Many of the street names here come from the Danes times and lead to confusion, with Gate e.g. and Warser Gate, Pilcher Gate etc, Gate (or Gata) meaning Street and Wall Gates like Chapel Bar. (York has the same Bar and Gate names for their street names).

[@richardscratcher6075]

The Vikings had a big influence on the English. Some of our English words have their roots in Old Norse e.g. gun, club, skull, slaughter, ransack, scathe, berserk...

[@Onnarashi]

Old Norse also gave you words like window, wick, by (i. e. Grimsby, not the other kind of "by"), knife, reindeer, brother, sister, father, mother, bag.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@Onnarashi then there is Frankby here on the Hiberno Norse wirral...how did the French arrive pre 1066...?...Irby..no mystery there us Irish are everywhere...

[@marksadventures3889]

Viking is the term used by Nosrsemen, Scandinavians, meaning going raiding ergo hoping Viking.

[@jenb658]

A bit like the O and Mac of the UK. MacDonald denotes you are from Donald and O’Brien, from Brian.

[@ftumschk]

The "ap" or "ab" in Welsh names is as old, if not older than Mac in the UK. They show up in its purest form in historical figures like Llywelyn ap Gruffydd (Llywelyn son of Gruffydd) and Dafydd ap Gwilym (David son of William), and they still manifest in vestigial form in fairly common surnames like Pritchard (from "ap Rhisiart", son of Richard), Price/Preece ("ap Rhys", son of Rhys/Reece), Powell ("ap Hywel", son of Howell) and Bevan ("ab Ifan", son of Evan).

[@eamonnclabby7067]

My Clan name O,Cahan has been anglicised to Cain,Kane ,and O,Kane....

[@gabbymcclymont3563]

We still use Dane Law in the UK, a town square is from viking settlements. Please watch 5 KINGDOMS it's fabulous and shows how England was created.

[@gabbymcclymont3563]

Sorry its the LAST KINGDOM

[@rickybolton4342]

Good video. Just on why England. The Vikings dominated the Baltic, conquered chunks of northern France (the Normans were settled Anglo-Saxons/Vikings), bits of Spain, they set up a settlement in, I think, Newfoundland, they had a kingdom in Ireland Dublin), romped through eastern Europe setting up settlements and governments in Kiev and what would become Russia and agreeing trade deals with the Ottomans.

[@DropdudeJohn]

It was formed by all that is good in life and then set about spreading that goodness throughout the world

[@pjmoseley243]

A tribe named the English landed on the southern coast of what was to become England so I was told on the coast of what is now known as Hampshire.

[@normanwallace7658]

Old English,also English law administerd by the comunities amounting to 100 families so spliting all areas into authorites called 100 ran by the worthys & Trial by Jury, the first invaders & settlers were Jutes ( from what is now Belgium & Netherlands ( possibly early Flemish).

[@levitated-pit]

i am a Northumbrian and i have a genetic condition known as Vikings disease which affects the tendons of the hand. So im a bit of a mongrel ...chuckle

[@levitated-pit]

oh! the border between scotland and northumbria in this vid is wrong

[@DerekOwenLangdon]

Yeah! You are stupid!,

[@BC_Joshie]

The native Britons he speaks of would have been the same people as the Welsh people. The welsh are the original Britons who's land was all of wales and all of England (besides Cornwall)

[@Rhyfelwr_Cymreig]

They never mention the Welsh even though they are the true Britons.

[@adamlatosinski5475]

I would rather say that after the Anglo-Saxons took western lands of Brittania, the Britons divided into four groups: the Cumbrians (in the north, the kigndom of Strathclyde was theirs), the Welsh (in modern Wales), the Cornish (in Cornwall), and the Bretons (who left Brittania and settled in Brittany region of modern France).

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@adamlatosinski5475 interesting and ironic that the Alan's of Brittany were granted Richmond in Yorkshire by William the Conqueror...

[@glynnwright1699]

So good to see you again, SoGal! The Ancient Britons, who occupied the land before the Roman invasion, came from France. They arrived after the end of the Ice Age, a period when Britain was heavily glaciated. The terminal moraines, where the glaciers dumped the rocks they carried as they met the sea, are still easy to spot along the Sussex coast. The Ancient Britons were partly absorbed into what became England, but were mostly driven into Wales and Cornwall by the Angles, Saxons and Vikings. They are sometimes called Brythonic Celts and have a heritage and culture quite separate from the Gaels. Sussex was a separate Kingdom and still retains a unique identity, as do many other counties. Sussex was never subjected to the extremes of the feudal system, always remaining a distinct realm . The freedom of thought that was consequently a characteristic of Sussex was the reason that it was part of the earliest movements that heralded the Protestant Reform. There was a strong following of John Wycliffe in Sussex, popularly known as the Lollards, which was active a hundred years before Luther. Lollards challenged the feudal order imposed by the Normans, so were imprisoned as heretics. Our local church has a Lollards tower, basically a prison, from which Lollards could view the Roman Catholic services. The proximity of 'free thinking' Sussex to London, barely twenty miles to the North, was perceived as a threat to the English monarchy, so Sussex was heavily garrisoned until quite recent times. Its early protestant movement motivated Bloody Mary's burning-at-the-stake of Sussex protestants and is why the Lewes Bonfire still is strong in the Sussex psyche.

[@MichaelAMVM]

Nope, the ancient britons (current welsh) were/are bell beakers with a little bit of celtic ancestry and they arrived from what is nowadays the Nederlands (the celts obviously came from France). What's not mentioned is the normands who had a massive impact in creating modern England. They're mostly responsable for introducing feudalism and changing the genetics, as they account for 40 to 51% of the genetics of southern England according to the latest genetic study.

[@glynnwright1699]

@@MichaelAMVM There is little evidence of bell beaker pottery in either Wales or Cornwall.

[@DerekOwenLangdon]

The ancient Britons came from France, what? My god there are some real dumb bastards commenting here!

[@alfredbearman396]

Great farmlands ,Gold from Wales ,Tin, copper for Bronze, Arsenic for glass & Medican what's not to want.cheers

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

I am still requesting "Qing dynasty" playlist by History of China or "Qin Dynasty Origin" by Cool History Bros.

[@Jon_FM]

Kind of arbitrary to pick Edgar the Peaceful as the establishment date for England since it was not long after the Danes invaded again and became Kings of England. Cnut and his descendants ruled England for a while before Edward the Confessor became King. And then the other Norsemen or Normans came over and changed it all drastically. The English language was established in the Anglo Saxon lands (called Old English) and had its own grammar and pronunciations which are similar to German, Dutch and Frisian (story of Beowulf comes from Old English). It is mixed with Norse and Norman French to become what is called Middle English (Canterbury Tales is an example of that).

[@Jon_FM]

Also I would suggest that the Anglo Saxon take over was more like what the Normans did where they replaced the power positions of the Britons who still survived in the area at the time. Anyone who fought against that were driven west and northward, Strathclyde, Cornwall and Wales were the last bastions of the old Britons that survived, all would fall under English influence between 900 and 1300. In Welsh History the Old North generally referred to the British speaking kingdoms of southern Scotland and Northern England.

[@CARLOS62B]

England was perfect for Farming and clean drinking water coming down from the hills ... plus we had .... coal, alum, chalk, lime, slate, iron and clay ... oh yes` and even the Americans decided we would make a great airport and troop base during World War 2. Plus everyone knows England has the Healthiest weather on the entire planet.

[@stevenanderson7461]

If you like horrible history you should watch the UK comedy series ghosts which is on season 4 it's got the cast from horrible histories in it

[@jenb658]

Even now in New edict countries there is a difference in some countries with surnames. Many Nordic countries still use a different convention for surnames depending on gender. “Son” or Sonn” for males and “Dottir” for females. So your sibling might be called John Andersson, and you might be Jane Anderssdorrir.

[@BlameThande]

The source video is quite good but does suffer from the fact that it doesn't mention the Britons/Welsh (other than Strathclyde) after the beginning, and then I've noticed American reactors get confused about what happened to the indigenous people. (He also isn't terribly clear that the people first named Scots were from Ireland, which always confuses people!)

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Tha Scottii as beloved of the Roman Empire...we just paddled our coracle around Hadrians wa...

[@andrewclayton4181]

Alfred the great, king of Wessex, defeated the viking invaders, and kept them out of his kingdom. He actually pushed into Sussex, Kent and Essex, to expand his control. His eldest child was Aethelflaed, a daughter who was married to Ethelraed of Mercia, to establish an alliance. When Alfred died in 899, he passed his kingdom to his son Edward (the elder) When Ethelraed of Mercia died, his wife Aethelflaed continued the rule alone. She was good, and successfully expanded her holdings against the vikings/ Danes ( the norsemen were pretty interchangeable ) Look up Aethelflaed First Lady of the Mercians. The briother/sister combo did very well in the first quarter of the 10th c. .Aethelflaed died and passed the kingdom of Mercia to her daughter Aelfwyn. That is the only time in English history when a daughter succeeded her mother on a throne. Edward had other ideas, stepped in and took the land of Mercia from his neice and packed her off to a convent. This doubled his holdings. He died in 924. There was some arguing between his sons and Athelstan took over in 925. His drive into Northumberland gave him control of most of current England, hence he is regarded as the first king of the English. English is derived from Angles / Anglish He said in the video, Edmund died in mysterious circumstances. I have read that he was involved in a scuffle where a known criminal was resisting arrest and got stabbed. No mystery. Edmund was a half brother of Athelstan. ( Same father, Edward, different mother) Edmund ruled 939 to 946. Nearly same dates as WW2 just 1000 years earlier. The video leaves the country consolidated under Edgar the peaceful. 959 to 975. Things started going pearshaped after his reign though. He had two sons by two wives. Edward ( the martyr) inherited the throne, but his step mother thought her son should be on it. An assassination was arranged, and in 979 young Edward was stabbed. His half brother Ethelread ( the unready) was put on the throne, about age 10. His reign ( 979 - 1016 ) saw one disaster after another including civil war, and the Danes prevailed and reinvaded. Three of their kings ruled England between 1016 and 1042 In 1042 Edward the Confessor, having spent most of his life in exile in Normandy, regained the throne. He ruled through to 1066, but left no heirs, and on his death there was a power vacuum which Danes, Anglo-Saxons and William of Normandy all rushed to fill. That's when we have the Battle of Hastings, and the Norman French take over. A whole new swathe of history begins at that turning point.

[@davidmarsden9800]

Normans actually descendants of Rollo the Viking and his men given Normandy in return for not raiding Paris and northern France and keeping other Vikings from doing the same.

[@tomrainboro3728]

I think English DNA is mostly pre Anglo-Saxons

[@jenb658]

You have the same colour hair as my daughter. You are Celtic by DNA. When she was a 6yrs old we were walking down Princes St in Edinburgh and we counted over 30 redheads. She said “This is where my people come from”. With blue eyes as well she is apparently part of only 0.17 part of the human population. We both have brown hair and have blue eyes only back in our family’s history so it is extraordinary that she should be part of that small cohort. A reaction to Tim Minchin’s “Prejudice” might make you laugh.

[@SoGal_YT]

My ancestry is Irish and English.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@SoGal_YT same here...Clabby = Fazackerley,

[@alansmithee8831]

@@eamonnclabby7067 I commented before that you could put my half Irish girlfriend in a family picture with Sarah and family and not realise she was an imposter. Best wishes for the New Year over by Brunanburh. My friend from Bromborough was adopted, so did not know his origins, but the flaming red hair and brown eyes seemed a bit of a clue. His adoption was in Blackpool, so I suggested it might have something to do with "Scottish Week", though he played amateur rugby league for Wales, since his ancestry was unknown.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

@@alansmithee8831 back in the distant past, I used to be called a black Irish bar steward...now I,m just a grey haired one... Mrs C,s forbears were Britons of Strathclyde and some Sami/Lapland, so was very dark too...peace and love to the Danelaw....E..

[@alansmithee8831]

@@eamonnclabby7067 My mum was very fair skinned, which you could imagine being from Scandinavia. My dad had ancestors from South Lincolnshire, near Boston, but he did not look Anglo-Danish. Some of his sisters were very dark, which made us wonder about the stories of them settling in Yorkshire after the Indian army. Someone actually asked my grandmother how she would let her daughter marry a black man, when my parents married. At a family do, one of my many cousins who is interested in family trees got talking to me. I told the tale of how I used to say that the name Kidman seemed rare, unlike Smith and other common names and not one you heard, but now famous. My cousin's partner had to poke him and say "Kidman" before the penny dropped. My girlfriend's family also served the empire in India, coming home not to Ireland, but Yorkshire, Ireland having become independent.