Attention Span History

Guideschi You Guys

2021-08-06T00:00:00-07:00

"You Guys!" was an insult. But this expression was transformed into a term of endearment, in America, by the working class. Because that is what the working class do.

Gunpowder Plot

You are probably familiar with the Gunpowder Plot, in which Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up Parliament on 5 November 1605.

And thus, because Guy Fawkes was reviled for his crime, the expression "You Guys" emerged as an insult.

Norman Conquest

But how did an Englishman come by the names "Guy", and "Fawkes"? According to Wikipedia, Fawkes is a name of Norman-French origin.

Well now. It just so happens that the Normans invaded and conquered England in 1066, an event from which the history of English Nobility ever since can be traced.

Guy of Nantes

And yet more than a half century before the Normans even settled in Normandy, which they would not do until the middle of the 9th Century, (from where they would later sail across the English Channel and conquer England), Guy of Nantes was Count of Nantes, as of 778, which was of course the late 8th Century, the County of Nantes being located next door to what was not yet Normandy nor inhabited by Normans, and Guy (of the Guideschi Family), not being Norman but Frankish of descent.

Well, that was awkward.

Breton Peninsula Geography

So who was Guy, who were the Guideschi, and why were they occupying a small principality in between what are today Normandy and Brittany in the NorthWest corner of France?

If you will recall that Charlemagne became King of the Franks in 768, but he was never able to conquer the Breton Peninsula, because the terrain was too rough. Thus he appointed Guy's father Roland as Count of Nantes, intending for the County of Nantes to be a buffer zone of containment protecting the Carolingian Empire from the inhabitants of the Breton Peninsula, (who could not be conquered on account of the rough terrain).

Excile to Italy

Anyway, one thing led to another. Guy's son Lambert had a falling-out with Charlemagne's son Louis the Pious, which resulted in the Guideschi Family being exciled to Italy.

And then in 834 Lambert was given the Duchy of Spoleto, even though he was exciled, and the Guideschis firmly ensconsed themselves in the chaos and intrigue of what at that time passed for statecraft in Italy.

Conclusion

In conclusion I really have no idea where I was going with all this, but thanks for reading all the way to the end, you guys!

Here's a podcast about the Guideshi.

Lohengrin

2021-07-29T00:00:00-07:00

Have you heard of Lohengrin? It is a German Opera written and composed by Richard Wagner in 1850. I happen to think that German Opera is more entertaining than Italian Opera, but enough about me.

King Ludwig II

Which brings me to King Ludwig II of Bavaria. If I understand correctly, King Ludwig was very fond of Lohengrin, and built Neuschwanstein Castle as a private world for himself where he could live alone in a fantasy inspired by the Knight of the Swan Legend, on which Lohengrin is based.

But don't judge King Ludwig II too harshly: he was after all a cigar connoisseur, drove a smoking-hot golden carriage, and Neuschwanstein Castle is an excellent place to take selfies. You really should visit the Marstallmuseum at Nymphenburg Palace in Munich and see the golden carriage.

Needless to say, Lohengrin is quite different from the Strauss Operas that your great-great-great Grandmother used to listen to on her smartphone in the bathtub.

Lohengrin

So what happens in Lohengrin? King Henry the Fowler fights the Magyars. This means we have to talk about the Magyars, King Henry's Son King Otto I, the Battle of Augsburg which is sometimes called the Battle of Lechfeld, and the Mongols!

Magyars

Ok, the Magyars are descended from a nomadic-steppe-people who settled on the Hungarian Plain, which is sometimes called the Carpathian Plain.

Unfortunately for them, the Hungarian Plain was not quite vast enough to support a prosperous nomadic lifestyle. And so for some hundreds of years, the Magyars raided and pillaged all over Europe. It should be noted that Hungary considers 1896 to be the 1000th anniversary of the Magyars entering the Carpathian Plain, and in that year many memorials, monuments, and museums were built in Budapest.

As stated above, the Magyars came into conflict with King Henry the Fowler who was the King of East Frankia. East Frankia evolved from the Eastern Parts of the Carolingian Empire that was originally put together by Charlemagne. Indeed, there is today a region of Bavaria called Franconia, which has excellent regional passenger trains connecting innumerable picturesque little cities and towns which are perfect for taking selfies and drinking the local bier. But I digress.

Battle of Lechfeld

The Magyars were finally defeated by King Henry the Fowler's son King Otto I near Augsburg in 955, Augsburg being an ancient city in Bavaria that goes all the way back to the Roman Empire.

King Otto I of East Frankia was the greatest King since Charlemagne, and the Battle of Lechfeld was equal in importance to the Battle of Hastings in 1066, in the context of European History, but deeper analysis of that is above my pay grade. (This is a free blog post)

Anyway, the Magyars gave up their raiding, became Christianized, and adopted a more agrarian lifestyle on the Hungarian Plain where they founded the Nation of Hungary around the year 1000. In the 13th Century, the Mongols invaded Hungary, but were never able to advance beyond Hungary into Western Europe.

For more riveting entertainment about the Mongols, I recommend Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Podcast, in particular the subseries Wrath of The Khans.

Thanks for reading, I'm fresh out of cigars.

Battle In The Middle Ages

2021-07-27T00:00:00-07:00

There were three type of battles in Europe in the Middle Ages:

Raids
Sieges
Field-Battles

There were two types of soldiers in Europe in the Middle Ages:

cavalry
and infantry.

Raids

Infantry tended to not be used in raids, because horses had the advantage in speed and mobility.

Sieges

Cavalry were not much use in sieges, but when infantry were not available, the cavalry could obviously dismount.

Later in the Middle Ages, infantry began using CrossBows, which were easy to use, and effective in sieges. And so, when infantry were available for sieges, they would often use CrossBows, and would often be Mercenaries.

Field-Battles

In set-piece battles, cavalry and infantry could work together.

For instance cavalry could not charge infantry that were in tight formation with spears. But cavalry were useful for attacking the enemy's flanks, and for pursuit in the case of a rout. However, for economic reasons, most field battles were fought between cavalry because it was too expensive to muster both cavalry and infantry most of the time.

Crusades

The Crusades demonstrate that although most field battles in Europe during the Middle Ages were fought between Cavalry, the warriors of that age were capable of more sophisticated tactics.

Here it should be noted, that because lands to the East tended to be more arid, the opponents fighting against the European Crusaders were more skilled on horseback and with the bow and arrow. Eastern-style fighting was much more cavalry-oriented.

What tipped the scale in favour of the Crusaders in certain battles that they won, was the fact that the CrossBow could outrange the bow-and-arrow.

So, the Crusaders would line up infantry with edged-weapons in front, behind them would be CrossBow Infantry, with Cavalry protecting the flanks. The edged-weapon infantry would protect the CrossBowMen, who would shoot over the top and protect the edged-weapon infantry from enemy harrassment.

Attention Span History

Guideschi You Guys

Gunpowder Plot

Norman Conquest

Guy of Nantes

Breton Peninsula Geography

Excile to Italy

Conclusion

Lohengrin

King Ludwig II

Lohengrin

Magyars

Battle of Lechfeld

Recommended

Battle In The Middle Ages

Raids

Sieges

Field-Battles

Crusades

Recommended