Centuries...

Sylvestius

Each century has it's appeal to me but some just attract me far more than others.


Starting with my least fave of my favourites! (Sounds daft doesn't it)

7) 13th century.

6) 15th century.

5) 11th century, lots happened in the 11th century. But from an English viewpoint even more happened! 1016 and 1066 are not years to be forgotten. I get Æthelred II (the last true Saxon king), Cnut (the Danish King), Harold I, Harthacnut (one of the worst English kings of all time [but he was also king of Norway], he was poisoned at a wedding), Edward the Confessor (Now a Saint), Harold II (The unfortunate one that got the arrow in his eye), William the Conqueror, William Rufus (probably tie breaking with Harthacnut on unpopularity) and the century finished in 1100 with the 'murder' of William II and the accession of his brother Henry I.

4) 17th century... 1600's coins are always good.

3) 18th century - French Revolution, birth of America, the twilight years of Absolutism. English history of this period is extremely dull and boring all farming and stuff usually, urbanisation. French history is far more interesting.

2) 16th century - The Tudors, Martin Luther and the German Reformation, Charles V's almighty Empire. Mary Queen of Scots, Phillip II of Spain, the Inquisition, the Medici's. All go really, the Renaissance.

1) 12th century - I find the Anarchy 1135-1154 period totally fascinating, I'm even going out of my way to do a project on it. It was England's first 'Queen' in her own right (Queen in '' because she was not annointed Queen thus wasn't technically Queen until she was annointed), she nearly managed to claim the throne but it just eluded her and why is almost as baffling as how Stephen managed to hold onto the throne, afterall he was locked up, it was his wife that was running the place and it was his wife that kept Empress Matilda from her rightful throne despite the fact that the Empress was in London.

It was also the century of Richard the Lionheart 1189-1199 (whom i hate) and King John 1199-1216 (whom i like) and the fabled Robin Hood. The events of most Robin Hood stories are happening in the 1190s. Of course 1154-1189 was the reign of Henry II, which saw the might of Eleanor of Aquitaine former wife of the King of France. And who of course could forget Thomas Beckett?


You can tell i just love the 12th century can't you?


So what's your favourites?

syraq

19th and 20th century, the formation of the modern Greek state. I need the coins to understand the history.

Darkhorse

I can't pin it down to just one. But if I were to go with a century period it would have to be 1837 to 1937: From the coronation of Victoria to the introduction of the modern Canadian series (and everything in between).

Askari

My favorite period overlaps a simple century mark. It was a time of exceptional changes, and I find the time of the German Empire to be particularly interesting. It was the time when Germany became -- and continued becoming -- a single nation and master of its destiny after centuries of being the military playground of the other European powers. It didn't handle the transition too well, despite a lot of promise, and after the Pyrrhic Third Reich, German history has become, well, uninteresting.