HAPPY AGINCOURT DAY

[sillyflower]

The 600th anniversary is today,though I'm sure that most of you already know this

This led to the french king promising that Henry V's son and heir would also become king of France on the former's death, though the French did not keep their promises .

My wholly non-violent campaign to achieve justice for the English monarch continues from my secret HQ in France

[STEF78]

The right name is Azincourt... With a Z like the french prononciation for "the" [;)]

But as you know, losing a battle isn't the key, we won this war against England...

Sure you enjoy the life in Loches (near Tours and the Loire Castles for foreigners).

And like us, you will look the final of WRC between New Zealand and Australia. A pity....

[Mehring]

Slightly off topic from tedious nationalist provocation I was amazed to find out the other day that the Roman empire was still very much in existence only 600 years ago. Today it's called the Byzantine Empire or Byzantium but at the time, much like the "War of the Roses," such terms were not currency. The inhabitants of "Byzantium" regarded themselves as Romans, were the cultural, economic and military leaders in the Eastern Med, and were indeed the Eastern, largely Greek speaking part of the Roman empire which was split in two 1000 odd years before. It was only the western part that dissolved rapidly under Hun driven Germanic migration and internal weaknesses. The eastern empire, under the leadership of a general Belisarious even reconquered large tracts, including Carthage. So the Roman empire lasted about 1500 years. By the yardstick of duration the British effort pales by comparison and makes me realise we are still living in the shadow of Rome.

[sillyflower]

Stef - I know that the battle is rightly called Azincourt by you, but history is written by the victors and it was called Agincourt in the original dispatches back to England and we've called it that ever since.

Life here is fantastic in our historic castle (built shortly after the 100 Years' War ended so it is truly a french chateau) and the local community cannot be more friendly and kind, but this area was of course Plantagenet land....

For anyone thinking of visiting the region, Loches is supposed to be 1 of the best preserved medieval towns in France and has an amazing 'proper'castle where the French King John and his army spent a night just before the battle of Poitiers and you can visit the room where Jean d'Arc later persuaded the Dauphin to get himself crowned in Rheims.

Mehring; Indeed the 'Byzantines' called themselves 'East Romans' or, more accurately, whatever the greek for that is.

[charlie0311]

Ah yes,

Why go to France, when ancient Byzantium beacons? topkapi palace with artifacts from 10,000 BC.

Across the cobblestone yard, the "blue" mosque, aka Santa Sophia, the St Peters of the orthodox Christian world, has minarets now.

Mehring, pretty sure three admin parts to Rome, most eastern was first to go.

It's all about the love, really???

[Mehring]

charlie, only two parts to my knowledge, the split occurring in 284CE. The west collapsed in a few hundred years, the east survived another 1000. Looking at ancient history and the mass migrations of peoples you realise that identities, national, religious or whatever are contextual and ultimately transient, the concept of "racial" purity the fiction of ignorant and disturbed minds.

[charlie0311]

Meh, I give most of my books away, so don't have a handy source, and, can find anything on Internet. "Anything" meaning, that whatever you want, some source saying it's true.

Don't know, really, how racial politics snuck into this.

I participate for fun and amusement.

shoulda said "beckons" not beacon. the beacon is to light up my red face.

[Mehring]

Charlie, "Race" is often cited as the foundation of the nation state, of language, culture etc. Nationalist needling is where this thread began. Nationalism is zero sum, regardless of the extremity of the view, it has to denigrate others in order to elevate its supposed self. I say supposed self because a study of human migration shows we are all a fascinating mass of mongrels. Language, religion and all forms of culture are also anything but pure, all constantly adopting from outside, mutating according to local environment etc. The political forms social organisation takes are transient, though they might leave residues in social consciousness which pass down the generations.

[charlie0311]

Race is the foundation of the nation state??? Huh??

Perhaps you could name a few, leaving out the obvious exception.

[Mehring]

Errr, is that a serious question? Come on, do some leg work. And if you want to discuss seriously, it helps not to misquote people as this will invariably change the meaning of their argument and create straw men.

[charlie0311]

Thread started with happy talk then some needling, still happy. "Agincourt Day", or something, was the subject.

Ain't goin' into racial politics.

Monday, in my neck of the woods. So happy Monday everybody.

[sillyflower]

Indeed this thread was not intended for politics or stroppy comments of any sort but purely for those with a certain sense of humour. It is the job of every Englishman (not the other nationalities in the UK) to tease the French, and vice versa. Those who don't find it amusing can think what they want, but leave it at that on this thread please.

[Sorta]

Its good to see at least one Englishman still fighting the good fight in obviously very difficult circumstances. Keep up the stiff upper lip and don't try the local food, I hear its swill. Just one hint when dealing with the French, shout louder. I've found that works well.

Greetings from the colonies and happy Agincourt day to you and our Welsh allies.

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: sillyflower

Indeed this thread was not intended for politics or stroppy comments of any sort but purely for those with a certain sense of humour. It is the job of every Englishman (not the other nationalities in the UK) to tease the French, and vice versa. Those who don't find it amusing can think what they want, but leave it at that on this thread please.

+1

Nice to see our best ennemies in great shape!

[STEF78]

ORIGINAL: Sorta

Its good to see at least one Englishman still fighting the good fight in obviously very difficult circumstances. Keep up the stiff upper lip and don't try the local food, I hear its swill. Just one hint when dealing with the French, shout louder. I've found that works well.

Greetings from the colonies and happy Agincourt day to you and our Welsh allies.

Remind me not to forget to wish you a good 950th anniversary of Hasting's battle next 14th october [;)]

[RedLancer]

I always smile when I remember the three lions on the England football team shirt are French (Normandy, Hainault and Aquitaine).

[STEF78]

I didn't know it [:)]

On our side, the emblem of the French teams is the cock, the only animal able to sing with feet in the s**t...

[IslandInland]

ORIGINAL: STEF78

ORIGINAL: Sorta

Its good to see at least one Englishman still fighting the good fight in obviously very difficult circumstances. Keep up the stiff upper lip and don't try the local food, I hear its swill. Just one hint when dealing with the French, shout louder. I've found that works well.

Greetings from the colonies and happy Agincourt day to you and our Welsh allies.

Remind me not to forget to wish you a good 950th anniversary of Hasting's battle next 14th october [;)]

I just found out today that Scourge of War Waterloo is coming to Steam soon,

http://store.steampowered.com/app/369390/


[:)]

[Bozo_the_Clown]

the only animal able to sing with feet in the s**t...

[:D]

[sillyflower]

ORIGINAL: STEF78

ORIGINAL: Sorta

Its good to see at least one Englishman still fighting the good fight in obviously very difficult circumstances. Keep up the stiff upper lip and don't try the local food, I hear its swill. Just one hint when dealing with the French, shout louder. I've found that works well.

Greetings from the colonies and happy Agincourt day to you and our Welsh allies.

Remind me not to forget to wish you a good 950th anniversary of Hasting's battle next 14th october [;)]

The Normans were not french, nor did they consider themselves to be at that time-as I'm sure you know[:-]

We were beaten by faux-Vikings. However as we English are a mongrel race, I'm not sure I can even say 'we' in this context. I even discovered recently that I have even some french Huguenot ancestors[:(]. The shame, the shame...............