Talk:Philippa of Hainault

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[edit] Afrocentrism in a spoof of the BBC?

This is completely rediculous! IP Address 20:12, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Philippa and Neville's Cross.

This is a myth: Queen Philippa was not at Neville's Cross, and never exercised any kind of military command. The army that defeated David II was commanded by William de la Zouche, Archbishop of York. Rcpaterson 07:57, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 7th Greatest Black Briton?

This is interesting, but where is the evidence that she was black? Were there even any black people in her ancestry? --Stewcarr 13:39, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

There is very little proof of the fact. According to the ODNB the description by Bishop Stapeldon with some stereotypical black features may not even be about her but about one of her sisters. Any black ancestry would probably suggest a bastard somewhere in the linage and would be something to keep quiet about. Just bringing the idea at that time would probably be regarded as treason. MeltBanana 15:30, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

This is truly ridiculous! Why is Philippa a 'great' Black Briton? Because her son was called the Black Prince. Why was he so called? Because he wore dark armour!!!!! Thus the absurdity of all political correctness. Rcpaterson 00:12, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

The suggestion is of course ridiculous. "Black", "Red" and "Fair" are usually references to hair colour, and in medieval Europe never a reference to skin colour. Trade and contact with sub-saharan Africa was so sporadic and so extremely indirect, that the number of black people who set foot in medieval France or England could probably be counted on one hand. Just to reassure the clueless, there is no debate amongst historians about the "blackness" of this queen or the son of Edward III. Seems to be a product of that website, or at least its badly informed source. Calgacus (ΚΑΛΓΑΚΟΣ) 00:51, 6 August 2006 (UTC)

There's no need to get overheated. Black ancestry did occasionally occur in past times: the next Duke of Westminster will have a black ancestor through his mother, descended from Pushkin whose great-grandfather was Gannibal, Peter's black military man. And I believe I read somewhere that Philippa may have had Moorish (as opposed to "blackamoor") ancestry. Truth can often be stranger than fiction.

Kneeslasher 11:08, 20 January 2007 (UTC)