Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to
be here. So imagine picking up the story of,
you know, a really famous battle, one that basically
defined nations, only to find out that, well,
maybe the very ground it happened on. Maybe that's
not even right. Yeah. It's a pretty bold claim,
isn't it? That's kind of the core of what we're
diving into today. Exactly. It's unsettling,
but also, honestly, really exciting. We're talking
about Michael Livingston's Cressy. Battle of
Five Kings. It really gets you thinking, right?
Like, how solid is our grasp on history? Especially
these big foundational events. Well, look, Cressy
isn't just a date, 1346. It's this huge story
for England, for France. A cornerstone myth,
almost. So questioning that foundation, yeah,
that takes guts. Absolutely. So for anyone just
tuning in, this book, Cressy, Battle of Five
Kings. It's definitely medieval military history.
Oh, yeah. Deep in the weeds there. But it's got
this amazing layer of like historical detective
work woven through it. That's the hook, I think.
Right. It revisits 1346, the classic story. Yeah.
Smaller English army, huge French one, improbable
English win. The longbow story we all learned.
The very one. Yeah. But Livingston, he kind of
pulls the rug out. He uses rediscovered sources.
Modern tech, even. Yeah, the mix is fascinating.
To basically challenge what we've believed for
centuries about this massive battle. And what
I find really compelling is that it's not just
him saying, oh, everyone was wrong. No, not at
all. He builds this meticulous case piece by
piece using evidence. It forces you to reconsider,
not just dismiss. It's more nuanced. Exactly.
Nuance is the perfect word. OK, so thinking about
what really stood out for me diving into Creasy
with this book. First off. It's just, it's an
incredible piece of historical detective work.
Seriously. He really goes digging, doesn't he?
He does. He's not just repeating the same old
stuff from the usual chronicles. He finds overlooked
accounts, reexamines the actual ground. The landscape
analysis is pretty cool. Isn't it? Using satellite
imagery and stuff for a battle from the 1300s.
Yeah. That's wild. It makes you realize how,
well, how even sources we think are definitive
can be, you know, incomplete. Or biased. Right.
And by bringing in these other maybe less famous
voices, he paints a much richer picture. More
complex. Definitely more complex. Less black
and white. And that complexity, that leads to
the second thing I loved. Even though Chrissy
is famous, right? We've all heard of it. Yeah,
basic history lesson stuff. The book gives it
this immediacy. It feels... urgent somehow. Oh,
so. Through these really vivid descriptions and
using those perspectives from sources maybe not
always highlighted. Yeah. You just get this raw
sense of the chaos, the human side of it all.
Right. The fear and the confusion, not just troop
movement. Exactly. It's not just strategy diagrams.
You almost feel like you're, well, not there,
but closer to it than usual history books get
you. Yeah. I like that poem he uses, Collage
de Beaumont. Yes. That adds such an emotional
layer, doesn't it? Beyond just the politics or
the tactics. Totally. It grounds the grand narrative
in individual experience. Okay. But on the other
side, things that might be, let's say, a potential
hurdle. The sheer amount of detail. I mean, Lewinston
is thorough. That's putting it mildly. He leaves
no stone unturned. Right. He lays out all his
evidence step by step, which is great, you know,
for making his argument solid. Absolutely essential
for the claim he's making. But it's errant. It
can feel a bit dense sometimes. You've got to
focus. True. It demands attention. But I'd say
stick with it because that detail, that's what
makes his whole reinterpretation so convincing.
Definitely. It's not a quick read, maybe, but
the payoff for that investment in the detail
is huge for understanding the argument. Yeah.
Couldn't agree more. And maybe one other thing.
It's how the book directly challenges those really
long -held beliefs about Creasy. The national
myths, almost. Exactly. For England, it's the
underdog story. The archers winning the day.
This glorious victory. Right. Part of the national
identity, in a way. And the book. It doesn't
totally say that's wrong, but it adds so many
layers. So much uncertainty. Especially about
the location. That's fundamental. Right. Even
where it happened is suddenly up for debate.
That's pretty major. It does make you think about
how attached we get to historical stories, doesn't
it? Especially the ones tied up with who we think
we are. Yeah. Are we willing to update the story
when new evidence comes along? Or do we just
cling to the familiar version? That's the big
question it leaves you with, I think. So, all
that said, rating time. Where do we land on Crete?
Battle of Five Kings. Hmm. Considering everything.
Yeah, I'm thinking. The research is just phenomenal,
groundbreaking, really, the way it pulls you
in, even with all that detail. And the way it
genuinely makes you rethink a major historical
event. And maybe how we think about history itself.
For me, it's got to be. Like a 4 .5 out of 5
stars. Solid. I'm right there with you. 4 .5
feels right. It's significant work. It's more
than just about one battle. It sparks that bigger
thought process about the past. It really does.
It sticks with you. It makes you look at historical
accounts maybe a bit more critically afterwards.
Definitely a book that lingers. Okay then, let's
start wrapping up this deep dive. Sounds good.
If this whole exploration into, you know, the
hidden truths or the complexities of Cressy and
Michael Livingston's amazing work. If that grabbed
you. Which how could it not? Right. Please take
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if you haven't already. We do more deep dives
like this. We do indeed. And we've put an Amazon
link for Cressy, Battle of Five Kings, down in
the description. So if you want to check out
the book yourself, it's right there. Highly recommend
it if this conversation sparked your interest.
We'd also love to hear from you all. What was
the most surprising thing you heard today? Or
your favorite bit? Yeah. Drop a comment below.
Let us know what stood out. We actually do read
them. We do. Let's get a discussion going about
Cressy, about how history gets written, rewritten,
all that good stuff. Keep the conversation rolling.
All right. Thanks so much for joining us on this
deep dive, everyone. Yeah. Thanks for listening.