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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 22, 2018 17:23:56 GMT -5
Short documentary about Mary I - Bloody Mary, The First Virgin Queen. Narrated by David Starkey it takes a look at the sad, relatively short life of Mary I, who was only the second woman to reign over England in her own right. Mary clearly did not benefit from having a monster for a father and from Henry VIII's machinations both to have a male heir and his schism with the Catholic Church. I suppose her nickname of Bloody Mary is deserved if viewed through a Protestant lens. But she really was no more bloodthirsty or murderous than her father or her younger sister.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Mar 24, 2018 21:13:40 GMT -5
Speaking of historical comics: I highly recommend Dark Horse's Rebels written by Brian Wood. Set during our nations Revolutionary War time it details specific stories and moments in wonderful way. Incredible art from the team of Andrea Mutti and Jordi Bellaire's colors (and others) provides both compelling drama and characters which teaches and entertains all at the same time. There are 2 TPB's out and worth every cent invested for something other than than superheroes! Agreed.. Rebels was excellent! |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 24, 2018 21:55:37 GMT -5
Came across the 2004 BBC documentary series Battlefield Britain. It was an 8-part series with each episode looking at a pivotal battle in British history. I wasn't quite aware of the nature of the series until I looked it up so I watched the second episode first. I'll circle back to the first episode and then move forward as I can.
Hosted by Peter and Dan Snow, with Peter explaining the battle plans and Dan showing the perspective of the soldiers. There are reenactors and a few actors giving some perspective.
The episode I watched was about The Battle of Hastings, arguably the most important event in British history and a pivotal event in western European history. Prior to the Norman invasion England's economic and political ties were much more to Scandinavia, particularly Denmark and the Norse. The Norman aristocracy inevitably entangled England in the politics of France and by extension the continent.
There wasn't anything ground-breaking in the episode for me as this is a period of British history in which I'm pretty well versed. It was a nice overview of the battle though with some nice graphics that made things a bit more clear. Well worth a look.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2018 23:15:23 GMT -5
Came across the 2004 BBC documentary series Battlefield Britain. It was an 8-part series with each episode looking at a pivotal battle in British history. I wasn't quite aware of the nature of the series until I looked it up so I watched the second episode first. I'll circle back to the first episode and then move forward as I can. Hosted by Peter and Dan Snow, with Peter explaining the battle plans and Dan showing the perspective of the soldiers. There are reenactors and a few actors giving some perspective. The episode I watched was about The Battle of Hastings, arguably the most important event in British history and a pivotal event in western European history. Prior to the Norman invasion England's economic and political ties were much more to Scandinavia, particularly Denmark and the Norse. The Norman aristocracy inevitably entangled England in the politics of France and by extension the continent. There wasn't anything ground-breaking in the episode for me as this is a period of British history in which I'm pretty well versed. It was a nice overview of the battle though with some nice graphics that made things a bit more clear. Well worth a look. One of the best BBC Documentaries and I find Peter and Dan Snow quite informative and well versed on the subjects that they shared. I highly recommended it. |
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,201 
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Post by Confessor on Mar 25, 2018 5:29:24 GMT -5
I used to love Battlefield Britain. Fascinating series.
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Post by berkley on Apr 10, 2018 11:51:10 GMT -5
Picking up from the John Byrne thread, I think the difference between the Gospel writers and early historians like Herodotus and Thucydides is that the latter were trying to write history, not religious proaganda. The invented speeches were an accepted convention of the time and not intended as claims that these were the actual words spoken by the persons involved, and their audience would have been fully aware of this.
On another note, anyone know a good history on the 1917 Russian Revolution? The famous one is Ten Days that Shook the World, but I've heard that it isn't necessarily the most reliable account. The
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 10, 2018 12:30:49 GMT -5
If we're talking historical graphic novels, Laika has long been one of my favourites. It seems to stick pretty close to the facts, albeit with some fictionalised dialogue, of course. It really is an excellent and very moving book.  The local library has a copy of this and I've checked it out and read it a couple of times. It's great! Very touching, and ultimately even sadder than you might think. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 10, 2018 12:56:03 GMT -5
Picking up from the John Byrne thread, I think the difference between the Gospel writers and early historians like Herodotus and Thucydides is that the latter were trying to write history, not religious proaganda. The invented speeches were an accepted convention of the time and not intended as claims that these were the actual words spoken by the persons involved, and their audience would have been fully aware of this. On another note, anyone know a good history on the 1917 Russian Revolution? The famous one is Ten Days that Shook the World, but I've heard that it isn't necessarily the most reliable account. The Hadn't had a chance to respond to your earlier post over there in the Byrne thread, berkley. Glad to have the chance now. Sorry if I seemed to be dissing the ancient historians. They were trying, doing their best in unexplored intellectual territory. As they were among the first writers ever to try to record history, they deserve some benefit of the doubt, but it doesn't mean we should believe that an olive tree burned by the Persians grew a new branch in one day or that the templee of Delphi came to life to ward off intruders like something out of Indiana Jones. However, they are not the same as the writers of what is now called the New Testament, who were either fabricating out of whole cloth or embroidering an older one (more likely both) in the serivce of proselytization. |
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Post by dbutler69 on Apr 10, 2018 13:42:43 GMT -5
On another note, anyone know a good history on the 1917 Russian Revolution? The famous one is Ten Days that Shook the World, but I've heard that it isn't necessarily the most reliable account. The I very much enjoyed "Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty" by Robert K. Massie. I've enjoyed anything I've read by him. He also wrote "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter", but I haven't read that. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 10, 2018 14:41:15 GMT -5
On another note, anyone know a good history on the 1917 Russian Revolution? The famous one is Ten Days that Shook the World, but I've heard that it isn't necessarily the most reliable account. I've been a history buff since I was a kid. I eventually got a master's degree in history. I specialized in the American South but I read books and books and books about world history. The Russian Revolution is actually a pretty complicated affair. I've never specialized in Russian history, but it's too important (and interesting!) to just ignore it. I've never come across a single book that really begins to cover the Russian Revoution. Over the decades, I've picked up bits of it here and there. It's important to know about the opposition movements to the Romanovs before World War I. Then the role of World War I in the Bolshevik Revolution. Not only that, the overthrow of the Romanovs and revolution BEFORE the Bolsheviks took control of it. Then the years of Civil War in Russia before the Communists came out on top. There might be such a book. There's a single book about the American Revolution - Patriots by A.J. Langguth - that covers everything very well. There's a book about the French Revolution - Citizens by Simon Schama. And Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson does the same thing for The American Civil War. I don't know what to read for the Russian Revolution if you only want to read one book. I love Ten Days that Shook the World. It was the first one I read on this subject. It is very limited in scope. It's more an extensive journalistic report than a history book. And it only covers the very first days of the Bolshevik Revolution. (I've never heard it was inaccurate. Biased because Reed was a socialist, and limited because it's only about a small part of the Revolution, yes.) If I had to suggest one source to really START to get at the Russian Revolution, I'd suggest a really comprehensive biography of Lenin. I don't remember the name of the one I read, but it was fascinating to read about Lenin's day by day, week by week struggle with a disintegrating, disunited, war-riven Russia. There are anti-Lenin factions within the party, armed opposition by the pro-Romanov forces, separatists in Ukraine, the Czech Legion fighting its way across the Russia on the Trans-Siberian railroad, a 1919 invasion (several invasions, in fact) by the victorious allies of World War I (including the Japanese in far eastern Russia), and so on and on. But if you already have a copy of Ten Days that Shook the World, read it! Also read Insurgent Mexico. It's great too. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 10, 2018 17:25:21 GMT -5
Say what you will about the author, A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924 by Orlando Figes is an incredible look at the Russian Revolution. Figes gives the necessary background to look at the forces that shaped the Revolution and for a work of such incredible scope it's incredibly readable.
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 10, 2018 19:24:49 GMT -5
I love Patriots. Excellent recommendation, Hoosier X. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 10, 2018 20:52:19 GMT -5
I love Patriots. Excellent recommendation, Hoosier X . Another good one is The People's History of the American Revolution by Ray Raphael. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 10, 2018 20:54:51 GMT -5
Another really good single-volume treatment of a complex conflict is The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas.
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Post by Jesse on Apr 15, 2018 15:23:07 GMT -5
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