New BBC drama - The Last Kingdom

[JimW]

Whizzed through it, but not too much on the tactics used in battles

No, but IIRC there's a bit where he deals with the decisive nature of the leader and his companions, who'd be a tiny well-armed elite, versus the bulk of the soldiery who despite sometimes being present in very large numbers were pretty much a peasant rabble easily broken. Think the Qin had been more of drilled force centuries earlier but by now it wasn't actually much of a tactical contest.
Quite a lot of the tactics described in the Romance are about establishing Zhuge Liang as that sort of Merlin figure and I wouldn't necessarily expect them to reflect reality so much.

 

[DotCommunist]

Dragon Blade has an immense warrior dance off with the romans doing their moves then the chinese led by jackie chan doing theirs, one after the other. It was at that point I realised the film was entirely mental

 

[rekil]

Dragon Blade has an immense warrior dance off with the romans doing their moves then the chinese led by jackie chan doing theirs, one after the other. It was at that point I realised the film was entirely mental

Former PD follower Cusack was not entirely convincing.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Dragon Blade has an immense warrior dance off with the romans doing their moves then the chinese led by jackie chan doing theirs, one after the other. It was at that point I realised the film was entirely mental

Not seen it, but for some reason I immediately thought of the tap dancing routine at the end of Zatoichi which was completely unexpected

 

[DotCommunist]

Not seen it, but for some reason I immediately thought of the tap dancing routine at the end of Zatoichi which was completely unexpected

I was hoping for acccurate roman vs china battles....but this was quite different. Jackie Chan sings in it not a bad voice tbf

yeah its ludicrouse but the choreography of the combat and martial arts is sweet. Makes it worth the watch.

 

[Sirena]

A friend of mine just noticed the horsemen are using stirrups.

He says they were introduced by the Normans and that is what gave the Normans their fighting edge.

 

[neonwilderness]

They were using kite shields last week too, which is also wrong.

I really wanted to like this series, but it's a bit shit really. Which is a shame

 

[pinkychukkles]

Have come into this a couple of episodes in and I'm really enjoying it, historical accuracy of shield design notwithstanding roll on next week. Then again, I can remember the original Robin of Sherwood TV series from the 80s complete with Clannad soundtrack so perhaps my opinion should carry no weight.

 

[Dan U]

Robin..... The Hooded Man...

[emoji1]

 

[DotCommunist]

alfred is basically like the viet cong now

 

[tony.c]

I'm getting confused as I'm also watching Vikings Series 3 on Amazon at present.

 

[bi0boy]

The second half of this video contains a damning critique of the weaponry that appears on The Last Kingdom

 

[Pickman's model]

I'm getting confused as I'm also watching Vikings Series 3 on Amazon at present.

first world problems ->->->

 

[Pickman's model]

A friend of mine just noticed the horsemen are using stirrups.

He says they were introduced by the Normans and that is what gave the Normans their fighting edge.

your friend is talking bollocks as the stirrups were in use well before the period under discussion.

see e.g.

(j.f. verbruggen, 'the role of cavalry in medieval warfare', in the journal of medieval military history 3 (2005), p. 52)

 

[Cid]

A friend of mine just noticed the horsemen are using stirrups.

He says they were introduced by the Normans and that is what gave the Normans their fighting edge.

Well he's wrong. They developed its effective use in cavalry charges but it was certainly around before them. Normans are vikings who have settled into the ways of the French aristos anyway, their technologies evolved from those cultures.

 

[Ted Striker]

I did like the crowbarring in of the burning of the cakes scene

Lots to resolve still in the final episode (I'm on US schedule)...Not sure they'll finish it well tbh...

 

[Pickman's model]

Well he's wrong. They developed its effective use in cavalry charges

i think you'll find the byzantine cataphracts pre-dated the normans by some centuries.

 

[Pingu]

The second half of this video contains a damning critique of the weaponry that appears on The Last Kingdom

that is, basically, a discussion we have had in the pub soooooooo many times. no matter ho much you try to let it ride over you and attempt to ignore it it eats away at you until you end up screaming at the telly.

 

[DotCommunist]

I noticed another incidence of uttred chucking his sword point down into the ground. I feel sorry for the peon who has to sharpen it for him

 

[Fez909]

Wonder if there's a Chinese equivalent? Have you ever seen the film Red Cliff? I've often wondered how many of the tactics used (especially with the ships) were factual or whether it's just all glamourised Hollywood stuff

I watched Mulan the other day and there was a shield wall tactic used in that. No idea on the historical accuracy.

 

[sim667]

fast coming to the conclusion that uttred son of uttred is a gigantic bellend.

Which one? Uttred son of uttred, or uttred son of uttred son of uttred?

 

[Pickman's model]

I noticed another incidence of uttred chucking his sword point down into the ground. I feel sorry for the peon who has to sharpen it for him

you've earned yourself the famous pedant of the month award with your posts on this subject.

 

[DotCommunist]

An ever shifting marshland whose currents and constants are known only to the locals (who are on your side) is the most perfect place to get your guerilla on.

Which one? Uttred son of uttred, or uttred son of uttred son of uttred?

Can't keep all your uttreds in one basket

you've earned yourself the famous pedant of the month award with your posts on this subject.

It reminded me of a common fantasy and comic book fantasy scene. The dread hero/baddie walking grimly to his foe, dragging the sword along with its point on the ground. Bonus cheesy cliche points if its over a paved area and the tip is striking sparkks from the stone

 

[bi0boy]

Apart from the marshy bit, does anyone else think that the filming location in Hungary doesn't really look like it could be 9th century England?

 

[bi0boy]

I posted the same thing twice so I edited the second one.

 

[Cid]

i think you'll find the byzantine cataphracts pre-dated the normans by some centuries.

Yeah... well... Huns.

Ok I forgot about the cataphracts.

 

[Cid]

Which one? Uttred son of uttred, or uttred son of uttred son of uttred?

He is Uhtred son of Uhtred. He was Osbert son of Uhtred, brother of Uhtred.

Or, to put it another way, check before you say wrong things in a superior way.

unless it's about Byzantine cavalry

 

[gosub]

Apart from the marshy bit, does anyone else think that the filming location in Hungary doesn't really look like it could be 9th century England?

thats the one bit that has gnawed at me, but understandable. Really enjoying it.

 

[Sprocket.]

The Normans were just Vikings who realised that becoming Christian and getting paid a fortune in goods and land by the Franks to keep the peace.
Was easier than cruising around knocking the smoke out of the rest of Europe. They eventually did what their Viking forebears didn't quite manage and conquer England.

 

[bi0boy]

DNA analysis shows most of England is far more Saxon than Viking. I guess they didn't have many sprogs with the natives and the Norman lot mainly just conquered the nobility.