Imagine you were a 22-year-old who helped to build St Albans’ abbey gateway in ~1365. You would’ve already survived the Black Death (twice) and seen the captured French King paraded through the town, with the Peasants’ Revolt still to come before you turned 40. #History

One of the few bits of hard data the Faithful could use is… who’s in the lats group that comes through the door after a murder? You know the BBC want some suspense for the viewer so it won’t be just one Faithful murdered and the rest Traitors.

I loved #TheCelebrityTraitors - amazing TV! I don’t think the Traitors actually have to do much lying until the very end - there’s almost nothing concrete for the Faithful to go off. But we humans can’t accept that! We’re hard wired to spot patterns, even when they aren’t there.

This wonderfully confusing sign is in the otherwise absolutely fantastic citadel at Victoria on Gozo island.

You want history and memorabilia? Just go to level 2. That’s on floor 0+. Between floors 0 and -1. 🤔🤯

Blickling Hall in Norfolk was owned by the Boleyn family at the turn of the 16th century, and may have been where Anne Boleyn was born. You might think it looks a bit like Hatfield House, as it was designed by the same architect, Robert Lyminge.

Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a palace rather than a fortified stronghold. For most of its life - almost half a millennium - it served as a prison, before becoming a museum in 1894.

Hi @MouseBishop Could you pls kindly RT and help us find Amber who is missing from St Albans?

Me this morning: It’s the emergency alert test today; no problem, I’ll be ready. Me at 3pm:

Part of the old barbican at Leeds Castle in Kent, looking out towards the moat. #AdoorableThursday #SpotTheHiddenMouse

Corfe was reduced to its current decrepit state after Mary’s defeat. Having found the royalist stronghold so hard to take, the Parliamentarians did not want to risk ever having to face it falling into royalist hands again, and hence “slighted” it. Only the haunting ruins remain.

In the English Civil War, the indefatigable royalist Mary Bankes twice led the defence of Corfe Castle when it was besieged by Parliamentarian forces. The castle fell after she was betrayed - but she lived to have its ruins returned to her, after the monarchy’s restoration.

And that brings us to the end of this thread! When you watch ‘King and Conqueror’, I hope you’ll find it helpful to have a bit of the real history to hand. And, as ever, constructive challenge always welcomed. 😊🐭

A brief attempt was made to make young Edgar king, but William’s military momentum was now irresistible. He was duly crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. The course of English history had taken a dramatic, horrific turn… (16/17)

Just as he was celebrating this victory, however, Harold learned that William had landed in the south. He raced down to face him, but this time gambled and lost. By nightfall, Harold and his brothers lay dead on the Hastings battlefield, and the English were routed. (15/17)

What King Harold did next ranks as one of the greatest English military achievements in history. He rode swiftly north, summoning an army as he went, and caught the Vikings by surprise. Both Hardrada and Tostig died in the ensuing battle at Stamford Bridge. (14/17)

Someone else had seen that England lay vulnerable: Harald Hardrada, the King of Norway and one the greatest warriors of his age. Supported by Harold’s estranged brother Tostig, Hardrada landed in the north, defeated a local force in battle, and seized York. Crisis! (13/17)

By September, it must’ve started to feel like the danger had passed. It was getting late in the season, and no invasion force had sailed. So Harold disbanded his army, as harvest approached. And then, out of nowhere, came an unexpected menace across the North Sea… (12/17)

The English magnates must have known that William posed a threat and hence chose the seasoned warrior Harold over the boy Edgar. Experience trumped lineage. And Harold did a phenomenal job marshalling England’s defences in 1066. (11/17)

Historians are divided over the merits of William’s cause. Personally, I think it is total bunkum. He was the most powerful man in northwest Europe, and was in an expansionist mood after pushing into Maine and Brittany. When he saw an opportunity in England, he took it. (10/17)

Across the Channel, Duke William of Normandy - Edward’s first cousin once removed - claimed that Edward had promised him the throne, and feigned outrage at Harold’s swift coronation. He quickly began making preparations for an invasion to pursue his claim. (9/17)