We've been learning about history, and seeing a lot of the Plantagenets

[andrewducker]

Julie picked up a book about the historical influences on Game Of Thrones. It was shit. But it got her looking into actual history books, and wanting to share that with me*, so we picked up Simon Schama's TV series "A History of Britain" to give us a decent overview**, starting in 3100BCE (at Skara Brae) and working its way forward to the 1960s

Comments

[iainjcoleman]

about every third one is actually competent, making up the ground lost by the utter idiocy that occurs between them

Machiavelli's argument against hereditary rule in a nutshell.

[randomdreams]

I wonder if there wasn't some source of toxic material in their food we don't know about. That sounds like they were all eating mercury compounds.
Or they were all syphilis babies, which is also entirely possible.

[danieldwilliam]

I was wondering along those lines myself.

Large parts of history became much clearer to me when I read some interesting discussion on the effects of malnutrition, childhood disease, parasites and post traumatic stress on people’s cognitive functions. Unsurprisingly it has a The article was looking at sub-Saharan Africa in the present day but I think must apply to medival Europe.

I think that and a good chance of having a head injury would explain some of the poor management.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, starvation, inequality, and general poverty will cause all sorts of unpleasant effects.

I've tried explaining to people that if you grow up in an area that's full of violence, where you get resources through intimidation and unpleasantness, then that's going to have a knock-on effect on how you think/behave for a very long time.

[danieldwilliam]

I am reminded of a great uncle of mine, who had been a prisoner of the Japanese during World War 2. He would apparently just steal things instinctively. Bread rolls, watches whatever. You'd have to shake him down at the end of his visit - which he was perfectly okay about because he knew he was behaving in an inappropriate way, he just couldn't help it after 4 years of being a POW.