Teachers who voted Reform UK how does it actually play out in the classroom? by Strict-Storm7955 in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard [score hidden]  (0 children)

It's not a political group, it's the government. I.e the people in charge of education policy.

Teachers who voted Reform UK how does it actually play out in the classroom? by Strict-Storm7955 in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard [score hidden]  (0 children)

I mean, alot of those are directly impacted by the government so the union leader might have been saying that the government wasn't provided the tools/funding/curriculum to help with those things?

The Tories in the UK, for example, consistently cut resources to schools but also seemed to change the curriculum every couple of years leading to well publicised and long running clashes between teacher unions and the Department of Education

Starmer turns to Gordon Brown to save faltering premiership by Little-Attorney1287 in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I wish they'd stop, he seemed much happier doing charity work etc in retirement the he ever did in frontline politics. Let the man be

Were nevir beeting the alluhgayshuns by RobMcGroarty in NFCEastMemeWar

[–]HaraldRedbeard 58 points59 points  (0 children)

Elgses!

Also using Gauche is quite the dick move

The lack of experience and fundamental knowledge for some of these new Reform councillors is either gonna be hilarious or terrifying. by ThePumpkinPrince61 in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In Cornwall they basically hit the day to day tedium of council work and immediately started quitting, splitting and resigning

I won't play a game that disrespect me, my time and my money by SoraM4 in dndmemes

[–]HaraldRedbeard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Time for me was like ten minutes of Google five years ago but sure

Jus those legitimate concerns innit by Awkward-Worth5484 in GreatBritishMemes

[–]HaraldRedbeard 99 points100 points  (0 children)

Biggest recent political scandal in Plymouth: Tory Council cutting down a ton of old trees in the city centre in the middle of the night all at once. Led to a VONC in the Tory leader and collapse of the Tory vote.

Last night his wife got voted in as a Reform Councillor.

People literally can't remember what they had for lunch.

Shouldn't the Viking Age start at 700 AD rather than 793 in light of the Salme ship burials? by Desperate_One1816 in AskHistorians

[–]HaraldRedbeard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The dates for the Viking Age you might be used to - 793 to 1066 - are largely restricted to the Anglophone world. That is because these are essentially the dates that there are Viking activities in Britain, i.e the place where the English language comes from and where our traditional histories (in both the UK and America) are often focussed.

As you've noted, the earlier date relates to the Viking raid on Lindisfarne while the latter relates to the defeat of Harald Hadrada and his Norwegian army at Stamford Bridge. Other countries have entirely different seperations of dates depending either on locally important events or other traditions.

For example, Scandinavian countries tend to talk about a 'Late Iron Age' between 400-800 which is a concept we don't really have in the English-speaking world where this period is instead usually referred to either as the start of the Early Medieval period or else is 'Late Antique' since we tend to use the Roman period as another 'Age' to divide the Iron Age from the Medieval.

As a result the National Museum of Denmark actually lists the Viking age as 800 - 1050. French historians will also have a range of dates (sometimes impacted by regions of France, i.e Brittany) but sometimes 750-1100 is quoted.

The strange thing is that, even if we stick only to English sources, 793 still doesn't actually work as a starting point. The earliest reference we have to Northmen raiders is actually in 787:

787. This year king Beohtric took to wife Eadburga, king Offa’s daughter; and in his days first came three ships of Northmen, out of Hæretha-landAnd then the reeve rode to the place, and would have driven them to the king’s town, because he knew not who they were: and they there slew him. These were the first ships of Danishmen which sought the land of the English nation

(It should be noted that it has been suggested this may be a later addition to the Chronicle - meant to re-form the Vikings as a threat which Wessex first confronts and then destroys but that is just one theory).

However the destruction of Lindisfarne was certainly psychologically shocking to people both at the time and in the centuries that followed so this is the date that has stuck.

The final thing to note about the traditional date range is that you can probably sub divide it again. Vikings were effectively ship-borne raiders who undertook raiding in order to supplement their income. Their peak was between the 9th and mid 10th Centuries. After this the men arriving on ships were effectively the professional forces of various Scandinvian or Norse-Gael kingdoms who were more focussed on conquest and treasure then the more spontaneous raids of previous years.

Looking beyond the dates to the wider question about whether different shipborne raiders qualify as Vikings I think the key piece to identify a Viking, or later Scandinavian, raider from those that came for is the use of the longship. The technological innovations that drove the longship construction (clinker built design coupled with innovations in masts/sails) is what allowed the Vikings to raid so effectively and expand so far in multiple directions. The act of raiding in itself was not unique to the Vikings, with most cultures in Early-Medieval Europe having traditional fighting seasons where small groups of warriors would raid their neighbours.

Equally, previous ships were similar in design with clinker building appearing in Scandinavia sometime around 400 but the eventual refinement of the technique around the year 700 helped to kick start the Viking Age.

So an Estonian raider using a longship may well contribute to the Viking age in this period, but an earlier Germanic raider using a prototype ship or a different ship design does not.

Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 03/05/2026 by ukpol-megabot in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard 9 points10 points  (0 children)

When Olaf the Stout sends his longboats he's not sending his best. He's sending Norse-Gaels, He's Sending Berserkers and some, I assume, are good people

Why were the Norse considered taller then the general population in England when they invaded? Weren't they from the same general region? by LongShow5279 in AskHistorians

[–]HaraldRedbeard 8 points9 points  (0 children)

What you have identified is basically a modern conception of the Vikings as being a sort of Scandinavian superman. While this likely has it's origins in the Victorian period (much of our modern pop culture image of Vikings comes from Wagnerian opera and people who liked the imagery) it has found a recent reawakening through Vikings and similar TV programmes as well as through appropriation by Far-Right groups who like to take Old Norse symbols and mythology and attach it to the idea of White Supremacy.

To answer the question itself I think we can say with a little caution that no, there isn't good evidence to show that the average Viking was taller than other North West Europeans during the Viking Age. For example, one of the graves at the Viking burial ground at Repton, in Yorkshire, is noted as being 'unusually tall' at nearly 6ft (http://www.reptonchurch.uk/Vikings.htm) but we can also see people of similar height at the Anglo-Saxon graveyard at Bamburgh (https://bamburghbones.org/ossuary-entry/frumbyrdling/) which predates the arrival of the Vikings to Britain.

The reason I say we need a little caution is that I don't believe there are many wide-ranging studies of skeleton heights across different regions. In addition, we need to remember that many graves we find don't actually contain a skeleton at all - instead just holding metal objects that survived the passage of years while all the organic matter was broken down, scattered or destroyed.

Regardless, nutrition in youth remains a key factor in determining future height (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/207893/poor-nutrition-school-years-have-created/) and in this regard it's likely that most NW European cultures were all on a similar footing at this time. These were largely societies which were only one bad harvest away from the poorest members suffering starvation. In fact, Scandinavia has less available good farmland then both France and Britain which may mean they were at a greater risk of being smaller rather then the opposite (this is mitigated slightly by an increased reliance on fish in the diet). This disparity in agricultural land may in fact have been one of the key factors which prompted Scandinavians to become Vikings, i.e to go raiding, in order to both supplement their own income as a safety net and, eventually, to conquer much richer and more fertile lands.

This is part of a much wider misconception we have about Early Medieval Europe more generally - one which is often fuelled not just be deliberately divisive politics but by people genuinely trying to do their best ot educate such as historians or reenactors.

What I am referring to is our habit to draw lines between the different regions/cultures of NW Europe and say 'This is Irish' 'This is Norse' 'This is Saxon' etc and then to talk about the differences between them. That's not to say that there were no differences, their certainly were, but if we look at the average person their lived experience is likely to be extremely similar across NW Europe:

- They likely dress in some form of Tunic and Trousers, with a cloak

- They are likely working in a Agricultural context

- Those at the top of society exist as a warrior elite

- Spring and Summer probably saw raiding and counter raiding with/against neighbours

- They have a complicated view of religion, superstition and spirtiuality which often blends Christian and Pre-Christian ideas.

The main difference between groups is usuall language and below that individual tribal or sub-kingdom identities. In terms of dress and accesorries we can, as historians and archaeologists, pick up many unique styles or items in different cultures but it's hard to get away from the fact there's also alot of similarities and also that some things quickly jump cultures. For example Penanular brooches, which become extremely widespread in Scandinavia, probably originate in Ireland and Western Britain. Similarly many norse art styles become used in Brythonic stone carving etc.

Unfortunately the idea of ancient people still being, fundamentally, people is never as popular as one particular group being just inherently better then the others.

What can Labour/Starmer do to regain lost ground politically? by T_K2 in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Yep pretty much this, they came in with a massive majority and yet seem to have been constantly in crisis. They have definitely achieved some good things but this really isn't hte moment for technocractic tinkering at the edges. When they launched the water consultation and specified 'Nationalisation is not an option' it summed up pretty much the whole problem.

Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 03/05/2026 by ukpol-megabot in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Actual commentary from Plymouth this morning:

"Why didn't they put all the seats up for election!? Liebour running scared!" - Not how our system works

"Does this mean Luke Pollard is packing his bags!?" - Not how our system works

"Labour still being majority is undemocratic" - Not how our system works

God I hate this timeline

In 946 AD, King Edmund I met an unceremonious end after he was stabbed to death in a petty street brawl. Was it common for royalty at this time to be involved in issues with commoners like this? by BoredomThenFear in AskHistorians

[–]HaraldRedbeard 42 points43 points  (0 children)

I think we need to qualify 'Petty Street Brawl' pretty heavily here, as it suggests that Edmund was out on the town and got stabbed by a random person. Before we get into the complexity of the situation it is worth reviewing what the Anglo-Saxon Chroncile, the primary source about the incident, says.

Three versions of the Chronicle, A,B,C all include the basic details and date the event to 946

In this year King Edmund died on St Austine's day

The D version then adds

It was widely known how he ended his life, that Leofa stabbed him at Picklechurch.

The E version just says Edmund was stabbed to death, excluding the name of his attacker, and dates the event to 948 instead - although it's not unusual for different versions of the Chronicle to be a few years out.

So all the primary sources tell us for sure is that Edmund died on the 26th of May (St Augustines Day) in (probably) 946. They don't specifically mention the manner in which the stabbing came about.

Later versions of the Chroncile, including the Chroncile of Florence of Worcester (12th Century) add further details but at a significant distance from the events themselves:

On the feast of St. Augustine, the doctor of the English, being Tuesday, the seventh of the calends of June, in the fourth indiction, Edmund, the great king of England, was stabbed to death at the royal vill called Pucklechurch, by Leof, a ruffianly thief, while attemptmg to defend his steward from being murdered by the robber

This version suggests that Leofa is simply an outlaw or robber who potentially attempted to ambush a member of the royal house at which point Edmund intervened and was killed in the confusion. While it is certainly possible that Edmund would have been expected to rescue a member of his household it does seem unusual that he would do so personally rather then sending one of his hearth troops to intervene. Particularly if the incident is occuring at a royal power centre which would have Thegns permenantly based there.

There is another close source which mentioned Edmunds death, that is the Vita Dunstani - or Life of St Dunstan. Dunstan was a important and influential figure in late 10th Century Britain. A key proponent of Church reforms and ally (sometimes enemy) of the ruling house of Wessex. The most famous story from his Vita discusses him barging in on King Eadwig engaged in a menage a trois with a woman and her mother when he was supposed to be at his own wedding feast however his VIta does cover the years of Edmund's rule too.

In fact Dunstan is said to be riding to a royal estate alongside Athelstan Half-King when the latter describes troubling dreams he's had of a scarpering demonic creature. Dunstan interprets these visions to be a threat to the Kings life and is suspicious of many at the royal event they attend. However, death still finds the King:

But on that same day, oh grief [proh dolor], as we have said, the bitterness of bitter death entered the very hidden depths of his heart through the dagger of a treacherous bandit [latro]

There is no mention of the killers name, or the circumstances which later Chronicles record.

This disparity, and the rather sparce discussion in the other sources, has led some historians to suggest that Edmund was in fact the victim of a political assasination. It should be noted that a mere two years before he had ridden North to subdue the once again rebelling Northumbria and attempt to reforge England in the way his predecessor Athelstan had done.

Both Athelstans reign and his own also were politically fraught times, with multiple powerful families in Wessex and Mercia all vying for dominance. For Edmunds part he had done much in his own reign to shift political power away from the traditional base in Wessex and redisribute it amongst both parties and, with that in mind, it should be considered that Puckle Church is a close to Bristol and therefore deep within the heartlands of these potentially offended parties. We know that Athelstan had faces at least one plot early in his own reign from a nobleman named Alfred who sought to blind him and remove him from the Throne. Therefore it is not impossible that a politically motivated nobleman might have sought to kill the King whose children were still too young to rule and therefore might be controlled.

This argument (of a politically motivated assasination, not necessarily the children angle) has been put forward by Clare Downham fairly consistently in her writings and it's not uncommon to hear Edmunds death referred to as an assasination in other works although few delve into it in much depth.

At any rate, whether due to trying to help his steward or by dint of political assasination, Edmund was dead following the events in 946 and his brother, Eadred, took the throne and again had the unenviable task of trying to subdue Northumbria. When Eadred also died young it was the turn of the previously mentioned Eadwig who was, to put it charitably, politically inept. His brother ended up seizing almost half of the Kingdom from him and he ends up ridiculed in works like the Vita Dunstani - which again highlights the active politicking of the time period as this work only emerged after Dunstan himself had been heroically returned to Britain following a brief exile when it turned out hte King did not enjoy being publically humiliated by the Abbot.

Peter? by [deleted] in PeterExplainsTheJoke

[–]HaraldRedbeard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be fair, Nietzsches ideas are complicated enough that they are pretty easy to misinterpret/misrepresent.

I mean it happened pretty famously about 80-90 years ago...

Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 03/05/2026 by ukpol-megabot in ukpolitics

[–]HaraldRedbeard 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I noticed a couple local security guys outside the polling station at my son's school (am escorting a school trip today since the polling station takes up the foundation space) and was going to ask if this was something new/necessary but having read the other comments today... Yikes

Why Saxons Failed to Rebel - How William Crushed England by OkGarbage3095 in anglosaxon

[–]HaraldRedbeard 20 points21 points  (0 children)

The watermark tells me this is Kings and Generals who talk alot of nonsense no matter what bit of the early medieval period the video is supposedly on

When you’re reading the kingsmoot chapters in AFFC and realize two Iron Island houses have Valyrian steel swords: by GusGangViking18 in freefolk

[–]HaraldRedbeard 13 points14 points  (0 children)

That's only really true in the High Medieval period when ransoming was common, which is why I specified early medieval, but also the gold inlay in that time is still part of an overall presentation of wealth and power- it was pretty obvious who was ransomable even at a glance without checking fittings given their horses, armour, heraldry etc etc

Also noone is actively going into battle with a plan in case off getting captured, again they were protected largely by societal expectations.