Before you were born, once upon a time, all history in Europe was written in rhyme; It was sung and told by people called bards, sometimes Jesters, if you’re familiar with cards.

Welcome to a time when the toughest got to rule, when religion controlled medicine and school; when women were tried and burned as witches, and wounds could not be treated with stitches, put away your iPod, forget your phone, in Medieval times, these you could not own.

A Word from a Medieval Bard:

By Mister Glanz

As we focus on England, there’s a lot to see, about a conqueror from Normandy; William was his name, you’ve heard it before, about how he came knocking on Harold’s door: “You promised me the throne, now hand it over, or I’ll land an army on the shores of Dover; God’s on my side, just ask the Pope, I was given his banner, you’ve got no hope.”To his threat, William held true, you briefly heard of what he did do; he landed his army, they had time to rest, Harold’s did not, they failed their test.

Ask your teacher, about this he does care, how England’s throne took on a new heir; Harold contended with William’s anger, and knew it was no laughing matter; at the Battle of Hastings, his army’s lines broke, as the Normans charged, with spears they poked; the bodies of their enemies, the English they were,they hacked them down, they did not err.

William’s victory was not just military, the control he attained was kind of scary; to prevent anyone plotting a coup, he said to his people, “Here’s what I’ll do, I need money to pay my soldiers, give me a list of the biggest land holders, tax we’ll charge them, and that’s that, no one will question where I’m at. If anyone rebels, I’ll kill them all, just like Hastings, I’ll watch them fall,I’ll build castles to secure the land, the people I’ve conquered will give me a hand;this land belongs to Normandy, God wants it that way, and so it will be.”

You hear me a lot, because I was there that day, but do you believe me when this I say? As historians, we must use our sources, to research these men who fought on horses; from the Battle of Hastings, not much survives, in the way of books, charts and archives; something does, though, and it’s been used a lot, that’s how mortals know the plot. How do we know about 1066,how have historians worked these tricks? The answers require a break from rhyme, but your bard will be back another time.

The Bayeux (By-err) Tapestry.

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most well-preserved historical sources from the Middle Ages. It tells the story of Harold’s supposed betrayal of William the conqueror and retells the story of the Battle of Hastings through mostly pictures.

There is concern about the historical “truth” in it, however, because it was made entirely by the Normans and no English equivalent exists. We only hear the story from the side of the winners.

“The oath,” Scene 1:

Here, we see Harold (not yet King) as a prisoner of the Normans, swearing by sacred relics. Was he promising his support to William the Conqueror?

“The return,” Scene 1:

Here, we see Harold talking to King Edward, probably about his stay in Normandy.

Edward died on the 5th January 1066. The Tapestry reverses the scenes of his death and his burial. Here we see his funeral procession to Westminster Abbey, his great new Church. In the upper chamber King Edward is in his bed talking to his faithful followers, including Harold and Queen Edith - below he is shown dead with a priest in attendance. Two noblemen offer Harold the crown and axe, symbols of royal authority, that will make him King. He accepts the offer.

“The King is dead:”

Harold is crowned King of England on 6th January 1066 - Edward’s funeral was that very morning. The new king sits on a throne with nobles to the left and Archbishop Stigand to the right. At the far side people cheer him. On the far right Halley's comet appears; people think it is an evil omen and are terrified. News of the comet is brought to Harold; beneath him a ghostly fleet of ships appears in the lower border- a hint of the Norman invasion to come.

“Long live the King:”

News of Edward's death and Harold becoming King is carried across the channel to William the Conqueror. William is furious - he claimed that the throne of England should be his and saw Harold as a traitor who didn’t belong there. William decides to attack England and organises a fleet of warships.

Planning the Invasion:

The invading fleet:

The Normans arrive in Southern England and set about finding food.

Beach head:

Duke William appears in discussion with his half brothers Odo and Robert, Count of Mortain. A motte, a type of castle, is built to strengthen the Norman invaders' base at Hastings. A messenger brings William news of Harold and his army. On the right a woman and her child flee from a burning house.

Beach Head 2:

On the morning of the battle, 14th October 1066, William, in full armour, is about to mount his horse. William’s Norman cavalry gallops off to face Harold’s English soldiers.

William rides to war:

The Norman cavalry charges – the battle has begun.

The Battle:

The Battle, 2:The air fills with arrows and lances, men fall and die everywhere. The Normans attack the English from both sides. The lower margin of this scene is filled with dead soldiers. It would’ve been a very gory battle indeed.

The Battle rages on – dead men and horses are strewn all over the battlefield.

The Battle, 3:

The Normans seem to be getting the upper hand as the battle continues. Many more soldiers die, one appears to be having his head cut off. On the right is the best known scene in the Tapestry: the Normans killing King Harold. But how is Harold killed? He seems to be shown twice: first plucking an arrow from his eye, and then being hacked down by a Norman knight. The tapestry is difficult to interpret here, but the second figure is probably Harold being killed.

The Battle, 4.

With Harold dead, the battle is as good as over. The victorious Normans are shown here picking off the last of the English.

Victory.

What is the Bayeux Tapestry and what story does it tell?

What made William invade England?

Who was King of England before the Battle of Hastings?

Why is the Bayeux Tapestry a biased source of information?

Review questions: Answer in full sentences.