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The English remained paralysed by their own rivalries until the following April, at which point AEthelred made an invaluable contribution to the war effort by dropping dead, clearing the way for Edmund to succeed him.
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Marc Morris |
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England had been conquered by the Vikings, and its ancient royal family were in exile - in Normandy.
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Marc Morris |
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In the final analysis, therefore, the tomb of Edward I may stand, like the unfinished castle at Caernarfon, not only as a monument to the past, but also as a warning to the future: a final reminder of the power of myth to shape men's minds and motives, and thus to alter the fate of nations.
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Marc Morris |
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Indeed, according to William of Malmesbury, one of them staged something of a counter-demonstration by dropping his trousers and farting loudly in the king's general direction.
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Marc Morris |
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In his effort to appease his Christian taxpayers in parliament, Edward stripped away the traditional protections that earlier kings of England had extended towards the country's Jewish community. During his rule the Jews were forbidden to lend money at interest, stigmatised as infidels and ultimately expelled. Modern commentators have naturally judged Edward harshly for this, though they often err in presenting him as a pioneer. He was, it ..
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Marc Morris |