The British Isles.

Histories, Cultures and Identities Textual Practice

THE NORMAN CONQUEST

Gal Carolina

Anul I, Seria IX

A. Read the text:

The Battle of Hastings was the decisive victory in the Norman conquest of England. On
Saturday 14th October 1066, the Normans of Duke William of Normandy (later known as
William the Conqueror) defeated the Saxon army led by King Harold II, only eight months
after Harold had succeeded to the English throne. Many people think that famous date marks
the beginning of English history, as it was the last time the country was conquered by a
foreign power. Comparing the significance of the event to that of the Bolshevik revolution, a
Russian diplomat once said to an English diplomat: 'You had your 1917 in 1066.'

William believed that he was the heir to the English throne and claimed that Harold had
sworn an oath accepting this. William travelled with the blessing of the Pope, who did not
recognize Harold as king and had given William a ring and a banner to show that God was on
his side. He crossed the Channel from France in boats that his soldiers had made with their
own hands. When they arrived on the Sussex coast there was no one to resist the invading
force.

But as William walked up the beach, he tripped and fell on his face in front of his troops.
Turning this embarrassment to a show of confidence, he rose with his hands full of sand and
shouted, 'I now take hold of the land of England!' Everyone cheered.

William arrived unopposed because Harold's army was distracted by the Viking invasion of
the north of England. After defeating the Vikings in Yorkshire, they had to march 250 miles
south in only twelve days. Not surprisingly, they were exhausted by the time they reached the
south coast. To make matters worse, the Battle of Hastings lasted all day, which was unusual
at this time when most battles were over within an hour.

The two armies had between 7,000 and 8,000 men each, but William's army included
cavalry. A lack of archers made the English hesitant. Late in the battle, a mixture of genuine
and mock retreats by William's army drew the English forces down from their defensive
position on the ridge - where the town of Battle now stands. Then, according to the Bayeux
Tapestry, King Harold was hit in the eye by an arrow before falling to the ground. It is
believed that he was finished off by a Norman horseman, some say by William himself. The
Normans then poured through the English ranks and routed them.

The Norman victory at Hastings was decisive, despite approximately 2,000 Normans being
killed and wounded in the battle. Saxon casualties, including Harold's two brothers, were
greater still. But more importantly, Edgar the Atheling,the only surviving male member of
Edward the Confessor's family, failed in his attempts to organize further resistance.

While some facts are known, most of what actually happened in the battle is unclear. There
are, however, some records that we can use. The most famous is the Bayeux Tapestry, which

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The British Isles. Histories, Cultures and Identities Textual Practice

is both an artistic masterpiece and a crucial historical source. The belief that Harold was hit in
the eye with an arrow stems from a famous scene in the tapestry which shows a Saxon noble
being wounded in this way. This huge visual narrative was the work of Norman women,
possibly for the Conqueror's half-brother 0do, who can be seen in the tapestry playing an
important role in the battle.

Two months later, on Christmas Day 1066, William was crowned King of England in
Westminster Abbey. Three years after that, he had imposed his rule over most of England and
Wales. He built huge, impregnable stone castles like the Tower of London and then
terrorized the inhabitants of the surrounding countryside into obedience.

William wanted to raise taxes from the inhabitants of his new kingdom and did not want
anyone to avoid paying them. He knew that knowledge is power, so he sent his men to
conduct the first doorstep survey in history. They went to every village in England and wrote
down exactly who owned what and how much. The findings were written up in a huge book
known as the Domesday Book (1086). According to the Treasurer of England, so it was given
this name because 'it is not permissible to contradict its decisions, any more than it will be
those of the Last Judgement' (dome or doom was the old English word for judgement).
Remarkably, the Domesday Book was used to settle a dispute as recently as 1982.

The ruling class of England, and much of the rest of Britain, was recreated by the Norman
Conquest. Many current-day British aristocrats can trace their ancestry back to the
Conqueror's men; the words noble, gentle and aristocrat themselves come from the French.

William died after a riding accident in September 1087. Some reports from that time suggest
that on his deathbed he was seized by guilt at the way he had taken the crown from Harold.
Three of his sons survived him, but he refused to appoint an heir: 'Having made my way to
the throne of that kingdom by so many crimes, I dare not leave it to anyone but God alone.'

B. Explain the meaning of the words and phrases written in bold.

Sworn an oath – a depus un jurământ

Cavalry – cavalerie

Archers – arcașii

Routed – dirijate

Impregnable – necucerit

C. Check your facts!

1 Who won the Battle of Hastings?

The Battle of Hastings was the decisive victory in the Norman conquest of England.
2 Who supported William in his conquest of England?
William believed that he was the heir to the English throne and claimed that Harold had
sworn an oath accepting this. William travelled with the blessing of the Pope, who did not

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The British Isles. Histories, Cultures and Identities Textual Practice

recognize Harold as king and had given William a ring and a banner to show that God was on
his side.
3 Why was Harold's army tired?
William arrived unopposed because Harold's army was distracted by the Viking invasion of
the north of England. After defeating the Vikings in Yorkshire, they had to march 250 miles
south in only twelve days. Not surprisingly, they were exhausted by the time they reached the
south coast. To make matters worse, the Battle of Hastings lasted all day, which was unusual
at this time when most battles were over within an hour.
4 William's army had something that Harold's lacked completely; Harold's army also needed
more of something else. Name both.
The two armies had between 7,000 and 8,000 men each, but William's army included cavalry.
A lack of archers made the English hesitant. Late in the battle, a mixture of genuine and
mock retreats by William's army drew the English forces down from their defensive position
on the ridge - where the town of Battle now stands.
5 How many of William's men were killed in the battle?
The Norman victory at Hastings was decisive, despite approximately 2,000 Normans being
killed and wounded in the battle.
6 Give two reasons for the importance of the Bayeux Tapestry.
The most famous is the Bayeux Tapestry, which is both an artistic masterpiece and a crucial
historical source. The belief that Harold was hit in the eye with an arrow stems from a famous
scene in the tapestry which shows a Saxon noble being wounded in this way. This huge
visual narrative was the work of Norman women, possibly for the Conqueror's half-brother
0do, who can be seen in the tapestry playing an important role in the battle.
7 How did William impose his rule over England?
Two months later, on Christmas Day 1066, William was crowned King of England in
Westminster Abbey. Three years after that, he had imposed his rule over most of England and
Wales. He built huge, impregnable stone castles like the Tower of London and then terrorized
the inhabitants of the surrounding countryside into obedience.
8 How did the Normans get detailed information about the English?
William wanted to raise taxes from the inhabitants of his new kingdom and did not want
anyone to avoid paying them. He knew that knowledge is power, so he sent his men to
conduct the first doorstep survey in history. They went to every village in England and wrote
down exactly who owned what and how much. The findings were written up in a huge book
known as the Domesday Book (1086). According to the Treasurer of England, so it was given
this name because ‚it is not permissible to contradict its decisions, any more than it will be
those of the Last Judgement’ (dome or doom was the old English word for judgement).
Remarkably, the Domesday Book was used to settle a dispute as recently as 1982.
9 What are the ruling class called in England?
The ruling class of England, and much of the rest of Britain, was recreated by the Norman
Conquest. Many current-day British aristocrats can trace their ancestry back to the
Conqueror's men; the words noble, gentle and aristocrat themselves come from the French.
10 How long did William rule England?
William died after a riding accident in September 1087. Some reports from that time suggest
that on his deathbed he was seized by guilt at the way he had taken the crown from Harold.

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The British Isles. Histories, Cultures and Identities Textual Practice

Three of his sons survived him, but he refused to appoint an heir: 'Having made my way to
the throne of that kingdom by so many crimes, I dare not leave it to anyone but God alone.'

D What do you think?

1 Whose side was the Pope on in 1066? Why?
William believed that he was the heir to the English throne and claimed that Harold
had sworn an oath accepting this. William travelled with the blessing of the Pope, who
did not recognize Harold as king and had given William a ring and a banner to show
that God was on his side.
2 After his fall on the beach, William rose with his hands full of sand because:
a) it represented England itself.
b) England would be like sand running through his fingers.
c) it was an important natural resource.
d) he had never seen sand before.
3 Who tried to organize English resistance?
a) Alfred the Great
b) Harold's brothers
c) Edgar the Atheling
d) King Lear
4 'William waited until he had imposed his rule on the greater part of England before
having himself crowned /True or false?
5 What is the Domesday Book?
a) a list of who owned what and how much
b) the laws of Old England
c) names of doorstep tax-payers
d) predictions about the Last Judgement

E. Linguistic context

1. Study the brief text below and then complete the task that follows.

After the Norman Conquest, French scribes introduced several new spelling conventions. A
number of Old English forms were replaced, such as qu for cw (quick). The scribes replaced
h by gh in such words as might and enough, c by ch in church, and u by ou in house. They
began to use c before e and /' in such words as city and cell. Because the letter u was written
in a very similar way to v, i, n, and m, they tried to ease the reading task in some sequences of
those letters by replacing tv with o (come, love, one, son). By the beginning of the 15th
century, English spelling was a mixture of the two systems - Old English and French. -
Crystal, David. 2nd edition (2003). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language,
Cambridge University Press.

2 Write the following words in their Old English spellings:

quick enough church house city love
cwic genog circe hus cite lufian
3. Which spellings do you think are easier to remember, old or new? Why?

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The British Isles. Histories, Cultures and Identities Textual Practice

I think it's easier to remember the new spelling because it seems more logical and easier.
4. The Normans brought thousands of Latin and French words into English, which until then
had been a largely Germanic language. For obvious reasons, these new words tended to be
related to law and administration, but also to medicine, art, fashion and food. Sometimes they
replaced existing Old English words, but in most cases they existed alongside them, though
they had a more formal meaning. Find the Old English equivalent (using a dictionary if
necessary) for the following French-derived words for types of meat:

venison pork mutton veal beef

venesoun pigge mouton vel bull

F. The Bayeux Tapestry

Completed in 1082, the tapestry depicts in a uniquely vivid way the Norman invasion of
England in some 70 scenes, with brief explanatory 'captions'. It is about 70 metres long and
half a metre wide.

1. Study the pictures below, and match the caption to the right one:
Normans set fire to an English house

2. Now write simple captions for the other three pictures.

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The British Isles. Histories, Cultures and Identities Textual Practice

Normans with horses on boats, crossing to England, in preparation for battle (detail), Bayeux
Tapestry, c. 1070, embroidered wool on linen, 20 inches high (Bayeux Tapestry Museum,
Official digital representation of the Bayeux Tapestry—11th century. Credits: City of
Bayeux, DRAC Normandie, University of Caen Normandie, CNRS, Ensicaen, Photos: 2017
—La Fabrique de patrimoines en Normandie)

Knights with shields. Detail from the Bayeux Tapestry – 11th Century by special permission
of the City of Bayeux

G. Extension activities. Use the Internet and/or a library to answer the following questions.

a) Who re-enacts historical battles, and particularly the Battle of Hastings? Are the
reenactments realistic? What do you think motivates people to do this?

b) Trace the route William and his troops took to London after the Battle of Hastings.
Did they face any serious resistance along the way?

c) Find out more about the legal dispute that was settled using the Domesday Book in
1982. Why did it need to be used? Could it still be used to settle disputes in English law?

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