Thanks for the welcome Jill - i must've been looking at someone else's profile to think you were from Oz.
You expressed my sentiments exactly about the history lesson in going back to medieval times. I've got books on my shelf I never dreamed I would have and learned so much about European history as a sideline of roots work.
I'm supposedly descended from William the Conqueror, too, and King John, which I thought was cool til I watched "The Lion in Winter" and realized he was the least capable son!