The Shield
Page 11
In the morning I would see my family, make my usual choice of cereal for breakfast and take the day as it came. As I fell asleep, I wondered whether that would include more fishing. I felt like a good day’s swimming, as it had been a while, but then again, we had all the time in the world as it was still the start of the school holidays. Plenty of time to fit everyone’s choices in.
History stuff……
A little bit about York.....
York, an ancient city in the County of North Yorkshire, England
The walled city is divided naturally into three parts and built mainly of magnesian limestone mined from the neighbourhood of Tadcaster and set on an earlier earth bank, it encloses an area of 263 acres on both sides of the rivers Ouse and Foss, with a perimeter, omitting stretches of water, of 21/8 miles.
Roman defences of the legionary fortress on the N.E. bank of the Ouse and of the civil town on the opposite side apparently remained substantially intact until the Danish occupation in 867, when the ruined wall and earth rampart of the fortress, together with at least one later tower, were covered by a broad earth bank, crowned with a palisade. The enclosed area extended outside the Roman walls to the marshy banks of the two rivers. A palace in King’s Court possibly included remains of the S.E. gate of the fortress. After the Saxon reconquest earls of Northumberland lived in Earlsborough, a fortified enclosure to the W. of the fortress. In 1068–9 William I built two castles to the S.E. of the city, one on each bank of the Ouse. Under the Normans the earth rampart was strengthened, an extension was built to enclose the Walmgate suburb, and the Foss was dammed below the eastern castle to form an extensive fishpond. Stone gates through the rampart were erected at Micklelith (Micklegate Bar), Lounlith (Victoria Bar), Galmanlith (Bootham Bar), N.W. of the present Monk Bar, at Walmgate Bar, and possibly elsewhere.
The existing stone wall was begun in about 1250 and probably completed by 1270 in the Micklegate and Central areas of the city, apart from the stretch around the more westerly castle, the Old Baile. Henry III rebuilt York Castle from 1245 onwards, and in 1266 St. Mary’s Abbey started enclosing its precinct with a similar wall to that protecting the city. The Old Baile’s defences were rebuilt in stone soon after 1327. The Walmgate sector of the wall was built after 1345, though Walmgate and Fishergate Bars already existed. The Red Tower and Fishergate Postern Tower were not built until the reign of Henry VII, when Fishergate Bar was burned by rebels. Monk Bar was heightened and some of the internal arches supporting the wall walk were probably added in the same reign. Edward III strengthened the Castle during his reign and spent time in the City using it as his base when campaigning against the Scots. He and his Queen Philippa were married in York Minster in 1328.
A little bit of history about the English Royal family during Medieval times....
Henry the third was the Grandfather of Edward the third,(1312-1377). Henry believed in his right to the French throne through his direct descent through his mother Isabella of France being the daughter of his grandfather Philip the fourth of France. Edward’s father Edward the second was an ineffectual King and so Edward the third was made King when he was fourteen years old. His mother was Isabella of France, she was sister to King Charles of France and when Edward was fourteen years old his mother arranged his marriage to Philippa of Hainault, (1310-1369) who was aged twelve. Philippa’s mother, Jeanne de Valois was the granddaughter of King Philippe the third of France.
Edward and Philippa married at York Minster on 24th June 1328 and their first born son Edward, (who later became known as the Black Prince because of the colour of his suit of armour) was born in 1330 at the English court in Woodstock. (Today this is where Bleinham Palace stands). Prince Edward never became King as he died a year before his father in 1336 but he was a warrior Prince and fought many battles including a major Battle at Poitiers for England against the French during the one Hundred Years’ War. Edward and Philippa went on to have thirteen children in total but only ten reached adulthood.
Edward the third was famous for being a believer in chivalry, he founded the Order of the Garter in 1348. He planned to revive the Round Table of the court of King Arthur but this never came to fruition. The Order of the Garter carried on the legend by being of a circular shape. Edward was a warrior King and transformed
England during his fifty years of reign, (the longest in medieval England) into a formidable military power. He campaigned against the French, the Scots, the Welsh and his own Barons at home who did not like the amount of money Edward needed to raise in taxes to fund his wars, especially against the French.
In 1337 King Philip the sixth of France confiscated lands belonging to the English In Aquitaine and Edward’s response was to lay claim to the French throne by being the grandson of Philip the fourth. The French ignored his claim, they confirmed the right of Philip the sixth who was the nephew of King Philip the fourth. This set the scene for the start of the Hundred Years’ War.
In 1340 the French raised an attempted invasion of England and a major Sea Battle at Sluys was fought. The English won and thus secured control of the English Channel.
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Published by Clink Street Publishing 2017
Copyright © 2017
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ISBN:
978-1-911525-96-7 - paperback
978-1-911525-97-4 - ebook