English History Lesson

February 15, 2016 in Inspiration

There’s one thing about holidays in the UK, history is all around you. It matters not that you go glamping, camping or traditional B&B, hotels and hostels in England. Regardless of where you go, you’re going to find a historical monument or building dating back centuries. If your childhood schooling was in a Commonwealth Country, and there were a lot of them 60 years ago, then British history was a subject that you couldn’t avoid. By the way, you didn’t really want to avoid it either as it’s full of great stories, fantasies, humour, Machiavellian plots, art, religion and romance. And don’t forget – royalty. The fact that royalty still remains a major facet of England today adds to the attraction the UK holds for holidaymakers around the world.

This whole business of Kings and Queens started when William the Conqueror shot the Saxon King Harold in the eye with an arrow during the Battle of Hastings. The story leading up to that historic fight and the subsequent demise of Harold was captured beautifully in a poem by Marriot Edgar.

I’ll tell of the Battle of Hastings,
As happened in days long gone by,
When Duke William became King of England,
And ‘Arold got shot in the eye.

From that moment, English history took a French turn because after he was declared King, William married a French lass of royalty called Matilda who may have been a distant relative of his. Back in those days, England still listened to the pope as the religion was mainly Catholic. The pope gave his permission to allow the marriage in exchange for a couple of beautiful buildings, two abbeys and four hospitals, to be built. This construction put the French city of Caen on the map because the Men’s Abbey and the Lady’s Abbey make this beautiful city a must-visit on an itinerary list. While a lot happened to the buildings over the past 1000 years, they still stand as a magnificent monument, and the final resting place after his death, to the famous William the Conqueror.