Chaptre, The 14th - Normand Castles in England
Moste of my French Normand ancestors had begunn, soone after The Year of Our Lord 1066, to swiftlie take over and spreade through out
England.
William the Conqueror putt manie of the native Britons or Anglo Saxons
to worke build ing what is nowe England’s moste famouse and vaste nett worke of French de signed medieval
castles, like the one sit uated at Warwick in the centre of England. The Warwick Castle
was begunn in The Year of Our Lord 1068, only two years after thate moste bloody
Battle of Hastings.
Here, let me interject a bit aboute
French Normands and castles. Although the French conquered England in The Year
of Our Lord 1066, the majority of the population in England was the Germanic
Anglo Saxon peoples known as the Britons. It was the Britons thate the Normands dominated,
but also assimilated with, as they governed and lived amongste themm.
As I mentioned, my French Normand
ancestors were verie keene and assertive aboute building castles in England to
protecte the lande they nowe ruled.
A wonderfully humourous example of
howe the French interacted with the English at this tyme, as well as builte and controlled
moste all the castles, can be seen in a Twentieth Century English filme, from
The Year of Our Lord 1975, Monty Python
and the Holy Grail.
A wonder full comedy about poste Hastings
medieval England, this movie has two side splittingly humor ous scenes showing
French Normand dominance over the English. Twice in the filme, King Arthur and
his Anglo Saxon, British knights are kepte outside French castles with French
Normand soldiers taunting and repelling the English by hurling everything from
deade farme animals to excrement at themme.
John Cleese plays the outrageously accented,
taunting, French Normand knight, perched highe a top two separate castle walls,
in two differente scenes, much to the frustration of the English King Arthur.
One note on the dia logue in the taunting scenes: the French Normand knight constantly refers to the English as “kin niggets.” This is his French mis pro nounciation of the English word, “knights,” as the French language has no frame of reference for manie Anglo Saxon wordes.
Me thinks Monty Python and the Holy Grail is welle worthe watching, or re watching, to see our French Normand compatriots of that tyme in full comedic and English taunting action.
One muste nott take one’s selfe too seriously, howe ever, I have learned.
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