by David Tollen | Jan 8, 2016 | The Recent Modern Age
Spoiler Alert: This post reveals details of Downton Abbey, through Season 6, Episode 1. On Downton Abbey, Earl Robert repeatedly faces financial trouble. Many of his fellow nobles and gentry find themselves in even more dire straits. They cope by selling off their...
by David Tollen | Sep 15, 2014 | The Recent Modern Age
I know: this isn’t exactly history. But we’ve covered Downton Abbey before (twice), on more historical topics. And I can no longer keep silent. [SPOILER ALERT: This post reveals details from Downton Abbey Seasons 1 – 4.] I think our beloved Mr. Bates...
by David Tollen | Jan 9, 2014 | The Recent Modern Age
[SPOILER ALERT: Details below from Downton Abbey Season 3 + Ep. 1, Season 4.] In a post last year, I explained The Entail, Primogeniture, and Why Matthew Inherits Downton Abbey. But the intricacies of noble (and royal) inheritance never end, and Downton Abbey’s...
by David Tollen | Feb 28, 2013 | The Postclassical Age (Medieval History), The Recent Modern Age, Legal History
The Downton Abbey TV series begins with a predicament for the Earl of Grantham. Earl Robert has no sons, and an “entail” keeps any of his three daughters from inheriting his great estate and mansion: Downton Abbey. Robert’s heir is Matthew Crawley, a...
