A Brain Teaser for You.
Did you know that the British Isles had been invaded 53 times since 1066? I always thought we’d never been invaded since 1066. Shows how much I know!
January 15, 2012 at 14:05
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Looking at this list, there seems to be a difference between incursions
(e.g. John Paul Jones) and invasions (e.g. French in Ireland in 1798). I’d
also add that – to take one example – the French attempt to land in Wales in
1405 may have been an ‘invasion’ for Henry IV, but Owain Glyndwr and those who
fought for him would have seen it differently.
I’m less surprised to see some of our more bone-headed contributors confuse
‘immigration’ with ‘invasion’, particularly with the case of the genius who
assumes that there were no Muslim or Polish immigrants in the UK prior to
2004. I’m also less surprised to see some cretins here confuse ‘the British
Isles’ with ‘England’ (presumably spelt as ‘Enger-lund’).
- January 12, 2012 at 21:54
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Do not mention the Grey Squirrel …!
- January 12, 2012 at 10:42
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You’ve forgotten one of the more successful incursions – the Invasion of
Grey Squirrel.
- January 12, 2012 at 09:13
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If these are invasions, then Francis Drake also invaded Spain when he
landed at Cadiz in 1587.
He destroyed much of the Spanish fleet and their supplies, and attacked
many of the forts.
Drakes “singeing of the King of Spain’s beard” put the
Armada back a year, but I doubt that the Spanish historians count it as an
“invasion”, any more than these 53 landings were an invasion.
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January 12, 2012 at 07:56
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I’m a Bonny Prince Charlie person myself. Although I’m not sure what this
has to do with anything.
- January 12, 2012 at 08:54
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Dear Old Charlie – he is the perfect case study on how bonkers the whole
sucession thing was at this point in history. He wasn’t born in Scotland,
never lived in Scotland – except while leading his rebellion – and promptly
left Scotland after losing, never to return. And yet a whole bunch of people
charged across boggy old culloden and died for him. Who says we Celts
over-romanticise our history?
- January 11, 2012 at 17:34
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What about the French invasion in Hartlepool…..
http://www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/history/thehartlepoolmonkey.asp
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January 11, 2012 at 17:36
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- January 11, 2012 at 17:13
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Wasn’t William III really an invasion under cover of an ‘invite’ from some
politicians with an eye to improving themselves? I thought he had already
gotten himself an invading army and asked for a letter of authority to give
him a bit of legal cover.
Perhaps Clarissa can advise?
- January
12, 2012 at 18:14
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I hope you or Clarissa won’t mind me answering, but the Invitation to
William was by the Immortal Seven. William was worried by an Anglo-French
naval agreement (our politicos never learn) and sent an envoy to ask the
Seven to write a letter asking him to invade to give him legitimacy. A bit
like teenagers asking friends to ask if someone fancies them, but then
politicos never grow up.
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January 12, 2012 at 18:24
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I don’t mind (the wonderful thing about this blog is the reliably high
knowledge level of its followers) and thank you for the answer. I do like
your analogy ‘my mate really fancies you, do you fancy her?’ On such
things are the fate of nations decided – not sure if that’s funny or
tragic.
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January 12, 2012 at 18:25
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PS am now going to root around in my history books for anything on the
‘immortal seven’
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January 18, 2012 at 02:14
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They were clearly mis-named.
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January 11, 2012 at 10:34
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The point is “successful” invasions, not mere skirmishing in the ports or
on the borders.
England had not been conquered from 1066 until the Maastricht Treaty or
whatever particular bit of paper it was, by which the Quislings surrendered
what we had fought for, enjoyed, and been been proud of, for nine hundred
years.
“That England, that was wont to conquer others, hath made a shameful
conquest of itself.”
- January 10,
2012 at 23:04
- January 10, 2012 at 22:47
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ROFL
I’m Dutch …
ETA: no offense meant
- January 10, 2012 at 22:45
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The Dutch in the Medway.
(1664-72)
By Rudyard Kipling.
If wars were won by feasting,
Or victory by song,
Or safety found, by
sleeping sound
How England would be strong!
But honour and
dominion
Are not maintained so,
Threy’re only got by sword and
shot
And this the Dutchmen know!
The moneys that should feed us
you spend on your delight,
How can you
then, have sailor-men
To aid you in your fight?
Our fish and cheese are
rotten,
Which makes the scurvy grow –
We cannot serve you if we
starve,
And this the Dutchmen know!
Our ships in every harbour
Be neither whole nor sound,
And when we
seek to mend a leak,
No Oakum can be found,
Or, if it is, the
caulkers,
and carpenters also,
For lack of pay have gone away,
And
this the Dutch men know!
Mere powder, guns and bullets,
we scarce can get at all;
Their price
was spent in merriment
and revel at Whitehall,
While we in tattered
doublets
From ship to ship must row,
Beseeching friends for odds and
ends –
And this the Dutchmen know!
No King will heed our warnings,
No Court will pay our claims –
Our
King and Court for their disport
Do sell the very Thames!
For, now De
Ruyter’s topsails
Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our
fleet –
And this the Dutchmen know!
- January 10, 2012 at 21:37
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The Spanish mounted a raid on Mousehole and Newlyn in 1595. read it
here
http://west-penwith.org.uk/raid.htm
- January 10, 2012 at 21:27
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The history books actually say ‘successfully invaded since 1066′. Amazing
what an adverb can do!
- January 10, 2012 at 20:58
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PS: can’t stay away from the keyboard, eh? But rejoice that Jersey is not
in the EU, lucky buggers.
- January 10, 2012 at 20:57
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The most recent and worst by far has been the underhand Bliar policy of
deliberately culture-destroying immigration.
- January 10,
2012 at 17:58
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The Battle of Graveney Marsh 27 September 1940 was the last
pitched battle on British soil. A platoon of 1 Bn London Irish Rifles against
a shot down Ju-88 crew. The Micks took their prisoners for a drink
afterwards.
- January 10, 2012 at 16:16
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Although they have varying constitutional relationships with us and so not
part of the UK, the Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies. As Ms Raccoon will
know since she is currently standing there, WWII is taken very seriously there
because they know what it is to be under Occupation.
As far a Goebbels was concerned, they had invaded and were holding part of
Britain, and as far as Churchill was concerned, he was obliged to dictate the
letter informing the Island that it couldn’t be defended and had better lay
down its weapons (see Cabinet War Rooms) .
I reckon that makes it Britain for the purposes of defining what was
invaded.
Goebbels perfecty well understood what it was they were doing but he found
it expedient to present it to the folks back home as if England had been
invaded, carefully making sure that German trucks were parked in front of
warehouses with English posters and then photographed. It is said that some of
the soldiers were also under the impression they had invaded the Isle of Wight
– Goebbels wouldn’t have gone out of his way to tell them otherwise.
- January
10, 2012 at 15:06
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A number of those are simply squabbles over the succession.
Robert of Normandy was actually William I’s eldest son, given Normandy on
William’s death whilst the second son (William II) got England. After that
brother died he tried to take England but lost out to his younger brother
Henry I.
Matilda was the heir of Henry I but was usurped by her cousin Stephen and
the result was a civil war for much of Stephen’s reign.
Isabel was the wife of Edward II – widely agreed not to be much use – and
her invasion resulted his deposing and their son Edward III becoming King with
his mother as regent.
Henry of Bolingbroke was somewhat annoyed at the confiscation of his
father’s lands by Richard II and came to get them back. He also picked up the
Throne in the process.
Edward IV was getting back the Throne taken from him by Henry VI during the
Wars of the Roses (having already taken it from Henry once before anyway).
Margaret was Henry VI’s wife.
Perkin Warbeck claimed to be Edward IV’s son.
Thomas Stafford was a descendent of the third Duke of Buckingham, executed
by Henry VIII, and was unamused by Mary I marrying a Catholic.
After James II was deposed in 1688 various attempts were made to restore
him or his line. The Old Pretender and The Young Pretender being his son and
grandson respectively.
The attempts by various French, Dutch and Spaniards can be generally
dismissed as part of the argy-bargy that went all between us all for many
centuries. We ourselves invaded (successfully and unsuccessfully) their
territories over the years.
- January 10, 2012 at 16:51
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Interesting stuff, thanks
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January 11, 2012 at 09:58
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Great stuff Clarissa!
- January 10, 2012 at 14:36
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Interesting but hardly “invasions” Most of these are ‘a few bods got off a
boat and caused trouble’; this would be the equivalent of a coach load of
football hooligans so we have invaded most of Europe dozens of times!
- January 10, 2012 at 14:29
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It is hard to read but slightly exagerated list of Invasions. I am only
savvy with the Scottish Ones but at a glance.
The Spannish Ship of Sky was dropping off Arms, Montrose was returning to
Scotland at request of King Charles II, Campbell of Argyle returning to
Argyle, James VII going to Ireland when he was King of Ireland, again same at
Peterhead when I do not even recall if they came onsore, the several invasions
attributed to Paul Jones were mere skirmishes at sea by a Scots Captain who
signed up for the US.
I do conceed though the point it is more than one.
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January 10, 2012 at 13:51
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William of Orange did not so much invade, he was headhunted for the job of
suitably docile Protestant monarch.
- January
10, 2012 at 14:23
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Indeed. Things may well have been different if Charles II’s wife had been
fertile or had his bastard son Monmouth succeeded in his attempt.
- January 16, 2012 at 21:41
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Catherine of Braganza wasn’t infertile – a miscarriage wrecked her
ability to have children.
Apart from that, fair comment
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January 10, 2012 at 13:19
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With the debatable exception of William of Orange in Torbay – none were
successful after 1066 until invasion by American culture in 1956, 1976 and
1984……….then the Polish and Muslim invasions of 2004 onwards.
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