If one could judge my interests merely by perusing my bookshelf, an unmistakable penchant for history would be immediately presented to the inquirer. While I find most periods of history somewhat interesting, (save for just about anything after the mid 16th century) ancient Greek and Roman history tend to claim the lion’s share of my attention.
It was thus more of a whim than anything that compelled me to pick up 1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth which details the year in which Saxon England was conquered by the Normans under the leadership of William the Conqueror.
I had only a passing familiarity with this time period, due mostly to some biographies of St. Thomas Becket that briefly touched upon this momentous event. Nevertheless, I figured it was worth the time to broaden my historical interests. Continue reading →
