WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.419 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to 00:00:01.419 --> 00:00:04.980 be here. So imagine picking up the story of, 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:08.240 you know, a really famous battle, one that basically 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:12.140 defined nations, only to find out that, well, 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:15.839 maybe the very ground it happened on. Maybe that's 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:18.660 not even right. Yeah. It's a pretty bold claim, 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:20.460 isn't it? That's kind of the core of what we're 00:00:20.460 --> 00:00:22.960 diving into today. Exactly. It's unsettling, 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.660 but also, honestly, really exciting. We're talking 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:27.910 about Michael Livingston's Cressy. Battle of 00:00:27.910 --> 00:00:30.010 Five Kings. It really gets you thinking, right? 00:00:30.089 --> 00:00:33.109 Like, how solid is our grasp on history? Especially 00:00:33.109 --> 00:00:35.710 these big foundational events. Well, look, Cressy 00:00:35.710 --> 00:00:39.969 isn't just a date, 1346. It's this huge story 00:00:39.969 --> 00:00:43.350 for England, for France. A cornerstone myth, 00:00:43.570 --> 00:00:46.229 almost. So questioning that foundation, yeah, 00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:48.649 that takes guts. Absolutely. So for anyone just 00:00:48.649 --> 00:00:50.929 tuning in, this book, Cressy, Battle of Five 00:00:50.929 --> 00:00:54.240 Kings. It's definitely medieval military history. 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:56.920 Oh, yeah. Deep in the weeds there. But it's got 00:00:56.920 --> 00:00:59.460 this amazing layer of like historical detective 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:02.039 work woven through it. That's the hook, I think. 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:05.760 Right. It revisits 1346, the classic story. Yeah. 00:01:06.180 --> 00:01:09.340 Smaller English army, huge French one, improbable 00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:12.019 English win. The longbow story we all learned. 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:14.939 The very one. Yeah. But Livingston, he kind of 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:17.780 pulls the rug out. He uses rediscovered sources. 00:01:18.430 --> 00:01:21.030 Modern tech, even. Yeah, the mix is fascinating. 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:23.450 To basically challenge what we've believed for 00:01:23.450 --> 00:01:26.209 centuries about this massive battle. And what 00:01:26.209 --> 00:01:28.109 I find really compelling is that it's not just 00:01:28.109 --> 00:01:30.750 him saying, oh, everyone was wrong. No, not at 00:01:30.750 --> 00:01:33.569 all. He builds this meticulous case piece by 00:01:33.569 --> 00:01:36.790 piece using evidence. It forces you to reconsider, 00:01:37.109 --> 00:01:40.510 not just dismiss. It's more nuanced. Exactly. 00:01:40.750 --> 00:01:43.689 Nuance is the perfect word. OK, so thinking about 00:01:43.689 --> 00:01:45.849 what really stood out for me diving into Creasy 00:01:45.849 --> 00:01:49.019 with this book. First off. It's just, it's an 00:01:49.019 --> 00:01:51.219 incredible piece of historical detective work. 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:53.359 Seriously. He really goes digging, doesn't he? 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:55.400 He does. He's not just repeating the same old 00:01:55.400 --> 00:01:57.920 stuff from the usual chronicles. He finds overlooked 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:01.180 accounts, reexamines the actual ground. The landscape 00:02:01.180 --> 00:02:03.480 analysis is pretty cool. Isn't it? Using satellite 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:06.000 imagery and stuff for a battle from the 1300s. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.639 Yeah. That's wild. It makes you realize how, 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:11.159 well, how even sources we think are definitive 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:15.340 can be, you know, incomplete. Or biased. Right. 00:02:15.460 --> 00:02:18.259 And by bringing in these other maybe less famous 00:02:18.259 --> 00:02:21.800 voices, he paints a much richer picture. More 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:23.960 complex. Definitely more complex. Less black 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:26.460 and white. And that complexity, that leads to 00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:28.960 the second thing I loved. Even though Chrissy 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:30.620 is famous, right? We've all heard of it. Yeah, 00:02:30.680 --> 00:02:33.460 basic history lesson stuff. The book gives it 00:02:33.460 --> 00:02:39.770 this immediacy. It feels... urgent somehow. Oh, 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:42.729 so. Through these really vivid descriptions and 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:45.009 using those perspectives from sources maybe not 00:02:45.009 --> 00:02:47.610 always highlighted. Yeah. You just get this raw 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:51.270 sense of the chaos, the human side of it all. 00:02:51.370 --> 00:02:53.330 Right. The fear and the confusion, not just troop 00:02:53.330 --> 00:02:55.509 movement. Exactly. It's not just strategy diagrams. 00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:57.349 You almost feel like you're, well, not there, 00:02:57.449 --> 00:02:59.830 but closer to it than usual history books get 00:02:59.830 --> 00:03:01.949 you. Yeah. I like that poem he uses, Collage 00:03:01.949 --> 00:03:04.969 de Beaumont. Yes. That adds such an emotional 00:03:04.969 --> 00:03:07.590 layer, doesn't it? Beyond just the politics or 00:03:07.590 --> 00:03:10.250 the tactics. Totally. It grounds the grand narrative 00:03:10.250 --> 00:03:14.509 in individual experience. Okay. But on the other 00:03:14.509 --> 00:03:18.469 side, things that might be, let's say, a potential 00:03:18.469 --> 00:03:22.590 hurdle. The sheer amount of detail. I mean, Lewinston 00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:25.349 is thorough. That's putting it mildly. He leaves 00:03:25.349 --> 00:03:27.930 no stone unturned. Right. He lays out all his 00:03:27.930 --> 00:03:30.090 evidence step by step, which is great, you know, 00:03:30.090 --> 00:03:32.150 for making his argument solid. Absolutely essential 00:03:32.150 --> 00:03:35.069 for the claim he's making. But it's errant. It 00:03:35.069 --> 00:03:36.750 can feel a bit dense sometimes. You've got to 00:03:36.750 --> 00:03:39.509 focus. True. It demands attention. But I'd say 00:03:39.509 --> 00:03:42.509 stick with it because that detail, that's what 00:03:42.509 --> 00:03:44.610 makes his whole reinterpretation so convincing. 00:03:44.889 --> 00:03:47.729 Definitely. It's not a quick read, maybe, but 00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:50.169 the payoff for that investment in the detail 00:03:50.169 --> 00:03:52.550 is huge for understanding the argument. Yeah. 00:03:52.610 --> 00:03:55.210 Couldn't agree more. And maybe one other thing. 00:03:55.789 --> 00:03:58.590 It's how the book directly challenges those really 00:03:58.590 --> 00:04:00.650 long -held beliefs about Creasy. The national 00:04:00.650 --> 00:04:02.990 myths, almost. Exactly. For England, it's the 00:04:02.990 --> 00:04:05.189 underdog story. The archers winning the day. 00:04:05.310 --> 00:04:07.449 This glorious victory. Right. Part of the national 00:04:07.449 --> 00:04:10.710 identity, in a way. And the book. It doesn't 00:04:10.710 --> 00:04:13.610 totally say that's wrong, but it adds so many 00:04:13.610 --> 00:04:16.269 layers. So much uncertainty. Especially about 00:04:16.269 --> 00:04:19.329 the location. That's fundamental. Right. Even 00:04:19.329 --> 00:04:21.449 where it happened is suddenly up for debate. 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:24.300 That's pretty major. It does make you think about 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:26.699 how attached we get to historical stories, doesn't 00:04:26.699 --> 00:04:28.920 it? Especially the ones tied up with who we think 00:04:28.920 --> 00:04:32.120 we are. Yeah. Are we willing to update the story 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:34.920 when new evidence comes along? Or do we just 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:38.060 cling to the familiar version? That's the big 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:40.540 question it leaves you with, I think. So, all 00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:44.839 that said, rating time. Where do we land on Crete? 00:04:45.899 --> 00:04:49.600 Battle of Five Kings. Hmm. Considering everything. 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:53.899 Yeah, I'm thinking. The research is just phenomenal, 00:04:54.019 --> 00:04:55.620 groundbreaking, really, the way it pulls you 00:04:55.620 --> 00:04:57.759 in, even with all that detail. And the way it 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:00.060 genuinely makes you rethink a major historical 00:05:00.060 --> 00:05:03.199 event. And maybe how we think about history itself. 00:05:03.660 --> 00:05:06.759 For me, it's got to be. Like a 4 .5 out of 5 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:09.620 stars. Solid. I'm right there with you. 4 .5 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:11.819 feels right. It's significant work. It's more 00:05:11.819 --> 00:05:14.439 than just about one battle. It sparks that bigger 00:05:14.439 --> 00:05:16.420 thought process about the past. It really does. 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:17.939 It sticks with you. It makes you look at historical 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:20.139 accounts maybe a bit more critically afterwards. 00:05:20.379 --> 00:05:22.600 Definitely a book that lingers. Okay then, let's 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:24.480 start wrapping up this deep dive. Sounds good. 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:27.259 If this whole exploration into, you know, the 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:29.860 hidden truths or the complexities of Cressy and 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:32.889 Michael Livingston's amazing work. If that grabbed 00:05:32.889 --> 00:05:36.230 you. Which how could it not? Right. Please take 00:05:36.230 --> 00:05:37.810 a second, hit that like button, maybe subscribe 00:05:37.810 --> 00:05:40.089 if you haven't already. We do more deep dives 00:05:40.089 --> 00:05:42.629 like this. We do indeed. And we've put an Amazon 00:05:42.629 --> 00:05:45.750 link for Cressy, Battle of Five Kings, down in 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:46.949 the description. So if you want to check out 00:05:46.949 --> 00:05:48.810 the book yourself, it's right there. Highly recommend 00:05:48.810 --> 00:05:50.990 it if this conversation sparked your interest. 00:05:51.490 --> 00:05:53.470 We'd also love to hear from you all. What was 00:05:53.470 --> 00:05:57.930 the most surprising thing you heard today? Or 00:05:57.930 --> 00:06:00.160 your favorite bit? Yeah. Drop a comment below. 00:06:00.199 --> 00:06:01.959 Let us know what stood out. We actually do read 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:04.699 them. We do. Let's get a discussion going about 00:06:04.699 --> 00:06:07.399 Cressy, about how history gets written, rewritten, 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:09.980 all that good stuff. Keep the conversation rolling. 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:12.420 All right. Thanks so much for joining us on this 00:06:12.420 --> 00:06:14.319 deep dive, everyone. Yeah. Thanks for listening.