Windsor Castle Marvels

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Windsor

Peak

On watching Cleopatra rave and die on the stage, a middle-aged British matron remarked,

"How different, how very different from the home life of our dear Queen."

Not all castle displays seem relevant at first encounter, but see if there isn't a very good reason for them anyway.

At its peak, the British empire was ruled by a half German who was wed to a German and had children wed in Prussia and other German states and "all over Europe" too: (Alexandrina) Victoria Hanover, queen of England, ruled from 1837 to 1901. She was of the House of Hanover, a German royal dynasty which succeeded the House of Stuart as kings of Great Britain in 1714. They also ruled Hanover in Germany. Her beloved German husband Albert belonged to the the house of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (two German and Saxon duchies). That name was changed to the House of Windsor.

Yes, the British are very fond of some with German blood in their veins, and hail them in parades, concerts and in many other ways. Can you blame them?

Arithmetics

Windsor Castle was perhaps established by one of your forefathers - Count how many they were - theoretically speaking. Multiply by 2 for each generation 830 years backwards. If estimating there are roughly three generations in a century, you get a figure that may astound till you know the gambits involved, mainly intersections and intermarriages. So the real figure may not be as huge as the mathematical figure - far from it.

The one who laid the groundwork of Windsor Castle a bit outside Heathrow airport and London, was the bastard son of a tanner's daughter and a prince who descended from a Viking hulk called "Rolv Ganger" by common agreement among many historians, leaving out Danes. They hold on to their own lore in the matter. [Rollon A, Rollon B]

Duke William got intensely occupied in fortifying his new-won territory to keep the good things he had won. Some reckon there were 1.500 000 persons in Britain when William landed with estimatedly 6-7000 men. [Cf. Hee, first dozens of pages]

So, after he had conquered England, William consolidated his conquests by building wooden towers on earthen 'mottes' (mounds) with a bailey (defensive area) surrounded by earth ramparts. Many were later rebuilt in stone. Over 80 castles had been built in England by the end of his reign, and Windsor Castle was one of them. Because the mound was firm, the castle was built in stone directly.

Descendants of William built more. Today there is a remarkably large castle which was cemented, fortified, enlarged and rebuilt as time went on. It is the recidence of the monarch as well.

There is much that is called Windsor Castle in the larger world, if you can find it:

A hotel in India.
A local community in Pennsylvania.
A former boat, in time renamed Marguarita. Thre are many more ships called Windsor Castle in the Royal Navy.
A local pub.
This site formerly, before it was renemed several years ago, so as not to confuse the British and tourists too long.
Etc.

Say, "My home is my castle, and a title and a crown cannot cure everything, not even scurvy." It is a curious thing that many who lived in castles took to using wigs made of horse-hair and the like, and that British judges and barristers have copied them till this day. Another use seen in modern day society is for men who crossdress as women.

Better a castle of bones than of stones. [Dp 227]
Caution is one of the best keepers of a castle. [Cf American proverb)
A fair wife and a frontier castle breed quarrels. [Dp 17]

Literature

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