DBWI: Norman win at Hastings!

Glen

Moderator
What if William the Bastard and his Normans had actually won at the Battle of Hastings? Would we all be speaking French? Would we have published 'A History of the French-Speaking Peoples'? Would we have a French class at school every day?

OOC: Inspired by the thread "A History of the French-Speaking Peoples?"
 

Thande

Donor
Tu as idiot, Glenne! Tu ne connais pas ca les Normans ne parler pas la langue francaise, mais la langue Normand-Jerrais?

(OOC: Any mistakes in the above can be attributed to alternate development of the French language in TTL ;) )
 
Well, the Normans would have had a heck of a time conquering Italy and reestablishing the true Roman Empire, as the deluge of Normans would go north to England, instead of south to Italy.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
What if William the Bastard and his Normans had actually won at the Battle of Hastings? Would we all be speaking French? Would we have published 'A History of the French-Speaking Peoples'? Would we have a French class at school every day?

OOC: Inspired by the thread "A History of the French-Speaking Peoples?"

It unlikely that such a thing would have happen the French language have shown itself to be lousy to take over new areas especially Germanic areas. Just se Kämpa (OCC: Champagne) and Pöri (OCC: Paris) they had french enclaves to the 17th century, and now all you meet there are Franks and Allemaner. If it wasn't for Aqutaine French would be as dead as moravian.
 

Glen

Moderator
It unlikely that such a thing would have happen the French language have shown itself to be lousy to take over new areas especially Germanic areas. Just se Kämpa (OCC: Champagne) and Pöri (OCC: Paris) they had french enclaves to the 17th century, and now all you meet there are Franks and Allemaner. If it wasn't for Aqutaine French would be as dead as moravian.

But England might provide a safe place for some version of French to develop as an isolate....
 

Glen

Moderator
Well, the Normans would have had a heck of a time conquering Italy and reestablishing the true Roman Empire, as the deluge of Normans would go north to England, instead of south to Italy.

I guess, and that would go more with the surmise in the initial post. OTOH, maybe they would have left England to their client state in Brittany in favor of the balmier climes of Italia...
 

Valdemar II

Banned
But England might provide a safe place for some version of French to develop as an isolate....


Bah the Norman in Normandy is reputed to have spoken a dialect of Danish, most researchers believe they first switched to Latin then they conquered Italy.
 

Glen

Moderator
Bah the Norman in Normandy is reputed to have spoken a dialect of Danish, most researchers believe they first switched to Latin then they conquered Italy.

No, that was a later development with the second wave of Scandinavian settlers after the plague. The initial Norman elite in Normandy were at the time of Hastings had adopted the prevailing French of the region.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
The Welsh wouldn't have founded all of their colonies in Nova Cambria.

Interesting, I thought that would be given Godfred II interest in the Sunny Sea (OCC: Caribbean), the Welsh colonising of Nova Cambria (OCC: Cuba) is given and the riches from the sugar was one of the thing which made the Welsh survive the Wessexon onslaught, and made made the conquest of Dublin possible.
 

Valdemar II

Banned
No, that was a later development with the second wave of Scandinavian settlers after the plague. The initial Norman elite in Normandy were at the time of Hastings had adopted the prevailing French of the region.

Persony I believe that is Aqutaine 19th century propaganda, and most respected historian agree with me.
 

Glen

Moderator
Interesting, I thought that would be given Godfred II interest in the Sunny Sea (OCC: Caribbean), the Welsh colonising of Nova Cambria (OCC: Cuba) is given and the riches from the sugar was one of the thing which made the Welsh survive the Wessexon onslaught, and made made the conquest of Dublin possible.

Yes. Though one does wonder, would a Norman ruled England be more prone to partition than what happened in real history?
 

Valdemar II

Banned
Yes. Though one does wonder, would a Norman ruled England be more prone to partition than what happened in real history?

I see you point the Holy Roman Empire has shown itself to be remarkeble stable, of course that has a lot to with their wars with Bavaria. The Normans had a talent for keeping Kingdom together Just look at Egypt and Philestina.
 

Glen

Moderator
I see you point the Holy Roman Empire has shown itself to be remarkeble stable, of course that has a lot to with their wars with Bavaria. The Normans had a talent for keeping Kingdom together Just look at Egypt and Philestina.

I think Egypt is an interesting case. How you end up mixing Vikings and Mamelukes, 101....
 

Valdemar II

Banned
I think Egypt is an interesting case. How you end up mixing Vikings and Mamelukes, 101....

Personally I find Philestina more interesting, the Egyptian control over Nubia, Saaba and Axum was given. But the tranformation of Philestina from the Speedbump of the Middleeast to a surving Nationalstate was incredible.
 
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