Hello and welcome to the History of England episode 62, The Minority of Broad.

Okay, last week we were all about the internal political stuff during Henry's Minority.

So this week, let's look at some of the more external stuff.

During the 12th century, the English had developed something of a snooty attitude towards the other people of the British Isles.

Not but who find a point on it, the Irish, Welsh and the Northern and Western Scottish peoples have been seen as barbaric.

And events such as the Scottish invasion of England in 1138 stoked the fire of fear and resentment, customs and conditions, customs and traditions could be very different across the peoples.

So you might well have expected the 13th century to see the sense of difference in antagonism grow, and indeed the events under Edward I would seem to confirm this very thing.

But in fact, you would be wrong, so to think, and the very opposite happens.

Until the aforementioned Edward comes along, relationships between Wales, Scotland and England get much easier.

This is because, at the level of the aristocracy at least, a shared culture develops.

The basis for this culture is France.

The loss of so much of the angiven empire and the length of time from the Northern conquest does have some impact in England towards the development of an English culture and some separation between the English and the French ability.

But they are a bit confused about what it means to them.

Now they know they don't like all these aliens coming over from France, taking up positions at court, taking their women, drinking their wine.

And in 1216, the Civil War and some of the atrocities committed by the French dented the view of the culture of French.

But on the other hand, they feel slightly ashamed at being associated with the native English, after all the native English were clearly losers, and nobody likes a loser.

The English Anglo-Noron aristocracy becomes English after 1204, but they remain intimately connected with French continental culture and retain their kinship with French families.

And meanwhile, as I say, the culture of the Welsh Scottish and English gets much closer together.

The Welsh and Scottish military techniques are now very much in line with French and English practice.

Family relationships across the Scottish borders and north of England had always been very close, and the same had now become true in Wales.

Cluel in the Great, for example, described the powerful English marcher lord Roger Mortimer as his dearest son.

And indeed, Roger had married his daughter.

...