Tag Archives: William the Conqueror

Battle of Hastings

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Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings and the death of King Harold. Harold was king for less than a year and died when an arrow was shot through his eye.

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William “the Conqueror,” and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson; when William won the battle, it was the beginning of the Norman conquest of England.

The context of the battle was that the childless King Edward the Confessor died in January 1066, which set up a succession struggle between several claimants to his throne.

King Edward ruled England for 24 years. His nickname reflects the traditional image of him as unworldly and pious. “Confessor” reflects his reputation as a saint who did not suffer martyrdom, as opposed to King Edward the Martyr. Edward built Westminster Abbey in order to have a grand church to bury royal family members. Edward and his wife had no children; it was said that they had no children because Edward kept a vow of celibacy to demonstrate his devotion to Christ. He is

For some time the Abbey had claimed that it possessed a set of coronation regalia that Edward had left for use in all future coronations. Following Edward’s canonization, these were regarded as holy relics, and thereafter they were used at all English coronations from the 13th century until the destruction of the regalia by Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

Harold was crowned king shortly after Edward’s death, but faced invasions by William as well as two other contenders for the throne. King Harold was able to defeat the other two contenders and while Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England in late September 1066. Harold was forced to march south swiftly, gathering forces as he went. But he and his army lost, a “very Bad Thing” as the famous 1066 And All That describes it.

William the Conqueror Arrives in England

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The Bayeux Tapestry is a masterpiece of embroidery that depicts William the Conqueror’s invasion and conquest of England; it was made around 1077.

William the Conqueror came from what is now France and invaded England; he arrived in England in September and on October 14, 1066, William established himself as the first Norman king when the last English king was slain.

The Normans brought a vast collection of folklore and stories with them, including stories of the Dames Blanches. These “White Ladies” were a type of Fae known in Normandy who lurk in narrow places such as ravines, fords, and on bridges, and try to attract the attention of male travelers. They may require one to join in their dance or assist them in order to pass. If assisted, she “makes him many courtesies, and then vanishes.” One such Dame was known as La Dame d’Apringy who appeared in a ravine at the Rue Quentin at Bayeux in Normandy, where one must dance with her a few rounds to pass. Those who refused were thrown into the thistles and briars, while those who danced were not harmed. Another Dame was known on a narrow bridge in the district of Falaise. She only allowed people to pass if they went on their knees to her. Anyone who refused was tormented by the lutins (hobgoblins), cats, owls, and other creatures who helped her.

Another character from Norman folklore was Melusine, a female spirit of fresh water in a sacred spring or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a mermaid). She is also sometimes illustrated with wings, two tails, or both.

Robin Hood, hiding in Sherwood Forest to rob from the rich and give to the poor, was a later Anglo-Saxon figure of resistance to the Norman invaders. Robin led the resistance to King John, the great-grandson of William the Conquerer. Robin, dressed in green with his band of merry men and Maid Marian, were long thought to be versions of Fae that defend the land and native people from oppression by foreign overlords but the stories about him were probably based on an actual person.