France....The Military Powerhouse!!

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Gaidin wrote:

My quoted text and what you said does not contradict eachother. America is a huge country with about 250 million people at that time. Therefeore it has a bigger output of everything than small countries.

The question is, how long does it take to change to a full war economy.

Or just ignore me

 

#1 I think I'd rather keep to the name Franks before the treaty of Verdun in 843.

#2 Germanic isn't German. The English are Germanic, the Dutch are, the Swedes, Danes and Norwegians are too, but none of them are German.

#3 Anglo-Saxons' presence in Britain is significant from 6th century rather than the 5th But yes, they were English because they were even called so in Dark Ages chronicles. Let's just take Bede's 'Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum' from 9th century. This way Alfred was an English king.

However, I believe that you are far too polite as far as Normans are concerned. They were referred to as the scum of Europe and I don't think it was exaggerated all that much. Tancred, Bohemund and the other gentry were what we call bandits or gangsters today. The French weren't as terrifying - yes, they were cruel sometimes, but they didn't have the thing, simply as it is. And they weren't really succesfull either, so they weren't feared so much. I would even say they were quite mediocre in this regard.

 

Chev - If you have good sources for your info on the Anglo-Saxon invasions, particularly on the issue of dates/background, which began in the early Fifth Century, please share them. Here are a few of mine:

In his work, _In Search of the Dark Ages_, Michael Wood, recites the _Gallic Chronicle_ as his source, that the Romans were forced to withdraw troops from England in 407, leaving the Britons invaded by Saxons: "The provinces of Briton were laid waste by the Saxons." (Wood, 41)

The Gallic Chronicle says that Briton was under Saxon control by 441, and this date is fairly close to the one that Bede uses of 448-449.

In his book, _The Civilization of the Middle Ages_, Norman Cantor, uses the term "Germanic" to describe the barbarian invaders he also calls the "Germans," (pp. 89-100). Also, the intorduction of one of my copies of _Beowulf_ decribes the Anglo-Saxons as "Germanic invaders." Check _The Norton Anthology of English Literature_ Vol. 1, Edition 5.

[ June 06, 2003, 08:07: Message edited by: Chandos the Red ]

 

Actually modern sources tend to give the middle of the sixth century as the borderline between Britano-Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxon Britain. You're correct about the withdrawal of Roman legions in 407 AD, but those were Imperial troops and such forces as auxilliaries or town militia didn't leave the island. The island wasn't left totally defenceless by the strictly Roman forces either, only it bordered with miracle that they survived so long as they did with such small ekhm.. army. From 5th century Anglo-Saxon tribes began to settle down in coastal sectors, establish settlements etc in addition to traditional looting, burning, raping and capturing slaves (that's more or less what Bede refers to and quite a normal situation for the borders of Roman Empire). They were a serious threat to Britano-Romans since the middle of 5th century and there are records of wars closer to the end of that same century (late 5th century is Hengist and Horsa's times). As the Britano-Romans failed to unite, contrary to Anglo-Saxons whom there became to be more and more, from the beginning of 6th century to its half Britano-Romans were in retreat and only held Wales and Cornwall (the latter not for long). At least that's what is taught today and more or less the same as in Britano-Roman and then Welsh chronicles (Nennius, 9th century is the last important one IIRC).

The funny thing is that such characters as Uther or Arthur existed in fact and led Britons to battle in about the same time as Arthur was supposed to live according to legends - perhaps some two or three decades earlier. It's more possible that they were Romans or Britano-Romans than fullblood Britons BTW, sir Kay is made up from some Roman guy named Caius (Gaius), the same name that Caesar had . Some other, slightly changed, Roman names are also present in Arthurian legends.

OK, but enough of digressions, some time ago we were discussing the French as the topic suggests

 

I think I'm about to die from laughter. the WW1 was the best.

 

In WWI French soldiers went to the battle in taxis