Fifth Generation

I have this book on British Kings and Queens. It is the best one I have ever seen because it doesn’t just list the kings after William the Conqueror. It also lists the Kings and Queens of all of Britain and Ireland including those of pre-history and of the Dark Age.

There are many definitions of what exactly the “dark ages” were but my definition is after about 500 AD until Charlemagne.  For some reason the records go”dark”. There are many explanations for this. This craziest is that there was never a Dark Age. Anything before 1600 was made up! Then there is the theory that a volcano erupted causing the world to literally go dark. Lastly, the best explanation is that after the fall of the Western Empire, Europe went into a sort of Balkanization much like what happened after the Soviet Empire fell. There was constant war and as a result, famine and later plague.

Britain was not immune to this. It was quickly broken up into several kingdoms some weaker than others. The Saxons and Angles and Danes took full advantage of the weakness of the British Isles.

The British were not entirely weak, for about 100 years they were able to unite and fight off the Germans. This is the time that many historians believe was the time of Arthur. The time after the fall of the Roman Empire to about 600 AD is turned into myth, though a lot of the myths are based on facts.

The book I have tells the stories of these mythological kings as well as those that we have found evidence for historically. The myths,  however, make genealogy difficult, especially since genealogy must be based on some record.  Basing your genealogy on a bard’s song is very tricky however interesting it might be.

Unfortunately, even the songs and poems of times past are only about royalty. Most of us are not royal. Perhaps though, you can trace your ancestors to that area of the mythological king. However, in England, what if you are Norman or Saxon?People moved around a lot and lived like nomads at this time trying to find a safe place to live.

Well, it is still a lot of fun to read Dark Age genealogy of the kings of a long time ago. Including those on the continent. We can get some clues on the people who lived at that time.  The people of that Dark age can teach us today how to avoid passing away into darkness and myth.

People determine history, history does not determine people.