Lex Fridman: preference

Transcript context

…… which Charles goes falling on the back. I mean- … I can’t think of a better example of the relationship between the Norman dukes and the French kings. I mean, it’s perfect. It’s perfect. Oh God, I love the Vikings. So as you’ve covered, and maybe you could speak to that a bit more, for a long time to come, Normans have influence on Europe and beyond. Yeah, it’s hard to overstate Normandy’s impact on Europe in the Middle Ages. Of course, they’ll go on to conquer England as well. But Rollo, when he signs the treaty, it’s an ambiguous treaty. He’s given a title which is rather ambiguous. He’s not a duke, and it’s not clear. He’s not an earl. He’s not a duke. He’s just subservient to the king. Which means Normandy is not a duchy. It’s not a principality. It’s kind of this ambiguous, no one really knows what it is. And so Rollo, being a good Viking, and his descendants being good Vikings, despite becoming French, they just call themselves Duke. And they essentially seize whatever power they want. There’s one Norman duke, I think he’s the grandson of Rollo. He’s kidnapped by the French king when he’s 14. He escapes the captivity and kidnaps the king. As a 14-year-old, I mean, it’s just—these are—these guys are crazy.…

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