Mysterious Destiny Bright Lights and Thunder Part I
Page 9
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After his evening rounds, Daniel walks to the Security Division to see if there is anything new with either one of the couples that went on their search for Running Deer and Gray Wolf.
“Treysen, is there anything new with Jon and Julia?”
“No, but I can tell you the area that Running Deer is about to enter.”
“You know the coordinates?”
“…Of course. They are 48 degrees 27 minutes 0 seconds north, 5 degrees 41 minutes 0 seconds east.”
Walking to the visual globe, Daniel traces the coordinates, and puts his finger on the exact spot that Running Deer will land.
“I’m glad that you have his coordinates. When anyone goes through a portal, it depends on the time of day that he enters, as to where he will end up. Because we knew what time he entered, I had an idea of where he would land. But I wasn’t sure what century it would be. What century is he in, Treysen?”
“…The Fifteenth.”
“France in the Fifteenth century…. What an interesting point of history. He will be a great help to the French as they fight against the English during that time. But I am concerned for Jon and Julia as soon as they find him. That’s during the time of the 100 Years War.”
“What is the 100 Years War, Daniel?”
“Come over to the globe boys and I’ll show you.”
Treysen and Joshua walk over to the globe and watch Daniel as he touches the screen in several places. Suddenly the globe is no longer round. It softens and pushes out to become a large rectangular screen. Daniel gives it instructions. “Please give me a short history of the 100 Years War.”
A soft voice begins to speak, while beautiful pictures in movie form begin filling the screen. Each image is so life like it seems that they are taken directly from history itself.
“There were many family feuds and historical instances which led up to the 100 Years War, but let’s start with William the Conqueror. William became a Duke of Normandy at seven years of age when his father, Robert, the sixth Duke of Normandy, died in 1035 while on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It was during the time of the Christian Crusades.”
“Many years later, when the Danes conquered England, Edward the Confessor, the King of England at that time, took refuge in Normandy, France, staying with William who was then an adult. Because the King was treated with a great deal of kindness during his stay, he promised William, that before he died he would name William to succeed him as King of England.”
“When the King finally died, Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, claimed the English throne, and was crowned King of England. William the Conqueror, was not going to let the promise that King Edward had made to him years before, be forgotten. He went to the Pope who gave his permission for William to wage a Holy War. With the support of many French Nobles, William won the war, and on the 25th of December 1066, as a Duke of Normandy, he became the first Norman to be crowned King of England.”
“William ruled England, and much of France. After his death, English Kings continued to rule both countries, making the French Kings increasingly angry.”
“In A. D. 1328 the French King, Philip VI, died without a male heir. The King of England, at that time, was a grandson of the French King, and as such he was the rightful successor to the French Throne. This gave him the right to rule both countries from one throne, but the French had had enough of English tyrannical rule. So a Frenchman by the name of Philip of Valois, nephew of the former King of France, began preparations for a war. This war later became known as the 100 Years War, though it actually lasted for 116 years.”
The voice from the screen stops speaking and Daniel says, “Thank you.” The screen liquefies, and once again turns into a globe.
Treysen asks, “Is it because of this war, that King Henry VIII, who when he was King of England, was so adamant that he have a male heir?”
“That’s a good point, Treysen. You could be right. The Hundred Years War had cost so many people their lives and fortunes. I’m sure that he thought about it all throughout his life. He knew that there were always people who were full of greed, wanting power, and willing to bully, or fight to rise to a higher station in society. He needed to make sure that a war like the 100 Years War would never start again. To make sure that it would never happen after his death, according to law, he needed a male heir.”
“The 100 years war was bad for England, but France lost two-thirds of her population and most of her wonderfully skilled Knights to the English Longbow, invasion, civil wars, deadly epidemics, and famines.”
“The English marauding mercenary armies, who were more like hostile gangs in modern terminology, in times of both peace and war, would rob and plunder the common people.”
“The only thing that the French could count on being a constant in their lives was the sun rising every day.”