Why doesn't France own the Channel Islands? (Short Animated Documentary)

The Channel Islands lie just over a dozen miles off the coast of France and six times closer to it than England. In spite of its proximity and the centuries of warfare between the two, it remained in English and later British hands. So why? To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.
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[@phillipsesate1364]

The islands did fall to Germany during WW2 which was the only main British territories to be occupied

[@soly-dp-colo6388]

I remember Time Team did a dig there. That was a great episode.

[@henriquemachado9941]

So in a way, the Germans did invaded the British Islands. _Kinda._

[@reverseengineeredbot3387]

​@@henriquemachado9941channel islands not British

[@phillipsesate1364]

@@henriquemachado9941 ye

[@superphb5014]

The defenses on the channel islands were the strongest of the Atlantic Wall. The Nazis built our islands into mini fortresses equipped with long range 30.5cm russian naval guns, artillery batteries and was occupied by a force of 40,000 men (the largest divison in the Wehrmacht). The islands would be occupied by the Nazis all the way up until 09/05/1945.

[@wariodude128]

I like how he called one of the British monarchs King John the Only. Makes sense, since just about every other monarch had a number after their names.

[@anttibjorklund1869]

The only other ones that come to mind are Stephen, Anne and Victoria.

[@matthewbrotman2907]

“Only” monarchs: Stephen, John, Jane, Anne, Victoria.

[@anttibjorklund1869]

@@matthewbrotman2907 Oh right, how could I forget about Jane 😂

[@SomebodywithaYouTubeaccount]

Another fun nickname, one which was actually around during his lifetime, was “John Lackland.” Since he was the youngest son, the joke was that he wasn’t likely to inherit any land from his father, King Henry II. He was later promised the Lordship of Ireland by Henry though

[@somethingelse516]

@@matthewbrotman2907there’s Margaret and Macbeth and there has been another John

[@zibbitybibbitybop]

The story of how the Dame of Sark resisted the Nazis when they occupied the Channel Islands is great. She spoke fluent German, and basically stymied them with all kinds of aristocratic decorum, a combination of genteel persuasion, constant veiled jabs, and bureaucratic harassment. The German officers didn't want to admit to being some sort of uncultured barbarians, so they never outright did anything about it.

[@oliverjade6998]

konata best girl

[@aussiviking604]

So she was the original "Karen" 😂

[@Chris-ut6eq]

This would make a lovely TV series of the comic/drama type. She is the comic(ala maggic smith of downton abbey) and of course Germans provide the drama. Any striking writers guild members should work this up in their spare time to pitch it once the strike is over! :)

[@Elitist20]

@@Chris-ut6eqThere was a stage play, later adapted as a TV film, in the 1970s. In both she was played by Celia Johnson.

[@NorseNorman]

The story of Sibyl Hathaway does tend to gloss over her family's pre-war connections to fascism however. Her son, Francis Beaumont, was a key ally and financier of Oswald Mosely and ran his fascist radio station from Sark (which itself was funded by Nazi Germany) all with the permission of the duchess.

[@Edmonton-of2ec]

Despite the lack of overlapping claims, the Channel Islands are still peculiar. They’re organized into the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey (the Jersey that makes New Jersey new) while the island of Sark (under the Bailiwick of Guernsey) has its own seigneur or dame (hereditary lord or lady) that has passed through 3 families since the middle of the 19th century, currently in the hands of the 23rd seigneur, Christopher Beaumont

[@HankScorpio64]

Sark has a national football team.. They are 0-4.. I just thought that was funny.

[@daveogfans413]

@DontReadMyProfilePicture.104 MC Dave OG Miles is your name. Prove me wrong.

[@chelvo56]

Also had an attempted coup attempt by the barclay brothers, who tried to turn it into a tax haven oligarchy for them, but completely failed

[@-haclong2366]

​@DontReadMyProfilePicture.104Not going to fall for this Rick Roll.

[@daveogfans413]

@@-haclong2366 I already told you: Dave Miles OG Look it up.

[@MiguelPerez-zx2wg]

You forgot that during WW2, when France fell to Germany, the Germans were able to take over the island. They had about a minimum of 5000 troops stations on those islands, and even after D-day, the allies didn't bother to liberate the island until after Germany finally surrendered in May 1945. And after the news about the fall of the Third Riech, the remaining garrisons soon surrender.

[@volodyadykun6490]

What exactly he forgot? It has nothing to do with France

[@rustledjimmz8967]

I think this video focussed on the "ownership" of the islands. The Germans occupied the islands, but never showed any intention of changing their recognised ownership.

[@MiguelPerez-zx2wg]

It does. It's about the British island close to France. And the fall of France in WW2 was important.

[@cpj93070]

It was the right thing to do as well, them islands were literal fortresses, was no point in taking them.

[@MiguelPerez-zx2wg]

@@volodyadykun6490 it actually quite important because it's the only British soil being occupied by german during WW2.

[@sdr4195]

The UK just loves their islands

[@flyingskyward2153]

The UK is islands

[@celtic69]

It’s just a shame we can no longer think of the British Isles without the word "Paedoph" in front of them

[@Kayzef2003]

I think you mean UK loves other people's islands.

[@MilesBellas]

aka tax havens for the wealthiest

[@grondhero]

Makes them feel like home away from home. 🏡

[@ObliviAce]

This was probably the most simplest reason for Britain owning an island in some random area in the world ever.

[@odeleon24]

@@Tree42621very true

[@michaeltamke8542]

Well, Britain kinda owned the channel islands even before it owned Britain...technically..very techincally

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

Under that logic, the nation is Scotland. Considering inheritance and the supremacy of Parliament with William of Orange. @@michaeltamke8542

[@Celtic-Saxon]

@@michaeltamke8542wdym???

[@coltafanan]

Because Britain + Islands = Britain’s islands

[@ash36230]

Strictly speaking they don't belong to the United Kingdom per se, they're Crown Dependencies and therefore technically belong to the Monarchy

[@TheDanzau]

in this context it works , the monarchy can be call the "uk". per se , it's a fair figure of speech call autonomasia. they share the same diplomacy....to anyone with eyes they belong to the UK.

[@falkeholz1459]

Yh I still don’t rlly know what we are haha

[@TriviRocks]

@@TheDanzau If the monarchy = the UK... wouldn't the riches of their monarchs belong to the citizens? No figures of speech there - haha

[@pocketmarcy6990]

Just like most other British islands around the globe

[@cynicat74]

@@TriviRocks The United Kingdom was formed by a dynastic union between England, Scotland, and Wales. So, no, it's not the same.

[@charlesrichardson2100]

As someone from Jersey, it’s a welcome surprise seeing one of my favourite KZbinrs covering our little islands.

[@51WCDodge]

But getting it all wrong. Everyone knows WE own England!

[@MegaSJ]

Do people on your islands speak mostly French or English? If English, does your accents sound British?

[@charlesrichardson2100]

@@MegaSJWe mostly speak English here. We do have our local Norman-French Dialect (Jerriais) but it’s mainly only spoken by older people these days. The local accent is similar to Southern English and RP, though non-natives say they can hear a bit of a South African in there too.

[@charlesrichardson2100]

@@mechupaunhuevon7662We have over 100K people in Jersey, but yeah it’s a tight knit community. Even if there’s someone you don’t know, chances are you’ll know their mates and family. Crime wise it’s much safer here than on the mainland, so people don’t always lock their doors, particularly those living in the countyside.

[@jonmarkholmes]

Jersey Bean here too! This really surprised me, completely unexpected but I’m happy to see this video

[@soly-dp-colo6388]

French here. Fun fact: the Hundred Years' War was actually 116 years long, and it was mostly on and off conflict. So no one knows exactly how much fighting there was.

[@shoredude2]

Just like the Thirty Years' War lasted 32 years.

[@karelzjinec]

116 actually. But yes it was an on and off relationship.

[@karelzjinec]

@@shoredude2 30 year's war lasted from 1618 to 1648 so exactly 30 years

[@marth8000]

So basically normal English Vs French relations with a few extra spicy shenanigans & banter inbetween. Honestly considering the average life span of people back then both sides had entire generations born and died during the "war" it's better described as the mutual period of disgruntlement... because... who else are we going to be angry at? everyone else is fairly chill with us rn.

[@michaelmicek]

And the Chinese gooseberry is from New Zealand and airliner black boxes are painted orange.

[@canadasharm]

I live in Normandy just next to those islands. The best part is before WW2, both the people of these islands and the people of Normandy used to share the same culture and even close languages. Everything changed because at that time, speaking a local language was a bag no-no in France, and many children of Channel Islands were educaced in England due to the war. Centuries of conflicts between France and England did not changed the fact we were Norman on the continent or the islands. Then came the 20th century

[@bighamster2]

​@@HasthegraveyI remember when my dad lived there - his car's GPS *really* struggled with the road names.

[@philipr10]

Until steam ships were invented, travel between the islands and England was so unreliable & lengthy that England was basically a foreign country to Jersey, that just happened to share loyalty to a King (and who sent their troops to protect the island). The average islander had much more contact with Normandy, for trade & cultural exchange.

[@backintimealwyn5736]

"speaking a local language was a bag no-no in France" never happened. French was learnt and spoken in public schools, and it was the language of the administration, it was never forbiden to speak a local language.

[@eljanrimsa5843]

@@backintimealwyn5736 and kids were gong to schools where they were taught in their own local language, and the correspondence with the local administration would be possible in Norman?

[@backintimealwyn5736]

@@eljanrimsa5843 I already answered that question. ost countries have a national language, why the obsession with France? It's a small country with 60 different dialects. It's the choice we made, same for the US, same for Argentina, same for brazil... we had to understand each other. and it was never forbiden to speak our local language, our parents chose otherwise, my grand parents spoke occitan, my father chose not to teach me, blame him , not France.

[@frigginjerk]

Strictly speaking, the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom. They're Crown Dependencies, which are the property of the King, but not officially a part of the UK in the same way that Wales or Nottingham or Bermuda are.

[@jonathanwebster7091]

Bermuda isn’t part of the UK either: it’s a British Overseas Territory (what was called a ‘Crown Colony’ before 1981)-basically all that’s left of the Empire. Other BOTs include the Falklands, Gibraltar, etc.

[@HeisenbergFam]

History Matters's 7 years of dedication educating people with occasional humor and dope commentary is respectable

[@Vaydore]

Are u from braking bad?

[@fildafernandes4366]

Here before it blows up

[@TheWrongBalance]

I see you everywhere

[@SirStanleytheStumbler]

"But fun fact: No"

[@username.exenotfound2943]

oi bot

[@NorseNorman]

As a Channel Island historian, I wish to make a few comments about the territorial sovereignty of the Channel Islands: Despite some claiming that the Channel Islands had at some point 'belonged' to France and was 'stolen' by England. Firstly, the Channel Islands were a part of the duchy of Normandy, which never took their allegiance to the French king with any degree of seriousness (and often fought against France to assert its sovereignty). Secondly, England did not take the Channel Islands from France. If anything, it was the Normans who conquered England in 1066. When the author William Thackeray asked the famous Jersey painter John Millais "when did England conquer Jersey", Millais replied "Never! It was Jersey that conquered England!". Indeed, the claim of historical French sovereignty over Jersey can be debunked by the 1204 plebiscite, where the landowners of Jersey and Guernsey pledged allegiance to the King of England over the King of France, after the latter conquered mainland Normandy. France did temporarily occupy each Channel Island for very short periods (for only a couple of years at a time, 2 or 3 times during the middle ages) and conducted numerous raids (and fun war crimes) throughout the years. The last attempt was not long before Napoleon, in 1781 during the famous battle of Jersey when the French invaded Jersey and were beaten off the island by a British counterattack. This battle was technically a part of the American war of independence and was the only land battle of the war that took place in Europe. Thirdly, the French have actually disputed the sovereignty of the Channel Islands up until the 1950s, when the dispute about the ownership of some of fishing hut islands on Jersey's reefs. The International Court of Justice ruled against France's claims and awarded the islands to Jersey (although French far-right and nationalist groups have made illegal incursions to the islands to this day). Nowadays, the jurisdiction of Jersey's territorial waters are still very much in dispute, especially with regards to fishing rights, with French trawlers still being caught on an irregular basis illegally fishing in our waters. Also, a quick correction; the Channel Islands were never 'English' as they were never a part of England. Because of this, the monarch of Britain is known in the Channel Islands as the Duke of Normandy (even the Queen was called the duke, as there is no title of 'duchess' in Norman Law). Indeed, when Queen Elizibeth visited French Normandy, she was greeted with chants of "Vive la Duchesse!", to which she corrected them by stating that she was in fact the DUKE!

[@mojewjewjew4420]

very interesting.

[@thesmithersy]

I thought they were actually saying "Vive le Duc" and she responded "Well I am the Duke of Normandy".

[@NorseNorman]

@@thesmithersy I have heard that version of the story too, so that may have been what was said tbh.

[@MoritzGruber7]

Well yes, but the mediaeval doctrine was at least more or less that rulers not kings have their lands as fiefs of a king. In this sense, noone ever doubted that (until 1801) the Channel Islands were part of the duchy of Normandy, which was part of the Kingdom of France... just not the Royal Domain of France. How serious the dukes treated their duty to allegiance is another matter. Anyway, according to the British claim (a claim, sure, which Heaven itself disputed, but still they did claim it) the duchy of Normandy including the Channel Islands "fell to the Crown" when the Kings of England and Dukes of Normandy became Kings of France. So, from then on, the Channel technically were even in the Royal Domain of France, just the (after 1450something very tiny; it included Calais until 1550something) part where the English rather than the French/Valois/Bourbon claim prevailed. This changed only in 1801 when the claim was dropped but the Channel Islands obviously were not given up.

[@NorseNorman]

@@MoritzGruber7 That would require the English claim to Kingdom of France to be seen as legitimate, which I don't think any Frenchman who would claim that the Channel Islands were stolen from France would be willing to claim. Normandy has always had a separate legal system, separate language, separate customs, separate allegiance to the English monarch and (often times) separate tax system to the rest of the 'Kingdom of France', de facto and de jure; which imo is the bottom line to the French claims to the Channel Islands.

[@Krasipol]

My biggest takeawy from this video is that it was only in 1801 that the british monarchs renounced their claim to france for good.

[@noticedruid4985]

Well they did have a legitimate claim to the French Throne, dating back to the Dukedom of Normandy, Rollo the first Duke of Normandy. Not only got this land in exchange for no longer raiding France and protecting France from future Viking invasions, he also married the Kings daughter. This his family became directly related to the French Monarchy. And through the centuries, the French Royal family and the Norman Duke Family inter-married quite a few times this giving a rather strong claim for the British Royal Family to claim the French Crown, who are the descendants of the Dukes of Normandy.

[@Itachi951000]

@@viktorm3840 Rollo was given Normandy (technically the County of Rouen... the Duchy of Normandy only became a thing under his grandson) after he was defeated at the Siege of Chartres by the French. The land was given to him in exchange of swearing allegiance to the king of West Francia, converting to Christianity, ending his brigandage and pledging to defend the Seine from other Vikings. So he never had the right to raid France after that and actually fulfilled his part of the deal lol.

[@dougmhd2006]

Fun fact: there is a statue of Duke Rollo in Fargo, North Dakota. It's one of three replicas of a statue finished in 1865 by a French sculptor. It currently stands at the entrance of Fargo's Sons of Norway Lodge.

[@TheKardiacKid]

Where's that?

[@tremendousbaguette9680]

I suppose it looks the same as the one gifted to the city of Alesund, then.

[@roguenetwork27]

Can you do a video on the Continuation War and the repercussions of it for Finland?

[@AlreadyTakenTag]

That could fit nicely into a 3 minute video. The end of the continuation war marked the beginning of the era when Finland tried to be/act all cozy with the soviets (later the Russian federation) that ended with Finland joining NATO as finally their eastern neighbour was distracted by other "special" things.

[@MeinungMann]

​@@AlreadyTakenTaglol don't forget that Finland exists only because Stalin wanted so

[@Dourkan]

@@MeinungMann If they lost a kjzillion people trying to take just a stretch of land I wouldn't imagine how much more the soviets would loose trying to capture all of Finland. It was a war that the soviets could win, yes, but at what cost and for what precisely? Ice? Caviar? No point in taking it.

[@AlreadyTakenTag]

​​​@@Dourkanthat was pretty much the finnish strategy until recently. The strategy was to have a big enough army to make a potential invader think that the cost of invading would outweigh the benefits. Many Finns lost faith in this tactic of deterrence due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[@stc3145]

Finland should have stayed out of it.

[@AudieHolland]

For those interested, two tv-series I watched set on the Channel Islands: - Bergerac (1981-1991) about a police detective, later private investigator, solving crimes; - Enemy At The Door (1978-1980), detailing how the local population and the German occupiers try to get along; I watched Bergerac back in the 1980s and it's a decent English crime series, showing a lot of the island of Jersey, though later seasons it's more and more in France. The other tv-series I caught on the internet and it's a bit like Colditz (1972-1974) although not confined to a single location. I mean, serious British WW2 tv-series, like Secret Army (1977-1979).

[@DaraConnolly]

This video is very topical for me because I'm in Normandy, near the closest point on the French mainland to Jersey. I can literally see Jersey from my bedroom window. The Norman dialects formerly spoken in Jersey and here in the Cotentin peninsula are (were) mutually intelligible, and the Norman regionalists regard the Jersey people as "cousins". Many people here have the surname "le Jerriais" (= person from Jersey).

[@dreekburrowford4550]

i can see france from my kitchen window as i live on east coast of jersey

[@nunooliveira1628]

Do the islands have different french or breton names ?

[@nemo6686]

Fun fact: the Argentinian name for the Falkland Islands, _Las Malvinas_, is derived from the French port of Saint-Malo.

[@DaraConnolly]

waves@@dreekburrowford4550

[@DaraConnolly]

@@nunooliveira1628 yes. {English - French - Normand} : Jersey - Jersey - Jèrri ; Guernsey - Guernesey - Guernési ; Alderney - Aurigny - Aoeur'gny ; Sark - Sercq - Sèr

[@guilainlepiouffle8029]

Guy living in Jersey here. Finally a video about our very interesting Channel islands. Thank you.

[@masterchinese28]

I hope to visit someday.

[@johnavery3941]

The Channel Islands are in fact not part of the United Kingdom, they are Crown Dependencies who owe alliegence to the UK Soverign, other than that another great video.

[@you3ee]

As far as the United Nations is concerned and EVERY country in the word is concerned they Are part of the UK and they are treated as such thats all that matters. They are British Citizens

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Unlike the UK pre-Brexit, the Channel Islands weren't part of the EU.

[@PhysicsHenry]

@@you3ee The first part is simply not true, many countries have separate treaties with the Channel Islands on various thing e.g. tax transparency. Also not all British people are from the UK. UK passports say "United Kingdom and Northern Ireland". In Jersey we have our own passports saying "Bailiwick of Jersey".

[@chrislaf2011]

@@PhysicsHenry re passports etc - it is "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". So, despite what some in Northern Ireland may say, UK citizenship is made up of those from NI and GB - thus those from NI are not actually British but Northern Irish as part of being UKish !

[@greywolf7577]

So if the Monarchy was ever overthrown in Great Britain, would the monarchs go live on the CHannel Islands?

[@CrazyCrapaud]

Thank you for this. So great to see one of the Channel Islands. Just to say the French tried again in 1781 in the Battle of Jersey. Also there was a legal claim made in 1950s for Les Minquiers and Les Échrehous. The French did manage to hold onto Chausey

[@Muesli711]

There are a group of tiny islets called The Minquiers that are the most southerly part of the Channel Islands. There was a German garrison on them that was completely forgotten about following the end of WW2.

[@shan4680]

"During World War Two, a small company of Wehrmacht soldiers on the Minquiers were among the last to surrender in the Second World War. A French fishing boat, skippered by Lucian Marie, approached the island of Minquiers and anchored nearby. A fully armed German soldier approached and asked for help saying "We've been forgotten by the British, perhaps no one on Jersey told them we were here, I want you to take us over to England, we want to surrender". This was on 23 May 1945, three weeks after the war in Europe ended.[9]"

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Are they still there today?

[@anttibjorklund1869]

0:13 I love the determination for the accuracy of even the smallest details. Also: *insert obligatory James Bissonette joke here*

[@PhysicsHenry]

Unfortunately the first sentence at 0.05 is not correct though. The islands do not "belong" to the UK, they belong to the crown.

[@anttibjorklund1869]

@@PhysicsHenry while that's true, the UK is responsible for their defense and international relations and under the UK Interpretation Act 1978, the Channel Islands are deemed to be part of the British Islands, not to be confused with the British Isles. For the purposes of the British Nationality Act 1981, the "British Islands" include the United Kingdom (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, taken together, unless the context otherwise requires.

[@n.s.mcmahon6180]

@@PhysicsHenry That's because they "belong" to James Bissonette, he just lets the UK borrow them.

[@flavbo5899]

Growing up in Guernsey, we all speak English but all the road names and Parishes are a mix of French and Guernsey Patois. For example, the old name for Guernsey was 'Sarnia'

[@nicktrier3640]

Did CS Lewis have a holiday there before he wrote "the lion, the witch & the wardrobe"?

[@flavbo5899]

@@nicktrier3640 I don't think so, but Victor Hugo's house is still here

[@christineburns5246]

Ah, so that explains the name of one of the two Sealink ferries that served the islands in the sixties - Sarnia.

[@amb8274]

Nicely timed video, I've just come back from a holiday in Guernsey, one the channel islands. Forts everywhere, medieval, Napolionic or German. Thoroughly enjoyed my time there. But most importantly the residents are staunchly British!

[@cpj93070]

Just like the Falklands and Gibraltar.

[@51WCDodge]

Yeah those traitors supported Cromwell! Didn't you get fed up of Carrots with everything?

[@alfieingrouille1528]

Omg same I only recently got back from a trip to Guernsey aswell 😁

[@NorseNorman]

@@51WCDodgeMost of us Crapauds also supported Cromwell, just so you know ;)

[@Hasthegravey]

​@@NorseNorman not you crapauds again, can't get rid of you 😅

[@TheBandit025Nova]

U.S and Canada: Our parents are fighting over us again The Channel Islands: First Time

[@falkeholz1459]

Well not quite, we hated our mother france and went to our farther England for more freedom Funny how we were treated better than the US rip bozo

[@masterchinese28]

Canada... tell us all about St. Pierre et Miquelon. (We love that story)

[@Halal_Lettuce]

Channel Islanders actually unofficially call the King “the Duke of Normandy.” I believe the Archbishop of Canterbury also called Queen Victoria “the Duke of Normandy”, along with being the Duke of Lancaster and Cornwall, on her Coronation.

[@51WCDodge]

Nothing 'Unofficial' about it. It is the Monarch's oldest title. and its not Duke, its Duc.

[@Halal_Lettuce]

@@51WCDodge Didn’t the video say that both nations eventually gave up on these claims? As far as I know, all the King’s titles merged with the Crown, the only one that isn’t is the Duchy of Lancaster, and the Duchy of Cornwall, which has been given to the Prince of Wales. By the way, I’m simply inquiring, as my knowledge isn’t the strongest here.

[@matthewthesaladbowl6315]

@@51WCDodge the title "Duke of Normandy" was given up by England during the treaty of paris in 1259 mate

[@Shrey_Shrek]

bro battles apostasy ☠

[@Halal_Lettuce]

@@Shrey_Shrek Lol. I assume you’ve seen me somewhere or checked my channel? Well, I enjoy religion, politics, history, and geography, but I’ll need a break from my battles lol.

[@skiteufr]

Few inaccuracies there, aside of part only focusing on the history of the Chanel islands : - Rollo didn't raid Paris. He raided other parts of the North of France but got his arse kicked at the siege of Chartres 910. He didn't Blackmail anything from the King of the Franks as he was not really in a position to do so. But he got Normandy under condition of vassality to the King because Charles III wanted the raids to stop and with a Viking lord on the coast it would save France from being raided by other Vikings, which happened btw. The other reason was he wanted to be free from any Viking threat to go loot and burn Lotharingia in the east who was in big trouble and end of life. - Normandy always remained a part of the Kingdom of France, and was never "detached". Even when its dukes were Kings of England. Because for their territories in France, the Kings of England were not Kings but dukes or any other noble rank. This is a bit complex for us to understand today, but back in time, people applied the rules of feodality. Meaning that the Dukes of Normandy or Aquitaine, paid hommage to the French King as they were his vassal, and so technically of an inferior rank. This is what created a big mess between France and England. The French kings were only too happy to consider the Kings of England as inferior because in France they were vassals, and the Kings of England always used England and its resources to fight the French kings to defend their territories and interests in their French homelands. So basically, a French conflict of power and interior power struggles between top lords and the King, came to involve England and led to centuries of antagonism

[@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont]

In fact, the Channel Islands are the remains of what we could call the "first English Empire", destroyed by the French when they won the Hundred Years' War. These islands are not a symbol of victory, but rather of defeat.

[@Vraelir]

Mostly accurate 👍 however, the islands do not 'belong' to England or the UK, they are Crown Dependencies, meaning that they are mostly autonomous.

[@nicktrier3640]

Quite, in fact the Duke of Normandy subsequently acquired England so you could argue that the Channel Islands "own" Britain rather than the reverse!

[@pierremuller3652]

I follow your videos for a little while now, and the quality is still and always awesome ! Thank you for the good job 💪💪

[@daddysempaichan]

What I learn today is that England and France are basically brothers. No wounder why they're constantly fighting each other in history.

[@Hollows1997]

It’s why we fought Germany together. Nobody punches my brother except me.

[@you3ee]

They are not really brothers. They dont even like eachother that much. its just that they have many areas of mutual interest and benefits. Canada and the U.S are brothers

[@butcherjsy8]

@@you3ee Not all brothers like each other!

[@harrynewiss4630]

Really no. We don't like them or trust them and with good reason. They are our neighbours but the sort who might let your tires down for a laugh or engage in pointless arguments about boundary fences.

[@Hollows1997]

@@you3ee I wouldn’t say Canada and the US are brothers at all. Perhaps in the 19th century but now not so much. Australia and New Zealand are a better example.

[@Jim-Tuner]

In the treaty of 1259, the islands were declared to be held by king of England as ""peer of France and Duke of Aquitaine"". Then from 1360 to 1369, they were part of the domain of the British King as independent "Lord of Aquitaine". The status had been ambiguous since then. To this day, they are not technically part of the UK. They exist as possessions of the crown and are still organized as Bailiwicks.

[@alanpennie]

They are effectively micro - states protected by the British Crown.

[@zmalevo2126]

If they are not part of the UK (which i am sure you are right about), you don't need to add the word 'technically'. A place either is or is not part of the UK.

[@mojewjewjew4420]

he says so because it is ambigous.Laws tend not to be well defined by design so they can be exploited as required.@@zmalevo2126

[@yc2673]

All the electricity and commodities on the Islands come from France. Who pays for that ? UK or the monarchy treasury ?

[@SilkyFIFA]

@@yc2673 Not true. Most of our commodities come from the UK (or Europe, but likely no more than the UK itself does) and the island pays for itself. It raises its own taxes and has an independent executive, legislature and judiciary (save that the Privy Council is the ultimate civil Court of Appeal for the Islands). The Crown is responsible for the islands' defence and for (indirectly) representing its interests at international level (as, e.g., the islands don't have a seat at the table at the UN).

[@augustvonmackensen3902]

The Channel Islands are also the only place in the world where Old Norman French is still spoken (a bit)

[@51WCDodge]

C'est Jerriais

[@falkeholz1459]

C’est Jerriais u ruddy…..however much better than just being called french

[@sendintheclowns7305]

:35 The arrow in the eye shows the amazing attention to detail on this channel!

[@jamiehicken]

There are also the islands of Chausey, which is just south of Jersey. They actually do belong to France, and one island is inhabited with a few fishing villages

[@yoannme1181]

I was looking for someone to point that out 😂

[@superkooper6594]

Only time the islands weren’t British in recent memory was when they were occupied by the Germans in WW2, that would be an interesting video, a look into the lives of the Brits who had to live under the Nazis.

[@PoweredByLS2]

I recall seeing a video about that, apparently the locals said the Germans were nice and paid for their stuff......

[@51WCDodge]

It was the Organisation Todt, that were most revilied, they ran the forced and slave workers used to build the fortifications . British Citizens ended up in concentration camps and died there. Also many Islander's were interned in Germany.

[@royale7620]

There is a video, looking it up before commenting kid

[@paulqueripel3493]

I just ask dad. He still dislikes Germans, as did his sisters.

[@redcrown5154]

nope@@51WCDodge

[@cgt3704]

Fin fact about the channel islands: the locals have spoken a distinct languange that was an ofshoot of norman but it was eventually replaced with english because of course it did. AND, the island of Sark is the last feudal state of Europe

[@jonathanwebster7091]

Sark officially abolished feudal tenure in 2008, although the Seigneur still owns the island. Fun fact: feudalism wasn’t abolished until 1993 in Andorra, and it was still legally a thing in Scotland (which has a separate legal system to the rest of the UK) until 2000. It was abolished in 1660 in England and Ireland with the Tenures Abolition Act.

[@joeleoleo]

I’m addicted to your videos because I love to hear you say “Kelly Money Maker”. Also the history. I had to rewatch this one because I missed her name when it was the first acknowledgment.

[@gyo900]

“This raises the question..” Me: Why- “How..?” WHAT

[@paleoph6168]

It is clearly the malevolent work of James Bissonette.

[@Sim4oo]

Question: Why doesn't France own the Channel Island? Answer: Because Britain's foreign policy for the last 1000 years is - France can't have nice things.

[@alfieingrouille1528]

By all the rights of kings and men the crown has owned the islands for over a thousand years 💪😎

[@cazwalt9013]

​@@alfieingrouille1528you mean some random rocks

[@BaguetteGamingOfficial]

Dw its also France's foreign policy that the brits cant have nice things

[@xanx1234]

@@cazwalt9013 .... no, they are Islands ... people live there, they're not rocks!

[@cazwalt9013]

@@xanx1234 how many? A billion?

[@TheHylianBatman]

I love it when things just get forgotten about. I'd love to see a video about the Isle of Man, since I don't really know what position it holds in the UK.

[@CuratorOfRealities]

I hear they have bicycle races once a year.

[@blindio466]

@@CuratorOfRealities motorbike races, the manx TT(manx meaning of the isle of man) no idea what TT means as im not into racing but that's presumably a type of race it is

[@Hasthegravey]

Also a crown dependency

[@martinstephenson2226]

​@@blindio466 TT = Tourist Trophy

[@stediths]

The French did try to take Jersey by force just prior to the Napoleonic Wars, landing in Jan 1781, capturing the Governor in his bed and getting his surrender; but a certain Major Pierson refused to accept this, set about the French (who were a lousy mixture of jail and criminal scrapings) and promptly gave them a good thrashing, dying gloriously in the process. A side road off Royal Square is named in his honour, (a pub too) and there is a great painting of his demise in action, "The Death of Major Pierson". The story would make a great video! As you may have gathered I am an old Jersey Bean! Love your videos btw, keep them coming!

[@questionmaker5666]

The painting is in the Tate Gallery

[@sashafarber617]

This is actually one question I have always asked and never knew the answer too. Thank You History Matters.

[@spartacist101]

Generally correct though the Islands, Jersey in particular, never "changed hands several times" as the French failed to take the main castle of Mont Orgueil on Jersey until 1461 (only to lose it 7 years later to the English). Guernsey was slightly different as Castle Cornet was taken by the French on occasion. The French definitely pillaged the islands relentlessly in the Middle Ages but couldn't take both castles so they could not hold their possessions given medieval armies were seasonal forces and required the building/taking of castles to hold land

[@ShadowAkatora]

The UK owning islands that lie in close proximity to other nations is somewhat of a national sport.

[@christopherharmon2433]

France owns two that are right off the coast of Canada.

[@rosiefay7283]

Also Spain (the Canaries), and Portugal (Azores). The US prefers to own islands that are a long way from other land (Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa etc.)

[@cpj93070]

Get with it, France and Spain own Islands that are even further than the Channel Islands.

[@ravenwilder4099]

@@rosiefay7283 Or isolated military bases on islands that have their own nations, like Japan or (of all places) Cuba.

[@martinfiedler4317]

@@christopherharmon2433 They are not nice. So France can have them...

[@BritishRepublicsn]

Thank you for making my day better

[@BroardcastGaming]

So cool to see a video about my home islands! I am born and raised in Guernsey and have been to every channel island (save Brecqhou and Jetthou)

[@robertzeitz3924]

Love these. Do you have one (or are you planning one) about St. Pierre and Miquelon?

[@jaedenb3795]

As a person who wants to be a future historian, I can appreciate the effort you did to use to make this video and I mean all of these videos for us

[@MatD1979]

Your videos are always the best!

[@WaterPercy]

0:35 1:36 I absolutely love the humor in your videos man!

[@Deltaflot1701]

Fun Fact, the Channel Islanders still refer to the Monarch as their Duke of Normandy

[@mckenziemcquarry9209]

Not anymore really, we just call them the King or Queen.

[@Deltaflot1701]

@@mckenziemcquarry9209 going off an old video I saw awhile back where they were holding a toast, and stated "The Queen, Our Duke"

[@BroardcastGaming]

Can confirm, we usually just call the king the king but the ‘Duc’ still does float around, I.e. there was a newspaper article titled ‘Our King, Notre Duc’ when King Charles was coronated!

[@fastair8546]

no they dont lol

[@petegodon8938]

You should do a similar video about the 2 French Islands just South of Newfoundland Canada. They are called St. Pierre & Miquelon

[@sail2byzantium]

@ 0:35: Just fell out of my chair laughing at that wonderful image of King Harold Godwinson "acceding" to William the Conqueror, with the cute reference to the Bayeux Tapestry (the arrow in the eye). Just so perfect and so clever. The next edition of 1066 and All That should really use this image on the cover. And History Matters would get royalties!

[@thomasmcgraw6629]

"Fine" 😂

[@sail2byzantium]

@@thomasmcgraw6629 Touche!

[@timosmes]

Finally, I always wanted this question to be answered

[@kgw4683]

I feel like if the British could deny France anything, they would.

[@xanderreyno]

Le sentiment est mutuel. Non, je rigole 🇬🇧♥️🇨🇵

[@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont]

In fact, the Channel Islands are the remains of what we could call the "first English Empire", destroyed by the French when they won the Hundred Years' War. These islands are not a symbol of victory, but rather of defeat.

[@Neion8]

@@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont Tbf, the empire that included England during the Hundred Years War is arguably less an English empire than the Empire of the North Sea under Cnut the Great - so it'd either be the second English empire or (more accurately) the Angevin/Plantagenet empire since the political class were from midwestern France not England. It could be said that the Hundred Years War was more a French civil war that included England (similar to the later English civil war which included Ireland) than a war between England and France. That said, if the nationality of our leaders matters then England has existed as a possession of other people's empires for pretty much all it's existence (1016-1918) due to having Danish, Norman, French, Welsh, Scottish, Dutch and German Kings, Queens and aristocrats until the right to vote for its leaders was given to the majority of the population in 1918 so err... Maybe I should shut up and take the smaller loss 😂

[@MarquisVincentBissetdeGramont]

@@Neion8 Thank you for your comment.

[@andrewhutchinson36]

You forgot about the American Revolutionary wars, in which the Channel Islands were the scene of a major British Victory. The invading French force became trapped in the centre of St Hellier (Jersey) and was destroyed by Redcoats. This was in January 1781, just 9 months before the defeat at Yorktown.

[@emberfist8347]

That doesn’t seem related to the Revolution.

[@DavidM2002]

If you're curious about this, you should have a look at the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon which are just a few miles from Newfoundland, Canada.

[@oenrn]

A rare case in a History Matters video where Napoleon isn't the start of the story but the end of it.

[@MKCupra]

To be fair the Channel Islands have a very interesting WW2 history, ALLEGEDLY after the war ended Charles De Gaulle informally asked Churchill about returning the islands, apparently Churchill told him to "dream on".

[@b4c9g8m3]

Source? I know they had a bumpy relationship, but i doubt De Gaulle ever asked this seriously

[@FIREBRAND38]

Nope. The reference is in the book _DeGaulle_ by Julian Jackson and it was a private rant not a request to Churchill, formal or otherwise. Apparently it took place in 1968 so there would be no point in asking Churchill. He was neither Prime Minister nor alive at that point.

[@leviturner3265]

De Gaulle was not legitimate. The leader of France was Philippe Petain.

[@questionmaker5666]

@@leviturner3265 No, Philippe Petain was a traitor and deserved his execution. He should have allowed Paul Reynaud to form a government in exile in North Africa, not become friends with the Nazis. Petain didn't do it for France, he did it for himself.

[@astree214]

@@leviturner3265 after WW2 ended ? LOL, Pétain was in jail (on another island) until the end of his life.

[@ArthurCSchaper]

Please do a video on the following questions: 1. Why did the revolution of 1848 fail in Spain and the German states? 2. Why do people drive on different sides of the road in different countries?

[@christopherharmon2433]

Esp #2!!!

[@djosjowa8433]

Mostly: old British colonies

[@joandchrismarchant1080]

2. Napoleon. He changed many things to be different from the British. The British drive on the left so you meet an oncoming person with your sword arm.

[@stibh5456]

​@@joandchrismarchant1080 Eminently sensible.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

Yet the 1848 movements succeeded in the long term...

[@muhammadhabibieamiro3639]

Another amazing video

[@masterchinese28]

Harold with an arrow stuck in his eye... OMG! Laughed at that one!

[@rhizoid1170]

The island of Sark, a dependency of Guernsey, remained a feudal monarchy until 2008.

[@tdegrddeehjgd]

We should all hope we can find someone as loyal and supportive as James Bissonette.

[@joesomebody3365]

Interesting, I also didn't know the channel islands were a thing before now, I'll have to start looking at my world maps with the zoom turned up.

[@JimInYamaguchi]

“No more opportunities to take them back”! 😂 Brilliant way to put it!

[@seanglaze7284]

I grew up on Guernsey but can hardly be bothered to write much of a comment because, well, it looks like plenty of others here have already covered most of the ground. So, what's worth saying: the island is covered in fortifications from various eras, from the ancient mortello towers up to the Nazi gun turrets. Also, the tide differential is 30 feet. Much of the island coastline is steep cliffs and thus difficult terrain to make a beachhead. The Western side is not steep cliffs, but this hardly makes landings much easier because during low tide you have to slog through a mile of muddy sand to get to the shoreline. Sark, Herm, Lihou, etc, the other islands of the Bailiwick of Guernsey are all fascinating in their own ways.

[@Hasthegravey]

When was it that you grew up here?

[@seanglaze7284]

@modelsinscale257 Unfortunately only '93-96. Mum and I loved it there but my American dad didn't like that he couldn't watch his favorite sports so we moved back to California. Are you asking because you're Sarnian and wondering if we crossed paths?

[@seanglaze7284]

Oh, you said "here" so, silly me, yes you're in Guernsey. I went to Forrest primary school, my mum worked at St Peter Port library, and dad was featured in a minor newspaper article because he was an American playing for one of the softball teams

[@stevebarlow3154]

Not to forget Alderney, which is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, though apart from police and tax they run their own show.

[@Hasthegravey]

@seanglaze7284 nice, seems like a lot has changed since the, big mess at the moment, no avalibe housing, average house now costs £600,000 GBP, and the island is poor to the point the States have been asking the public for money saving ideas. A lot have English have moved over since covid because we only had a few cases and there was no long lockdowns, unfortunately you can tell them from locals, more of a hostel place. Still love it here though and don't won't to move away unless I get priced out

[@disaster5546]

Next video idea: Why wasn’t Bulgaria a part of Yugoslavia?

[@TheInkPitOx]

Great stuff. Love the South Park style animation. Do you have a video on Kaliningrad?

[@sciencenerd7639]

I was literally wondering about this yesterday

[@familygash7500]

*VIDEO SUGGESTION:* Why does Britain own The Isle Of Man?

[@henrylane8966]

Asking for a video about the North West rebellion of 1885. I think it would be a fun little video about a very small conflict!

[@henrylane8966]

And it isn't really talked about a lot

[@niarkman6999]

Also, it is interesting to note that Jersey have three main languages: jersiais, english and french. Jersiais is quite interesting, because it's more or less just a very typical rural french dialect spoken with some english accent.

[@fastair8546]

No one speaks French here, or Jerrais. There are far more people speaking Polish or Portuguese.

[@MCsCreations]

Fascinating!

[@lucianoosorio5942]

“This enraged the French, who punished UK severely which they kinda respect that.

[@pabcu2507]

Oversimplified reference? There’s gonna be a tax for that

[@AlreadyTakenTag]

Funny how in the UK's and France's case they are both the father. They both punish each other severely every now and then.

[@lucianoosorio5942]

@@pabcu2507 “go suck an egg!” Oversimplified

[@51WCDodge]

The last time in 1781 the French got enraged. The Jersey Militia hande dthem thier asses on a plate.

[@tibsky1396]

@@51WCDodge The French had better things to do elsewhere, as Chesapeake Bay or Yorktown, or even in India.

[@strugglingengineer1465]

Rejoice my friends... this is one of those rare episodes ( the second one of its kind ) that closely resembles the glorious series of ten minutes of English and British history... oh I miss them so.

[@BOABModels]

Footballers Matt Le Tissier and Graeme Le Saux both played for England but were from the Channel islands. Now, Maya Le Tissier (no relation to Matt) plays for England women too. French names are pretty standard.

[@Hasthegravey]

Pretty much everyone I know including myself has a french last name

[@Mr._E]

I loved the "King John the Only". I'm going to start using that when i can.

[@vostroyanfirstborn]

Every other history matters video: wow I never thought much about that, that’s a good question This video: I’ve been asking this question forever!

[@robins.1919]

The islands, belonging to the crown, have their own money. The Jersey-Pound and Guernsey-Pound. With 1 Jersey-P. = 1 Guernsey-P. = 1 Pound sterling. Jersey and Guernsey accept each overs money. However they are not accepted/recognized in the UK. Before 1921 they even were bound to the french Franc and not like now to the Pound sterling.

[@jamessteel9016]

As someone from Jersey it's great to see this video 👏👏

[@megashadow3789]

Interesting, looking at Rollo's line, it is the first one I have found where it links him as one of my great grandfathers through many lines.

[@AlreadyTakenTag]

The channel islands are rightful clay of the empire of Sealand! All hail Sealand! All hail!

[@falkeholz1459]

U a donkey or a bean or….neither

[@jamessantos3767]

Damn I'm early. Usually I'm more like the USA in both World Wars.

[@jamessantos3767]

Just 40% more than I actually did

[@macsenplays]

Interesting the addition of details given to various figures originally shown in the English and British History series, yet it's still clearly the original 10MH/HM art style.

[@NicolaW72]

Thank you very much for this again very informative History Lesson!🙂👍

[@Hashishin13]

Because all islands are rightful British territory. Ask Argentina.

[@miscellaneoussarnian5282]

Clicked faster than William conquered England for Normandy

[@Azrael_the_Black]

You know, while I really like and enjoy the content of this channel, at least half the reason I come here is to hear this guy say, "Boogley Woogley". For some reason it really makes my day. 😸

[@fjallaxd7355]

I'm from Guernsey, thanks for covering my island.

[@falkeholz1459]

Haha a donkey I see

[@HxdrxYT]

We all love History Matters! :D

[@arthurreede4478]

As a dutchman I'm proud that Willem 3 didn't care about the agreement at all and was purely practical in wanting to annoy the French

[@falkeholz1459]

Sorry for teaming up with french and trying to invade u, my deepest apologies do t know what we were thinking to be with the pesky frogs

[@toutix9880]

loooool 😂 kids want to remake the past @@falkeholz1459

[@St0rrrm]

as a frenchman I'm proud that Louis XIV ended your golden age 😘

[@aag7849]

Mad to see a history video about the tiny island I live on lol big up jersey

[@nomadMik]

I had no idea it was a French grand Christian poobah that first thought of Lego. I learn so much from this channel!

[@YouTube]

you learn something new every day 🧠 🇫🇷

[@gg-ps1vz]

🇬🇧

[@Hasthegravey]

🇬🇬

[@user-bu8zj1cc4i]

You are so random!

[@Hand-in-Shot_Productions]

Hello, KZbin! I'm glad even the official channel of this site likes this video about the Channel!

[@evanyes5762]

We want the dislike button back!

[@malcolmabram2957]

The Channel Isles are strictly not part of the British Isles. British Isles is a topographical feature, and not political. The Channel island are topographically part of France (on the sea shelf of the Cherbourg Peninsula), with a 'trench' between them and the sea shelf off the south coast of England.

[@shoredude2]

The Irish government objects to the term "British Isles" as the name of the archipelago. British Isles can be used both geographically as well as topographically, with each being slightly different. The UK uses the term "British Islands" when describing the UK and the Crown Dependencies.

[@falkeholz1459]

Tbh I don’t think a lot of young islanders even know that these days

[@rickreid8572]

HE'S BACK !!!! BRILLIANT

[@Yoshijosh31]

I’m curious - how do you/your channel make the maps that you use for your videos?