成人快手

Page 2 of 5

• 1. 1066 revisited
• 2. Letter to Montgomery
• 3. Monty was a Norman
• 4. Roger of Montgomery
• 5. Oppressing the poor
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Letter to Montgomery

Sitting in my history class next day I was so furious that I decided to pen a reply. Struggling to find the right tone, I eventually hit on writing, in the first person from King Harold, a defence of my beloved Anglo-Saxons. The piece was published, and by return of post, Montgomery summoned me to come down and 'debate' the matter with him in the House of Lords.

The 'debate', if such one may call it, was a damp squib, of course, but what was fascinating was what it revealed about the historical myths that we all create for ourselves out of history. We imbibe these myths, based on historical information that is sometimes true, sometimes highly coloured, as children, add our own ingredients to the mix, and then they stay with us as adults.

'The Conquest was a great boon to this country. It welded together the nation ...'

Monty had plenty to say:

'Now about your piece in The Sunday Times ... before the Normans the English had no real civilisation: they had been living in the Dark Ages after all. They had had some good leaders: Alfred the Great, for example, he was a good chap. When he made peace with the Danes it was a great act of statesmanship.'

'But the Normans brought ordered government. Look at the Domesday Book. Ordered government, you see, is the basis of freedom. The Conquest was a great boon to this country. It welded together the nation; it set it on the road to empire and the world influence it has had.'

I stammered a reply, blushing furiously, listing the Anglo-Saxon achievements in art, poetry, coins. But he would have none of it:

'You see, my boy ... the point is, the greatness of England would never have been possible without the Normans.'

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Published: 2004-11-09