Great Uncle Fred? I really like history and my teacher`s great but I am not getting a good idea of the whole thing, if you know what I mean. We look at stuff like the slave trade or Napoleon or the rise of the Nazi party and it`s really interesting but it is not connected up. I want to get an idea of how it all links together. I hope you understand this question - how do you get a feel for history? (Lily, Spring 2008)

I think I do understand your question, Lily. I have noticed with my great great nephew Jack that he knows an awful lot about, say, the causes of the First World War but nothing at all about the Crimean or the Boer War. Not that wars are all that history is about, far from it, but in my opinion the emphasis is slightly wrong. I think the people who set the curriculum are trying to make the study of history lead onto other things and develop certain skills - they are not trying to give you an overall view so it is not surprising that you do not get one. Anyway, even though I understand your question, I have no idea how to answer it. However, this might just help... You want to get a feel for, say, the last 1,000 years of Western European history? Well, consider these characters... Rhys ap Tewdwr (997-1093) was still alive when St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) was born and St Bernard`s life overlapped with that of William II, William the Good of Sicily (1153-1189) who lived for two years alongside Louis VIII, Louis the Lion of France (1187-1226) who was alive at the time of the birth of St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) who died in the year that Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) was born and Robert the Bruce was the father of King David II of Scotland (1324-1371) who was around when King Henry IV of England (1367-1413) was born and King Henry could have witnessed the birth of St Joan of Arc (1412-1431) the year of whose death also saw the birth of Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476) who died when Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564) was already born and Michelangelo died in the year of the birth of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) who himself died in the year that Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was born and the year of Newton`s death was the year that Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) was born and when Ginsborough died Edmund Kean (1787-1833) was already around and by the time that Kean died Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) was born and before Carroll died, Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) was born and when Goebbels died, Van Morrison`s mother was five months pregnant with the future great bluesman who is, thank the stars, still with us. What do you think of that? Reading my list, it now seems a bit too English but if you found out about the lives of everyone on it, you might, nevertheless, get quite a good idea of the history of the last 1,000 years. Or perhaps you could make your own list? The point is - I agree with your point but I can see why it is hard for the Curriculum-makers to get away from their capsules etc. But try always, Lily, to keep in mind the fact that... Everything Connects.

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