Riddle of Ages: Travelling Through History

[mayor]

[*]And defeat turned into bloody victory: in the end, Justinian stayed in Constantinople and sent the army into the hippodrome, where the soldiers massacred all the people in there (bloody, geddit?). [/list]

hmm.. with a bloody victory, I think about a victory that cost the winning "team" a lot of blood... but hey, that 's just me

 

[strijder20]

Oh, I have to write a riddle. Thought Milarqui would do another one. Give me some minutes.

EDIT: An easy one, for a change.

Thousands flying messengers of death they sended
to the ironclads, whose change ended.
Golden necks were abruptly slit through
and the ten-fingered men returned to their plough.

 

[Milarqui]

Oh, Oh, Oh!!!

I think I know this one.

Agincourt? (Messengers of death = arrows, ironclads = knights)

 

[Gem Hound]

I was too late! That was my guess.

 

[mayor]

hmm Agincourt is possible..

but I'll go for: the battle of the golden spurs. ( Battle of Courtrai)

 

[Omega124]

Valiant as we stand
Fighting millions as hundreds hand to hand
Spear and shield raised, all of us died to save our land

 

[Milarqui]

Valiant as we stand
Fighting millions as hundreds hand to hand
Spear and shield raised, all of us died to save our land

To put a riddle, you have to guess the previous one.

So this one does not count. (Although I am guessing the Battle of Thermopilae (the one with the 300 Spartans))

 

[strijder20]

Yeah, I think it's Thermopilae too.
It was Agincourt indeed
Oh, and a cookie if you can guess the meaning of all the four verses.

 

[SouthernKing]

Yep, Thermopylae. Or it could just as well be the Alamo, but more likely the former.

Also, wouldn't this fit better in the WH forum?

 

[Milarqui]

Thousands flying messengers of death they sended = Arrows flying
to the ironclads, whose change ended. = The ironclads are the knights (and I am guessing that it should be charge instead of change)
Golden necks were abruptly slit through = The knights' necks were cut to kill them
and the ten-fingered men returned to their plough. = The longbowmen were yeomen, free men that had their own land. And I guess that the ten-fingered men comment is because of the legend that the longbowmen had their fingers cut.

 

[mayor]

I think change is correct and refers to the fact the lnights had disnounted

 

[Gem Hound]

Valiant as we stand
Fighting millions as hundreds hand to hand
Spear and shield raised, all of us died to save our land

To put a riddle, you have to guess the previous one.

So this one does not count. (Although I am guessing the Battle of Thermopilae (the one with the 7000 Spartans))

Fixed.

 

[Gem Hound]

Thousands flying messengers of death they sended
The sky was filled with the arrows of the longbowmen
to the ironclads, whose change ended.
which fell among the men clad in armor who stopped dead in their tracks
Golden necks were abruptly slit through
The French men-at-arms were exhausted and overheating in their armor after trodding across the muddy fields of Agincourt with arrows falling on them from both sides. By the time they reached the lines, some historians say, they were so exausted that they could not even lift their arms to defend against the onslaught of the now-melee longbowmen.
I am guessing golden neck means glistening with sweat and slashing means the longbowmen cleaving the exhausted French with ease.
and the ten-fingered men returned to their plough.
The French promised to Henry V to chop off each longbowman's index and middle fingers so they could no longer fire a bow. This is where the "Longbowman salute" came from. The armies retreated from France and returned to England.

 

[strijder20]

Hmm, I think Gem deserves it most
• The cookie of Agincourt :

Everyone got the first one right.
It should indeed have been 'charge', sorry The terrain was muddy and the armoured knight's charge was stopped, as they got stuck in the mud.
With 'Golden necks got slit through', I was referring to the fact that Henry, desperate for reinforcements, ordered the guards of the imprisoned noblemen to kill their prisoners so they could fight again. Those knights could have earned them a very nice ransom (golden), but of course they were worthless death.

And both Gem and Milarqui gave a part of the last verses explanation : The longbowmen were farmers, and the French had threatened to cut off their fingers in the case they would have lost the battle. That's why putting up your middle and your index finger, showing the palm of your hand, is offensive in England.

 

[mayor]

I think change is correct and refers to the fact the knights had dismounted

fixed that for me... (mobile phone post )

It should indeed have been 'charge', sorry

I still think 'change' also fits

@Milarqui: when's the next?

 

[Milarqui]

The next riddle? Hmmm...

As the tyrant King died,
There was a fight between the heirs:
One who thought kings came from God,
But disobeyed the previous King's rule;
The other, the legitimate, thought kings came from People,
And obeyed the King.

 

[hoplitejoe]

That could be so many things

 

[W|M]

The Ottoman Civil War?

 

[landlubber]

The next riddle? Hmmm...

As the tyrant King died,
There was a fight between the heirs:
One who thought kings came from God,
But disobeyed the previous King's rule;
The other, the legitimate, thought kings came from People,
And obeyed the King.

Is it referring to the rise of William of William and Mary? Not sure what the event itself is called, but that's what comes to mind.

 

[KaiserElectric]

I'm guessing something from the Reformation Era.