| 12-15 September 2008 with Gordon and Imogen Corrigan | ||
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Strategically situated straddling the Ouse and between the Tees and the Humber, York has been important in English history for two thousand years. Rivalling London in influence and power, York was an important trading station, military base and bishopric in Roman times. After the Roman withdrawal around 400 AD, York became an Anglo Saxon settlement from about 500 AD and kings of Northumbria were baptised there after the re-Christianisation of England by Saint Augustine in the 7th century. The Kingdom of Northumbria fell to the Vikings in 876, and, as Jorvik, York became the Scandinavian power base for the north of England. In 954, with the expulsion of Eric Bloodaxe, York was incorporated into the kingdom of England. From then until the end of the English Civil War, York and its environs was the scene for dynastic, political and religious struggle.
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| The tour begins with the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 when King Harold of England took on an invading Norwegian army led by Harold Hardrada and Harold's brother, Tostig. Although overshadowed by the Battle of Hastings, Stamford Bridge was a great victory for Anglo Saxon military prowess.
We then move forward to the Battle of the Standard, which was fought during the reign of King Stephen - 'the nineteen long winters when God and his saints slept'. On 22 August 1138 an English army commanded by Thurstan, Archbishop of York, decisively defeated an invading Scottish army under King David of Scotland. We study of the persecution of the Jews in England in the 12th century and visit Clifford's Tower, the site where the Jews of York took refuge in 1190 from a murderous mob. We learn of this tragic episode which ended in their mass suicide. Moving on to the anarchy which typified the rule of Edward II we examine the Battle of Boroughbridge, fought on 13 March 1322 between the forces of Sir Andrew Harcla, Warden of the Western Marches and loyal to the King, and the rebel of the Duke of Lancaster. Moving on in time, we reach the Wars of the Roses, and visit the Battle of Towton, which took place on 29 March 1461 and was the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Finally, after an interval of nearly two hundred years, we arrive at the battle of Marston Moor, where on 2 July 1644 a Royalist Army commended by Prince Rupert of the Rhine was defeated by a Parliamentarian force under the triumvirate of Fairfax, Leslie and Manchester, with Oliver Cromwell commanding the cavalry on the left wing. The tour will trace the development of the English way of making war over seven hundred years, from the Anglo Saxon Fyrd to the beginnings of professionalism. Major Gordon Corrigan is a noted military historian and Major Imogen Corrigan has lectured extensively on Medieval subjects throughout the world |
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| Day 1 | (Friday) : Assemble at the Royal York Hotel for a three night stay. We will have a welcome drink at 1800, followed by a pre-dinner talk given by Major Gordon Corrigan. Dinner in the hotel. | |
| Day 2 | A tour of the city's historical gems including the Jorvick Centre and Clifford's Tower. Lunch break in York. Visit the battlefield of Stamford Bridge 25 September 1066 and the Battle of the Standard 22 August 1138. Own dinner in York. | |
| Day 3 | The day includes the Battle of Boroughbridge 16 March 1322, the Battle of Towton 29 March 1461 and a lunch break in the splendid city centre of Leeds. Dinner in our hotel. | |
| Day 4 | The Battle of Marston Moor 2 July 1644. Return to the hotel by 1300 and disperse. |
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