So I'm watching "Braveheart", and I wish I could see a coin somewhere so I could make it on-topic, but I didn't. (Mods, feel free to move or delete this thread). Was Edward I *really* that much of a jerk?
I used to have an English penny once..... Because of the provenance I sold it for big bucks to someone else here, who is more into this stuff than I am. Now, as for Braveheart, it is a decent movie from a cinematographic perspective... but it is historically useless. It has more historical inaccuracies than you can shake a stick at. If a team of monkeys were tasked to write a history of that period, and given nothing but a typewriter and a basket full of bananas, they could have probably written something more historically accurate than what the scriptwriters for Braveheart could accomplish. The dates in the movie are all wrong, the battles are way off, the reason behind the English occupation is completely twisted and distorted, the relationship between the Scottish nobles and the English nobles is completely different from what the movie shows, William Wallace was nothing like the character in the movie, he never had a wife what was killed by the English, and the practice of Prima Nocta is total BS. I could go on, but I think I've ranted enough. I've got to clean the foam from my lips and take something for my blood pressure. So, do you still think you need to ask whether the real Edward I was just like the one portrayed in that abomination of a movie?
Ah... I suspected as much. Thanks. Can anyone recommend any good reading material on what *really* happened?
lol, after watching Braveheart a few years ago i got this... England, Edward I, Longshanks, 1272-1307, AR Penny. London mint. + EDWA R ANGL DNS HYB, crowned & draped bust facing / CIVITAS LONDON, long cross with three pellets in each angle. Seaby #1410 18 mm, 1.4g
If you want to learn real history, Hollywood will never teach you that. No substitute for reading. Here's a good book on Edward I Longshanks. It's pretty cheap too, only $10 on Amazon.
Or if you would rather listen, try the History of England podcast by David Crowther, it really grows on you and is a big part of the reason I am into Medieval English coins again. https://thehistoryofengland.co.uk/ On Edward I in particular, I think history has over rated him. His word meant nothing to him, he ruined relations with Scotland (which up until his time weren't so bad) and he conquered poor Wales which he outnumbered 10 to 1.
Thank you for that link. I've been looking for a good book on Edward. He is my 24th great grandfather
I think that sounds like the right king the English needed at that time. Don't get me wrong, he was not a pleasant fellow, but I can't imagine "British" history without the existence of an Edward I.
Ironically, the movie was filmed largely in Ireland. Click on the link below for Castle Trim, which should look familiar to those who have seen the movie. If you ever get the chance to visit Trim, which isn't that far from Dublin, the castle is a great tour. The movie is also famous for spotting modern machines and clothing. In some battle scenes, the Irish extras can be seen wearing wristwatches and running shoes. In one scene, a car can be seen in the distance. Cal Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trim_Castle
@Dougmeister- you should get one! Edward I's coins are relatively inexpensive in comparison to other English medievals. I dug mine up in a farm field in Essex, on my only UK visit, in 2013! I've had others, and nicer examples, but this is my favorite Longshanks by far. I was the first person to touch it in around 700 years. That's quite a rush! He has quite the piggy little nose on this coin. Looks pretty cranky.
That's true- Hollywood is seldom useful as a history teacher, but can be a useful cheerleader. Watch the movie, get interested in the characters, and then pick up a book to learn their real story. Hollywood as historical appetizer, if you will.
Back when the "History" Channel was still worth a bean and still showing programming that actually had some relation to history, they had a segment called "Movies In Time", where they'd show a movie with a historical setting, and afterwards a panel of experts would discuss how much of the film was history and how much was Hollywood. Put in that kind of context, movies can be a good thing. Historical novelist Bernard Cornwall does this with his books. He adds an epilogue at the end of each novel and explains the real history behind the story, what he fictionalized, and why.
I don't object to those. They have some relation to history, however tentatively. "Swamp People", though? Pure trash.