Fake 150

Another couple of items from reference 2.

First, I learn that Cologne cathedral, snapped above, is an awe inspiring medieval building, awe inspiring enough to be a world heritage site. But I also learn that it took a long time in the building. Started after the previous cathedral burned down in 1248, work continued until the sixteenth century. By which time much of the present building was still missing. Work restarted, at huge expense, in the course of the German national revival during the nineteenth century, to be completed in 1880. At that time, the tallest building in the world and a fitting celebration of the new Germany. Somewhat damaged during the second world war, when much of the surrounding city was destroyed. Now put back together again and catering to around 20,000 visitors a day. Catering which no doubt includes proper shopping opportunities.

So not really very medieval at all. That is to say, a fake.

Second, I learn of the important role of antiquaries, historians, linguists and other learned types in the formulation and propagation of all the cod-history which was pumped into the foundations of the solidifying nations of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Nations which were coming to be defined by race, religion and language. Which were keen on heroic tribal origins, preferably attested by Tacitus. Preferably including national epics, cod or otherwise, like Finlands's Kalevala or Germany's Nibelungenlied. Not to mention our own Walter Scott. Nations which were intolerant of alien minorities inside and greedy to incorporate related minorities outside. So the Germans were keen to grab the southern, vaguely German part of Denmark, while relaxed about the northern part, the vaguely Norse part, reverting to Sweden. All feeding into the various Schleswig-Holstein crises which I dimly remember as being part of my schoolboy history. And while they were at it, they wouldn't have minded taking back the Netherlands, a part of the Holy Roman Empire which should never have been surrendered in the first place.

All of which makes for unpleasant reading. Far too much of this sort of thing is still is still to be found, usually in troubled parts of the globe. Not least Putin's ventures into cod-history. For an example of which see reference 5.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/08/fake-149.html.

Reference 2: National thought in Europe: a cultural history - Joep Leerssen - 2006.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schleswig-Holstein.

Reference 5: On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians - Vladimir Putin - 2021. To be found at http://www.en.kremlin.ru/misc/66182.

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