Battle, England: Hastings History

[LivingWalks]

Hi there, we've been enjoying watching this. We film 4k natural sight and sound walks in soulful cities and have just added Hastings UK, so it's very interesting to see your viewpoint Rick. Thank you for taking the time to add it. It's good to share.

[lilianamariamaiola]

I had the pleasure of being there a month ago

[chrischiampo]

Wow 😮 Rick What a Neat Place Thanks 😀😮😎

[Lines]

The Bayeux Tapestry and Trajans Column both preserve a tradition of illustration from the scrolls of classical literature now virtually lost.

[MaureenPeterson-usho]

Apparently it only lasted 20 mins it was a question on a quiz show the other day

[CountScarlioni]

A wonderful vid and well done on encouraging visitors to come to a beautiful and historic part of the country.

But Woah there! You do end on a rather contentious point! Many historians are far from seeing the Norman Invasion as a "good" thing and almost nobody would claim it was righteous. By some William is seen in a particularly dark light.

William of Normandy may have had a legitimate claim to the crown (it was never actually proven), and he certainly had the Pope's blessing, but he did depose the legally elected king of England and wilfully destroyed the Anglo-Saxon state and suppressed it's culture. He would go on to massacre many tens of thousands in his brutal subjugation of the country which left some regions of northern England depopulated for several centuries. Still, he remains one of the most compelling figures of the Middle ages and is well worth reading up on.

The victory for William at Hastings really did alter the whole destiny of the nation.
England before 1066 was an aloof and isolated state on the periphery of the world. It's cultural compass had pointed firmly to Scandinavia for centuries and it largely ignored continental affairs (imagine that, an England and France who weren't competing with one another!).
The Norman conquest transformed England into a European dynastic power player with unlimited imperial ambition. He perpetually entangled the realm in endless continental wars leading to a cycle of bloodletting that wouldn't end until the modern age.

It cannot be known what today what the world may look like had William lost his gambit at Hastings. I do know though that the geopolitics of the modern age would be unrecognisable. When you're stood in the ruins of the Abbey at Battle and know just how close William came to losing that day, it's hard not to imagine what might have been if Harold had just a tiny bit more luck. Truly one of those points in both space and time where the whole world changed direction on a twist of fate.

[buddhastaxi]

I walked the battlefield with no one around. It rained and i could feel the hoofbeats. The Normans massacred thousands ti establush their tyranny

[marvinc]

Easily one of the most important battlefields, not only in England, or Europe, but in the whole WORLD.

If the Normans - from whom many of us believe we inherited our genius for organisation and empire-building - had lost that day, I seriously doubt there would EVER have been a British Empire.

A Good Thing for those who actually PREFER to be mired in Primitivism (eg Hindus and Muslims on the Indian subcontinent)

A Bad Thing for those who believe in Civilisation.

WELL worth a visit - and if you drive down to the coast, at Hastings, you'll taste some of the finest fish and chips ANYWHERE on this planet. Trust me !

For any future American Friends visiting (and you are ALL very welcome to these shores, being Family, and all that) - please DO put on your 'Bucket List' !!!!

Vaya con Dios.

[upendrathakur]

Sir im from india my last dream is to see you visit kashmir india . Which is must similar to swizterland