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ThePinkKraken t1_jcobhwa wrote

Reply to comment by en43rs in Weekly History Questions Thread. by AutoModerator

Wow thank you so much for the summary! I have so many more questions now tho - any pointers where I can learn more about it?

You've made me even more curious now, especially about... everything to be fair. How much influence of those earlier cultures can still be found? Why got it evaded by so many different countries if it's so hard to maintain any influence there?

Am I understanding you right, 800 Scandinavias (thanks for the correction about Vikins!) people were enough to attack and settle down?

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calijnaar t1_jcohjwe wrote

If you want a really detailed account, I'd recommend the British History Podcast (be warned, though, Jamie is now at episode 414, and has just reached the Norman conquest in 1066, so there's a lot of detail and probably still a few decades to go until he reaches the 20th century)

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ThePinkKraken t1_jcq2u7y wrote

Uhhhh. I love myself some podcasts to listen to while doing chores or doing mindless stuff in games. As long as this guy isn't making up things that should be right up my alley!

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calijnaar t1_jcqzjbn wrote

He's not a historian, but it is very well researched. (There's a subreddit for the pod, by the way: r/BritishHistoryPod )

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en43rs t1_jcodit2 wrote

For more info you will need to track down books, podcasts or videos. I'm sorry but I don't have anything specific to recommend on England.

Why did a lot of people invade England? Actually England is nothing special. Before the year 1000 the history of Europe is the history of massive invasions. For example France: Celts took over the local people (we don't know anything about them) in 700 BC (and the local people probably took over other people before), the Romans came around 50 BC, then a small number of Germans (called the Franks) took it over around 500... Europe before the year 1000 had a lot of migrations and Invasions. It was just part of the local scene. Why it stopped is complicated but a theory is that when countries became stronger it became a lot more difficult to take over a place and so vast migrations stopped. Also those migrations/invasions were often due to a lack of resources which can be prevented by stronger trade network: if you can buy food elsewhere you don't need to leave your country. And this wasn't true just for Europe: in America, Africa, Asia, you see vast migrations throughout the ages.

For what remains of theses culture... depends where you are. In Wales Celtic culture (in the form of the Welsh language, spoken by 18% of the population of Wales) is still very present. In other places? Not really. Outside of places names it's very difficult to see. This video is interesting on that subject (also it's funny). Those cultures haven't been relevant in a thousand years, so outside of the occasional town name, there isn't really anything.

>Am I understanding you right, 800 Scandinavias (thanks for the correction about Vikins!) people were enough to attack and settle down?

My bad! I meant that in the year 800 several thousands of Scandinavians took over eastern England. They still weren't a lot of them, they exploited rivalries between Anglo-Saxons to succeed.

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quantdave t1_jcpye4x wrote

In fact I'd say England was special: why it should have been so remains shrouded in mystery, but that it could engorge Scandinavia with more money than raiders knew what to do with and then lured Norman rulers even at the expense of their powerful Continental duchy suggests there was something of note going on there.

This isn't to invoke any spurious English exceptionalism: any country's only as special as its resources and characteristics make it in the wider conditions of a particular time - but you can see even in this early formative period indications that there's a capacity that seems not to have gone unnoticed even among contemporaries.

Research in the past half-century on the origins of later British growth has tended to push the start back well beyond the onset of the classic period of industrial prosperity and imperial expansion: I think we can see the beginnings at a very early stage, even as the country struggled to keep up with the sophistication or military prowess of Continental neighbours.

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ThePinkKraken t1_jcq1vy3 wrote

>My bad! I meant that in the year 800 several thousands of Scandinavians took over eastern England. They still weren't a lot of them, they exploited rivalries between Anglo-Saxons to succeed.

...This makes so much more sense, I was really impressed by those 800 raiders. :D (In my defence I'm currently a bit ill. )

I appreciate you taking your time for giving me more insight on England and it's history. Thanks a lot, I have a lot to learn it seems!

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