Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2019 i History Extra

On 14 October 1066 William of Normandy defeated King Harold in what is surely the most famous battle in English history. Yet the Norman conquest did not end at Hastings, as resistance continued across the country for several years to come. In 1069, the darkest chapter of this story began as William initiated a brutal policy of suppression in the north of England, leading to tens of thousands of deaths. On the 950th anniversary of the Harrying of the North, Marc Morris revisits this horrific episode and considers whether it constitutes an act of genocide. You’ll find his piece on page 22. This issue is being published at a crucial time in the Brexit process and although it seems foolhardy to predict what will happen next, it is clear that…

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IN NOVEMBER 1919, Britain marked the first anniversary of the end of the Great War. Signed one year earlier between Germany and the Allies, the armistice came into effect on “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, as the guns fell silent along the western front. The moment marked the conclusion of a conflict that had cost Britain and its empire nearly a million lives. Such unprecedented losses triggered the desire to find lasting expression of the British people’s gratitude. “Most stood with their heads bowed, wearing black” As the popular ‘Gunpowder Treason Day’ (as it was first known) demonstrated, doctoring the national calendar for the purposes of commemoration and political legitimation was not new. Yet the proper format and timing for the nation’s collective act…

Beowulf is an epic tale that continues to fire the imaginations of readers a millennium after it was written. Why is the poem still so relevant today? Since it was first translated into modern English in the 19th century, Beowulf has become by far the best-known piece of Anglo-Saxon literature. It has inspired movies, novels and even comic books; there seems to be no limit to the ways the story can be reimagined. Furthermore, it was perhaps the single greatest formative influence on JRR Tolkien, which means it has played a huge part in the development of the modern fantasy genre, from The Lord of the Rings right through to Game of Thrones. When and where was Beowulf written? The short answer is we don’t know, other than that it…

On 22 April 1661, Charles II made his formal entrance into London for his coronation. At a triumphal arch set up for the pageant to celebrate his restoration to the English throne, he was halted by a figure dressed as the character of Rebellion. She was accompanied by her henchwoman Confusion who, appropriately, had her clothes on back to front. Rebellion introduced herself as “Hell’s Daughter, Satan’s Eldest Child” and gloated over the chaos she had brought during the Civil Wars. She was promptly banished by a richly dressed figure, Monarchy, and her sidekick, Loyalty. Monarchy invited Charles to enter the city in joy and safety, declaring herself the best form of government and the resolution of strife. In early 1660, just over a year before this scene was performed,…

Edward IV 1442–83 FAMILY Married to Elizabeth Woodville; children included Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury (the princes in the Tower), and Elizabeth of York, who would go on to marry Henry VII. STRENGTHS He was hugely charismatic, exuding strength, authority and self-confidence. WEAKNESSES A narcissist, his behaviour became increasingly compulsive. His prodigious appetites resulted in ballooning weight later in life. DOWNFALL Edward died of an unspecified illness – possibly typhoid or pneumonia – in April 1483. His sudden death, aged 40, shocked the nation. George, Duke of Clarence 1449–78 FAMILY George was married to Isabel Neville, older daughter of the powerful magnate Richard, Earl of Warwick. Henry VII regarded the couple’s oldest son, Edward, Earl of Warwick, as a threat and had him executed in 1499. STRENGTHS He was…

Our Man in New York by Henry Hemming Quercus, 384 pages, £19.99 William Stephenson was one of history’s greatest spymasters. Sent by Winston Churchill to New York in June 1940, he arguably did more than anyone to swing sceptical US public opinion behind Britain and ensure Allied victory in the Second World War. Author Henry Hemming’s interest in his subject was sparked because his grandparents knew Stephenson. Whatever his motives, Hemming is a first-class writer, and his book delves more deeply into Stephenson’s activities than ever before, delivering the tale in exciting and authoritative style. Before getting into espionage, Stephenson, a Canadian, had led an enthralling life as a First World War flying ace. Between the wars, he made a fortune in business and got to know Churchill – who,…

Emperor: A New Life of Charles V by Geoffrey Parker Yale UP, 760 pages, £25 King of Spain, Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of many other territories, Charles V presented himself as a highly traditional Christian ruler. Very publicly religious, he was often portrayed in armour and on horseback, ceaselessly travelling through Europe, and twice to north Africa, to defend ‘Christendom’. He was and is sometimes seen as a very modern global ruler. His first, great chief minister, Mercurino Arborio de Gattinara, fed him the idea that he was, or would be, ‘monarch of the world’, and he seems to have believed this, despite the opposition he met in virtually all his enterprises. Charles was born in Ghent, modern-day Belgium, in 1500, and lived for 58 years. Given the staggering…

WW2 World War II: Map by Map (foreword by Peter Snow) (DK, 288 pages, £25) Navigating conflict The sheer scale and complexity of the Second World War can be a stumbling block for even experienced military historians, with precise details of battles and troop movements sometimes being difficult to follow. Thankfully, this new reference book should prove a useful tool for experts and casual readers alike, boasting more than 100 maps explaining key events such as D-Day and the siege of Leningrad. 20TH CENTURY Homecoming: Voices of the Windrush Generation by Colin Grant (Jonathan Cape, 320 pages, £20) New arrivals Although its name is now associated with a recent political scandal, the arrival of the Windrush remains a watershed moment in the story of Britain. Interspersed with the author’s own…

Atlas of the Transatlantic Slave Trade – David Eltis and David Richardson (Yale University Press, 2010) Comprehensive, detailed and clear, this is an invaluable offshoot from slavevoyages.org, an indispensable online scholarly archive and interpretation of the slave trade. Legacies of British Slave-Ownership This UCL-based project analyses British slave compensation records, exposing the pervasive influence and importance of slaving in British life. ucl.ac.uk/lbs The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas – David Eltis (Cambridge University Press, 2000) The best single-volume study of the topic available. Abolition: A History of Slavery and Antislavery – Seymour Drescher (Cambridge UP, 2009) A masterly exposition of the rise and fall – and survival – of slavery worldwide. Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World – David Brion Davis (Oxford…

Helena Merriman Thirty years ago the Berlin Wall came down. I’ve been uncovering one of its greatest escape stories: interviewing people in Berlin, crawling through tunnels and burrowing into the Stasi archives. Helena chronicles a remarkable bid to escape East Berlin on page 28 Kate Loveman The events leading up to the Restoration struck observers as scarcely believable. Diarists of the time were alarmed and excited by the political chaos they witnessed. Kate chronicles Charles II’s attempts to reunite his realm after the Civil War on page 43 William Dalrymple Here, for the first time in world history, you see something that we’re familiar with today: corporations’ potential for sheer heartlessness. William talks about his new book on the East India Company on page 68 * 3 issues for £10…

A treasure trove of amulets and charms buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 has been publicly revealed for the first time. Discovered inside a wooden box during recent excavations at Pompeii, the artefacts – made from materials such as bone, amber and glass – were possibly used in rituals to aid fertility and provide their female wearer with good luck. Although the items were found at the home of a wealthy resident, experts believe they belonged to a servant rather than the villa’s owners. The cache will now go on display at Pompeii’s Palestra Grande, along with other new discoveries. Have a story? Please email Jon Bauckham at jon.bauckham@immediate.co.uk…

JOSEPH MERRICK Leicester residents are raising money to fund a memorial statue of Joseph Merrick, the ‘Elephant Man’, born in the city in 1862. Merrick, who found fame in Victorian Britain due to his physical deformities, earned a living as a freak-show exhibit before dying in London aged 27 TINTAGEL CASTLE A £4m footbridge connecting the two separated halves of Tintagel Castle has opened to the public. Spanning 229ft, the structure replicates a natural land bridge that collapsed between the 14th and 17th centuries. The Cornwall landmark is renowned for its links to the Arthurian legend.…

Earlier this year, two metal detectorists made a dramatic discovery in Somerset. It was a coin hoard that throws fresh light on what happened on the ground in the aftermath of the most traumatic rupture in English history, the Norman conquest. The find was in the valley of the river Chew, which flows down from the Mendips to join the river Avon at the town of Keynsham. The biggest Norman coin hoard for nearly two centuries, it comprises more than 2,500 silver pennies tantalisingly divided almost equally between Harold II Godwinson, who had been killed at Hastings on 14 October 1066, and the victor, William the Conqueror. Three ‘mule’ coins in the hoard have designs from dies of both reigns on either side, suggesting they were struck soon after Harold’s…

On 28 September 1917, the kingdom of Siam (modern-day Thailand) adopted a new flag. The decision came in the shape of a royal decree, issued by King Rama VI. Having already declared war on Germany, and begun to assemble a Siamese Expeditionary Force that was later sent to the western front, Siam had joined what would prove to be the winning side in the First World War. The new national flag, the Thong Trairong (the Siamese Tricolour), which remains the flag of Thailand today, emphasised Siam’s place among the Allied nations. Red, white and blue, it sat comfortably alongside the union flag of Britain, the US’s Stars and Stripes and the Tricolore of France. In their determination to signal Siam’s status as a modern independent state, the kingdom’s leaders abandoned…

22 August 1642 King Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham, formally declaring war on the forces of parliament. 14 June 1645 Parliamentary forces decisively defeat a royalist army at the battle of Naseby. The royalist cause now appears all but lost. 4 January 1649 With MPs who were in favour of negotiating with the king now expelled, the ‘Rump parliament’ assumes supreme power. 30 January 1649 After being tried for high treason, King Charles I is executed outside Whitehall Palace in Westminster. 3 September 1651 Oliver Cromwell defeats Charles II at the battle of Worcester. Charles is forced to flee abroad . 16 December 1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector and head of state. 3 September 1658 Cromwell dies. A series of brief regimes, including the reinstalled Rump parliament,…

Suzannah Lipscomb on women in Reformation-era France “Even when they didn’t get what they wanted, the fact is that they were demonstrating so much agency in order to try and get it in the first place. So it makes us think again about notions of women being completely oppressed. Women did have power in a very quotidian way and they could use it in their domestic circumstances.” Roger Moorhouse on why Poland was defeated by the German invaders in 1939 “Comparative, on a world scale, the Polish army was actually a well equipped, numerous and well supplied body of men. And they had a good plan in 1939. The problem was that their allies deserted them and they were facing the most advanced technologically, numerically, and in terms of military…

Magnificent Women and Their Revolutionary Machines by Henrietta Heald Unbound, 400 pages, £20 “My dear, for sheer exciting experience, give me a town to light – 70 miles an hour belts and 320 volts on the board with a well-soaked cement floor,” said the engineer Margaret Mary Partidge. “And then remember you are the responsible engineer for the whole lot, and there isn’t another soul within 20 miles at least who understands the switchboard!” A century ago, the Women’s Engineering Society was founded. This well-written, vigorous account shows how Britain’s female engineers were key figures in modernisation – both of the country and of attitudes to women. The society’s central figures, Kathar- ine and Rachel Parsons and Caroline Haslett, are given their due attention in this volume. Each was an…

El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America by Carrie Gibson Atlantic Monthly Press, 576 pages, £20 Invasions have long worried people living on the border between the United States and Mexico. “We were wholly unprepared, politically, educationally, and socially when the avalanche… fell upon us,” one observed in the 1920s. In fact, these were the words of a Mexican-American in Texas about the sudden, discomfiting presence of Anglo-Americans. The statement appears in a pioneering master’s thesis by Jovita González in 1930; after interviewing locals, González fretted that – although Tejanos (Mexican Texans) had occupied the land for centuries – the newly arrived “Anglo-Americans… look down upon Mexicans… as interlopers, undesirable aliens and a menace to the community”. Such claims are all too familiar now, almost a…

When did you first hear about Wintringham? While reading Angus Calder’s The People’s War in 1974, an account of Britain’s fight against Nazism. “He called for the creation of a people’s army and in Picture Post he instructed readers how to make Molotov cocktails” What kind of man was he? Steeped in the values of English radicalism, from the Levellers to the Chartists, Wintringham was a fine speaker and writer. A First World War veteran, he wanted a land fit for heroes. He became a member of the newly formed Communist Party of Great Britain in 1923 and worked for its paper, Workers’ Weekly. What made him a trailblazer? He was a pioneering leftwinger who became a household name and had the knack of making revolutionary ideas popular. He also…

Many civilisations using slave labour, from ancient to modern times, have relied on supplies of slaves from distant places, but the Atlantic slave trade was unique: in size, geographic reach and global significance. From the first recognised slave ship departing Africa for the Americas in 1525, to the last (to Cuba in 1866) more than 12 million Africans in total were loaded on to the Atlantic slave ships. The 11 million-plus survivors were scattered across the Americas, though most, initially, were destined for the tropical and semi-tropical economies of Europe’s colonial powers. Enslaved Africans toiled in every major industry: extracting precious metals and timber; growing and harvesting coffee; building railways; and cultivating tobacco, rice and – most critically – sugar. There was never enough labour for these industries among the…

Discussions among historians on Twitter have become intensely political in recent weeks, with those on either side of the Brexit divide searching for past analogies for current affairs. It was therefore a welcome relief when a question tweeted by the University of Sussex Centre for Early Modern and Medieval Studies (@SussexCEMMS) led to an entirely different debate: “What is the most accomplished piece of historical fiction set in the medieval or early modern period: [the works of] Hilary Mantel, Ken Follett, Philippa Gregory, or perhaps someone else?” For possibly the first time on Twitter all month, there was immediate agreement, with John Gallagher (@earlymodernjohn) asking: “What about Ali Smith’s How to Be Both?”. Mark Williams (@ExileonWainSt) strongly agreed – also helpfully putting forward the Italian Renaissance novels of Sarah Dunant.…

20 NOVEMBER 284 Diocletian puts Aper to the sword Commander avenges the death of the emperor Numerian It was the autumn of AD 284, and the Roman army was marching home. After a successful campaign against the Persians, during which the emperor Carus had unfortunately died (reportedly, after being struck by lightning), the Romans were returning west. The forces were led by Carus’s son, Numerian. But something strange was going on. Numerian had not been seen since they had left Emesa (now called Homs, in Syria). When the soldiers asked where he was, his attendants claimed that he had an eye infection and “must protect his weakened eyes from the wind and the sun”. And the soldiers could not help noticing that, from the coach where Numerian was supposedly recovering,…

Behatted hooligans I greatly enjoyed Andrew Davies’s article (The Real Peaky Blinders) in the September 2019 edition. As a child in 1950s Birmingham, I was looked after during the long school holidays by my grandparents, while mum and dad worked in the type of factories that have long-since disappeared. granddad (born 1899) would entertain me with stories of the peaky blinders. To him they were the working-class hooligans portrayed in Davies’s article, with nothing of the Shelbys’ [who feature in the TV drama] rise to fame and fortune about them. There was also a distinct sectarian flavour to the violence in his tales, something else that Davies records. While I am sure that Andrew Davies is correct in ascribing the peaky blinders name to the billy-cock hat, many of the…

Unfortunately, children all over the world face many different challenges, but you can make a difference to so many of these young lives by leaving a gift in your will to Unicef. Founded in 1946, in the aftermath of World World II, Unicef now protects and promotes children’s rights in more than 190 countries. Unicef is the leading organisation for children, ensuring that more of the world’s children are vaccinated, educated and protected than any other organisation. In fact, it provides vaccines for almost half of the world’s children under five, and in 2018 alone, supported 12 million out of school children to access education. Unicef also workers with UK schools, hospitals and local authorities to help 2 million children every year. So much of the incredible work Unicef does…

The House of York versus the House of Lancaster. Edward IV versus Henry VI. White rose versus red. The Wars of the Roses – the vicious conflict for the English crown that dogged the kingdom for three decades in the 15th century – has long been described as a grand dynastic struggle waged by competing families. And not without reason. But during this time, the war began to turn inwards: a destructive chain of rebellion, deposition, vendetta, fratricide, usurpation and regicide that originated within the house of York itself. At the heart of this unparalleled act of dynastic self-harm was the mutually destructive relationship between three royal siblings on the same side of the great dynastic divide: Edward IV, the future Richard III, and the middle brother, George, Duke of…

One of history’s most powerful global corporations, the East India Company (EIC) was founded by royal charter in 1600, and awarded monopoly over all English trade in Asia and the Pacific. One of its major sources of profit was Indian textiles. But the company’s interests stretched far beyond trading – over the next 250 years, it became the major imperial power on the Indian subcontinent. With the help of its large private army, the EIC acquired multiple territories including Bengal, Orissa and Bihar. Concerns about the EIC’s corrupt and monopolistic regime culminated in the Indian Rebellion of 1857–58, after which its powers were transferred to the British state. Ellie Cawthorne: Your new book charts the “relentless rise” of the East India Company. What made this corporation unique? William Dalrymple: From…

The Europeans: Three Lives and the Making of a Cosmopolitan Culture by Orlando Figes Allen Lane, 576 pages, £30 The French poet Charles Péguy was one of the earliest victims of the First World War when he died on 5 September 1914, shot through the head by a German sniper. One of his last recorded observations was that the world had changed more since he started going to school in the 1880s than since the fall of the Roman empire. In this exhilarating whirl through 19th-century Europe, Orlando Figes demonstrates why Péguy felt the ground was shifting beneath his feet. Mapping material change can be a draining experience, but here it is given a human face by being viewed through the closely entwined lives of an intriguing ménage à trois:…

The Crisis of the Aristocracy, 1558–1641 by Lawrence Stone (Clarendon Press, 1965) In this work of more than 800 pages, Lawrence Stone examines the power – political, economic and social – and the “mind and manners” of the English nobility from the reign of Elizabeth I until the outbreak of the Civil War. Although his central thesis no longer holds water, the broad canvas and holistic approach make this monumental book his masterpiece and a classic that should continue to be enjoyed. It is a tour de force in its scholarship and imagination. As the title implies, Stone saw the period under review as a time of crisis – particularly a crisis of confidence – for the aristocracy. Over the century, Stone argued, the ancient noble code of conduct and…

What was it like to be a woman on the fringes of society during the Civil War? Women were involved in the politics of the time, especially in petitions and riots. They enlisted as ’she-soldiers’, and served in local militia to keep both armies away from their villages or towns. They bore the brunt of sieges, left to defend houses when men had gone to join the armies, and – as ever – suffered personal and sexual abuse as part of military terrorism. My heroine lives in a village where loyalties are divided between the lord of the manor, a royalist who houses a royalist spy, and her brother, a soldier returned from Cromwell’s New Model Army. She, like many people of the time, knows little about the politics behind…

“Private Eye was listed as ‘fake news’ on an academic site that was used by the American government” Your programme mainly focuses on the US. Why is that? The central thesis is that the adoption of the steam printing press in America meant you got these vast circulation newspapers for the first time. And this technological leap is equivalent to the internet providing a very different platform today – huge numbers and different sorts of readers. The second reason is that the fake news explosion started in America. Although the term itself was essentially popularised by Trump, who hijacked it to describe anything he didn’t like, the fake news we’re talking about consists of deliberately disseminated stories. You start with a story about flying bat-people on the Moon, featured in…

1. 18 STAFFORD TERRACE Visit a Victorian ‘House Beautiful’, the home of illustrator Linley Sambourne and his family, inspired by the Aesthetic Movement. It features an eclectic display of decorative objects and showcases the artist’s collection of drawings and photographs. rbkc.gov.uk/museums 2. NATIONAL WATERFRONT MUSEUM Right on the dock in Swansea’s marina, the National Waterfront Museum tells the human story of 300 years of Welsh industry and innovation. Free entry. Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea, SA1 3RD. museum.wales/swansea | 0300 111 2333 3. BUTSER ANCIENT FARM A unique experimental archaeological site in the beautiful South Downs. Step inside reconstructed buildings from the Stone Age, Iron Age, Roman and Saxon periods and learn traditional skills with year-round workshops and events. butserancientfarm.co.uk | 02392 598838 4. DERBY MUSEUMS Visit our beautiful World Collections gallery,…