This Sceptred Isle: Trollheart's History of England

Trollheart · 06-20-2021, 08:32 PM

I suppose it only seems fair really, if I’m going to badmouth the English in my History of Ireland journal, to give them a chance to talk back; and to be honest, though I’m still writing that journal it has given me something of a taste for looking into the history of our nearest neighbour and longtime oppressor. Yes, I have a million journals on the go, but when did that ever stop me? I actually tried to talk myself out of this one, but I know me: once I get an idea in my head I can’t dissuade myself, and I know it’s useless trying, so I gave up and left me to my own devices. All I can say is, if this turns out to be too much work for me, I’d better not come crying to me, because I told me so, but would I listen to me? Would I, as our English friends say in certain parts of their country, hell as like. So let it be on my own head. I’m done with me.

Identity crisis to one side, yeah, that’s what I’ve decided to do, and while I may slag England off as a true son of Erin would, I am quite aware that it has a truly fascinating history, and it should actually be fun getting into the nuts and bolts of it. Naturally, at points the two journals are going to meet, and cross, and in that case, rather than rewrite what I’ve written in Four Green Fields already, I’ll just refer or link to those entries. So events such as the Reformation, or at least, how it came about via Henry VIII, already well documented in the History of Ireland, will be noted but then linked; if there’s more to say, as in, events that went beyond how they impacted Ireland, then I’ll carry on the story in this journal. I’m sure you get what I mean.

But as I say, England has its own long and very rich history, and that does not by any means rely on Ireland and its oppression. In fact, for probably eighty percent of English history my country doesn’t play a part, and that’s fine. Linking into the history will be countries such as France, Spain and Holland - with whom England was all but perpetually at war - as well as Italy (Rome invaded England) and Scotland and Wales. Wait, I hear you say: aren’t those part of Britain? Yes they are. And shouldn’t this then, I hear you say again, be the History of Britain? Who do I look like, I ask: Simon Schama? No, though the history of England will invariably end up as that of Britain, I’m concentrating here on the English bit, as both Wales and Scotland have their own separate histories, and much of what happens in England doesn’t really involve them. So it’s the history of England, at least until the Kingdom of Great Britain comes to be, and there’s a lot happened before then.

What to expect here? Well if you’ve read my History of Ireland journal you’ll know. A timeline reflecting the greater (and lesser) events that went to make up the story of how England rose from being a tiny little insignificant island to being one of the biggest and baddest powers in the world, at least up until about World War II, when America pushed her aside and said “It’s all right, honey, we’ll take it from here.” Kings and queens, England has had more than you can shake a sceptre at, many of whom didn’t do a lot, many of whom are unforgettable, both in the history of England and that of the world, or at least Europe. We’ll be looking at them all. Battles? You want battles? We got battles. One thing England did better than almost anyone else in the world was pick fights. It seemed, at times (and may in fact have been) that they just got bored and wanted a war, or, to put it in the words of Captain Edmund Blackadder, it was just too much trouble not to have a war.

The English navy, or Royal Navy, grew to be the terror of the high seas, and was, almost single-handedly, responsible for the growth of England from an unregarded bit of land floating in the Atlantic Ocean to a force to be reckoned with, an empire on which it was said the sun never set, though of course eventually it did. The Royal Air Force alone kept the skies over Britain free of Nazi fighters and ensured Hitler would not be having tea in Windsor Castle any time soon, something for which I think nobody can deny we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. English artists, architects, musicians and writers spread His or Her Majesty’s fame far and wide, and of course they gave us names like Wren, Constable, Wellington, Nelson, Shakespeare and Dickens, to name but a very few. Speaking of Dickens, they were also one of the most inhumanly cruel people the world ever saw, at least when it came to the poor, who were treated almost worse than the slaves from Africa were by Americans.

As in all histories, there is good and there is bad, and unless history has already done so, I will try not to make judgements. I do have a bias against the English, merely by virtue of being Irish, my ancestors have suffered so much under them, but I don’t intend to let that influence or interfere with my chronicling their history here. I will try, as I always do, to be as even-handed as possible. And as in all histories too, it would be impossible to relate every event and talk about every character who featured in the story of England, but I will try to ensure nothing important is left out, while also trying to dig a little behind the scenes as it were and talk about some of the lesser figures we may not know about, but who may be important to English history.

There will not be, however, a rousing or otherwise chorus of "God Save the Queen". I have to draw the line somewhere.

All right then. Let’s get started, shall we?

DianneW · 06-22-2021, 03:17 PM

hey you give us a chance to take in Ireland first....clever Trollybookends are you not?

Trollheart · 06-22-2021, 06:04 PM

You wait till I start the history of America!

DianneW · 06-23-2021, 02:49 AM

There is no God...Trollybookends just look out...wishing there was some justice, can do payback sometime though..where is my broombroom stick... can still say it, OMG...the spell is cast is the first line of my latest woffle book.....

Lisnaholic · 06-23-2021, 10:45 AM

Good luck with this journal, Trollheart!

I can't decide if I should post these cassettes to you, or keep them myself so that I can fact-check you relentlessly....

DianneW · 06-23-2021, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lisnaholic

Good luck with this journal, Trollheart!

I can't decide if I should post these cassettes to you, or keep them myself so that I can fact-check you relentlessly....

fact check him..he hates to be in the wrong..which of course he is at times...purely a walking disaster if the truth is known Lisnaholic..how you doing yourself these days?....

of course he might be late in answering you, as he has received some phrases of late..so might struggle to get his head through the door at the mo....

Lisnaholic · 06-24-2021, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DianneW

Lisnaholic..how you doing yourself these days?....

Oddly enough, in all my years on MB, I think this is the first time anyone has asked me this simple chatty question.
Yes, I'm fine thanks Dianne. How about you?

(Plus apologies to Trollheart for interrupting your journal.

)

DianneW · 06-24-2021, 01:35 PM

Yes pretty good thanks..Gardening loads..enjoy except the blooming weeds are like triffids...Weather is more settled now so outside a lot ot the time...Maybe a British thing enquiring after fellow humans....upbringing is likely though, my late Dad was very polite and would ask people,how are you .....

Trollheart · 06-24-2021, 08:57 PM

Sorry guys. Been experiencing some serious issues with my PC (CPU overheating/shut downs/slow performance/internet disconnect) so have been working on those for the last day or two. Hope to have everything sorted soon, so watch for a flurry* of updates.

* Flurry (n.) multiple postings in multiple journals, often within the same time period. (ex: Trollheart is really working hard isn't he? Look at the flurry of posts he's made in the Guide to the Galaxy, History of Ireland and History of England journals!)

DianneW · 06-24-2021, 11:54 PM

Its a pain , living in such a Country like mine the internet comes via a piece of string so sometimes hanging on for a page to open compares with Husband's wallet airing times.. .. but at least we can breathe again for a mo'.....joking Trollleybookends just joking...

06-20-2021, 08:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	This Sceptred Isle: Trollheart's History of England I suppose it only seems fair really, if I’m going to badmouth the English in my History of Ireland journal, to give them a chance to talk back; and to be honest, though I’m still writing that journal it has given me something of a taste for looking into the history of our nearest neighbour and longtime oppressor. Yes, I have a million journals on the go, but when did that ever stop me? I actually tried to talk myself out of this one, but I know me: once I get an idea in my head I can’t dissuade myself, and I know it’s useless trying, so I gave up and left me to my own devices. All I can say is, if this turns out to be too much work for me, I’d better not come crying to me, because I told me so, but would I listen to me? Would I, as our English friends say in certain parts of their country, hell as like. So let it be on my own head. I’m done with me. Identity crisis to one side, yeah, that’s what I’ve decided to do, and while I may slag England off as a true son of Erin would, I am quite aware that it has a truly fascinating history, and it should actually be fun getting into the nuts and bolts of it. Naturally, at points the two journals are going to meet, and cross, and in that case, rather than rewrite what I’ve written in Four Green Fields already, I’ll just refer or link to those entries. So events such as the Reformation, or at least, how it came about via Henry VIII, already well documented in the History of Ireland, will be noted but then linked; if there’s more to say, as in, events that went beyond how they impacted Ireland, then I’ll carry on the story in this journal. I’m sure you get what I mean. But as I say, England has its own long and very rich history, and that does not by any means rely on Ireland and its oppression. In fact, for probably eighty percent of English history my country doesn’t play a part, and that’s fine. Linking into the history will be countries such as France, Spain and Holland - with whom England was all but perpetually at war - as well as Italy (Rome invaded England) and Scotland and Wales. Wait, I hear you say: aren’t those part of Britain? Yes they are. And shouldn’t this then, I hear you say again, be the History of Britain? Who do I look like, I ask: Simon Schama? No, though the history of England will invariably end up as that of Britain, I’m concentrating here on the English bit, as both Wales and Scotland have their own separate histories, and much of what happens in England doesn’t really involve them. So it’s the history of England, at least until the Kingdom of Great Britain comes to be, and there’s a lot happened before then. What to expect here? Well if you’ve read my History of Ireland journal you’ll know. A timeline reflecting the greater (and lesser) events that went to make up the story of how England rose from being a tiny little insignificant island to being one of the biggest and baddest powers in the world, at least up until about World War II, when America pushed her aside and said “It’s all right, honey, we’ll take it from here.” Kings and queens, England has had more than you can shake a sceptre at, many of whom didn’t do a lot, many of whom are unforgettable, both in the history of England and that of the world, or at least Europe. We’ll be looking at them all. Battles? You want battles? We got battles. One thing England did better than almost anyone else in the world was pick fights. It seemed, at times (and may in fact have been) that they just got bored and wanted a war, or, to put it in the words of Captain Edmund Blackadder, it was just too much trouble not to have a war. The English navy, or Royal Navy, grew to be the terror of the high seas, and was, almost single-handedly, responsible for the growth of England from an unregarded bit of land floating in the Atlantic Ocean to a force to be reckoned with, an empire on which it was said the sun never set, though of course eventually it did. The Royal Air Force alone kept the skies over Britain free of Nazi fighters and ensured Hitler would not be having tea in Windsor Castle any time soon, something for which I think nobody can deny we owe them a huge debt of gratitude. English artists, architects, musicians and writers spread His or Her Majesty’s fame far and wide, and of course they gave us names like Wren, Constable, Wellington, Nelson, Shakespeare and Dickens, to name but a very few. Speaking of Dickens, they were also one of the most inhumanly cruel people the world ever saw, at least when it came to the poor, who were treated almost worse than the slaves from Africa were by Americans. As in all histories, there is good and there is bad, and unless history has already done so, I will try not to make judgements. I do have a bias against the English, merely by virtue of being Irish, my ancestors have suffered so much under them, but I don’t intend to let that influence or interfere with my chronicling their history here. I will try, as I always do, to be as even-handed as possible. And as in all histories too, it would be impossible to relate every event and talk about every character who featured in the story of England, but I will try to ensure nothing important is left out, while also trying to dig a little behind the scenes as it were and talk about some of the lesser figures we may not know about, but who may be important to English history. There will not be, however, a rousing or otherwise chorus of "God Save the Queen". I have to draw the line somewhere. All right then. Let’s get started, shall we? __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-22-2021, 06:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	You wait till I start the history of America! __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-23-2021, 10:45 AM	#5 (permalink)
Lisnaholic ...here to hear... Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: He lives on Love Street Posts: 4,444	Good luck with this journal, Trollheart! I can't decide if I should post these cassettes to you, or keep them myself so that I can fact-check you relentlessly.... Attached Thumbnails __________________ "Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953

06-24-2021, 08:57 PM	#9 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,994	Sorry guys. Been experiencing some serious issues with my PC (CPU overheating/shut downs/slow performance/internet disconnect) so have been working on those for the last day or two. Hope to have everything sorted soon, so watch for a flurry* of updates. * Flurry (n.) multiple postings in multiple journals, often within the same time period. (ex: Trollheart is really working hard isn't he? Look at the flurry of posts he's made in the Guide to the Galaxy, History of Ireland and History of England journals!) __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-22-2021, 03:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
DianneW Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2021 Posts: 1,161	hey you give us a chance to take in Ireland first....clever Trollybookends are you not?

06-23-2021, 02:49 AM	#4 (permalink)
DianneW Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2021 Posts: 1,161	There is no God...Trollybookends just look out...wishing there was some justice, can do payback sometime though..where is my broombroom stick... can still say it, OMG...the spell is cast is the first line of my latest woffle book.....

06-24-2021, 01:35 PM	#8 (permalink)
DianneW Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2021 Posts: 1,161	Yes pretty good thanks..Gardening loads..enjoy except the blooming weeds are like triffids...Weather is more settled now so outside a lot ot the time...Maybe a British thing enquiring after fellow humans....upbringing is likely though, my late Dad was very polite and would ask people,how are you .....

06-24-2021, 11:54 PM	#10 (permalink)
DianneW Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2021 Posts: 1,161	Its a pain , living in such a Country like mine the internet comes via a piece of string so sometimes hanging on for a page to open compares with Husband's wallet airing times.. .. but at least we can breathe again for a mo'.....joking Trollleybookends just joking...