Let me geek out a bit here, again. I really enjoyed history in school. We had a really good Soc Sci teacher who made the subject less about dates and names, and more about how events changed a people and vice versa. It was good stuff, and despite my dismal high school performance, my Soc Sci grades (and English) made a strong argument for the possibility of me turning out all right eventually.
I've been looking for more non-textbooky history book lately, almost to the point of emailing my high school Soc Sci teacher (which I just did). But in the meantime, I judged it by its cover, and bought a book entitled I Wish I'd Been There -Book 2, European History (edited by Byron Hollinshead and Theodore K. Rabb).
It's got essays by noted historians on significant moments in the history of Europe. Events covered are, for example, the day Alexander the Great died, when Hannibal crossed the Alps, when Handel is fired, and the making of Newton's Principia. Highfaluting but heady stuff.
I got it because I expected to find some easy-to-read but detailed accounts of these interesting days, but I now realize why the book was titled that way. From what I've read so far, there is hardly a surviving, first hand account of these events. Little is written and most is surmised. Hence, all these history buffs wanting to be there.
But the book's still interesting. It sort of gives you atmosphere, the mood of the time surrounding these events. Like in high school, it's interesting to find out how people where thinking then, and how things have changed or haven't.
Anyway, there's an account in the book of a medieval English uprising in 1381, called The Peasant Revolt. The rebels, consisting of peasants, laborers, some clerics and retired, veteran soldiers, had a leader called Wat Tyler. They charged up to London en masse, crossed the Thames, and forced the fourteen-year old king, Richard II, to meet with them.
These were hardly unsophisticated rebels. They were organized and smart. They knew how to wage war from all those years of being forced into soldiering. And being serfs, they knew all about unfair taxes and labor practices.
The rebels banded together because wanted the abolition of serfdom, to be free from obligatory labor and the right to move from their respective manors. Very MLK, it was all about equality.
Anyway. So finally, on June 15, Wat Tyler met Richard II at Smithfield. Tyler came on horseback, to signify his equality with all these snooty knights and nobles. He got off, knelt before the king, got up and shook the king's hand. Then Tyler addressed the Richard II as brother. Had Richard II fist-bumped Tyler back, I would conclude that Richard II, was in fact, a brother.
To make the long story short, Richard rebuffed the rebels. Tyler lost all his affability and asked for water which he drank and spat out before the king. He also asked for a jug of ale, drank it, and got on his horse. Finally some kingsmen got pissed, Tyler and his boys got pissed, and a melee ensued. Wat Tyler was surrounded, felled, and beheaded before his men.
I'm surprised this isn't a Mel Gibson movie yet.
I've been looking for more non-textbooky history book lately, almost to the point of emailing my high school Soc Sci teacher (which I just did). But in the meantime, I judged it by its cover, and bought a book entitled I Wish I'd Been There -Book 2, European History (edited by Byron Hollinshead and Theodore K. Rabb).
I got it because I expected to find some easy-to-read but detailed accounts of these interesting days, but I now realize why the book was titled that way. From what I've read so far, there is hardly a surviving, first hand account of these events. Little is written and most is surmised. Hence, all these history buffs wanting to be there.
But the book's still interesting. It sort of gives you atmosphere, the mood of the time surrounding these events. Like in high school, it's interesting to find out how people where thinking then, and how things have changed or haven't.
Anyway, there's an account in the book of a medieval English uprising in 1381, called The Peasant Revolt. The rebels, consisting of peasants, laborers, some clerics and retired, veteran soldiers, had a leader called Wat Tyler. They charged up to London en masse, crossed the Thames, and forced the fourteen-year old king, Richard II, to meet with them.
These were hardly unsophisticated rebels. They were organized and smart. They knew how to wage war from all those years of being forced into soldiering. And being serfs, they knew all about unfair taxes and labor practices.
The rebels banded together because wanted the abolition of serfdom, to be free from obligatory labor and the right to move from their respective manors. Very MLK, it was all about equality.
Anyway. So finally, on June 15, Wat Tyler met Richard II at Smithfield. Tyler came on horseback, to signify his equality with all these snooty knights and nobles. He got off, knelt before the king, got up and shook the king's hand. Then Tyler addressed the Richard II as brother. Had Richard II fist-bumped Tyler back, I would conclude that Richard II, was in fact, a brother.
To make the long story short, Richard rebuffed the rebels. Tyler lost all his affability and asked for water which he drank and spat out before the king. He also asked for a jug of ale, drank it, and got on his horse. Finally some kingsmen got pissed, Tyler and his boys got pissed, and a melee ensued. Wat Tyler was surrounded, felled, and beheaded before his men.
I'm surprised this isn't a Mel Gibson movie yet.
4 comments:
Nice. I've been looking for history books too. Unlike you, I didn't have good history teachers. Sayang but it's not too late.
My history teacher emailed back, haha. He suggests Civilization by Armesto-Fernandez.
How cool is that. Your first time to correspond since your course ended? I love teachers who keep in touch.
Well, I've kept in touch with some of my high school teachers through FB and Multiply, so no one's really out of the loop :)
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