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Godwin's first mention in any documentary source is supposed to be in the will of the Atheling Aethelstan, Edmund Ironside's older brother, in 1014 where he is gifted an estate supposedly confiscated from Wulfnoth Cild after the 1008 naval fiasco. Wulfnoth is often identified as Godwin’s father...

There is an argument that the English language split away from Continental German languages a lot earlier than was previously thought. Studies of the ways that Polynesian languages have diverged from one another after individual islands/island groups were settled in the Pacific have led to some...

The main hinderance that faced any of the potential Anglo Saxon leaders at the highest level of society post Hastings was youth. Earls Edwin, Morcar & Waltheof were all young, in their early twenties, and inexperienced. Both Morcar & Waltheof had only just come into their Earldoms so could not...

Harold's defeat of William at Hastings would have proved to the medieval mind that God had come down on the side of the English. There would have been some frantic negotiations on both sides for the return of the papal banner William was supposed to have had and then I think a return to the...

Early medieval Scotland was essentially a country of 4 parts. To the south west you had the Gaelic descendants of the original Irish immigrants who called themselves Scotti. To the north west in the Highlands and Islands you had an unholy mixture of Picts/Scots/Norse settlers who were...

It is said that the major effect of an unsuccessful Norman invasion of England would have been that the country would have remained more in the Scandinavian orbit. Although true to a certain degree the Anglo-Saxon Kings had always been aware of events on the continent and when necessary had...

Probably not. As pointed out earlier all the (admitedly scarce) indications are that Earl Ralph had generally good relations with Harold Godwinsson, and through him the other Godwinsson Earls. Also in the crisis of 1065, when the Northumbrians revolted against Tostig Godwinsson, Harold was...

It failed because there is no real North East identity but plenty of strong local identities. It failed because:- The Mackems (Sunderland/Wearside residents) were afraid that it would be run by Geordies for Geordies. The Geordies (Newcastle/Tyneside residents) were afraid the Mackems and the...

Harold's army consisted mainly of the household troops (Huscarls) of both the royal household and those of his brothers households. Those thegns present on the day would be those sworn to Harold personally or the King along with their own armed retainers. The proportion of poorly armed peasants...

Morality, Christian morality. Most of the movers and shakers, the reformers who kept plugging away at Parliament, were radical Christians who had decided that it was morally unjusifiable for a Christian country to profit from human misery. They mostly almost certainly did not see the blacks as...

That depends on which theory of the Advent of the Saxons you believe in. There is the conventional theory supported by early writers like Gildas and Bede that the Anglo-Saxons migrated during the late fifth and early sixth centuries taking over Eastern Britain massacring or assimilating the...

I would say that Alexander would possibly end up as OIC 21st Army Group with "Jumbo" Wilson, one of Churchill's favourites replacing him in the Med. During the North African campaign Wilson was one of a number of candidates for command of the 8th Army being passed over on at least 2 occasions...

A lot would depend on the other casualties of the battle. If either Leofwine or Gyrth survived they would retreat to London with the remnants of the army and rally a new force from those unable to respond quickly enough to Harold's rush north or else sent home to recuperate from wounds gained...

There is an article in "More What if" by William H McNeill (What if Pizarro Had Not Found Potatoes in Peru) where the author contends that potatoes introduced from Spain's New World possessions was instrumental in supporting the Spanish Hegemony in Europe as well as feeding the slave labour in...

Have Hastings a less complete victory. Have either Harold or one of his brothers survive the battle or else have one of his sons be less of a non-enity and force William to fight an extended campaign to consolidate his control of Wessex and the south. Have Malcolm be a bit more poltically savy...

She'd probably marry Phillip of Spain as IOTL in either 1547 or 1548. Given that she marries 7 or 8 years earlier she might have the chance to produce a viable heir although given the problems her father had producing an heir this may be problematic. If there is a living child then Mary's...

Of the 3 "child" Kings mentioned above both Richard II and Henry VI were adults when deposed. As children they had uncles who ran the country better than they did when adults, which probably had something to do with subsequent events.

And what will the polar bears eat after they have driven the Emperor and King penguins into extinction?

France - much bigger population and in the 3 major English victories that I can remember off the top of my head (Crecy, Poltiers and Agincourt) the English armies were massively outnumbered. The invading armies of Edward III, the Black Prince and Henry V were essentially expeditionary forces...

Although his Broad Front strategy could be said to have prolonged the war it was a strategy forced on him by the requirements of commanding a multinational coalition where he had to avoid been seen to favour one national contingent over another. And given the ability of the Wehrmact to bounce...