Good cartoons and the causes of the Second World War

As my year 10s know, I love cartoons. I show them one almost every lesson. This is partly due to the fact that every GCSE exam has a cartoon in it but also because they are a fascinating, ironic and often cynical view on the past. They also shape our views of that past which puts the cartoonist in a really powerful position.

The period between the world wars is probably the best case study for the amazing power of cartoons. Some of them poke fun, some would offer criticism against anyone and others are chillingly accurate.

For those unfamiliar with the period, following the First World War, the world sat down and decided that war was not a good idea and vowed never to do it again (hence, the war to end all wars). 20 years later the Second World War broke out. The spooky thing about this cartoon (right) is the accuracy with which jokes predicted the future. The cartoonist is making the point that decision-makers at the Treaty of Versailles (the treaty which set out the terms for German defeat) were sowing the seeds for a future in which the 1940 class (only a few months off the reality) would be fighting. Whilst this is an interesting coincidence, it also ties into the academic debate, many historians trace the start of the Second World War to the poor decisions made at Versailles.

How the Black Death changed the world

Take a look at the picture (below). I like to start some of my classes with an impossible task such as working out what these series of squiggles is all about. Surprisingly, if my pupils are given the topic they can come very close to guessing what these mystery pictures are all about. This particular medieval drawing is the beginning of a study of the Black Death.

Can you work out what it is? Pause for wild guesswork

The picture actually shows graffiti from the Middle Ages and gives a fascinating look into what people might have been thinking as the Black Death swept across Europe between 1348-51. The meaning is "A wretched, terrible, destructive year. The remnants of the people alone remain". It's taken from a medieval church in Hertfordshire where almost the entire population died. We can only guess what happened to the author.

How well do you know Henry VIII?

Someone recently commented that they had not heard of many of the people on this blog. Obviously, this is great and I hope that they have learnt something which they knew nothing about before. However, it got me thinking about how well we know historical characters. Sometimes, the most interesting history makes you see a new side of something which you thought you knew quite well.

There are many examples of this but Henry VIII makes a good one. He is one of the most famous characters in History and you'd be hard pushed to find someone who didn't know anything about him. 
When I asked my year 8s what they thought of him they came up with words like fat, mean and greedy; summed up well in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fadCAHjN-s



Whilst Henry was probably all of these things at some point in his life, once you dig beneath the surface, it's possible to get a more complex idea about his character. 

The persecuted Jews of the Middle Ages

Sometimes a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. For example, it would be entirely possible to go through school thinking that Hitler was the only person to ever persecute the Jewish people. Indeed it's sometimes easier to believe that antisemitism is limited to a handful of insane Nazis in the 1940s. However, history at its best can make you feel uncomfortable and question many of your underlying assumptions about such issues.

Take a look at the picture above. It's taken from a medieval tax record of all the Jews paying tax in Norwich in 1233. Most tax records have very little that's interesting about them (as any accountant will no doubt tell you) but this is definitely an exception. For me, the most engaging aspect of this Middle Ages doddle is that we know who many of the characters in the picture are meant to be and once you have figured out the characters there's a sinister message lying underneath. Before you read on perhaps look at the picture and try and figure it out.

The mysterious death of William Rufus

"The sun was now declining, when the king, drawing his bow and letting fly an arrow, slightly wounded a stag which passed before him... At this instant Walter decided to kill another stag. Oh, gracious God! the arrow pierced the king's breast."

This quote from a medieval monk (William of Malmesbury) describes a hunting trip in the New Forest in 1100. According to him, William II (nicknamed Rufus for his reddish hair or ruddy complexion) was happily chasing down a stag when Walter Tirrel, one of his associates, seems to have "missed" the stag he was aiming for and killed the king (woops really doesn't seem to do it justice). As if this weren't dodgy enough, the entire hunting party then ran away fearing that the death of the king would bring chaos to their estates. 

So, if you thought that the Middle Ages were the more chivalrous times of Robin Hood think of William II's body being flung on the back of a cart by an unsuspecting peasant called Purkis: one of the few people who can say that they have stumbled upon a king's corpse whilst out walking in the forest. Most of those present at the death later received promotions under the new king; Henry I. Suspicious.

You can relive the whole thing in a Horrible Histories style here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9nxOgPuj_w

Was Lady Jane really worse than the Taliban?

Who was the Queen of England for only nine days?

Lady Jane Grey has been an answer to many obscure pub quizzes since she seized power for a mere nine days in 1553. However, beyond pub quiz success, there are many reasons for this being amazing school history.

Lady Jane fills the short gap between the death of Edward VI (the son Henry VIII tried so hard to get) and (Bloody) Mary I. She was never really destined for power but in a last minute change of heart, Edward named her as heir to his throne: though that story deserves another blog post entirely. In short, the Protestant Jane seized power for a mere 9 days but was swiftly removed by Catholic Mary after little over a week. Indeed, this is such a short period of time, that you won't find her on many kings and queens diagrams in school.