This early English church wasn’t small-minded but the epitome of diversity. ibid.
That man was Stephen – what followed was a protracted civil war ... One of the bleakest periods in our history. Sam Willis, Castles: Britain’s Fortified History I, Instruments of Invasion, BBC 2014
At 172 days the siege of Kennilworth was the longest to take place on English soil. ibid.
Castles have been part of our landscape for a thousand years, arriving as a tool of Norman invasion they spread to the furthest corners of England. Sam Willis, Castles: Britain's Fortified History II: Kingdom of Conquest
Edward I ... what followed was a struggle of epic sieges and terrifying weapons to determine the future of the kingdom. ibid.
King Edward fielded the largest army since 1066 against this Prince of Wales. ibid.
Edward I’s new fortresses had a colonial town built into them. ibid.
A castle within a castle ... Beaumaris offered him something unique. ibid.
Castles were enormously expensive ... Beaumaris was never actually finished. ibid.
This time turning north for Scotland: in 1296 Edward invaded. ibid.
It’s so elaborate it can only be for show. A nice bit of bling in rural Sussex. ibid.
Castles have stood indomitably in Britain for centuries. Over almost a thousand years they have played a seminal role in the history of these islands. Sam Willis, Castles: Britain’s Fortified History III: Defence of the Realm
Windsor Castle ... was being seriously considered for demolition. ibid.
Invasion comes in many forms: mass-migrations, immigrants bringing ideas and religions, all have shaped Britain and made it what it is. Invasion! with Sam Willis II, BBC 2007
Churchill called us the Island race … We all descend from people who came here from elsewhere. ibid.
By the time William landed on the south coast of England he had been fighting for much of his adult life … William the Taxman just doesn’t have the same ring to it as William the Conqueror. ibid.
The west coast of Scotland in 1263: pillage, plunder and conquest? Well, it’s as much about trade as anything else. ibid.
The story of the British is one of the most astonishing tales in history. It’s a tale of struggle and war, but also of huge achievement. From small beginnings Britain became a great empire and workshop of the world. And the real makers of our history are the British people themselves. Resilient and creative, they built our society, they won our rights and freedoms. Today we’re many nations and countless tribes. Michael Wood, The Great British Story: A People’s History 1/8: Britannia, BBC 2012
This is the story of the people of Britain over 1,500 years – Welsh, Scots, English, Irish too have played a great role in the story of Britain. ibid.
This small island off the shore of Europe has played a role in the history of the world out of all proportion to its size. ibid.
You have to start with the Romans. Because it was they who brought civilisation to Britain for the first time. ibid.
There were black people in Britain before there were English. ibid.
Roman letters found on Hadrian’s Wall give us the voices of ordinary Britons. ibid.
People enjoyed all the benefits of being Roman citizens. ibid.
At the fall of Rome the Roman army went but the people carried on. ibid.
They were the Anglo-Saxons ... These were the ancestors of the English. ibid.
But from around the year 600 the Anglo-Saxon tribes began to be converted to Christianity by missionaries from Rome and saints from Ireland and the west. ibid.
Bede was a Sunderland man. ibid.
Bede wrote the first great book on British history and identity: Historia Ecclesiastica. ibid.
The last of Bede’s four nations were the English. Michael Wood, The Great British Nation: A People’s History 2/8
So Britain in the 8th century was divided between the British peoples and the Anglo-Saxons ... Many tribes and small kingdoms. ibid.
Raiders from Scandinavia: the Vikings ... The Vikings were driven by population growth in their own countries. By economic and political oppression. ibid.
The Vikings changed society and attitudes ... York = Jorvik: in this cosmopolitan city Vikings soon took on the native culture. ibid.
England was divided. North of Watling Street – Danelaw; but to the south – Alfred the Great’s Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons. ibid.
The most famous date in the history of Britain: 1066. England in 1066 was a good place to live by the standards of the day. Michael Wood, The Great British Story: A People’s History 3/8: The Norman Yoke
From the start luck was against the English. ibid.
The Norman yoke – the loss of English liberties. ibid.
Domesday reveals that England in 1086 had two million people. ibid.
The Anglo-Saxons lived under a kind of apartheid. ibid.
The Barons forced King John to agree to limit his own power. ibid.
It travelled about a mile a day and by winter had infected the whole of the south. Michael Wood, The Great British Story: A People’s History 4/8: The Great Rising
With the tenants dead who would plough the Lord’s land? ibid.
At least half the population of Britain died. ibid.
The demand for cheap and cheerful clothing was on the rise. ibid.
In the 1370s with a series of national poll taxes which hit everyone ... The Peasants’ Revolt was an English phenomenon ... 63 women rebels were indicted in Sussex alone ... Once the rebels had dispersed, the government reneged on the deal. ibid.
Somerset: In the winter of 877 the fate of England rested on the shoulders of one man: Alfred. Michael Wood, King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons I: Alfred of Wessex, BBC 2013
Much of the evidence has been destroyed by time and war. ibid.
Alfred: In 853, when Alfred was about five, his father King AEthelwolf of Wessex sent him to Rome. ibid.
The Viking army attacked them on Ashdown – January 871. The site of the Battle of Ashdown has never been found. ibid.
Then Alfred his brother became King of the West Saxons. ibid.
Edington, Wiltshire, May 878: at first light he attacked them ... Brutal stuff: toe to toe eyeball to eyeball stabbing and slashing. ibid.
He hoped to rebuild English culture. Or as he would say – restore wisdom. ibid.
AEthelflaed: The Lady of the Mercians … Power and high education and intelligence. Michael Wood, King Alfred and the Anglo-Saxons II: The Lady of the Mercians
A history of women as a whole has been erased everywhere. ibid.
The key to her warfare was fortress building. ibid.
AEthelstan: There was peace everywhere and abundance of all things. He was a mighty king worthy of high honour. Michael Wood, King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons III: Aethelstan: The First King of England, BBC 2013
AEthelstan will turn the dream of Alfred the Great into a reality: a kingdom of all the English. ibid.
A kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons … Winchester 899: the last days of Alfred’s life. ibid.
The Staffordshire hoard’s intricate and beautiful artefacts display the skills of Anglo-Saxon goldsmiths at their very best. Time Team: Secrets of the Anglo-Saxon Gold, Channel 4 2012
The Treasury Valuation Committee later priced the hoard at over £3,000,000. ibid.
Sutton Hoo: an undisturbed magnificent royal ship burial and a whole series of spectacular artefacts. ibid.