I ran across an interesting Wikipedia page just now. There was a queen called Matilda of Flanders, who married William the Conqueror. Every king or queen of England since the mid-eleventh century has been a direct descendant of Matilda.
This is supremely awesome. Why, you ask? Well I’ll tell you. First, because my nickname is Matilda, and that in itself is cool. Second, because her husband was William the Conqueror! Perhaps you’ve heard of the Battle of Hastings in 1066? It’s only the most important date for any English major to remember, because that’s basically when the English Language came into existence. William, a francophone, came in and, fittingly, conquered. He became king of England, and French became the language of the court. It mixed with the native Germanic tongue and voila! English as we know it. Or at least a precursor of the language we all hold dear to our hearts. Anyway, that’s it in a nutshell.
Here are some links for you to further your knowledge.
Also, you’ll notice that the Battle of Hastings took place on October 14, 1066. That happens to be my birthday, except 921 years earlier. My love of English was fate.
