TRAVERSE 178
part of Hadrian ’ s Wall almost two thousand years ago . The Roman Emperor Hadrian had ordered the construction to keep the Picts of the north out of his territory for they were far too barbaric and warmongering to fit into civilise Rome . Bamburgh Castle was a fortress of a later period with the same intentions .
The Roman Empire left its mark all over Britain , and in fact , where we had started this northern exploration , in York , we ’ d seen evidence of Roman fortifications beneath the still standing medieval city walls .
York had always been considered a centre of civilisation and power .
The Romans used it as the power seat for Britannia Inferior before the downfall of the empire and the rise of the Saxons when York became the centre of the Kingdom of Northumbria . Enter the Danes , Jórvik came into being , the many remains of which can still be seen in the city . During medieval times York became a wall city and the centre of religious activity in the north of England . York ’ s history is rich and varied , stretch well beyond ten thousand years prior .
The city didn ’ t go unnoticed during the time of Henry VIII and fell into economic decline during the reign of the Tudors .
Piecing it all together , an often convoluted and confusing history , was starting to make sense and tell a story of conquest , power , and greed .
“ What a cock ,” the ‘ oracle ’ blurted as I mentioned all that Henry VIII had done . I laughed indeed , for Henry ’ s folly in separating the Church of England from the papal authority , setting about the reformation , and giving himself ultimate power , suggesting he was one of the most excessive and ineffectual leaders of all history . His reign was punctuated by destroying all that was Catholic and many wars that cost plenty and did little . In destroying the religious constructions Henry left monument right across England and I wondered
TRAVERSE 178