Will Catherine be Queen?

[BCAC]

Jeez, I MUST be getting old! What on earth does +*** mean?

[creagdhubh]

Jeez, I MUST be getting old! What on earth does +*** mean?

It basically means a member of the rabble really (hence the double +) agrees, or likes another member's comment/contribution/response to a particular thread/topic. Apparently, I am notorious for giving "***'s."

Cheers,

[be da veva]

Apparently, I am notorious for giving "***'s." Cheers,

***

[Pleater]

It was 1066 that altered things in England.

When the Normans took over the land was confiscated from the people, as punishment for not rising up against Harold's claim to the throne, and then it was portioned out at William's whim as reward for service, but only to hold for the king.

In a reversal of the former situation the people were then considered tied to the land, as long as the lord was agreeable to their presence, or their existence.

Noble families were reduced to serving their new masters at whatever suited - though that was possibly the start of the idea of the 'gentleman's gentleman' and the hierarchy of servants in great houses, where the senior staff had their own servants, were served at table etc. in the same way as the family. Some, however were reduced to the level of serfs - there are quite a few recorded in the Domesday book.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Phil]

It was 1066 that altered things in England.

When the Normans took over the land was confiscated from the people, as punishment for not rising up against Harold's claim to the throne, and then it was portioned out at William's whim as reward for service, but only to hold for the king.

In a reversal of the former situation the people were then considered tied to the land, as long as the lord was agreeable to their presence, or their existence.

Noble families were reduced to serving their new masters at whatever suited - though that was possibly the start of the idea of the 'gentleman's gentleman' and the hierarchy of servants in great houses, where the senior staff had their own servants, were served at table etc. in the same way as the family. Some, however were reduced to the level of serfs - there are quite a few recorded in the Domesday book.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

The Norman conquest was the start of all the so-called "age of chivalry" which effectvely disenfranchised the existing population and gave all the privileges to the invaders. They enjoyed an existence as "Superiors" over the "vassals" who served them in an almost master/slave relationship and they exercised their superiority through the grant of arms which was denied to lesser mortals.
There are fairly recent examples of this type of behaviour where a section of society is discriminated against for a very spurious reason which I won't go into here but the whole "chivalry" thing does have its roots in discrimination of the basest kind.
The Normans, however, did not manage to impose their ethnic manipulation upon the Scots, despite worming their way into the upper echelons of society - no doubt with the encouragement of their compatriots down south. Their Kings were still neither crowned nor anointed but inaugurated at Scone and so were Kings of the people of Scotland and never Kings of Scotland. I do hope that the distinction is clearly understood because that is, effectively, the situation to this present day.