The Normans

As my next topic Ruth has asked me to look at the broad subject of Britain from 1066 to 1500, including a look at King John, the barons and Magna Carta; the Black Death and the Peasants Revolt; Henry II and Becket. I am to start with 1066 and the Normans, quite topical given the coverage of them on the BBC.

As my first sources I am using the BBC series on the Normans, currently running on television (luckily I have recorded them) followed by reading David Crouch's book "the Normans" which I already had on my bookshelf at home (I read it several years ago so will be re-reading it).
The Normans were so called because although they were regarded by many at the time (and many now) as French, they were descended from the Vikings - Northmen, hence the name Normans. You might ask why are we looking at the origins of the Normans when my study topic begins in 1066,. That is a very good question and one to which I will give the answer in part now and in part will become obvious throughout the next few blog entries. 1066 was THE most decisive event in British history and it can be argued in European history too. But the events of 1066 did not happen in a vacuum; nor did the events happen suddenly, with no warning and no build up. To understand 1066, why it happened and why the consequences were so significant it is important to start by looking nearly 200 years previously. Some of this will be covered in future posts, some of it here.

The first episode of The Normans on the BBC was a fascinating programme. I am pleased to say that it did not teach me much that I did not already know (though had forgotten) from reading Crouch's book some years ago.

William I, known to Britain as William the Conqueror, was also known to his contemporaries as William the Bastard because he was the illegitimate son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy, was born in 1027. His mother was a Tanner's daughter from Falaise. As mentioned already he was descended from the Vikings. During the 9th Century the Vikings began raiding France (according to Crouch this was in large part due to the growing strength and effectiveness of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy of England which meant it was easier for the Vikings to look elsewhere for plunder). In the early 10th Century they decided to stay in the lower Seine valley around Rouen. Their leader, a Viking named Rollo, took advantage of the turmoil in France to bargain with the French king and obtain land in return for converting to Christianity and probably for helping to protect the King's authority from other Vikings.

Within 3 generations the Vikings had been assimilated into Frankish (French) culture and society. Normandy had become a reality complete with its own nobility. Its Viking descended rulers were now French, having abandoned their old language and culture and become fervent Christians who now built great monastic houses (such as Mont St Michel) rather than sacked them; indeed their piety was such that they even developed their own architectural style, known in England as Norman and elsewhere as Romanesque. The rulers of Normandy had used marriage to become dynastically intermingled with many of the great noble and royal lines of North Western Europe, including France and England.

But all this Christian piety did not make them soft. The Normans were a hard, militaristic race who as well as building churches also pioneered the building of motte and bailey castles to defend their lands. They bread big heavy warhorses. They adapted to, and developed, the military system of trained mounted military retainers that we know today as Knights. Though they were hardly the chivalric beacons we usually associate with knights, instead they were often little more than highly trained thugs. One was even so well trained that he could tell from sniffing horse manure if it was a warhorse.

When William was just 8 years old, his father died (1035) and William became Duke of Normandy. This was a perilous time. He was in constant danger of assassination. Indeed almost all of his guardians and close friends were killed and he once had to escape in his underwear on horseback across a raging river. This turmoils lasted some 12 years while William hung onto his inheritance. In 1047, when he was 20, a full revolt broke out under his cousin Guy. At the Battle of Valledun, William defeated the rebels. It is said that he personally led the charge against them. It was to be the making on him. Now he was unstoppable. He restored order to Normandy, moved his capital to Caen, married his distant cousin Mathilda, the daughter of the Duke of Flanders. The Pope had forbidden the marriage on the grounds that they were too closely related, but they married anyway, then built an Abbey each in Caen by way of penance.

Clearly William was a fervent Christian, but his upbringing had mad him a hard and ruthless man and there are plenty of examples of this such as his behaviour at the siege of Alencon where he is said to have cut off the hands of his enemies who had insulted him by hanging animal skins from the castle walls (a reference to the lowly status of his mother as a Tanner's daughter). By the time he reached his 30's he was secure in Normandy and looking to flex his muscle elsewhere and he soon settle on England.

11th Century England was wealthy, very well run with an efficient and centralised government and an excellent taxation system (from the ruler's point of view). But in the 1060's it was ruled by Edward the Confessor who had no heir and was likely to die that way. This was potentially disastrous for any realm. William was one of several who could make a plausible claim to the throne - he was Edward's cousin. Edward has even spent 20 years or so living in exile in England when he was a youth before he became king. But William had a serious rival in Harold Godwinson. Harold was the head of the most powerful family in Anglo-Saxon England. He was also an accomplished general. In 1064 Harold made a trip to Normandy and William later claimed that Harold promised to support his claim to the throne. Certainly Harold was knighted by William for his military services fighting for William.

The programme concludes by covering the events of 1066 themselves which I will summarise here.

• 5 January 1066 - Edward the Confessor dies. Harold is crowned King in Westminster Abbey on the same day as Edward's funeral.
• Harold is denounced by chroniclers as an oath breaker (these chroniclers were writing after the events of 1066 and therefore were writing on the behalf of the victor - the victor always gets to write the History!). The appearance of Halley's comet is taken by many as an ill omen for Harold.
• William launches a diplomatic offensive against Harold and obtains support from far and wide including the Pope who sends a Papal Banner. William clearly has God on his side.
• Invasion preparations begin for a fleet of about 700 ships and 7000 men. It is efficient and well run.
• Harold wait son the south coast with his army. But William does not come as the wind remains in the wrong quarter. By Autumn, Harold has to send much of his army home.
• The Vikings under Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, invade in the North, defeat the Army of the northern earls and capture York.
• Harold marches north gathering his army as he goes and on 25th September utterly destroys Hardrada's army at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. But his celebrations are short lived.
• On 28th September the wind changes and William's fleet sails to Sussex. When William lands he stumbles but he quickly turns this ill omen into a positive one by jumping to his feet and crying "look I have grasped the land with both hands!".
• The Normans quickly build 2 motte and bailey castles at Hastings and Pevensey (it takes no more than 2 weeks). The Normans lay waste to the surrounding countryside.
• Harold marches back to London, the 200 mile journey takes his army only 5 days marching on foot! Harold does not wait, despite being begged by his mother, instead he marches his exhausted and by now depleted army towards William at Hastings.
• On Saturday 14th October 1066 the Battle of Hastings is fought at Senlac hill. It will permanently change the course of history in England and beyond.
• William is alleged to have carried saints relics around his neck during the battle, the same relics Harold has sworn his oath of allegiance to William on.
• Despite the tiredness of Harold's army the battle began at 9am and lasted all day but the English line was finally broken when some English pursued the fleeing Bretons and the rest of the Normans took advantage. The end came when Harold was killed by an arrow in the eye. It was the end of Anglo-Saxon England
• Harold's body was so battered that it was recognised by no-one except his mistress who recognised it from certain secret marks known only to her.
• William built an Abbey on the site of the battle as penance for all the bloodshed. The altar is supposed to be on the very spot where Harold died.

I think the episode from the series is fascinating. It gives a good sense of what shaped William to be the ruthless and hard man he was. It gives something of the sense of what drove him to invade England and claim the throne for himself. It would make an interesting source for a lesson. If not all of it then certainly some of it could be shown - especially the sections relating specifically to William's upbringing.

Having said all this, however, I am going to be pedantic and take issue at some of the statements in the programme, especially relating to the military events of 1066 and the suggestion that Harold's defeat at Hastings was both inevitable and the end of resistance in Anglo-Saxon England. The programme oversimplifies these areas and while I believe this to be to the detriment of the broader understanding of the topic, I do understand the need to fit the main events and conclusions into only one hour.

In my next post I will add more detail to the origins of the Normans and the development of their duchy. In due course I will cross the channel and investigate England in the years leading up to 1066 and then move on.